Power Kite Forum

NASAwing vs. foil...round one...

lad - 26-10-2009 at 09:46 AM

U don't think there is a little editorializing here...do you? :P





(Reminds me of my own experiences in Friday's high wind at the Fall WW Bash. But then again, I wasn't wearing that nifty matching jacket.)

william_rx7 - 26-10-2009 at 10:02 AM

That video matches my very brief experience with a NASA wing. I hate to say it, but the design is worthless IMHO.

snobdr - 26-10-2009 at 10:04 AM

useless argument because LEIs rule!!

lad - 26-10-2009 at 10:10 AM

It's just a tad unfair, as the hapless guy wasn't using lines.

Flying by bridles in such high wind can be...challenging. I think you have to start the handles and lines exactly even, else you go right into the Death Spiral.

But I was recently able to get a decent downwind sess on a 4.8 NPW5 when a 12m depower foil just wouldn't stay up in the light breeze.

Hey snobdr...you know some folks have experimented with inflated edge NPWs? ;-)

ragden - 26-10-2009 at 10:15 AM

I have to chime in to say just one thing. I dont like Nasa Wings. I have a 2.4m NPW that I have flown in a variety of conditions. I just don't care for it. I have nothing against the kites, I just dont like flying them. Too much brake input for me. I'll stick with my depowers, personally. Its really just a matter of personal preference, and I prefer to not fly them. :)

PHREERIDER - 26-10-2009 at 11:56 AM

when i first flow my NASA 5 4.8. it was strange..but as i became a better flyer with it was really fun usable kite . requires a unique "balanced " handle flying. a sliding strop made it even better. certainly not a front line biased kite. for the money hard to beat the fun factor. indestructible to boot. limited fun, but fun for everyone.

with the lines, w/o the lines fun for cruising ...in high winds just like that guy i've had some monster ATB sessions. unfortunately after about 20 min. your arms/hands are smoked and far to dangerous to hook in.

lad - 26-10-2009 at 01:48 PM

NPWs are also prob. the only kites I would even consider flying over pavement/concrete/parking lots.

kitejumper - 26-10-2009 at 02:35 PM

ive got a npw9 11m from susan that flies like a dream and pulls like a dumptruck......

dylanj423 - 26-10-2009 at 02:37 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by snobdr
useless argument because LEIs rule!!


lmao

kitemaker4 - 26-10-2009 at 03:57 PM

The guy would have done a lot better if he would of baged up the kite and flew something smaller. Just like foils you need to fly smaller kites for high winds. I just noticed that he is flying it as a two line kite which allows the flyer a lot less control.

Susan (npw goddess)

macboy - 26-10-2009 at 04:45 PM

hehehe...I was watching for Susan to pop in here : )

I'm curious after all this - think I should give one a whirl one day.

Bladerunner - 27-10-2009 at 06:48 AM

I think he is flying it 2 line and that's as dumb as flying it in that wind.

I say that if foils and lei's hadn't been inveted I would have thought the Nasa Wing was awsome. It's a joy having one in the kit even if it only gets out a now and then!

bugymangp - 27-10-2009 at 07:10 AM

npw`s. some people hate them. some people love them.
i for one love them. why??? just hold the kite in one hand. let the short lines out and throw the kite down kite. cheap power. who cares if i run over with my back wheel. just buy other one. there cheap enough.
susan may be the npw goddess.
but i`m the npw KING.( FIRST PLACE WINNER OF ALL 3 NPW RACES AT NABX) we even got a name for ourself. RAG FLAPPERS.

