Power Kite Forum

Define "light"

macboy - 21-10-2007 at 10:19 PM

Okay, don't laugh. I'm a newb when it comes to power kites and have been trying to absorb as much as I can here before the mailman brings me my bag of fun. I'm seeing references to "starting out in light winds" and progressing as skills develop which I completely understand. Now, in my past life I flew two line stunt kites and those came "shipped" with recommended wind ranges and within reason, the low end was pretty much bang on. Any less and it'd just lazily fly about - if at all.

The question is this then. Do these foils (let's talk about a Beemer 3 or a Rage 4.7) ship with a "prescribed" wind range thereby the references on the forum to "light winds" means the low end of the range suggested or will these foils fly in any wind from "little to none" to hurricane force?

BeamerBob - 22-10-2007 at 06:04 AM

My Beamer 3 will "fly" in about 5 mph, but you have to work it to make it stay up and actually make any turns. The fun goes up with the wind from there. When you open you new bag of fun, you should hope for about 8-10 mph and steady. After a few rounds with wind like that, you can enjoy higher winds. Only with quite a bit of experience should you fly it over 20. 12 is about ideal between giving you a good pull with some speed across the sky and yet not dragging you around out of control. Being able to slide your feet increases the wind you can handle. Hard packed sand that isn't too wet is perfect. It gives a consistent slide. If you dial in too much power, you just slide with it. Then you start to make it do that. Keep in touch with your progress.

GulfSandEater - 22-10-2007 at 08:51 AM

macboy--I agree with BeamerBob. My first experience with a foil was flying a 3m in steady 8-10 mph winds on sand. The kite was controllable and fun without being crazy/scary. You can usually find wind ranges while shopping for kites on the web (or checking out manufacturer websites). For example, Angus usually includes a wind range on his website. (http://www.coastalwindsports.com/servlet/the-179/Beamer-III-...)

As you build confidence and fly in higher winds, be sure to give yourself plenty of space. I had an encounter this weekend with a tree after the kite took me scudding (sliding) in sandles on a grass soccer field. I had 10 minutes of setup time, 10 minutes of flight time, 45 minutes of getting the lines and bridles out of the tree time, followed by 15 minutes of untangle and wind the lines / pack the kite time. :(

BeamerBob - 22-10-2007 at 10:27 AM

Oh no! Not the dreaded kite eating tree?! Charlie Brown made that tree famous.

acampbell - 22-10-2007 at 11:26 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by GulfSandEater
You can usually find wind ranges while shopping for kites on the web (or checking out manufacturer websites). For example, Angus usually includes a wind range on his website. (http://www.coastalwindsports.com/servlet/the-179/Beamer-III-...)



Actually, those ranges are right of the HQ site. But I do find that thier low ends are really lower than what is practical for most models.

Pablo - 22-10-2007 at 06:15 PM

One other thing, the wind range will change drastically with the rider both ability and weight.

At 250lbs, I find I really like a 5m in 20-25mph, keep in mind that I'm heavy, usually fully lit and have a fair bit of experience. Now someone like Snowbird who has eaten quite a bit fewer pies than myself, will get along the same day side by side with his 3m kite. Others that have less experience and mass will probably be scared by a 2m.


One other thought, it's often harder to teach someone to fly in very light winds, while a 3m kite will fly in 5mph winds, as mentioned above, you have to work it just right to keep it up in the sky and turning, take the same kite in 8-10mph and you'll be able to park it overhead, do small turns and slowly take it arond the window. 8-10 is usually the perfect learning wind speed for most beginner sized kites, once you really get it figured out then you'll probably be wanting to go out in 12-15mph. Pretty much any kite will start to get evil in the 20+mph range.

Pdxnebula - 23-10-2007 at 10:22 PM

Its a real learning experience, keeping a smaller kite up in "Light" winds, & then again you learn ALOT in high winds also, once you learn to feel the wind & are confident, with your kite & your own skills you'll find yourself grinning from ear 2 ear & talking to the Kite (come on baby showme what you've got)... Have fun & dont forget... Be safe... Love my Little Profoil in 20+ mph winds...

NPWfever - 25-10-2007 at 02:38 PM

Yeah i took my 3 meter (2 line) out in 35mph wind the other day and i got on my buggy and zipped across the soccer field and i looked infront of me and there was a tree! AAAHAAHHHHH!!!! panic what do i do what do i do? *lets go of kite and fumbles for the brake and stops 3 feet short of a massive killer tree* of course only to look over and see my kite a good 500 yards away *cries* and walks over again spending 30 mins untangling my lines and getting it out of the tree. Morel of the story A: really high winds rip your profiles in two B: they can kill you C: you CAN get scud across the baseball diamond, hit the raised lip of the grass and do a sort of untintentional pit jump and D: grass stains are really hard to get out. Oh yeah and never again will i use a 2 line on a bar, cuz if you panic you can let go of the kite entirely with a bar but you have to walk to it but with handles you just let go of one and it still depowers but doesnt fly away into the night. LOL!

