Power Kite Forum

First Flight - Any Advice?

ThePixelGuru - 4-7-2009 at 08:03 PM

Hi guys. I've been lurking around here for a couple weeks, and I picked up a Prism Stylus P.3 this week (2.5m). I'm thinking about taking it out for my first flight tomorrow, and was looking for a little general advice (since a lot of the stuff I'm reading seems to be above my skill level).

First off, the wind forecast for tomorrow is 6-13mph with some gusts, decreasing to 4-7mph as the day progresses. I'm 6'1", 160lbs and don't mind getting tossed to the ground a couple times - but would it be a bad idea to fly in those sorts of winds? Obviously if there are really significant gusts I won't be trying it, and I intend to put my box kite up there first to test the winds.

Second, anyone have some general advice for me? I haven't really flown any kites aside from single-lines, so this is all pretty new to me. Anyone got a handy list of do/don't sorts of things or common mistakes made by new fliers? The more I know before I go out the better.

Thanks everyone!

dgkid78 - 4-7-2009 at 08:18 PM

Where in Ma are you?

WIllardTheGrey - 4-7-2009 at 08:26 PM

having never used a Prism before I can't be much help on the wind but that seem like it would be just fine I'm also 6'1", approx. 160 lb.
First flight advice, keep your hands together and in front of you.
Allot of people who have never used a two line or four line kite before have a tendency to spread thare arms (kinda like your banana and Maro guys) in an attempt to control the kite, but all that does is decrease your range of motion thereby losing control.

Other than that pull left to go left and pull right to go right.

I'm sure other people will have more and better advice for you in the upcoming posts.

Hardrock - 4-7-2009 at 09:19 PM

my first power kite also. It will be a blast and make you want more. Yea, fly it in those winds and you will love it.

This kite flys like a dream. You can learn a lot from it. I was amazed by the pull it has and even broke a line from getting it out in high winds.

Prism sent me a new set of lines as they broke right in the sewn part next to the strap. I retied the old and still fly with them but haven't been in really good wind with it sense.

Learn it and keep it. You can let your friends learn on it. It's tough. I've seen it hit the ground and sound like a shotgun with no damage.

This kite got me hooked. You will learn where the window is and have a ton of fun. It's a good first step into power kites.
It won't spank you, just go out and fly it.

Let us know how it does.

ThePixelGuru - 4-7-2009 at 11:19 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by dgkid78
Where in Ma are you?

I'll be flying it somewhere around the athletic fields at UMass Amherst. Where do you fly?

Quote:
Originally posted by WIllardTheGrey
having never used a Prism before I can't be much help on the wind but that seem like it would be just fine I'm also 6'1", approx. 160 lb.
First flight advice, keep your hands together and in front of you.
Allot of people who have never used a two line or four line kite before have a tendency to spread thare arms (kinda like your banana and Maro guys) in an attempt to control the kite, but all that does is decrease your range of motion thereby losing control.

Other than that pull left to go left and pull right to go right.

I'm sure other people will have more and better advice for you in the upcoming posts.

Cool. Steering seemed like it would have a lot more to do with how much you pull the lines rather than at what angle. I've read Prism's advice on controlling sport kites, so I've seen the diagrams for the turns and such. We'll see how well I do... :roll:

Quote:
Originally posted by Hardrock
my first power kite also. It will be a blast and make you want more. Yea, fly it in those winds and you will love it.

This kite flys like a dream. You can learn a lot from it. I was amazed by the pull it has and even broke a line from getting it out in high winds.

Prism sent me a new set of lines as they broke right in the sewn part next to the strap. I retied the old and still fly with them but haven't been in really good wind with it sense.

Learn it and keep it. You can let your friends learn on it. It's tough. I've seen it hit the ground and sound like a shotgun with no damage.

This kite got me hooked. You will learn where the window is and have a ton of fun. It's a good first step into power kites.
It won't spank you, just go out and fly it.

Let us know how it does.

Yeah, I'd seen a lot of posts with people saying they'd started with the Stylus and still enjoyed flying it, so I figured it was a good place to start. The fact that I can convert it to quad line and learn on that before getting something bigger just sealed the deal. Glad to hear it's so durable; I'd been a little worried about that.

Anyway, glad to hear that wind range and kite combo won't kill or maim me. :spin: Any advice on keeping it in the air?

