skutter - 23-10-2013 at 07:55 AM
an empty packet of crisps on a shoe lace would have flown better than the scout III 5m on its first outing....
This was mostly to a) me not checking the lines properly - the bridle was unevenly adjusted meaning at first it kept swerving to the right all the
time and one of the lines was twisted around a pulley which most likey didnt help its performance at first
and b) the most annoying wind conditions - 0.5 - 23kph.
I was suprised to find myself in the possesion of a scout III as i had ordered a scout II but seeing as i got the kite at the same discounted price of
the older model i shouldnt complain.
This kite like my scout II 3m needs a bit of a swoop to get it going if the winds arent high so you have to start to turn it as soon as it lifts off
the ground and today i had to really work it to get the kite up to the zenith - When the wind wasnt causing the kite to just flap out of the sky or
turn inside out the kite generated a very nice amount of pull - I soon got up some speed on the board but again the wind more than the kite was the
problem today as I would get moving then the wind would just vanish and cause me to loose balance.
Having got use to the 3m which can be flown very quick i found the 5m version to be a little more ponderous but i expected this from it being larger,
though at times even when the wind was blowing well the kite almost felt like it couldnt be bothered to fly.
The bar and lines and everything all feel nice and look well built, though the bag that it comes in the same size as the bags for their smaller kites
meaning that the 5m takes a bit more precise packing to get into the bag neatly. nice little pocket on the front for keys etc
So my first impressions are -a nice surprise but best wait till better winds.
skutter - 24-10-2013 at 04:30 AM
Ok Second outing - much more constant winds today - The kite again flew like a bag of crisps - it refused to get more than a few meters off the ground
- it would not fly to the zenith even though the wind was strong and constant - and the kite would just loose power and sit back down. 
I couldnt help but feel that the bottom corners were folded in too much and then i noticed how the brake lines on the bridle appeared to be tight when
on my 3m you can see they are slack nearly the whole time.
I then adjusted the brake knot on the bridle to its lowest setting (the furthest away from the kite) and hey presto! the kite shot up like a rocket
and proceeded to drag me around on my arse and lifted me off my feet a few times - and i had my first experience of being able to 'parS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-
a kite and roll on the board.
The problem is that with the kite needing to be on it lowest setting on the brake lines it turns like an oil tanker which is a little annoying. I
might experiment with some home made adjustment to the brake line maybe add some extra knots at the bridle to try and improve its turning speed.
So my current impression is - it pulls like a horse but could have better flying characteristics
Bladerunner - 24-10-2013 at 06:43 AM
If I am correct the Scout III comes with a " cross over " bar ?
If this is the case it needs to be set just right. Loose enough that it has zero input until you turn the bar. The sooner the brake comes into play
with the bar turning the better brake input you will get. Odds are you have it too loose now?
You can get away with too loose with the 3m because it turns so much faster . The 5m will turn slooooow without brake input. I suggest you keep trying
to tune it in.
skutter - 24-10-2013 at 07:48 AM
Thing is if i move the brake adjustment one knot closer to the kite than the lowest setting - it flys like hte plastic bag in american beauty. It is
almost like the kite cant be bothered - it raises up a few meters ' i give it a slight turn to get its speed up and send it to the zenith - it turns -
i straigthen it up it kind of floats around the few meter mark and then more often than not sits back down. This is with the break lines adjusted
closer to the kite. But on the last knot it takes off and holds it height well.
I have my 3m usually set on the setting closest or second closest to the kite as it makes it turn nice and sharp and is fun when static flying.
Bladerunner - 24-10-2013 at 04:37 PM
Sounds like you are tuned in to how to tune it in.
If it flies to zenith on the last knot and yet backs off on the next knot back it sounds like the last knot is best. A 5m kite takes up a lot more sky
turning on 2 lines than a 3m kite does.
The only thing I can suggest is try flying it as a 2 line and then compare with the brakes attached to the cross over system. It should fly just as
far forward in the window but you should get increasing brake input with how much you turn the bar. This should result in a faster turn using less
sky. If it doesn't fly as far forward with brakes on the last knot then you may need to extend them a bit ? You may have to really crank the bar
compared to the 3m for the brake input to happen ?
Back when I was trying to make crossover bars work I had one on my 5m Ace. I thought it was OK. One day I was in an inland field with very sketchy
winds and basically couldn't control my kite. Out of frustration I decided to fly the kite on handles. I was blown away !!!!! I could actually keep
the kite under enough control to work a ride. It was like I had a very different and far more controllable kite. Maybe you should buy a set of handles
and give them a try ? Handles are pretty cheap to buy.
