So my Hydra 300 arrived at my door yesterday afternoon and I didn't think I would get to take it out this soon.This morning a buddy from work took me to a big empty field on top of a hill that his RC plane club flies on. There was only 2 other guys there and they were just hanging around. My buddy flew his RC plane for a while and then I broke out the Hydra. The wind was about 7-10 mph and pretty consistent, every few minutes it would die down but it came back up quickly. I had the other guy launch for me (I live in western Kentucky, there's no sand!). Up, up, up, DOWN. She hit pretty hard. No tears in the sail tho, back up, up, down. This went on for about a half hour. I gotta give it to my buddy, he kept chasing it whenever it hit the ground. After about 45 minutes though I was at the point where I could keep it up for a few minutes at a time. I am having a hard time steering it back from the edge of the window. When it gets to that point it flips inside out and falls, that's how it ended up on the ground most of the time. I tried re-launching on my own a few times but never managed to get it back off the ground, unless it landed and caught a gust before it deflated. I'm hooked. I would have stayed out longer but I had to bring it down because a few other guys showed up to fly their planes and it's their runway I was flying on. I don't know how often I'm going to get a chance to fly out here tho, the wind is pretty strong/consistent right now but in the middle of the summer it dies down quite a bit.

I really like the Hydra, and I'm really glad I picked up a trainer first before I even went out for lessons. This thing PULLS! I'm 6'3", 215 lbs and it was moving me around.

not sure how much kiting you have done.
if you are really new...remember you can always walk/jog/run backwards as a temporary means to power kite up. just keep in mind to regain lost ground before you run out of it:wink2:

This seriously was my FIRST flight. I have been trying to get into kitesurfing for about 2 years now, I just got out of school and moved and this is the first chance I've had. I want to take lessons this summer when I go to the beach but I figure it will help to have some experience with a kite even before then.

One trick to turn it when you're at the edge of the window is to keep turning it the way it's going until it downloops. In other words, if you've got the kite at the right edge of the window keep the right side of the bar cranked in so the kite keeps turning until the leading edge eventually ends up pointing left. This way the kite will keep more powered up and won't have as much tendency to stall. Does that make sense?

Clint

I have a brand new Hydra 300 in my car. Not yet open, still in the plastic

I will post my review if I use it before I decide to sell ;-).

I thought it would make a good trainer in the water for the friends

I think the Hydra is a 3 line kite, right? If so, you can try just pulling on the middle line (SHOULD be the line that goes to the back of the kite?) very gently when it's at the - or ripping to the edge of the window. This might stop it before it overflies. Ultimately though it shouldn't overfly unless the wind is just shifty / gusty. If you get a good clean wind and it still wants to overfly, maybe try shortening the line that runs to the back of the kite - bit only an inch or two at a time. Glad you were able to get hooked - I was hooked by a stinker of a foil and before I knew it there were four kites in the basement ; )

Welcome to a whole new addiction. Just WAIT until there's no wind and you start going berserk wondering if you'll survive until the next breeze blows

the wind you are flying in is not the best for a trainer.. you will have to figue 8 it up and down to get it up to speed.
to kill the power stap the the center line (wristband) to your wrist and then just let it go. the kite will powerdown to the ground.