So my first time flying tonight. I fly rc airplanes and generally I'm complaining there is too much wind so of course today of all days the wind goes
to almost nothing.
I'll get to flying in a second but first some thoughts about the PL package. Having never touched even a stunt kite or been near a power kite I didn't
know what to expect. I got the feeling right from the beginning that the kite and parts were well made including the bag. I didn't understand why they
cost so much before but I certainly do now. And it's nice to have a backpack I can put on and ride my bike to where I'll be flying instead of driving,
even more exercise!
So now to the flying.. Thanks to almost no wind and many mistakes such as spending the first 15 minutes trying to launch the kite backwards, one time
one line was twisted and the other wasn't, trying to launch not noticing the brakes were applied etc it took me quite a while to get up. Once I did I
think for my first time I did alright, basically just figure 8's the whole time. A few brushes with the ground. Due to so little wind I was walking
backward the whole time so eventually I had to stop and land and walk the kite back up wind. Due to the average wind conditions here and my size I'm
very glad I went with the 3.9. We stayed in Monterey recently and I'm sure I couldn't handle this kite in those winds at least not anytime soon so as
it moves towards fall and/or we head to the beach I'll have to pick up the 2.6m viper. I was hoping for a workout and I did seem to get winded
constantly pulling the kite to keep it up and walking back up/down wind a few times, I look forward to seeing what kind of workout I get with a little
more wind.
So that was long winded sorry but I wanted to get my thoughts out of my first flight while they're fresh. To other beginners looking to buy a first
kite the viper is definitely great and I would say the smaller 2.6m would be fine in all but the worst winds for learning. I don't have to be a kite
expert to know I wouldn't have got the 2.6 up today. So if you have crummy winds like me consider the 3.9. It's an odd size surely and goes against
the usual recommendations to buy a 3 and a 6 but if your winds are low/variable it helped to have the bigger size today.
All in all a good time and as it got later the wind was picking up a little but the bugs were coming out and I was getting pretty tired. I will be
keeping this log going for a little while, I have a family function on sunday but otherwise I plan to fly most every night for awhile.
I don't have the best track record with sticking with hobbies but who knows this might be the one (I say that every 6 months when I choose a new
one!).
;-)ChrisH - 23-7-2011 at 01:06 AM
Sounds pretty much like my first time with my 3.9. Low winds and a lot of walking the kite back upfield. It's always more tiring to have to walk
backwards than it is fighting the kite in a good wind. Wait till you learn to scud, that's when the real fun begins! I'm having a hard time deciding
now between going with a 2.6 for those high wind days or a 6.8 for the many low wind days we have here. I was thinking 2.6 for the fast turns (I fly
static only right now) for a while but these days of low wind have me thinking about going bigger. I also don't like how much overlap there is with
having both the 3.9 and 2.6.
Anyway, you'll get it pretty quick! Take your time and it's probably not a bad idea to get a helmet. Also, remember to empty your pockets before each
session! Don't ask me how I know.shehatesmyhobbies - 23-7-2011 at 03:56 AM
Great detail of a first flight! Once you get a little more wind and the kite manages to stay up by itself, the fun will begin! The Viper is a great
kite, I fly the 2.6 all the time in a little higher winds, I can have a real blast with it. Sound
I take it with me to Schools when I do Demonstrations for the kids, I can make that kite dance!
Good luck in your future outings with the kite and I hope the winds come around for you! Fly safe!BigMikesKites - 23-7-2011 at 02:28 PM
The Viper is one of my favorites. In low winds, keep the brakes pointed towards the kite or tie another knot in the power line on the handle to
keep a little brake off. Makes for easier flying especially when you are new and especially when you don't have much wind.
Also keep the kite moving in the window. While its moving its producing power. Use that power to slowly walk back forward to regain the ground you
lost by backing up.
It won't take long, you'll soon get the hang of it.mbreslin - 23-7-2011 at 02:42 PM
I will definitely add 2 knots to the power lead lines to help give me less brake, thanks for that tip. Many times I would be doing well then forget
and let the handles come more parallel with my body (applying brake) and killing what good flying I had going.
