Don't know what went wrong, but nothing I typed in previous post shows when I posted the thread...maybe it's just me.
Anyway, I'm from Cape Town, South Africa. Been power kiting for about 2 years now. I only fly static and doubt if I'll do anything else...not enough
space here to buggy!
The kite is a locally designed kite of about 2.1m and I'm not very happy with it. It's slow and sluggish. Doesn't respond very well to steering input.
Taking it up to zenith it will overshoot and end up behind you till it completely collapses. As it gets closer to zenith it starts to yank you
upwards...trying to lift you of the ground.
Recently I decided that it's maybe time to look at something else. Only known brands available locally are Peter Lynn and HQ. The Peter Lynn's are
better priced here compared to the HQ.
I've been looking at the Hornet either in 2.0 or 3.0m...not sure which one yet. Local supplier only shows a Hornet II and not the Hornet III and IV I
see on websites abroad. Are there a lot of difference between the year models except colours? I can get a Hornet IV abroad for the same price as the
Hornet II locally, but if there's no big difference I won't bother with getting the IV?
Getting to the size...I can't decide between the 2.0 or 3.0m. Cape Town are known for having very gusty winds. Example, today are 6 knots with 9
gusts...not to bad. Tomorrow are 19 knots with 25 gusts! So I'm not sure?
Anyway, I hope some of the more experienced flyers here can give some input.
Thanks and have a good one! Windstruck - 27-11-2017 at 12:24 PM
Great to see a posting from someone in South Africa. We are so international! I used to own a few Hornets (likely versions III and above) but don't
feel I can directly comment on the possible merits of the ascending versions. This kite has been a beloved workhorse by many on PKF for many years
and I suspect that any version (II and up as you noted) would suit you fine.
What I would like to directly comment on is that if in fact you are considering staying a static kite pilot and not progressing to the buggy, etc.,
then my vote would be for you to go with the 2m over the 3m. My thought process is as follows: the 2m will be far more "zippy" in the sky than the
3m. Over time this will make it more interesting to fly than the 3m as a static pilot. The 3m will have far more "grunt" than the 2m (remember, it
has a 50% larger surface area) but that will come at the price of speed in the sky. It is possible to increase the rate of the turns with any fixed
bridle four line kite with some finesse of the brake lines, but bottom line the 3m will seem more sluggish in the sky than the 2m, a key factor for
the pilot to stay mentally engaged.
If you are looking for a weightlifting like workout then the 3m will deliver more pull on the pilot than the 2m. Flying static, however, the 2m could
still yank you off your feet in high gusts as you described so it is certainly no anemic flyer.
Others may well challenge this logic and I'd be interested in hearing other responses. I do fly my 1.5, 2.5, 3.2, and 4.0m NS3s static from handles
and far prefer my two smaller ones for piloting skills than my two bigger ones. Just sayin...
Good luck! Both are fine kites and you would be pleased with either one!Windstruck - 27-11-2017 at 02:50 PM
Don't know what went wrong, but nothing I typed in previous post shows when I posted the thread...maybe it's just me.
If you typed your response on an iPhone or iPad with recent IOS updates then the problem could be your use of hyphens and other "special" characters.
For example, if you wrote "I don't think so" as compared to "I do not think so" then your writing won't post. Things like "%" nail it too. Yes, a
pain in the seat meat. I wrote this post from my computer; I couldn't have posted it from my iPad. abkayak - 27-11-2017 at 05:24 PM
welcome aboard!!
you should buy both...question is which 1st
everyone needs a 3mRandy - 27-11-2017 at 05:48 PM
Steve and abkayak are both right, crazy as that seems. Another idea - you mentioned not have enough space to ride a buggy. Another option is a
longboard skateboard with an NPW kite. You can fly them on short lines, or no lines at all so you don't need that much space. So you might well get
even more kites. (Just fyi - this guy is not following most any recommended safety practices.)
Follow this guy instead.
SamCro - 27-11-2017 at 11:33 PM
Thank you guys for the input and suggestions...much appreciated!
Forgot to mention I'm not the smallest guy there is...weigh about 115Kg/253Lbs.
I think I'll get the 2m Hornet for now. Will in future probably get the 3m or a bigger one...we'll see. We often go visit friends inland and most
times the wind are very calm with no gusts.
Anyways...again thank you for the help. So let me try and get hold of the local Peter Lynn supplier...looks like also suffer from the same South
African disease as most companies...not replying to emails!
