Hobie16 - 17-7-2012 at 07:49 PM
This is the my first power kite. I chose the Pansh Adam for my first kite because it was inexpensive and the closed cell, water proof design seemed
like the way to go since I live in Florida. I paid $129 for the kite, but I noticed that the price jumped up to $169 a few days after I ordered min.
When I pulled the kite out of the bag, I noticed how slick the material was. While it was laid out in my garage, I nearly slipped when I put my foot
on it. I have no base for comparison but it seems well made. I was skeptical about this thing actually holding air since it doesn't have much of a one
way valve in he inlets. I inflated it with a hair dryer and discovered that it actually held air pretty well. I came back 20 minutes later to find
that the kite was still full of air. I still doubted it's ability to hold air if it were to land in the water and get smacked around.
Since the winds are pretty weak in Fort Myers this time of year, my first attempts at flight were unsuccessful. But now I am in Oshkosh Wisconsin for
the big EAA air show. I Finally got a chance to fly it today. I would guess the wind speed was between 0-12 but became a bit more steady as the day
wore on. As someone who has never flown kites before, I found this kite relatively easy to fly. I discovered that the kite needed to pick up speed
before it could climb effectively in the light winds. It would not climb straight up to zenith from a launch without control input. Is this typical of
most power kites? Once it was up at zenith, it stayed put and wouldn't over fly the window. The kite was very controllable and I was surprised just
how much power it had in relatively light winds. I was scudding often and even pulled off some smallish jumps. At one point, I ran as fast as I could
perpendicular to the wind to simulate reaching on a buggy. I found that it was very easy to hold the kite in one spot in the window while I was
running. I was unable to reverse launch the kite. My brake lines seem a little slack, but a novice pilot, and low wind (especially at ground level)
were e probably bigger culprits. I could sometimes get the kite to turn over with some persuasion but I often had to walk to the kite and set it
upright.
I'm sure with more experience and some tuning, I can work out the bugs, but overall I am satisfied with the performance of the kite. It was stable,
easy to fly, and most importantly, exciting. It will have more than enough power to pull a buggy along. Unfortunately, I couldn't make room for my
homemade buggy on this trip, so it's test will have to wait. Once I have a lot more experience, I will write up a better review. I also want to try a
water relaunch, although I won't be heart broken if I won't work on water. I'll be sure to let everyone know how that goes.
thanson2001ok - 17-7-2012 at 10:27 PM
Nice review. Thanks.
g00fba11 has one of these kites and has offered a mini review here somewhere. Check it out. Send him a U2U if you want to get more insight into
performance. Sounds like you may want to try shortening the brake lines to successfully reverse launch.
BTW, you are very fortunate being at the World's Greatest Aviation Celebration, Oshkosh 2012. I am 20 minutes from Oshkosh and will be headed there at
least once. If you have time to connect, let me know. I'd like to try the Adam and I'll bring any of my kites you want to play with.
Hobie16 - 18-7-2012 at 05:29 PM
I got a chance to fly The kite again, this time in a 20+mph wind. I am in the Dells for a few days before the airshow starts, and I found a field on a
large hill within walking distance of my hotel. The field is rocky so it's not ideal, but I took what I found. I've discovered that the kite launches
much easier if it pre inflated just a little bit. This can be accomplished by holding the vents open and angling them into the wind. I launched the
kite, held it in zenith for a minute, then brought it into the power zone. This resulted in a near face plant followed by the deployment of my
imaginary kite killers. The kite didn't go very far downwind, but I really need to get some killers. I spend the remainder of my session out of the
power zone. Again, the kite proved very responsive and stable. I had no difficulty keeping my self out of the power zone. I avoided any scudding due
to the rocky field. I did a lot of wimpy pendulum jumps. I did not run or maneuver the kite very aggressively. I was just taking baby steps. One
problem with the closed cell design is that landing is a little difficult. When the brake lines are pulled, the kite just doesn't want to die. It
flips around and around before eventually settling near the ground. Then it must be landed leading edge down, otherwise it might bounce back into the
air. Part of the problem is that my brake lines still have a bit of slack. The best way to land it is to slowly bring it down at the edge of the
window like an LEI. The stronger winds made reverse launching possible, but it was still a little difficult. Again, this is probably because my brake
lines have a bit of slack. An improvement in technique would also help. Since I was taking it easy, I felt pretty comfortable in the strong winds.
However, I won't be flying in stronger winds again until I get kite killers, helmet/pads, and a safer location.
Cerebite - 18-7-2012 at 06:51 PM
I usually try to keep some slack in my brake lines so that the ends of the handles go through about 3 -4 " of "throw" before the brakes engage.
I also have one of these kites and I also noticed that it doesnt like to reverse launch.
Be VERY careful trying to jump with this kite
Hobie16 - 19-7-2012 at 05:53 AM
Cerebite, my jumps were pretty wimpy. I just wiggled the kite near the top of the window to build a bit of tension and jumped. The kite didn't really
add much height to my jump, but it gave a moment of hover and a light descent. I'm not going to attempt proper jumping until I have a lot more
experience and hopefully a bigger kite. Based on what you've said, my brake lines are fine with just a bit of slack. Maybe I just need to be more
aggressive about pulling them to land.
Thanson2001ok, I sent you a U2U regarding Oshkosh.
Proletariat - 4-9-2012 at 12:29 PM
Heya Hobie,
Thanks for the review. I've found that any of my kites over 3m require a little sideways velocity to get inflated and thus fly up to zenith. The
worst is the 8.5 Blade, which is like trying to make an RV fly when you to launch it straight up in low winds. Shoot it to the side, though, and no
problem 
.
Also, I was flying a 4m the other day in 15 mph winds (gusting to 20ish) and got lofted over 9 feet. I don't think you need to worry about getting a
bigger kite just yet.
Question for you: Do you think the Adam would work for flying on a small lake with a wakeboard? I was considering one for riding the ponds we have
around here. I'd be looking at something that flies well (e.g. easy to keep powered up) in about 10-20 mph winds.