I'll be going to the next town over tonight to fly which generally has a couple mph more than us. I plan to fly every night for awhile and the boss
said next weekend we can head to the beach so that should be good learning as well (though I'm a bit nervous about real wind with little experience
and a 4m).pyro22487 - 23-7-2011 at 03:03 PM
wellcome to the addiction. hope you enjoy and stick with it. the more movment you do as in atb or buggying the better the sport gets. i started out
jumping but now im a buggier and it just keeps getting better.DAKITEZ - 23-7-2011 at 03:12 PM
One knot should be more than enough. You just tie the knot up the leader a couple inches from the stock knot on the end. Then you slip your larks head
down to the new knot and use this knot instead of the factory knot. Remember the knot takes up about a inch of line all by itself so if you move 2"
you have shortened atleast by 3". There is no perfect spot ... just whatever works for your flying style.
Also you might find it better to switch back to the factory knot when the winds pick up to keep the kite from over flying.
Another note: make sure your knots are equal length from the factory knot on both sides ... if not your line lengths will be off.mbreslin - 23-7-2011 at 09:55 PM
Flew again tonight with a friend in another town, only slightly more wind, had some moments though. One of these times I will have an entire session
without trying to launch with the brakes completely applied. :D
Also for the knots I just kept it stock and paid a lot more attention to how I was holding the handles, did much better this time.
Edit: A couple movies off my friend's phone he took, he's a goof and I always ask him not to do commentary but he never listens.
BigMikesKites - 24-7-2011 at 07:00 AM
Here you go.
Cerebite - 24-7-2011 at 10:50 AM
One thing that I notice from watching your videos that can help in flying in low winds is utilizing the "down -turn." This is an issue that I had
myself a while back as well.
When the kite is traversing across the wind window, say left to right from the flyers perspective there are two directions that it can be turned to go
back the other direction: up or rotating around the top/ left side line or down [rotating around the bottom or right side lines] in this scenario.
All of your turns are up -turns which is more of a stall condition for the wing and a down turn is akin to a dive for the wing resulting in more
apparent speed and power keeping the kite inflated. Naturally you need more ground clearance at the start of the turn for a down turn [stand by for
Hindenburg :singing: ]mbreslin - 24-7-2011 at 11:25 AM
Great advice, for whatever reason I naturally want to get low in the zone and then turn up. I will definitely give the opposite a try next time.
Thanks!pyro22487 - 24-7-2011 at 12:17 PM
The down turn gives you more power across the bottom of the window it also will cause a twist in your lines that you will later have to do the
opposite to get rid of. You should tell your friend not to say stuff like the kites going to hit me when he is filming. There are countless videos of
people predicting there own demise on youtube especially with kiting.
While watching the camera filming the kite seemed to look much closer than it actually was. There was no wind and the kite never came even close. I
think it just looked close while looking through the camera.pyro22487 - 24-7-2011 at 12:22 PM
edited postfurbowski - 24-7-2011 at 12:29 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by mbreslin
Also for the knots I just kept it stock and paid a lot more attention to how I was holding the handles, did much better this time.
Yup, all part of the learning curve... it's likely that you'll be able to fly in lower wind speeds more confidently once you learn to completely slack
off on the brakes while static flying.
But I'd try playing with the leader knots anyways (another part of the learning curve, eh?), 'cause looser brakes are much better for static esp. in
low winds. When / if you starting rolling on wheels somehow you will want them tighter.
Truly low wind is when the wind window shrinks to about 45 degrees wide and no more than 30 degrees from the ground.
+1 for the downturns...mbreslin - 24-7-2011 at 09:10 PM
Flew again tonight, tried the downturn, worked well. Also had a bit more wind than the other flights. I think I've been lucky in that each session has
been a bit more wind than the session before.snowspider - 25-7-2011 at 07:18 AM
Ditto BigMike , they all like to be moving in light wind. All of them can be flown in light wind but as the wind increases the overlap diminishes ,
you can feel the differences. Myself and 3 kids had all four kites up static flying one evening and I've buggied with the 2.6 while my little guy was
jumping with the 6.8 , of course I was working the kite like a mad man. At Wildwood I flew the 2.6 in 30mph + gusty winds , not a pleasant experience
but doable. Nice kites ,got them all.mbreslin - 25-7-2011 at 02:46 PM
Flew again this afternoon, even more wind than before. I look forward to being in shape where more than an hour or so doesn't wear me out. Still doing
lots of beginner mistakes like no preflite check after a crash. Somehow I tried to relaunch with one handle backwards, gave me a nifty looking 720
spin then crash.