Thanks for the replies, everyone. I'll definitely update when I fly it. The Atom that I bought from Prism was a blast - I can't wait to get this out there. I want to get some flight time before I go to the beach later this summer.
:wee:

Bladerunner - 5-7-2009 at 07:59 AM

Don't try and steer like a steering wheel. Only a push pull will turn the kite. More like a bike.

Try and just keep the kite calm above your head for the 1st 5 minutes that you put it up. Feel how it sits at the edge of the window with very little power. Only after you are completely in control above your head do you want to start flying small figure 8's.

Avoid making jerky and large motions. Aviod using the brakes .

Whenever it starts to get scarey and fast , take the kite to the edge of the window and calm it all down.

dgkid78 - 5-7-2009 at 08:39 AM

Good luck flying today I had to pack it up early wind was 21 gusting to 25mph. A little too high for comfort for my 9.5 Montana and too high to try the 4m Reflex on loan. At least I got to fly Friday and saturday .

I fly in New Bedford. SE MASS

PHREERIDER - 5-7-2009 at 08:56 AM

find a comfortable idle spot for the kite and work slowly from there adding input , a neutral positions for your hands and arms while looking at a stable kite is one of the first reflexes to establish

keep oriented to the wind , use the front edge of the kite for indicator for what's going to happen

as wind speed/power increase use your body for balance abd control against the pull...bending at the hips and knees like your are sitting down . which will eventually get you sliding on your feet . when this happens just don't forget to keep flying the kite

ThePixelGuru - 5-7-2009 at 11:29 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bladerunner
Don't try and steer like a steering wheel. Only a push pull will turn the kite. More like a bike.

Try and just keep the kite calm above your head for the 1st 5 minutes that you put it up. Feel how it sits at the edge of the window with very little power. Only after you are completely in control above your head do you want to start flying small figure 8's.

Avoid making jerky and large motions. Aviod using the brakes .

Whenever it starts to get scarey and fast , take the kite to the edge of the window and calm it all down.

Quote:
Originally posted by PHREERIDER
find a comfortable idle spot for the kite and work slowly from there adding input , a neutral positions for your hands and arms while looking at a stable kite is one of the first reflexes to establish

keep oriented to the wind , use the front edge of the kite for indicator for what's going to happen

as wind speed/power increase use your body for balance abd control against the pull...bending at the hips and knees like your are sitting down . which will eventually get you sliding on your feet . when this happens just don't forget to keep flying the kite

Cool, will definitely keep that in mind. Thanks guys.

Quote:
Originally posted by dgkid78
Good luck flying today I had to pack it up early wind was 21 gusting to 25mph. A little too high for comfort for my 9.5 Montana and too high to try the 4m Reflex on loan. At least I got to fly Friday and saturday .

I fly in New Bedford. SE MASS

Sounds like you're a lot closer to the coast than me. Wind here is a bit above 10mph now, calming down to 5 around 8pm and becoming calm about 2am. Seems like good weather.

Heading out in about half an hour - wish me luck!

kitejumper - 6-7-2009 at 11:01 AM

read SCOOP'S GUIDE FOR NOOB POWER KITERS UNDER KITES AND ACCESORIES--that should get u moving in the right direction:thumbup:

AD72 - 6-7-2009 at 12:34 PM

Your avatar is making me thirsty. Shipyard's Old Thumper is great microbrew. I wish we had it here on the West Coast. Welcome to the forum.

ThePixelGuru - 6-7-2009 at 05:57 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by kitejumper
read SCOOP'S GUIDE FOR NOOB POWER KITERS UNDER KITES AND ACCESORIES--that should get u moving in the right direction:thumbup:

Thanks - thought I found all the stickies. Guess I missed that one.

Quote:
Originally posted by AD72
Your avatar is making me thirsty. Shipyard's Old Thumper is great microbrew. I wish we had it here on the West Coast. Welcome to the forum.

Thanks. Yeah, great beer - I actually go up that way about once every year and go to the restaurant where they used to brew it. Any Shipyard brew you want on tap, and they do samplers. That's actually the same area as the beach I mentioned flying at later this summer.



So - first flight report. The wind was somewhat mediocre, good at times but dying almost completely at others. I still managed to get some good flying time in, though, and I was pleasantly surprised to be able to keep it in the air indefinitely after only a few crashes. Having never flown anything but single-line kites before I was afraid it would be much harder to pick up; I'm glad to know that when I take it to the beach later this summer I won't just get frustrated by crashing it over and over. By the end, the only thing taking the kite out of the air was when I would lose the wind. That was sort of a mixed blessing, actually, since I got some experience whipping it back and forth across the power zone when it started blowing harder and then some experience just keeping the kite in the air when there was so little wind it started to fold up.

