Power Kite Forum

Globe Trix 15m 2008

AZKevin - 28-1-2012 at 07:16 PM

So I recently purchased and I am awaiting the arrival of my new/used:

Globe (GK) Trix 15m 2008
55cm Best bar / 27 + 7 meter
Pump

The other kite I was planning on getting fell through. Never heard back from the PKF member but oh well.

Anywho....I'm just excited about my latest decision on a new/used kite and would like to know what you have heard on this kite. Plus this bar works perfect with my old C-Kite. Everything I've read is that this is a great kite and good for noobs as myself :tumble:

Not to excited about the colors but they will grow on me. And got a smoking good deal on it!

*Pic isnt of the actual kite but same color theme and year

2008 Globe Trix.jpg - 227kB

Bigbear97e - 28-1-2012 at 07:22 PM

pretty sweet looking kite .... close to rasta colors which is my favorite .... good winds

Bladerunner - 29-1-2012 at 10:50 AM

Once you fly this you won't want to fly that 01 Cabrina.

Much better choice !

AZKevin - 29-1-2012 at 11:14 AM

Bigbear - I think those colors will grow on me. I can tell you I won't lose the kite (won't blend in) in the sky tho haha.


Bladerunner - I have the same feeling. But I got that other kite for nothing and it'll be fun to see the different in the years/tech.

Now I just need a board and harness...back to searching for another good deal! :D

burritobandit - 29-1-2012 at 02:34 PM

Mountainboard or kiteboard (twintip)? As far as needing a harness, what waist size are you?

AZKevin - 29-1-2012 at 02:36 PM

Both Mountainboard or kiteboard (twintip). Looking at getting used/cheap gear for now till I get my skills going and find out what I really like and want.

Waist - 32

burritobandit - 29-1-2012 at 02:40 PM

Check your u2u with regards to a kiteboard...

I have a few extra waist harnesses that will fit you, if you are interested in checking 'em out.

AZKevin - 3-2-2012 at 07:42 PM

Thanks Bandit! Can't wait to get one more piece to the puzzle (the harness)! After that I just need a board!

So I received the kite and bar/lines a day early! Look like they are in great condition (other than missing the leash) but I still need to blow both kites up to verify the DO hold air as the sellers stated.

Of course it been crazy windy here in AZ. 10-18 knots for the last week. I know once I have everything the wind is going to die off but we'll see.

I like how the GK Trix has adjustable A-KPO Bridle for low winds. I believe this to really help out my situation.

AZKevin - 6-2-2012 at 02:39 PM

So I got to take this kite out to make sure she held her air pressure and check the bar and lines. Since the local store was out of stock on that pump I used the cars electric one. Took about 5 minutes. This game me time to walk the lines out and get it hooked up.

The winds were ZERO with a breeze/gust of 5-7knots here and there. MORE than enough me to atleast give her a shot :D

So my buddy helped to hold the kite and we waited....and waited for a gust and off it went for a bout 10 seconds then back to the ground she fell. We did this for a good hour and as sad as it sounds it we had a blast and it kicked our butts! I got to skudd across the grass a good 50 ft or so too! But this also raises a few questions.

This is my first depower kite. I've know how to fly and handle the kite but when it comes to launching and adjusting the power settings, thats where I need someones expertise.

Disregard these questions if the answer is b/c I was trying to fly this kite with little to no wind, otherwise I could use all the help I can get!

I have adjusted the kite to the light wind/light bar pressure settings as prescribed from the manufacture.
A-KPO - Rearward: Move the A-KPO backwards for feather light light bar pressure, and a more balanced kite with better light wind and upwind performance (use attachments F2 or F3 with F5). Also move your rear lines back towards the trailing edge (B2).
So I did this.

http://www.globekites.com/08/-=GLOBEKITES=-.html

So after trying to launch it with full power (top strap pulled all the way and the bar pulled as close as possible to me) and failing; I tried to launch it with the depower strap fully pulled and the bar to the top of the stopper ball. It came right up and flew till I pulled the bar to my waist. So after trial and error and I found that if I keep the depower strap fully pulled and the bar at the top of the line/bar stopper it would fly back and forth for a good minute till I lost the gust. THis all may be premature questions till I get to fly the kite in constant 10mph winds to play with the settings but till then....

So what is the norm setting for launching?

Also, when doing a hard left/right turn, the left/right side would fold in. I believe this was b/c I didnt have it fully inflated. I didnt want to over inflate. I couldnt find the rcmded psi for this kite. What is the avg psi for kites? After pumping some more air into the bladder it didnt do it again but was wonder if it was the possible A-KPO settings? I think thats all I can think of for now. Its supposed to be windy tmrw. So I'll get to play some more then!

