So I learned something today. I live in Southwest Missouri and the winds here are really dirty. I've been reading posts on this forum for a long time, and to be honost I thought alot of guys on here were straight up pansies. I have flown kites as large as 13m in winds 27gusting to 38 before without any serious problems (and i'm only 165 pounds). I've acutally had a static jump on my pl kite that was pushing more than 25 feet high and thats jugding by the bottoms of my feet. Anyway, this last weekend i went home to visity my family in Illinois where the land is flat, and there are no buildings or hills to cause any turbulence. Having only experienced the infamous "dirty winds of the midwest" I was rather bold when showing my family my 12 and 15 phantoms. The wind was only 21-26 which is ok for what i'm used to, but i didn't take into consideration that there is no hills or structures in what is a huge cornfield that is like 30-mile span.

I first noticed that my 15m phantom was flapping faster and harder than normal as i was attatching my lines. That should have been my first red flag for the day, but i continued to show my younger brother. after getting the kite launched i could tell i was being pulled more than normal, but it was so AWESOME to have clean winds without wind shadows and dead spots. So the first thing i did was went for a pendulem jump (didnt have my landboard with me). As you could expect with a 15 phantom in those winds UP I WENT! I was somewhere around the 18 foot mark. I was well over double the height of the soccer goals that were set in the field (and theyre 8ft). I had an excellent float down too. I tried to jump a few more times with the same result. Later i switched over to the 12 phantom and i found the same results.

Now i see why most of you guys on here fly 9m kites in 20-30mph winds. I no longer think that people are wussies, i learned that 20mph winds when there are lots of buildings and hills are around isn't really 20mph. I can't wait to fly in winds that are coming off of the ocean!

Get yourself a wind meter and find out what you are really flying in. You can always handle a larger kite if the wind is smooth and dependable. It's the yanks and jerks that you have to brace for.

I had that same feeling this winter.... I fly usually "in town" so pretty close to a bunch of weird things. Wind is usually up-down and this winter i drove up to camas prairie, which is CLEAN winds. I was even dumbfounded when I held up my anemometer and it said 23 mph, i was like "What?! That's all?!?!?!" Clean winds definitely feel more powerful when you're used to dirty winds

Just remember that your 13 PL is in no way shape or form comparable to someone flying an open cell foil in similar winds. My understanding is that those twin skins are great at munching gusts and have great top end (haven't flown one myself). For a fixed bridle foil you'd probably be flying a 2m in those 27-38 mph winds (or in my case you'd just stay home).

I would flat out guarantee that at 165 pounds you couldn't hold down my 11m Frenzy in 27 mph winds (whether the wind was clean or dirty).

Strange post.... i used to fly inland with guerillas back in england and i will admit i flew my 13m in anything up to 30mph, but when i took it to the beach it was always ALWAYS much easier to handle in the same wind. I'm surprised you are insinuating that it is easier to fly in strong winds inland than in strong clean winds... are you sure your wind measurements are accurate??!

Smaller kites to me are just more fun, much more maneuverable and you can jump much higher on them because you're able to turn them much faster to create greater opposing forces...

Flying inland in high gusty winds is dangerous and requires more skill to keep the kite luffing and then whipping you up, i've had some pretty ball shrinkingly scary moments...

Maybe your balls are just much bigger than mind :singing:

I think the cities wind measurements aren't too accurate because 20mph one day isn't the same 20mph of the next day. I used to have an 8m pansh open foil and it was kicking my butt in 12mph. I usually fly by a bunch of buildings so the wind is always unpredictable. I was very pleased flying in those predictable smooth winds. I'm so jealous of everybody who can fly in clean wind.

My little landboarding site is near the lake but between stop-banks on a river - there's actually more power - I'd say double!!! - near the zenith than where it should be in the centre of the wind window :o I miss New Brighton beach back home