bobalooie57 - 27-10-2009 at 07:22 AM

Agreed! I love my 4.8, and have used it when nothing else would work. I think putting it on short lines would allow for a much longer run on Southwick Beach, to negotiate where the trees get close to the water. Hey Ragden, is that an HQ model NPW you have? If you don't like flying it, and want to sell it, I will buy it from you when you come up for snowkiting this winter! b

ragden - 27-10-2009 at 07:32 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by bobalooie57
Agreed! I love my 4.8, and have used it when nothing else would work. I think putting it on short lines would allow for a much longer run on Southwick Beach, to negotiate where the trees get close to the water. Hey Ragden, is that an HQ model NPW you have? If you don't like flying it, and want to sell it, I will buy it from you when you come up for snowkiting this winter! b


Sure. All yours. We can negotiate on the price as I have no idea what its worth. Nor am I overly concerned about price. :)

herc - 30-10-2009 at 01:12 AM

ist it true that a NPW must be the best lightwind kite (in the lower price segment)? it must have the lowest weight per projected squaremeter! even lower than a c-quad ..

can someone please put his nasawing on a scale? kitemaker4?
whats the weight of your 11sqm npw9? what estimated projected area does it have?
(i am asking because i have a thread running that compares the weight of kites per proj.sqm as an indicator of lightwind performance: http://www.kiteforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2360753 )
thanks in advance!

bbrex - 30-10-2009 at 05:23 AM

Obviously those of you that don't like NPW's don't know how to fly them, they take a little time to get used to. The trick if using a harness is to move your strop down the handles about an inch and a half, this balances the power to brake ratio out tremendously. I have at least 13 NPW's from .7 to 15m. I can fly all of them with no hands, it's all about the setup. As for the guy in the video, smarts always wins over stupidity, pick the right size kite for the wind conditions. NPW's ROCK!!!!!
Brad

doneski - 30-10-2009 at 10:05 AM

Peter Lynn says NPWs are great so who are we to argue? http://www.peterlynnkites.com/news/0801news.htm

It's true that kites are not equal- some are better in the light than others. The very best light wind fliers are NASA style single skin frameless kites- they fly in winds you can barely feel. When Chris Brent and I tested NASA's against Arcs using identical KiteCats in 2005, we found not only that the NASA's allowed kitesailing in much lighter winds, but that the performance crossover was at much higher wind speed than we expected. NASA's have L/D's of around 3, Arcs >5, but even when the wind was more than enough to allow the Arc to be parked solidly in a corner (+/-15km/hr), a NASA of similar size would still beat it around an upwind/downwind course.

krumly - 30-10-2009 at 11:05 AM

Man, I was going to find that Peter Lynn link and Doneski was all over it.

I don't own any NPW's, but I've modded the handles on a friends NPW9 5.8 m like bbrex described and he's right about it balancing the load on the handles. Without a strop, try moving your hands lower on the handles and it'll lighten up the brakes - same thing.

Flying it right off the bridlles was fun time on skis and a great way for someone to get the hang of moving with the kite without generating the surge of power you get as the kite accelerates on lines. I can imagine them being fun flown from bridles with ice skates or inlines.

krumly

kitemaker4 - 30-10-2009 at 07:03 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by herc
ist it true that a NPW must be the best lightwind kite (in the lower price segment)? it must have the lowest weight per projected squaremeter! even lower than a c-quad ..

can someone please put his nasawing on a scale? kitemaker4?
whats the weight of your 11sqm npw9? what estimated projected area does it have?
(i am asking because i have a thread running that compares the weight of kites per proj.sqm as an indicator of lightwind performance: http://www.kiteforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2360753 )
thanks in advance!


Nasa wings do cost a lot less than anything else out there and being a single skin kite with bridle line they have less weight too.

It has been raining all day so to weigh the 11 meter I need to take off the lines and need to lay it out in the yard to do that. It will have to be another day of two. So there is water everywhere. When I get a chance I will put it on a scale and let you know.

Susan (npw goddess)

herc - 2-11-2009 at 03:01 AM

@kitemaker4: thank you very much for soon taking some time to weigh the NPW. it must not necessarily be the 11 sqm - just one of the bigger NPW's, because i think they will have a slightly better weight per squaremeter ratio.