Thanks in advance and to recap.

So what is the norm setting for launching?
What is the avg psi for kites?

burritobandit - 6-2-2012 at 03:53 PM

Psi can vary from kite to kite; some kites will call for 6psi , others 8, and some even as high as 11. You should inflate the kite until the struts and LE are *firm*. Personally, I don't use a pressure gauge, I just inflate until the LE and struts are rock solid.

Launching a kite in weak winds like this will require you to have the kite less powered up on the sheeting(or depower) straps. If you have the kite fully powered on the straps, you will have too much rear-line tension and you will back-stall the kite not letting it reach the edge of the window. Try setting the kite up to half power (or less) and go from there. When the wind is blowing steady and in the kite's proper wind range, you'll want to launch the kite fully depowered so you're not immediately overpowered. From there you can power the kite up as needed.

Needless to say, flying this kite in better winds will give you a much better experience and feel for how depower kites work.

AZKevin - 8-2-2012 at 10:52 AM

Thanks for the info Bandit!

We went out yesterday twice. The moning was great, about 10 knots. Perfect to learn on. Its amazing how smooth this kite flew and the amount of power. I got to ski across the field for days it felt like. A good 20-30to yards at a time. This all without the harness.

Oh ya, I just got the harness! Thanks for the smooth transaction bandit! Ill get to try it out here in the next few days hopefully.

Ill have my new landboard and hope to have my water board next week!

kitedelight - 9-2-2012 at 10:45 AM

you just got the harness?.....that leads to a question....how were you able to depower on the bar with your first test flights?

burritobandit - 9-2-2012 at 10:51 AM

Yeah.... Were you flying unhooked? I mean, it's possible to, but not recommended. Also if you weren't using a harness, where did you connect your safety leash? If things went wrong and you had to let go you could have injured your kite or some other person/thing... :o

AZKevin - 9-2-2012 at 12:31 PM

:ninja: style..... :wink2:


First I didn't use anything. Just launched it fully depowered then released the chick loop to give it full power other than the sheet settings. After playing with it like this, I was able to fly it without any issues fully powered but when I ran out of wind, I grabed the chicken loop and pulled to change it to 80% depowered to get it back up and so on.

Later I used a Carabiner to connect it my pants belt loop. This only lasted a few figure 8s before ripping the belt loop. Safely leash was on another belt loop. Granted it wasn't the safest but we were only getting 8-10knots. Only one time I thought she was getting out hand and I just shot her over to the edge of the window and let her land.

At the park there was only about 8-10 knots, MAYBE got a gust or 2 of 12 knots. At the lake it was about 15-17knots. Im not ready for those type of winds yet. Need to keep playing at the park with these light winds AND with the harness. My mountain board will be here tmrw and I'm waiting till the next windy (5-10knots) day to go play/learn with it some more.

burritobandit - 9-2-2012 at 12:55 PM

Well at least you'll save $$ on pants now that you have a harness.

AZKevin - 9-2-2012 at 12:59 PM

haha ya. They were my "work" pants anyways, oil stains and what not on them. So I wasnt worried about them getting grass stains or losing the belt loop. Looking forward to trying out the harness! Fits and feels secure.

burritobandit - 9-2-2012 at 01:00 PM

Nice! Glad to hear it fits well! :)

kitedelight - 9-2-2012 at 04:27 PM

ah..ya.....haha, well..you must have*really* wanted that kite in the air. At least you got a harness now, gives you the 'luxury' of depowering and steering in control at the same time. :wee: Now you can keep that bar out to keep the kite in the air, and keep it moving...the bar in adds lots of lift/drag which basically kills all forward speed of the kite too. Glad your suited up now.

AZKevin - 9-2-2012 at 04:58 PM

Ya you could say I am a little impatient at times. But like you said, now I get the 'Luxury' of being able to depower and steer at the same time instead of juggling it all. :thumbup:

Now I am rewatching the Progression DVD...

kitedelight - 9-2-2012 at 05:17 PM

nice, progression has some good stuff from what I've seen.
keep us posted on the flights with the harness.

glad you got suited up with a modern SLE (not just an older C kite), and I like the colors...nice and bright.

