new comer!

Quote: Originally posted by m00ms

hi and thanks for your replies and thanks for the link to the guide windstruck which i will read now! i did get myself little confused i will admit as i thought all power kits were 4 line and flown with the two bars which i have now know not to be the case! the 4 lines and 2 bars is the route i want to go but will have some fun with the symphony dual line when it arrives which doesnt seam like a bad buy and then like you all say il be buying another soon which i will make sure is what i want. just been to look at local fields to double check theres no power lines or over head trees etc and theres even a well out the way field so i can crash and tangle my lines to my hearts content with nobody laughing!!

Sounds like you are off to a great start. By the sound of what you wrote (quoted here) I believe you mean two "handles" not bars. Not trying to nitpick, but the general convention is to refer to the two curve bars that you secure the left and right power (top) and brake (bottom) lines to as handles. "Flying a four line kite off of handles" would be something everybody immediately understands. A "bar" in contrast is a single bar (often about 50 cm in length) that brake lines get attached to on its ends and power lines pass through in a hole in the center to get attached to a loop that gets hooked into a harness that you wear. You've likely seen these bars used by kite boarders in the ocean or other open water.

There are countless variations to what I just told you, but those are the basics. You'll learn all about "fixed bridle" kites (what you own now), "depowered" kites (what I was describing with the bar with the power lines passing through it) single skin kites, etc., etc.

As others have said before me, "welcome to the addiction"! :evil:

Quote: Originally posted by m00ms

...are those handles what i am thinking... ?

Yes, those are what I was referring to. The most basic (and common) type of handles look like this:


[img][/img]

Note how the user has his hands with the top (power) lines between his first and second fingers. It may seem to make more sense to put your hands completely below the power lines, but you will find that the balance is better if you hold them as shown here. The highly observant will note a line coming off the tops of the handles heading back off frame. That's a "strop"; you'll get to that!

Abkayak knows what I'm going to do next.

Here is a picture that illustrates the difference in sizes between stunt foils like the symphony and true power kites. The smaller one is a 2.5 snapshot. The larger one is a 3 meter beamer.

Welcome. The 1.8 was my first kite as well. It all starts there. I won't tell how much $$ I've dumped in kites and gear, but you will figure that out soon enough as well!!:evil:

Quote: Originally posted by m00ms

i watched a few youtube videos and there showed finger position like that which i guess will make sense when flying one. what was yours thoughts windstruck on the HQ alphas i looked at ? would it be best going for the 1.5 or the 2.5? also looked at a peter lynn hornet 2.0 would any of those three be good to learn with? thanks for your advice and tips so far

mOOms, I was silent on that question as I've no experience with the kites in question. Others that have already chimed in and many others on PKF have vastly more experience than I when it comes to dual skin kites. Most of my kiting experience has been with so-called "single-skin" kites such as the Born-Kite NASA Star series, the Flysurfer Peak series, and the Peter Lynn Uniq Quad. I have owned a PL Hornet (4m) and really liked it, but sold it to make room in my stable for a Peak.

Folks with tons of experience always seem to steer folks towards 3m FB four line dual-skinned kites such as the Hornet. Hard to go wrong with a kite like that. As you'll also read, an investment in a kite such as that can become a lasting one, since long after you expand your quiver with larger and more exotic creatures you should hang onto that original gem as a high-wind kite workhorse.

Good luck with your exploration. I hope you don't have kids you are supposed to put through college, a mortgage, or anything like that bogging you down.:karate:

yea great picture, puts it all in perspective
get a 3m 4line...dont listen to anyone else
im your friend...listen to me
by the time it comes you will be ready for it

any 3m...you can always buy another one

new comer!

hello and few questions

unable to post reply?

can reply in other topics but not mine?

putting this in subject box!

hi motofoo and thanks for that

Quote: Originally posted by m00ms

hi all i would love to give a progress report but sadly it has weather here has just been wet,dark and no wind or stuck at work! every time i check weather it changes just as i think i can get out to play....arghhhh!!

Why should you be any different. Lately I've found that the weather forecast as it relates to wind has been completely worthless. Best way of knowing remains sticking my noggin out the back of the house and seeing if it's blowin!

Good luck; you'll get yours!

Quote: Originally posted by abkayak

2m will be great...dig your heels in and lean back thru the powerzone it aint fun till you get supermaned

@m00ms - Abkayak is referring to this fine maneuver:



As for the answer to how folks fly big kites in big wind, by and large they aren't doing it "static"; rather, they are going mobile with a buggy, board, skis, etc. Once you get moving you will see what we mean. All in its time! :karate:

Speed = Power

Try and grasp " apparent wind " seen by the kite as it speeds through the air.

As kites get bigger they fly + turn slower. You will notice this to a degree when you move up to the 2m Beamer. As kites get bigger and slower they start to behave less radically. Kites smaller than 3m tend to zip across the power zone in stronger winds giving short strong bursts of power. The larger kites travel slower through the power zone and deliver the power less abruptly. As mentioned adding motion adds a whole new dimension to the wind in relationship to you and the kite.

The most important thing to work on right now is kite CONTROL. You want to learn to feel and anticipate what the kite is doing without actually looking at it. The clean winds are a great place to work on those memory reflexes and " flying blind ".

When going to 4 line : One finger above the top to line. The other fingers below. Try and avoid brake influence completely at 1st! Only start adding brake input when you are comfortably flying 4 lines on only the front lines like your Symphony.