skutter - 25-10-2013 at 04:15 AM
Perhaps the handles would be a good idea - but i think i would be right in saying i would need to buy some more lines - the Scout II and III are
really 3 line kites - the brake line running to the centre of the bar attaches to line from a pulley in which the line for the brakes run - but i
think it would be easy enough to take the central line with the pulley off and then attach two brake lines for the handles - might need a bit of
tuning to get the length right though as they would probably need to be maybe an extra 1m to 1.5m longer than the power lines - It seems a tad poor
designed if the kite wont fly on anything but the last knot. We shall see - i plan to take the kite out in slightly more gentle winds to fly it static
and experiement - yesterday afternoon i went out again but the winds were too strong for the 5m kite - infact the 3m was pulling my arms out
skutter - 25-10-2013 at 08:37 AM
SUSSED IT! Took the kite out in light winds so it was easy to manage - I laid it out and flew it with the brake adjustment set furthest from the kite
- it flew but control was a little tricky - i landed the kite to adjust the brake and then noticed that the cross over system didnt look right - In my
mind this was something done wrong when the kite was shipped from where ever they make it as there was no way the lines could have become twisted on
their own to end up like they did - so i took the system apart, sorted the lines and hey presto it took off alot easier and flew a bit better, landed
the kite adjusted the brake one knot closer to the kite and it took off and flew better than it had before but still not perfect - it still looked
like the kite was being tucked in too much at the bottom edge - I adjusted back the knot furthest from the kite - Now on this setting the kite should
turn very slow - which it did when i turned right but on the left turns it still turned very sharp to the point where i could spin the kite and almost
stall it - no matter how hard i tried i could not get the kite to turn right at the same rate - the kite also was fond of wandering to the left when
floating up at the zenith - I landed the kite and couldn't see anythin wrong at the bridle - i then decided to call it a day and pack the kite up -
then i thought maybe i should check the lines from the bar - when i did this i found that the left hand power line was about 2.5 - 3 inches shorter
than the right.
Now things started making sense - with a too shorter line on a higher setting it would in effect put the brakes on too much making the kite not want
to lift - it also explaind why the kite would still turn tightly despite being on the lowest brake input setting when turning to the left. I've tied a
loop knot in the right hand line to make it the same length but didnt really have the light to get the kite out again - so will see tomorrow - mean
while i'm sending an email to the supplier to ask for a new set of lines.
erratic winds - 25-10-2013 at 08:51 AM
Yes, HQ should totally sort you on a new, equal-length line set, that's a little quality control error there!
Now, let's look at the upside of this, you've learned LOADS more about your new wing than you expected!
skutter - 25-10-2013 at 09:42 AM
Very true - despite it being frustrating as a newbie to this it was nice to have a problem like this and then solve it myself, (hopefuly...) 
skutter - 26-10-2013 at 04:26 AM
Flew the Kite today using the bar and lines from my Scout II - worked like a charm! Kite turns well and i can use the different settings for the
brakes - Will now sit in one place with an even bar and turns evenly both left and right. - So now i have experienced what the kite is meant to feel
like - and i like it. I dont think more experienced flyers would enjoy it so much but for newbies who need a bit more power or looking for something
to try landboarding with I would recommend it - though it isnt as easy to reverse launch than the 3m as long as there is a decent wind it is
manageable but you can easily turn the kite inside out if you are not careful. Today on the board was frustrating mainly due to the wind not being
constant enough but when it was i got some nice runs and could lean back against the kite which i wasnt really able to do so much with my 3m.
Contacted to the supplier about my line issue and they have asked for photos - but for what it is worth i will probably just post the two power lines
back in an envelope so they can see im not just trying to blag some new lines.
Scout lll 5m won't turn
MyAikenCheeks - 3-11-2013 at 07:04 PM
I had one that was the year before HQ moved the crossover to the bridle. It was NOS from a kite school and I got it at a good price. It was ready to
fly. I was thinking that if I could master this kite with a crossover bar it would get me started toward de-power land.
I purchased it before JIBE and when I got there I asked Chris Schultz and Kevin to help me get it rigged. It was a snap for them. They launched it and
did a few jumps with it and I just stood there in wonder and amazement. Boy oh boy I got a good one I thought. Was a huge disappointment after that.
Well, between me and my kite flying buddy, as hard as we tried we could not make the damn thing fly. And we gave it a good go several sessions.
Probably 5 hours or so. After JIBE that year.
I really think that crossover bar is the problem with the kite and you can't fly it with out it because the kite just won't turn. Even with the bar
It wouldn't turn for me. I about line rashed some sun bathers at JIBE that day. I now know that Chris Schultz can fly anything!
With that being said I wish you best of luck with yours.
As for me I'm staying with handles or a de-power rig.
skutter - 25-11-2013 at 05:50 AM
well - im about to lose my rag with HQ after over a month they are still saying things like - if the lines are only a little different it wont cause
any problems, ny reply of it wasnt causing any problems i wouldnt be complaining, appear to fall on death ears, they also told me to just tie extra
knots on the bridle to make up for the brake line being too short, for me that isnt a solution for a brand new kite, they also dont seem keen for me
to send them the lines back in the post to prove my point, on the whole i am very disspaointed with there after sales service. I dont think i will buy
another HQ kite after this.
Chrisz - 25-11-2013 at 08:11 AM
Wow that sucks! I just got a HQ last week I think I should look over the kite a little closer, I pulled it out to ensure all the parts are there and
it is not dammaged I did not even think about the lines being a different length from new.
chris - 27-11-2013 at 10:58 AM
Skutter - send an email to Jan Hendrik Junker - jh.junker@invento-hq.com
Tell'em Chris Shultz sent you. "The man that can fly anything" - MyAikenCheeks