hi all,

just been out for about 4 hours in 12mph wind with only few small gusts which beats previous times of an hour here and there in gusty winds and learnt lots!

started on the 4m but felt bit over powered and after last time it got me so i dropped down to my 2m.i managed to feel the gusts and put the 2m to one side and about a third up out of power as suggested by demoknight,played with brake turns which are now pretty good.

after spending some time on the 2m and getting very confident i went back to the 4m which did feel much better and more in control!

one thing i did find with the 4m in a gust is it trys to climb high in the window when it gets what feels like over power to me.is there a way to deal with that or is that something to get used to?

ive had great time today flying and hope everyone else has been out enjoying?

hey all can i please ask when ive flown my 4m and it picks up some stronger wind it just climbs high into the window and i could not seam to stop it doing so.

is this normal or is there a way to deal with it?

thanks

nobody?

Quote: Originally posted by m00ms

nobody?

Kites are beasts unto themselves. Please don't take this the wrong way, but the best way to keep the kite from climbing is to steer it in a fashion that doesn't allow it to do so. Note that this will come at the price of a LARGE increase in kite pull. Welcome to getting "lit".

Are you still flying static? When moving with something that rolls or slides beneath you this keeping the kite low and forward in the wind window will result in large acceleration forces during gusts and possible side sliding depending on what you are on (or in). If static, consider sitting down and cranking your heels into the ground surface and hang on for dear life. Who knows, you may get your first Superman flight!

Memory serves that you are flying fixed bridle kites. Depower kites offer some protection against this by letting the bar out and thus changing the angle of attack. You can do this to an extent by articulating the handles of a FB set up to pull on the brakes. If you are really getting lit this is easier to write about than to do. Good luck! :karate:

totally normal...a kite tends to head to zenith when the winds blowing hard...if you cant stop it by applying brake or steering it to the side...congrats your officially overpowered
this means time to be real careful and or time for a smaller kite

I was just getting ready to say "3m kite" lol.
Welcome to fixed bridle..
And a kiter's wallet.

Quote: Originally posted by abkayak

totally normal...a kite tends to head to zenith when the winds blowing hard...if you cant stop it by applying brake or steering it to the side...congrats your officially overpowered this means time to be real careful and or time for a smaller kite

Sounds like you have felt fully ( or over ) powered. When the wind is that strong we don't fly the kite all over. We " work the edges " of the wind window.

We want that extra power at the edge of the window when we are moving. We use it to " park and ride ".

Probably the most fun you can have when powered like that is using it to scud down wind. Learn to connect power strokes to keep sliding and sliding.

Static flying fully lit like that is fun but it's really the time to think about down sizing if you don't want that full on power.

thanks to all for your replies and help with my learning of this sport,thats good to hear that i have found my wind limit with my 4m beamer,i did enjoy the pull but was just was a little un easy when i could not stop it climbing!

yes still flying static but do want to go do a buggy lesson at some points this year which i am sure will give me lots more to learn

thanks bladerunner for the scuding idea which sounds great fun....i think!

i brought and collected a cheap flexifoil 5.5 bullet the other day which i might try out either tomorrow or at weekend if wind allows!

do think i also might get a another beamer in 3m as the other day when the 4m was a little too much it might of been perfect

Hi m00ms, you should be able to control the kite to place it where you want in the wind no matter how overpowered you are. In fact, being more powered up makes this easier and easier to place the kite where you want it because it will react very quickly and directly in the stiffer winds. You will have to practice more with your kites. Soon enough you will have the lightbulb moment where it clicks and all starts making a lot more sense. Remember to practice holding your kite at places around the edge of the window like numbers on a clock face. Try to hold the kite at 3 o'clock for 10 seconds without it moving, and then move along the edge over to 9 o'clock and hold it there for 10 seconds without it moving, and keep going until you have mastered parking the kite anywhere you want. The next step is to be able to do the same thing blind folded. You will know that you really understand how your kite works when you can predict what it will do before it does it. That comes with time flying and there is no shortcut. You just have to develop muscle memory and reflexes that come with kiting experience. Go fly whenever you can, but stay safe and don't go out if the wind is too high.

That Bullet will have tons more lift then the Beamer. And not only because of it being 1.5m bigger. Yes that, but the Bullet has a higher aspect ratio over the Beamer. A more high performance kite. I use to have Bullets. Man those are awesome kites!!! They start getting a little lifty in their mid wind range. More so in their upper wind range, so use caution. I'm sure you have a helmet now? Even if static flying! A 2m Beamer is one thing. 5.5m Bullets are another. You are now learning kite lift is proportional to wind speed. Different kites produce different amounts of lift. Not trying to harp on the lift thing so much, but you are pretty much a static pitol at this time. Things change up with different dynamics once you become in motion with a buggy or board. You have already seen not being able to hold down a 4m in higher winds. Generally in the nasty gust, the wind will just rip the kite away. Right out of your hands. Some have a gut instinct of hanging on for dear life causing a super man!!