By the end of it, I could actually control the kite pretty well. Figure eights were pretty easy and I could loop it back and forth, wrapping the lines up and then unwinding them. I could also dive it at the ground pretty fast and pull up at the last second, though skimming horizontally above the ground is still a little beyond me - lots of fine control required there. I got a pretty good feeling for the wind window, too, and a good sense of the edges and the difference between holding the kite near the ground and at zenith.

Any advice on where I should go from here? I'm thinking I can try drawing other shapes like clovers or stars (or the rest of the Lucky Charms shapes! :singing: ), but are there any cool tricks I can try or any routines to practice that will make me better at this? And any advice for keeping bridle lines (is that the correct word for all those little lines under my kite that go to the flight lines?) from tangling? I haven't had a problem with it yet, but it looks like just a matter of time.

That thing was a blast, though I do have one complaint - it wasn't windy today! Can't wait to get out there and try it again, maybe with some smoother and stronger winds. I'm finding myself wishing for a good nor'easter...

ThePixelGuru - 12-7-2009 at 09:04 AM

Took the Stylus out for a second flight yesterday. Inconsistent winds again, but fun. In some of the bigger gusts the kite really seemed to want me to scud, but there wasn't quite enough wind to go more than a few inches on the grass. Ended up flying it flat on my back a few times, though, and I could get it to pick me back up on a quick pass through the power zone. Strong winds today and tomorrow - hopefully I can get out there again soon!

Any tips on things I should be doing to get better at this, or is it as simple as just getting more flying time in?

Bladerunner - 12-7-2009 at 09:17 AM

Work on controling the kite without looking at it at all. Fly by feel!

Fly loops. Start high turn hard and commit to holding the turn until it loop past the ground and is headed back up.

Fly down loops. Fly the kite to the edge. Instead of turning the kite back up turn it hard toward the ground. Using your kite looping skill to make the turn and then run the kite through a loooooong power stroke accross the window !

If it is not windy enough for the kite to sit at the edge then you must keep the kite moving at all times. Flying the kite creates it's own apperant wind.

ThePixelGuru - 18-7-2009 at 09:39 PM

Whoops, missed this reply. I guess favorites don't notify you like subscribed threads.

Anyway, thanks for the advice! I've been trying some of that - I've noticed now when I glance away for a second the kite is still in the sky when I look back... :P I've also been doing figure eights, but always with an up stroke to turn it around - throwing in some down strokes definitely seems like a good idea. I'll probably try out some vertical figure eights while I'm at it instead of just going back and forth.

I have noticed the apparent wind; been getting a lot of low wind flying in. :rolleyes: In really light winds I usually launch in the middle of the window, get the kite to inflate and then start almost "pumping" it back and forth to keep it going.

Oh, and I scudded a couple feet the other day. It's hard to do much more than that in the lumpy grass fields, but I can't wait to give it a shot in the sand and surf.

Scudley - 21-7-2009 at 10:01 AM

Glad you are enjoying your kite. Try doing your figure 8 vertically in the power zone a little bit to the side of dead down wind. The top of your figure 8 should be about 60° above the horizon and the bottom a comfortable distance above the for you to make your turn. This will be a useful skill for you later when you want to get the maximum work out of your kite.
Have you tried looping your kite in the power zone? You should find there is a considerable increase in the kites power as it speeds up in the turn.

dgkid78 wrote "I had to pack it up early wind was 21 gusting to 25mph. A little too high for comfort for my 9.5 Montana and too high to try the 4m Reflex".

The Sky Country website lists the min opt and max wind speeds for the Reflex 4m as 22, 36, and 50 kmph or 14, 22.5, and 30 miles per hour. I am going to put a qualifier on this: these speeds are for snow kiting; in large expanses; by crazy Russians with way more cojones than would ever fit in an Access harness. In a buggy what thy list as the minimum is a blast. At our small field 22 mph will have me doing aerials if I am not very careful of where I move the kite and how fast I let it move. Milking a Reflex will give you a lot of power. Sending it to the top of the window fast in 22mph will have you in the air. The Reflex is responsive enough that if you know what you are doing it will stay pulling; if you don't, it is fast enough that it will fly down the other side of the window, pull you horizontal, drop you like stone on to your belly, and then drag you. For an example of being dragged, see Video:wee:
S

Windeavor - 21-7-2009 at 05:18 PM

Have the same kite. Once you get comfortable with the 2 line strap handles, this kite can be switched over to a 4 line 2 handle setup. I run the Prism with 4 lines now and you really get a lot more control and handling out of it. When applying the "brakes" (tension to rear lines) you can back the kite down for landing making for easy restarts, and reverse launch when kite is laying on the leading edge.

