Hi All,

I regularly fly my Mac Bego, Fly Surfer Viron and old FlexFoil Blade III happily in all sorts of wind with handles and bar.

Last year I treated myself to a Peter Lynn Twister 2 R 5.6m with a bar. This kite I can't keep off the ground. It just flips over and bounces with the leading edge on the ground. I can reverse it up but not get it to flip right way up. It's never been above 5 feet.

I've checked and rechecked the lines are the same length and are attached properly. There does not seem to be any problems with the bridle, no twists or knots.

I've tried for months now, probably more than a dozen trips out in different conditions.

Can anyone give me tips to help get this beast off the ground?

Thanks,
Tim

back lines are too tight somehow, too much rear line tension..... honestly bud, fly it with handles... i love my twister 2 5.6 and you should too

the kite is pretty sluggish on the bar, but it still should fly. the only reason it is doing this is the brake lines are too tight somehow

edit:
3k posts, praising the twister

Where did you get the kite from?

This is the Peter Lynn Classic 4 line bar.


This is the Peter Lynn Standard 4 line bar


If you have the latter, make sure that the central webbing trim strap is not cranked down too tight and that the pulley block spins freely.

If it is neither one of these bars, can you post a picture of the bar you are using?

ATB,
Sam

Are you using a bar ? My 7.7 flew like a rag on a bar but was a real great kite on handles. Like 2 completely different kites.

Try flying it as a 2 line ? If it flies 2 line try adding some extensions to your brake leaders ?

Thanks for all the quick replies...

@Drewclous I've got the bar so, when confident with the kite, I can add a chicken loop and use my harness. Boarding is fun with handles but even more so when hooked in, one hand on the bar.

@flyjump Powerkiteshop.com I wanted to see if there was anything obvious I was doing wrong before given them a call.

@indigo_wolf Standard 4 line bar. The pulley runs easily and I've tried scientifically inching the strap tighter and tighter until its as short as it can go. Same problem when loose, tight or somewhere inbetween.

@Bladerunner That's a good idea, I'll try to get out today and extend the break lines...

Weather is looking perfect for some more tests: sunny with 15 to 20 kph :-)

The reason I asked was that three was a Guy selling knock off kites on eBay. Just wanted to make sure you didn't get a scam kite

I bought my IIR 5.6m from PKS also but with handles and there's nothing wrong with it.
Been somewhat a long time client from them and can't vouch enough their service.

The Twister isn't a kite for bar. It doesn't like brake input (just the finesse with handles can give that little touch that makes a difference).

As you said, you're on the Standard Bar --^^^^. How are you hooking the lines? Power to the tips, Brakes in the middle, correct?
If not, then it's wrongly connected.
If yes, then by the look of it, the Brake Lines are way shorter then the power lines (at least, the picture shows it that way).

If your center leader lines on the bar are shorter than the power leader lines, the kite will stall and won't fly proper.

As Blade said, try flying it on only 2 lines (just hook your power lines only to the tips of the bar) and the Twister will fly.
Then hook the brake lines. They MUST have some slack.

Other way, if you have some handles, try it that way and you'll discover a whole new animal,

HANDLES.... Its not responsive enough for a bar. with handles, its awesome.

Try flying it on handles. As I said my 7.7 was 2 completely different kites. A dog on a bar but a joy on handles.

You can ride one handed with handles. Practice hooking in and flying the kite with only brake input , like with a depower bar. Once you get that brake control down you can go long distances one hande and just tweeking the brakes.

tie a knot in the outside leaders 6 inches toward the bar from the factory knot. make sure both sides are equal. connect your power lines to the new knot. this will make your brake lines looser. also make sure the trim strap is all the way out.

Thanks again for the suggestions. I did not managed to get out in the field again this weekend, too many kids to look after.

I'm going to try, lengthening the pulley line that the break lines tie to then shortening the power lines then handles. Probably try the handles anyway, even if adjusting the lines works for the bar.

Hopefully come back to you all soon with a positive result. :-)

I read "Twister on a bar" and stopped reading. Just get handles, you will see an enormous difference. For best results, make a strop line with a safety release so you can hook it into your harness. The Twister II is a HARD pulling kite, and it will take a lot of stress off of your arms for long periods of flying. It also allows you to get comfortable with having the kite attached to your center of gravity, and allows it to be much more stable. Going from handles to a depower kite is much less dramatic than people make it seem, if you do it after you've had a comfortable amount of experience flying fixed bridle.

Here, check this out. How to make a strop line with safety release

It worked! Tried Dakitez suggestion of knots in the leaders and this worked great. Not much wind yesterday but enough to get the twister off the ground.

All the handles advocates are correct, there's lots of lift for the low wind but turning at the edge of the window was slooooooow. Next time I'm out, I'll take the Mac Bego handles and try it all again....

Thanks all.