AZKevin - 9-2-2012 at 06:43 PM

First time getting the kite and took some pictures - nothing exciting




More pictures

http://s307.photobucket.com/albums/nn319/kkeebb007/GK%20Trix...

burritobandit - 9-2-2012 at 06:57 PM

Yeah your Trix was wayyy under inflated to be sitting like that haha :)

AZKevin - 9-2-2012 at 07:04 PM

Ha! We hot launched it everytime b/c there wasnt enough wind. So launching in the powerzone had to be done. For the most part it held it air but without the right gear(harness) and not knowing what I was doing, it came down a few times. All in all, it was a lot of fun!

Bladerunner - 10-2-2012 at 07:51 AM

Don't be afraid of overpumping your kite. I know I was. It has to be rock hard ! It makes all the difference.

ragden - 10-2-2012 at 08:02 AM

Seconding Bladerunners comment. PUMP TIL YOU CANT!
Most times, your pump will either break, or the nozzle will pop out before you do any damage to the kite from over inflation. If your pump has a gauge, then look around 6-9 psi before you stop. If you dont have a gauge, then snap a finger against the leading edge. When it sounds like a drum, you are getting close.

;)

As for flying it in light conditions, yeah, you have to let the bar out to get her to fly. When you pull the bar in, and it is barely flying, you choke all the power, and bring her down. The trim strap is the same way. Pulling it all the way in reduces the amount of pull the kite has.

Hope this helps :)

AZKevin - 10-2-2012 at 01:56 PM

Oh ya? The first time I blew it up the wings folded in when pulling the those lines. Im sure due to under-inflation. The last time I blew it up a little more firm and it did fly better.

So next time I'll get it rock hard and see how she performs. Tmrw is supposed to be around 10knots! Sadly my ATB wasnt delivered today....UPS was missing my Unit # :mad: So getting it tmrw morning.

AZKevin - 10-2-2012 at 02:00 PM

Oh ya, and the previous own of this kite said "About 6 months ago the deflate valve started leaking I pulled out the bladder replace the 5 one pumps since the fix" So that was another reason I was a little hesitant on over pumping the kite. But since the bladder is new, I can trust it not to burst

barnes - 10-2-2012 at 02:24 PM

Pump until you can flick the tube and hear a nice *ping* sound, nice and*ping* rock solid. You'll have trouble blowing the bladder up while pumping, they can take some serious stress.

AZKevin - 10-2-2012 at 03:10 PM

Will do!

Here is a noob question. What is the straight tubing for or the purpose of it on the picture below?




eclipse_bar_2_474.jpg - 62kB

burritobandit - 10-2-2012 at 03:18 PM

That's the DonkeyDick/ChickenBone/SecurityPin/blablablaba.. it's usually called the donkeydick, even though that sounds nasty. It keeps you from accidentally unhooking. You definitely want to use it unless you're unhooking frequently. Accidentally unhooking can be quite an eyeopener..

This pic shows how to use it:
http://www.flyozone.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.Downlo...

Different angle:
http://i581.photobucket.com/albums/ss252/badgb21/General/IMG...

AZKevin - 10-2-2012 at 03:39 PM

Ahh well that makes sense. Thanks

AZKevin - 10-2-2012 at 03:47 PM

Ahh well that makes sense. Thanks

Bladerunner - 10-2-2012 at 06:20 PM

It is always best to learn one thing at a time. Are you certian you have the familiarity with the kite needed to allow you to be thinking about the board at the same time ?

I would suggest that you take a bit more time learning to control that kite + your motions before jumping on a board. To get a good feel for things practice this 1st.

Try to sit down on the ground with feet in front. Swing the kite just a tad left to set up a dive into the window to the right. Use the power to lift you butt up. Next try the same move and take a step or 2 towards the kite then run to the right. Faking a board start. Concentrate on keeping tension on the lines taking the kite up and then down for another power stroke as you run. This will make the motions more familiar to you when you get on the board.

Crouch down and keep your feet in front of you to scrub power rather than go over the top !

One of the best bits of advice I ever got dealing with big kites is : GO SMALL ! Make that 1st rock and dive with minimal agression. If it is too little repeating with a bit bigger dive is in order and easy to set up.

Be careful ! :thumbup:

AZKevin - 10-2-2012 at 06:53 PM

Ya Blade, I think you told me to do this when I was learning on the Imp 3.5. I did this and was able to launch myself from sitting, up to a launching sideward direction as if I was on a board. Did this a few times to get the feeling down.

Definitely taking it slow and probably too slow with these light winds. I'm trying to learn on very light winds...but next time I got out (tmrw) im going to get used to the harness and power settings then jump on the board....given there are enough winds.

AZKevin - 14-2-2012 at 12:29 PM

Thanks again BB. That makes a lot more sense. :thumbup: