Had someone buggy for the first time today. He could fly static on both a bar(2m Slingshot B2) and handles(2.4m Sting) fine without crashing. Had him try out the buggy for the first time. Wind was strong at times and gusty. He never got lifted out of the buggy; and the kite was extremely easy to relaunch the couple of times it did go down(soft crashes at edge of window). He even managed to be able to go upwind. I was impressed with his progression and the kite was a good choice. He's taking his first kiteboard lessons tomorrow(with an instructor) so should be interesting. He's got a wakeboard / skateboard background.



http://www.windalert.com/en-us/Search/SpotInfo.aspx?spotid=1...


I buggied from 5-7 and he buggied from 7-9.

I had that kite out testing how well it handled the wind. It has less power than my 2m Octane so it's more manageable.

It should be said that when I got there he was cruising on a long board flying a framed 2 line sport kite on straps so this situation wasn't like someone who was brand new to kiting. I was still impressed though by the ease of progression with this particular kite being the first time on a buggy. The kite had enough power; but not too much power. Also it wasn't too fast in both top speed and how fast it flies and turns in general. And the near instant/effortless relaunch was a plus.

I personally only use this kite in big wind when my main kite(2m Octane) is too much for me. That kite is a lot at the top of it's wind range. I find the Sting to not be fast enough(for me) and also not nearly as much upwind as I'm use to. I fly it really hard and aggressive and still feel like I struggle getting upwind(like I'm use too). I ride all over with those Octanes.

I just looked and they have these kites right now for CHEAP and complete with lines/handles:

http://shop.flexifoil.com/recreational-kiting/sting/

I expect the pricing is because the Sting is on its bell lap.

ATB,
Sam

His two hour kiteboard lesson went well and he was up and riding.

Rode the buggy on the lakebed today(kiteboarded yesterday) with the 2.4 Sting again.



Kite works so well; I'm going to order up a 3.3m for those ultra gusty terrible days when the wind is all over the place to extremes and see how it does.

If anyone has terrible wind; and your normal good kites don't work the best or are overpowered on the massive gusts; definitely consider one of these Stings.

The last post in this old thread really sealed the deal for me on the 3.3m: http://forum.kitecrowd.com/newcomers-q/flexifoil-sting-3-3-i...

And the 2.4m totals out to $113 FYI. The site by default is including and showing UK tax/tariff/VAT, etc.


This is how the lake normally looks and how it looks during a drought:



35.554981° -97.583370°

Nice info on the 2.4m. I look forward to your thoughts on the 3.3m.

rtz, are you flying hooked in with those or just flying off handles?

I just fly using the handles. The included handles aren't set up for a strop and I only hook in with other kites, in lighter stable winds.

Impressive shipping time considering the distance(hopping the ocean), and "free shipping":



Hooked up the lines and flew it in zero wind(walking backwards) just to double check the factory bridle before I take it out for the first time in some real wind. I always fly everything just once in light wind just to make sure the bridle is proper since no factory test flies production kites. I have a Pansh that won't fly after sitting untouched on a shelf(and I buggied with it before it was shelved) and I've been spooked(not trusting) of bridle lines ever since.

Curiosity the Pansh flew prior to being shelved and now it won't fly? If that is correct I wonder what happened during the first flight.

Double post deleted!!!

Well we fixed it yesterday and it flys now. When he first launched it; he had to have the handles pointed absolutely forward as far as they would go to keep it off the brakes. The kite and handles just have a simple knot at each end. I don't know how they could have slid down. The handles never had to be held like that all the times I had previously flown it. Line stretch?

We added another knot to shorten up the power lines and it flys normal again. I'm still not sure what exactly happened to it in the first place.

My bet is on line stretch what kite is it?

The Flux with the older style plain white Pansh lines. This particular Flux is also a prototype so it is likely not representative of the final version.

Ah ok.