My first post here, Although an old git at 48 I have just bought my first power kite a flexifoil sting 3.3 (a big kid really):singing I had a go on my mates 5 meter kite (cant remeber which make) on the hills in Dorset in freshning 15mph + winds was dragged all over the park & my mate badly sprained his ankle trying to fly or something, wish I had a video to post on youtube it was hillarious (not for him) sunglasses & hat skew wiff at odd angles as he emerged from the long grass hobbling So I bought a slightly smaller kite which I have only used a couple of times. Has anybody got any thoughts on my first choice & what would be a good progression/addition in the future, not really into buggying or surfing just a good workout, Cheers. Marc.

age free zone here ! greetings! sounds like an addictive go!

Cheers, It was! Been after a good kite for ages Im an aircraft engineer so interested in evrything that flys, except my mate being silly buggers, still could have been me at the brunt of things so shouldnt laugh too much.

Welcome Brumarc! I am not far behind you @41 and just started this mad addiction myself 3 mos ago now.. Three foils later I am still searching for that new toy, budget/wallet be damned..

One thing I can recommend is use kite killers, if you don't have them already steal them from your buddy. They are your safety for when you get over your head (or off your feet), and you let go of the handles and the killers drop the kite to ground while not blowing away downwind..

Keep asking questions and HAVE FUN!

Got the killers thanks, just tried them out, not used them to save my life yet.

Welcome from another OG ! :bigok:

Great choice going smaller! YOU will master that kite and be able to fly your friends 5m safely before he is healed up !


Please consider wearing a helmet !

Yep, just a kid at heart along with your age, Welcome.

Quote:

Originally posted by Bladerunner Welcome from another OG ! :bigok: Great choice going smaller! YOU will master that kite and be able to fly your friends 5m safely before he is healed up ! Please consider wearing a helmet !

Forgive my very rudamentary question, but am I right in assuming that with experience I will be able to fly bigger kites in stronger winds without eating too much dirt:piggy: by expert use of the brake lines.

Good question and the brakes can be a bit of a mis-representation depending on how you look at it. While they do slow down the kite, this can actually greatly increase the power output of the kite. This is because you can slow down the kite as it crosses the power window making it stay thier longer as well as the shape of the foil being changed can make it harness more of the wind. That is until you let go of the handles and the kite killers turn the kite inside out..

Experience will let you fly larger to a point. At a given wind speed once you reach a certain Sqmeter size you will not be ale to hold the kite statically. What you will learn is how to control the kite, and put it where you want in the window so that you do not become overpowered on larger kites in more wind. That is when you get yourself a buggy, atb, skates and start moving and your wind speeds for each kite will be higher... I am sure more guys will chime in as well...

Skates & power kites!! eeks!! there are clifs whare i fly just over there lol, now looking on ebay for inline skates & a 14 meter kite/parasail is there a section on here for that joking aside cheers for the gen, never thought of it like that, makes sense, I supose, kite in front of you its a bit like a filled (large) shopping bag than an aerofoil as long as its moving slowly of course.

You got it Brum, good analogy on the shopping bag! The std fixed bridals do need airflow to stay filled, but the more they are in the power zone the harder they will pull. You will see people reference park and go, meaning they get the buggy/board moving and using the brakes park the kite in the sweet spot and enjoy the ride..

There will be guys replying here, there are a few models of "off road" skates many people use. Think rollerblades with wheels like the Mountainboards you see here..

There is a for sale section, lot of truly great people on this forum eager to help and honorable in transactions. Might even be worth finding who is local to you, most of us are more than willing to let you try out our gear. I have someone loaning me a FS Pulse 7m so I can try out a Depower kite for the 1st time. Best bet is to test as many kites as possible, each model handles differently, and it is nice to know how the kite flies before you spend your $.

Hey! 48 isn't THAT old!!! Although I'm finding the bod takes a whole lot longer to recover from stuff.

Static flying - on grass - I prefer not being dragged through the grass or having to scud - scudding on grass is very inconsistent and a good recipe for a stuffed up ankle. So I usually pick a kite that will certainly pull some, but I can hold my ground. I rarely static fly stuff larger than 4m on the grass.

However those who really use the lift and jump will use a lot bigger and keep it out of the power zone.

On the beach, scudding is quite easy, consistent and no drama so I don't mind being pulled around by a larger kite.