Hopefully I can get enough practice this week that I'm not too scared to launch when we go to Santa Cruz. Steady 10mph+ beach winds scare me.furbowski - 25-7-2011 at 03:17 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by mbreslin
Steady 10mph+ beach winds scare me.
10-15 should be good. One advantage of beach flying is the sand... if you have loose soft dry sand then you have pretty much the best possible ground
for static flying, add that to the smooth wind and it's a totally different ball game from flying a grassy field inland. Tons of power but smooth,
none of those gusty yanks.
Also the first bit of the learning curve involves chucking the kite all over the wind window as you learn how that and kite control works. But the
next step -- learning to handle power -- involves flying the kite closer to the edge of the window and the zenith, with lots less of that zooming
around deep in the power zone. Also handling power means learning how to scud... sit down and butt scud first if needed. Much much easier to do this
to hold power on loose sand then any other surface.
The big problem will likely be getting pumped too fast on your forearms. Make sure you land before you get too pumped and start to lose control. Take
plenty of breaks. During the breaks stretch and shake out the forearms. Drink lots of water too. The "pump" comes from accumulated toxins and
by-products of muscle effort, shaking / stretching / water all help to flush the toxins out.
The launch can be risky in bigger winds, a couple ways around it:
if your skills are up to it, then turn the kite towards the edge of the wind window immediately on launch. Use a bit of brake to keep the kite's
speed down.
If not then launch at the side. One tip into the wind, weighed down. TE towards you, LE away, and bridle on top. Slowly tension up the downwind tip
until the kite inflates, then shake off the sand and climb the edge of the window towards zenith.
At some point you will have too much wind... hard to say when the risk bumps up, as that depends a lot on your skills. Keep your wind respect turned
on...
Yikes... wrote too much. Time to finish my coffee and get my butt outside to mow the lawn...snowspider - 26-7-2011 at 06:54 AM
Definately play with the brakes and be cautious of big wide swings across the wind window the speed and power will surprize you and take you for a
spin.mbreslin - 26-7-2011 at 08:53 PM
Flew again tonight, not much wind, 5 to 8mph. Too much like work. Got my friend up though, he seems interested now. Another soldier!mbreslin - 19-8-2011 at 01:57 PM
Small update, so my friend and I have been flying 3 or more times a week for the last month. I don't want to say we're bored but the wind usually
sucks also we're ready to try jumping. So today I ordered the twister iir 5.6m, should be fun even in our crappy 8-12mph winds.John Holgate - 19-8-2011 at 03:46 PM
Wheels. You need wheels. Buggy, skates, landboard. You can only do so much static flying, but when you put wheels under your feet/bum things get
much more exciting.
As for jumping (I don't do much of this), the first thing you will notice is that it can put enormous stress on feet & ankles - wear some really
good boots as well as your normal pads/helmet.mbreslin - 23-8-2011 at 03:45 PM
Another update: Got the Twister 5.6 from Dino in one day (awesome), friend and I flew that night. Wasn't any fun, wind was fine, jumping is too much
like work. Keeping a ~6m kite powered up statically is exhausting! Turns too slow as people have mentioned to be much fun static imho. Anyway Dino was
kind enough to give me the majority of the cost back so I returned kite today. An expensive test flight but lesson learned. I'll be sticking with the
3.9 viper s. Tomorrow is supposed to be around 13-18mph which if the forecast is accurate will be about our best wind so far, looking forward to it.g00fba11 - 23-8-2011 at 05:20 PM
Like John says..... time for some wheels..... and maybe a low wind engine to boot...... maybe an 8.6m Reactor II or a used 8.3m Reactor........
Or if memory serves me.... John's fav..... a 6.5m method on a turbo bar.....