ThePixelGuru - 21-7-2009 at 07:36 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Scudley
Glad you are enjoying your kite. Try doing your figure 8 vertically in the power zone a little bit to the side of dead down wind. The top of your figure 8 should be about 60° above the horizon and the bottom a comfortable distance above the for you to make your turn. This will be a useful skill for you later when you want to get the maximum work out of your kite.
Have you tried looping your kite in the power zone? You should find there is a considerable increase in the kites power as it speeds up in the turn.

Cool, I'll definitely give that a shot. That figure-eight technique is the same technique landboarders and buggiers use to gain speed, right?

And if by "looping" you mean making circles, yeah, I've tried that out - I'll work on keeping it in the power zone while I do. It definitely pulls harder as it spins (makes a hell of a noise, too!). It seems like there are some fun things you can do with loops, like gradually applying or letting off line tension to make spirals and such.

...let me know if I'm off base with any of that.

Quote:
Originally posted by DragOn
Have the same kite. Once you get comfortable with the 2 line strap handles, this kite can be switched over to a 4 line 2 handle setup. I run the Prism with 4 lines now and you really get a lot more control and handling out of it. When applying the "brakes" (tension to rear lines) you can back the kite down for landing making for easy restarts, and reverse launch when kite is laying on the leading edge.

Yeah, I've been thinking about doing that soon, actually (one of the reasons I bought the kite). Any recommendations as far as lines/handles go? I have to take another look but it seems like I might need just the brake lines, the power lines most likely come apart from those straps. Reverse launch sounds like the best part of that to me - as I get more daring I find myself crashing a bit more again and having to stake down the lines, throw my water bottle on the kite and walk back. It does provide a nice opportunity for a break, though (and a sip of water, though I have to remind myself not to drink so much that it doesn't hold the kite down any more).

WIllardTheGrey - 22-7-2009 at 12:47 AM

If there is enough wind to roll the kite on the ground then you can relaunch by pulling on one line till the kite is laying with the wing tip facing you, then give the other line a tug to inflate and launch.

Scudley - 22-7-2009 at 06:08 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by ThePixelGuru

Cool, I'll definitely give that a shot. That figure-eight technique is the same technique landboarders and buggiers use to gain speed, right?

And if by "looping" you mean making circles, yeah, I've tried that out - I'll work on keeping it in the power zone while I do.


It is very similar to flying your kite in the sine wave pattern used to gain power except that you are not moving sideways while you do it.
I do mean making circles. This is also used to get more power.
I am not sure that I would spend the money to get new lines and handles to convert your prism to 4 line. After market lines and handles will be a large fraction of the price of a new kite. Save your money to invest in a good four line kite.
S

ThePixelGuru - 22-7-2009 at 05:38 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by WIllardTheGrey
If there is enough wind to roll the kite on the ground then you can relaunch by pulling on one line till the kite is laying with the wing tip facing you, then give the other line a tug to inflate and launch.

Thanks, I'll keep it in mind. I am finding a couple more positions I can relaunch from as I get better, but more often than not I end up walking over to the kite to flip it. I'll give that a try, though.

Quote:
Originally posted by Scudley
It is very similar to flying your kite in the sine wave pattern used to gain power except that you are not moving sideways while you do it.
I do mean making circles. This is also used to get more power.
I am not sure that I would spend the money to get new lines and handles to convert your prism to 4 line. After market lines and handles will be a large fraction of the price of a new kite. Save your money to invest in a good four line kite.

I was kind of wondering about that, actually. I might just skip the handles and extra lines unless I can find some cheap Spectra and a safe way to make some decent homebrew handles... I'll have to see. It doesn't seem like it would be a whole lot harder to go to a quad-line kite, though, since I could pretty much fly it like a dual-line if I don't use my wrists.

Thanks for all the feedback and advice, everyone.

Furlongs - 25-10-2009 at 04:47 AM

I have the P3 also....I love the kite! Great for freinds that want to try it and great for me in higher winds. It is also nice just pulling a kite out of the bag and having it up instantly! Enjoy!