Pablo - 25-10-2007 at 06:23 PM

Rig up a safety 3rd line, attach it to the bridal points on one wingtip, just the outermost ones, run it down the flying line on that side through a loop on the flying line leader on that side and to a KK wrist strap, let go of the bar and the kite will flag out on a wingtip.

NPWfever - 25-10-2007 at 09:23 PM

Yeah i guess but the handles work and I like the control i get from them, plus i dont want to order more kiteline.

BeamerBob - 26-10-2007 at 02:49 AM

A single light line suitable for this wouldn't be $10 shipped I bet. You are probably strapped right now though and the handles will solve the fly away problem.

NPWfever - 26-10-2007 at 08:05 AM

Yeah I got a job cuz I am buying an 8 meter pansh ace, and I would like a proper harness/QR and a 5 meter pansh ace. But man the power the 3 meter had in the 35mph wind was insane!!!! I think i might make a 1.5 meter NPW and put them on my crappy dacron lines. So next time it blows like that I can still kite.

Pablo - 26-10-2007 at 04:42 PM

3m fixed bridal in 30+ sound about right for fun.

Wait till you try a 16m Depowerable, hold on tight, then pull in on the whammy bar when you want to go up.

5m1FF - 27-10-2007 at 03:36 PM

If you ask me, flying in LIGHT winds for the kite is when you have to work to keep the kite in the air, and it gets unhappy when you keep it in neutral position. Well thats very light.

My blade IV 6.5, light but begining to be fun is 7-10mph i guess. but not a buzz kinda fun, just a bit exciting.

Pdxnebula - 27-10-2007 at 06:03 PM

Light is NOT!!! 25-30 knots... I know :) !!! Its Over Powered EVEN for a 1.5mē

5m1FF - 28-10-2007 at 11:57 AM

hahaha yeah man! Thats a serious bit of wind for any kite. unless its like 1.5cm rather than 1.5m, lol.

Pablo - 28-10-2007 at 01:27 PM

25-30 knots, 2m Brooza all the way.

5m1FF - 28-10-2007 at 01:30 PM

400 knots, 19m SilverArrow 2, with 4000kg lines for me.

NPWfever - 28-10-2007 at 04:10 PM

LOL! see ya later dude! But you have to make sure its a 2 line... Or better yet use a paraglider. (30m)

Pdxnebula - 28-10-2007 at 09:41 PM

Tell ya what, my RushII 250, may have been able to handle those winds BUT, for as much "FUN" as I had "TRYING" to land the ProFoil in that wind, I dont think I would have wanted to try & land the RushII 250, by slammin it into the ground...

EVEN at the window edge, it was THAT strong, & having my son TRY & catch it even at the edge, without maybe taking off 1 of his hands in the process with the lines, was out of the question...

I couldnt hardly move my hands for about 3hrs afterwards, just because I was gripping the handles SO hard, to hang on & the 1 time I landed it with JUST the Brakes it POWERED UP, UPSIDE DOWN & Plowed into the ground...

BUT I sure gave my Sewing Repairs (from the couple of factory seam glitch's I'd fixed) a good workout & all my stitching held great... Be Careful of, HIGH WINDS!!!

wolla - 4-12-2007 at 06:04 PM

I remember the day i got my first 3m kite, about a year ago..

i go to the beach in my new town, and see all these guys kitesurfing, and thought.. that looks great fun... so, in a spur of the moment decision, i thought.. i want one, just to fly about. so i went treking to the nearest kite sports shop and bought my kite..

took an hour setting/rigging it all up on the green infront of my house, called a mate for back up, and headed off to the beach. i unpacked it all, and stood back, and asked my mate to launch it for me..

now i'm on a beach when the tide was high, and the beach is about 20m from prom to water, with an off shore wind..

so i get it launched straight into the window.. next thing i knew, i was in the water, kite floating even further out in the water, me fully clothed in fall, and freezing my tits off.. i had to go swim to get the kite back..

i then realise, that we were suffering from the tail end of a force 8 gale somewhere out over the atlantic.. (cheers to the kite shop guy for not informing me of this) and that kinda scared me outta flying for month, with me thinking, what he hell have i bought?

now, i'll fly my 3m in pretty much any winds (with respect for safety) and enjoy every second of it.. i think wind speeds are generally how the individual likes it once a little experienced.. but i would say, i would have preffered on my first flight, something that made my t-shirt flap a little, but no more.. lol

Pdxnebula - 8-12-2007 at 12:42 AM

"Light" would be like the "Bus"ter yesterday, <5mph, just enough to inflate it & fly to zenith & just float there... Hardly ANY pull...