If your kite is acting up it is probably the brake lines. Spinning = pressure on one brake. Won't fly up to zenith = both back lines have too much pressure.

Ideally your back lines are a bit slack. ONLY coming into play when you pull the handle bottoms in. Too slack and you won't be able to back the kite down on the back lines.

Research Reverse Launching. One of the #1 benefits of 4 line when learning!

Just going from the Symphony to a good 4 line should be a thrill!

Quote: Originally posted by ssayre

remember with no wind, all kites have the same power

Not true.

https://vimeo.com/38891773

Quote: Originally posted by Kokopelli Kiter

Quote: Originally posted by ssayre   remember with no wind, all kites have the same power Not true. https://vimeo.com/38891773

I knew I would get called out on that.

...glad this went well, now just fly more often and it all falls in place
by next week we expect you to be asking what to buy next

Quote: Originally posted by m00ms

thanks again just out of curiosity what wind speeds do you usually fly up too and do you do static flying or just moving?

We fly different sized kites for different wind speeds. Most folks who ride with their kites find they need 3 kites. Small for high winds, Medium for average winds and Large for low winds.

Static flying is a bit different. You will find you get a LOT more enjoyment out of a smallish kite like your Beamer. They fly early and into high winds.

Bigger kites get slower and slower . Much less fun for static flying. They put out a ton more power for those of us out for that power. The best reason to fly a large foil static is if you want to jump or scud down wind.

I don't go out and fly static often at all anymore. NEVER set out to simply static jump but I am getting on in age.

you will fly the snot out of it
start in 8-10mph....and several months latter you will have it out in 15-18
trust us

most flying is done in far from ideal conditions..you gotta deal w/ that too, it will make you a better pilot
fly more

Quote: Originally posted by m00ms

thanks windstruck for that although i still cant tell the difference between the 2 bars! hopefully if i have link right and you see picture could you tell me what the bar is as its the bar i am collecting this coming weekend. http://i1127.photobucket.com/albums/l624/m00ms/_57_2.jpg

Somebody more experienced with these bars please chime in here! The bar in the photobucket is not a turbo bar, that's for sure. Good news (I guess) is it is not a DP bar either. Not sure what I'd call that or how it would work. If I understand the bar's set up correctly one would attached the top (leading edge) lines to the OUTSIDE lines on this bar and attach the brake lines to the two lines that come off the middle line. The middle line would act only as a safety if I understand it correctly, being as it appears to go unchecked through a ring and onto the kite killer wrist strap.

Honestly I don't see how that bar would work very well. One would presumably hook in via the long trapeze at which point there would be no tension on the brake lines.

Again, somebody else please help MOOms with an understanding of the bar in the photo.

Quote: Originally posted by abkayak

i have 3 or 4 of those bars they come w/ bullets and blades...they dont work very well w/ them, handles are much better i have cut them in half and made handles out of them...they work pretty good like that just my opinion...others may differ

Sort of what I was thinking....

You have cut a perfectly working bar in half to make handels. tsk tsk. you have just violated rule number 6 of kite flying buddy.

Quote: Originally posted by abkayak

i have 3 or 4 of those bars they come w/ bullets and blades...they dont work very well w/ them, handles are much better i have cut them in half and made handles out of them...they work pretty good like that just my opinion...others may differ

Quote: Originally posted by m00ms

hey all, got to fly my symphony 1.8 today for first proper time in weather forecast of 14mph,very surprised at how fast and how much pull it had. how on earth do you guys fly larger kites in stronger winds? found it good fun and very addictive and as although very hungry i kept having "one more go!" going to go to a coast tomorrow as wind is meant to be around 16mph mark with no gusts,going to spend some more time with the symphony then hopefully have a go with my beamer 2.0m for my first time

Heh, funny you say that because 14mph winds and I have my 19m up in the air :P

Quote: Originally posted by John Holgate

Quote: hopefully if i have link right and you see picture could you tell me what the bar is as its the bar i am collecting this coming weekend. It's a standard bar for a fixed bridle with a trapeze loop added (that's on the wrong side of the bar btw - just spin it around when you get it). Steve's right - brake lines to the center and power lines to the outside. Let the bar go and the kite killer attached to your wrist will stall the kite on the brakes. If you have a harness and you're confident to hook in, you can hook the trapeze loop behind your spreader bar hook on the harness to take the weight off your arms. If you get into trouble, pull the red ball at the end of the trapeze loop to release the loop. Flying the kite this way will probably make it somewhat sluggish to fly as you don't have any brake input.

You have the right bar for your Beamer there. It is the most basic bar for FB. It will " dumb down " your kite since you will have no active brake control. Still. flying on a bar is something you will want to try.

Don't use the bar in very low winds. The tiny bit of weight on the brakes from the pulley will actually come into play and work against you. Handles will prove to be better over all.

The trapeze loop is for hooking in to a harness. You won't need it unless you buy a harness.

I am a wimp! At 14mph I move down to my 15m

hi all,

just been out for a fly with my beamer 2.0m and been trying to pratice brake turns,i am finding that when i do brake the kite has a tendency to loose its shape,collapse and fall out of sky.wind was strong and pulling me good and well so i am guessing its operator error rather than a wind problem

any ideas would most be grateful

i now also have a hq beamer 4.0m so keen to get some more pratice in on the 2.0m first.i am feeling more confident and in control with kite but want to tidy it up so more yet!