Though 95% of my kiting is in the buggy and I'm using more power than I could fly static with.

Park 'n ride has nothing to do with brakes - once the kite starts to see a certain apparent wind speed, it generates enough power to pull you along without having to work it up 'n down (sineing).

It's actually quite a noticeable point - I really feel the lines go tight and the kite can just sit there - then it's time to sit back and cruise in the buggy..

At speed, I can pull a bit of brake on to generate a bit more lift/pull (like flaps on wing) which also creates a bit of drag which sits the kite back a bit further in the window...too much brake for a given wind speed and the kite stalls.

Next time you're driving the kite across the window, add just a touch of brake and you should feel the power increase...

My favorite kite, so far, to static fly is the Ozone Method. You'd find it has a wider window than the sting and is quite a bit faster (assuming the Sting is similar to my PL Hornet/Ozone Flow and HQ Beamers). I believe the Flexifoil Blurr is quite similar to the Method. PL Core is really nice too....

I think the answer to your question is yes !

From my experience you only start to progress when you have control over the kite. As you have experienced too large just tosses you around and you are just surviving.

You will get control of that 3.3 much easier. It is still plenty big enough to show you where the power comes on and what you need to do to control it without tossing you like a toy. As you gain experience and control you will be able to safely handle that kite in some very strong winds. It WILL leave ou wanting more power . When you move back up to the 5m because you want the power you will know what to expect and handle it like a pro !

As far as brakes go , Yes you will learn how to do proper brake turns , slowing the kite with brake + dropping it back for a power boost when in motion. These will make you a better pilot but ........ You are STILL going to eat it if you are learning !

Scudding is an important safety skill to work on. I agree that it isn't ideal to do so on grass but it is still something worth working on . You will need this skill as you progress to larger kites and depower.

I was THRILLED to find this sport back in my 40's ! We all have to take a spanking or 2 along the way. It's part of the game even after years. As long as I am pushing it I have to accept the potential ! I have discovered that pads allow me to push my limits when my older brain is trying to hold me back.

Brumarc:

I am close to you - Barrie.
Start with a trainer, lessons, etc etc.
I will PM you to give you my contact info.;-)

Thanks for all your input, I think i have learned alot from this without even getting the kite out, I will cirtainly learn with the Sting & I agree in a good wind it has plenty of power to scudd, & experiment with the brakes. at least for me at this stage, I have an idea next year maybe to pair the Sting with a Flexifoil Rage 4.7. or something similar, I think Ill have plenty of power at my disposal over a greater windspeed range, then Ill be flying! feet off the ground, smoking a #@%$#! (not that i smoke) reading the paper & waving at my mate all at the same time lol.

One other question, On the Sting, I notice when appling alot of brake with the handles (ie landing) the kite sometimes flips over onto the leading edge usualy near to the ground, cant remember if it is in a particular rotational direction or not,but I thought it might have something to do with whare the kite is in the window ie to the left or right of me, but do you think the lines need fine tuning in length or is this normal.cheers Marc.

About the kite flipping over on the leading edge:

It might be worth a check to see if your lines are equal length since it is so easy to do. Just disconnect the kite, stick the loop ends of all 4 lines through your ground stake and then go pick up the handles. All the lines should be exactly the same length, and if they are not you should be able to see how an adjustment has been made to the handles to compensate for the difference. If you find that one of the lines is a different length, then you should be able to adjust by tying the line to a different knot or sliding the knots around.

That's not completely abonormal behaviour though, so I wouldn't worry about it too much.

By the way, if the kite is sitting on the ground with the leading edge down, you can do a reverse launch to get it flying again. All you have to do is apply both brakes fully, and the kite should fly up in the air. Then stop applying brake to one side, and the kite will turn so that it is right side up. Then apply both brakes again and the kite should sit on the ground correctly right side up. Then you can remove any twists in your line and keep flying. Sorry if you already know this but you can never be sure.

Welcome to the forum.

FYI you are .2yrs below the average age here.:P


Have fun out there!

Thanks Jim thats realy great advice , not too worried but ill check the lines, Iv allready worked out how to flip it the right way up by use of the brake lines cheers, I put an extra knot in the leader lines as i thought they were a bit slack from new so it maybe theres a slight difference, I was carefull to position my knots the same difference from the factory tied knots so will check the factory knots as suspect.