soliver - 3-8-2012 at 09:17 PM
So I got a super sweet deal on a 2.6m PL Viper S since they are now no longer in production... (WHY?????)
Anywho... let me just start out by saying that summer wind in the metro Atlanta area is UBER LAME, but hey I gave it a go.
My wind presented itself while the kids were on the adjacent playground at 0 to 5mph,... mostly nuthin 
But it was enough to have a little fun and get a feel for him,... yep,... I like him 
... While the wind was not so great, I could get a feel for the controls. It is very responsive, especially to the brakes. It
flips over mighty quick with a little bit of brakes and moved really quickly overall. It had a nice pull in the exceptionally light wind, so I can
tell that once it gets up over 12mph, it will do the deed 
. The wind was
starting to pick up but it was getting close to 100 degrees, and close to nap time, so back home we went. I really look forward to some higher wind in
the fall to see what he can REALLY do!
One cool part of the day is that I got a watcher seriously interested. He was there with his little girl at the playground started watching and I gave
him as much of a rundown of the sport as I could. He said he "used to jump out of airplanes..." so I thought he was likely a prime candidate. I mostly
recommended a youtube search of "powerkite" and "kite buggy".
shehatesmyhobbies - 3-8-2012 at 09:28 PM
The 2.6 Viper is an awesome little kite. My favorite little kite to be exact. I use the term little very loosely here. I use my daughter's 2.6 when
the winds get ripping above the 25mph mark in the buggy, it becomes ridiculously strong. I also use the kite in the 10-15mph range as sort of a foil
stunt kite. Very impressive turning with little brake input and you can make it just sit on the edge of the window and stand it on it's tip and just
let it sit there, or you can spin it till you get dizzy!
Love the 2.6! Great little kite, Just don't let the size fool you, it can be a little power house!
Glad so many love that kite, shame it is going away!
mougl - 4-8-2012 at 07:26 AM
Bwahahahaha!!!! Another Viper fan! Come on PL, bring em back!!!
Bro, just wait till you have that bad boy up in 20+ winds...THAT'S where the fun begins!
Just remember dynamite comes in small packages. Pulls like a truck and flies faster than a 5 year old after a 6 pack of red bull.
soliver - 4-8-2012 at 05:41 PM
I'm kind of a little bummed...
My wife and kids and I are in Chattanooga today and tomorrow to visit her very old grandmother (a visit which will likely consist of about 5%
of our time here) so we need to kill time. We are in a hotel right on the riverfront with an HUGE empty lot next to it and really good wind! I EVEN
BROUGHT THE VIPER!!! But we have been just too otherwise occupied. So all of the external conditions are right,... but all the familial conditions are
wrong... priorities eh!
Disappointed in favorable, yet unfavorable flying conditions
soliver - 11-8-2012 at 05:37 PM
THE WIND APPEARED!!!
So I finally got a day with some consistent wind, blowing around 8mph and gusting up around 15mph+ and gave the Viper S a good (static) whirl...
I must say this kite is quite a little MONSTER! In the higher wind he was pulling like a truck, all the while allowing me tremendous control. In the
lighter wind I was able to flip it over on a dime with minimal brake input.
I really had an awesome time flying across the window about 6 inches off the ground, and I could really bring it ALL THE WAY across the window,... if
strait out to my left was 9 o'clock, I could fly all the way across the window to 3 o'clock, flip it over and fly back to 9... awesome control, and
what seems will be great upwind capability.
I'm excited to see what it will in the buggy seat.
Yep,... definitely LOVE this kite, sad that it's been discontinued... maybe I'll get a big one when I want a low wind engine.
tdmc96 - 11-8-2012 at 05:48 PM
I have a 2.6 and a 3.9 that I use in high winds and are my main NABX kites....super stable!
I found they have great, even pull and absorb the gusts very well.
Another reason I like them in higher winds is that they will race to the edge of the window and
just sit there (unlike race kites that race to the edge of the window and beyond), so on longer journeys when the wind is howling, I find you can
relax a little more
without having to pay constant attention to the kite.
Ken(K3)