I was not so much endorsing the 5m Ace as asking a question about mine. Please don't think I was advising you to buy one as a 1st kite!

I would not be recommending one as a 1st kite but others might. It is a good size as an allround land kite but not so much as a trainer. I don't recommend any kite bigger than a 3.5m and certianly not one that is not RTF Ready To Fly!

I had my Ace on a crossover bar, I thought I liked it. It was like I had a whole new kite on handles. Much better on handles.

You are getting a lot of good advice on a lot of good kites here. I'm a HQ Powerkite guy and a big fan of their depower kites. I have flown a lot of trainers (HQ, Ozone, Slingshot just to name a few) and I have to say that I really like the Rush III Pro series.

I have two things to add to this discussion. First, if you are interested in kites on the bar, stick with kites on the bar. You don't need to deal with converting a kite that flies very well on handles to a kite that flies ok on a bar.

Second, get a trainer and learn to use it on land. For someone your size, get either a 3 or 3.5 meter (remember that trainers are usually measured in wingspan, not surface area). I would lean towards teh 3.5 meter. You need the extra pull. You will be able to use your kite on hard surfaces. It won't work for you on medium to long grass. I weigh 210 and my Rush III Pro 350 will pull me great on asphalt, but will barely move me on medium length grass in 20+ winds.

Third (I know I said two. I'm long winded...), don't worry about getting a de-power kite now. Get to know your trainer in all types of winds. When you are ready to buy a larger kite, get a newer one. There have been huge advances in kites in the last two or three years. Imagine what you will see next year. Why buy a kite now that you aren't ready to fly when you can buy a better one when you are ready to use it?

Just my two cents.

-Mike