slimjim242 - 24-9-2004 at 03:10 AM
im thinking of getting a power kite for a 12 year old and i have been reccommended the flexifoil bullet 1.5 is that a good begginers kite? im gonna
get it with the bar
RMV - 24-9-2004 at 12:02 PM
Hello Slimjim,
Is this the first kite approach for this 12 year old? If it is, then it might not be the best choice. Why would you start a young person with a power
kite? Let him/her enjoy and discover the pleasures of dual lines, let him/her play, learn and discover and eventually break and repair a less
expensive stunt kite. Such young person will have the opportunity to discover the effect of the wind strength and direction on a particular sail, and
especially learn about the wind window and associated power zones....etc....etc.
Now, Flexifoil has a Stacker that will generate enough pull in strong wind to drag your little guy/girl around, and it is fast, in fact any stunt kite
of reasonable size will do, regarding the general wind conditions at your location.
I do not know what you are trying to achieve by providing such a young person this type of kite, does he/she already has A/T boarding/skiing or are
you just trying to have him/her start on a power kite from scratch? I hope you have a good insurance coverage. I just want you to be aware of the
power of such type of kite.....3 days ago I was buggying with a 1.5 in 18-25 mph wind, I am 190lbs, I was not going fast at all, but just to show you.
As to the bar, there is 2 different opinions, I do understand that it is preferable to start with the handles, as you have better control and feeling,
especially on a quad line, then depending on activities you can switch or adapt a bar.
A kites is like a toy train and a women breast, they are both for the kids, but daddy always ends up playing with them.:D
1.5 bullet might be too much for a 12 years old to begin with, if you have kite fliers around ask questions and maybe have him/her,and yourself, try
before making such decision. You will then realize how much power is generated by such kite.
Hope this helped
RMV
bondcw - 27-9-2004 at 02:48 PM
For a first kite for a 12 year old you might be better looking at a PKD Buster 0.7 or 1.4 - a fair bit less power than the Bullet but probably enough
to give thema bit of a workout and get some confidence in flying this type of kite.
slimjim242 - 29-9-2004 at 07:12 AM
thanls for both your suggestions he has already had a lot of experience with a stunt kite and is really good at that. he has had an atb for a while
and is wanting to get a kite to start off trying kite boarding after learning how to fly it.
ill have a look at the busters. if anyone has any more thoughts feel free to share im looking for all the advice i can get cause some people say its a
good kite for starting some dont. by the way hes about 5 stone the kid thats getting
Alex102 - 16-9-2005 at 12:51 AM
im 13 and I fly a 5m blade3 and thinking of getting blade3 6.6 i think the blade 1.5 will be just fine
Alex102 - 16-9-2005 at 12:53 AM
sorry for that i made a mistake i am 13 years old and fly a 5m blade3 and thinking of getting the blade3 6.6m i think the bullet will be just fine.
Ginger_boarder - 21-10-2005 at 10:23 AM
just to say i started off with a 2.5m beamer 2 at the age of 11 and found it fine. as long as he/she is a quick learner they'll have no problem at all
and i think the 1.5m bullet would be fine. i would leave it on handle to make sure he/she understands the pincipal of the brake lines for ground
handling and quick turning. I would possibly let your kid have a play with handles and bars to let them have a bit of a say in the matter.
good luck,
angus