In my most humble opinion mooms, fly in the wind and conditions YOU are comfortable with. No one else. Size your fixed bridles accordingly to the windspeed and gusts. You will learn your personal limits and comfort zone. Make it fun. Not terrifying

New pilot and already three FB kites with a fourth on the mind. My kind of man :evil:

hi demoknight i am planning to get out and practice as and when i can,i did pop out today but the 10mph forecast wind was next to nothing and my 4m was hardly even keeping its shape.

how do i stop the kite at different clock positions ? i find that if kite is in the window then its moving about or if its right at edges of window then its lost all power and collapsing?

hi 3shot and thanks for your advice with the bullet which i will only fly for my first time in really low wind and work up which i did with my 4m beamer.yes i have helmets for my other sports which i could wear but i will admit i have not yet done so,do i see a helmet in your buggy profile photo?!

considering at christmas i didnt own any kites i guess ive done fairly well.i started with a hq symphony 1.8m 2 line then 2m beamer then 4m beamer and then the other day on ebay the bullet came up local to me and the guys advert did not show it at its best as the lines and bridle lines were all twisted and knotted up so it did not sell for high price.

NAPKA requires us to have helmets at NAPKA kiting events. Good things to have in a buggy anyway. You may crash, or someone else's effects could crash into you, etc.

You are putting together a good quiver for traction.

Watch out with the 5.5 Bullet! MANY times I have seen people try to use it as a jumping kite. The Bullets are designed as engines. They are bridled so that the " lift " actually translates better as pull . The Blade was bridled for float. The Bullet gives the impression you can jump with it. Get it wrong, eventually you will, and the Bullet will get sent down wind and SLAM you into the ground!!!!

There is something odd about your lack of ability to park the kite at the edge of the window? If your kite will go straight overhead to zenith and stick there = properly powered it should stick to the edge right down the edge until you can touch the bottom tip to ground.
I suspect you have Janky wind issues? Gusty shifty winds will mean you surge with gusts and drop back deflating on wind stall. Learn to control the kite in those winds and you will be an amazing pilot. Learning to control the kite without looking at it ( essential skill ) will also be a huge challenge compared to clean winds.

I agree with bladerunner. probably a janky wind circumstance. When in good wind, the kite will park at the edges of the window nicely. If it's gust lull type wind, than it will have a tendency to stall at the edge when you hit a lull in the wind. Everyone has their own safety tolerances but I personally don't feel the need for a helmet when kiting static. I also, take my helmet off frequently while in buggy or board just to use as a tripod, but I put capturing footage as a higher priority than my brain. Not too smart :P

hi bladerunner and ssayre

i do wonder if the wind has been to blame as its been poor conditions recently and it has been all over the place here in the uk.until taking up this sport have never really paid much attention to the wind.certainly every time i have flown either my 2m or 4m kite each have just lost power and shape at edges of window and wanted to collapse

wind has not been very constant,like today 12mph forecast so i tried flying the 4m but you had nice wind for couple minutes bursts then nothing and kite just fell out of sky! i suppose for the time being i can only keep trying i hope it is the wind at fault and not me!

i am planning to be careful with the 5.5 bullet and have no plan on jumping! i did downhill mountain biking for years and it did my knees and ankles no good so i do hope to stay on the floor!

Sounds like it's just the wind and not you. i remember awhile back, I had just received a kite in the mail. I flew it for the first time at a spot I don't normally fly at. I thought for sure something was wrong with the kite because I couldn't get it to cooperate. I made it to my normal spot on the same day and it flew perfectly. My best spots are surrounded by corn fields. There are some spots in town that seem like they should work but are just too turbulent.

i do hope its the wind and not me,the local field i fly on is massive with trees all around the edges but they are a long way away,some of the youtube videos ive watched people are flying on smaller fields,football pitches,tress and houses very close.

could it be worth trying a different field ? your best spot sounds ideal ssayre but sadly i dont have such fields close by and im too far from coast for quick flights.

a little while back when i just got my 2m beamer i did take it and my 1.8m symphony down to the coast,i only flew the 1.8m and that was only about my 2nd-3rd time flying back but thinking back it was a lot smoother there

Even at my best spots the quality of wind can vary greatly depending on the day's wind. Keep at it. Some days the wind is just better than others when your flying inland no matter the spot.

ok thanks i will stick with it,wind certainly is a strange old thing!

Wind is fluid! It flows like water.

Just like in a stream the wind will be messed up for 7 to 10 times the distance down wind as they are high. Look upwind at your location and try to picture how water would flow toward you.

I am blessed with clean ocean winds. Are you inland?

YES ...... try other locations !!!!!! One of the many bonuses of flying is it gets me out to all sorts of places I would never otherwise go.

bladerunner you are lucky to close to the coast,sadly i am about 60-70 miles inland so just think how many tress and buildings the wind has bounced off before i get to play with it!

i will go location shopping then and see what i can find,i am with you on places you wouldnt usually go.

the other week by accident i found a fantastic field on a really posh business park with manicured gardens which looked lovely and it was fairly open around it.it was well quiet being a weekend and i thought how nice it would be to fly here but not sure if security would mind.might go ask as static flying wont harm the gardens!

sadly no wind today so no more practice :barf:

I'm about 750 miles away from any beach so consider yourself lucky mooms.

wow ssayre thats a long way away from the coast for you to go play sand castles!

can i ask what type of kiting you do then?

I do as much as I can. Here is a video of a little longboard and buggy

thats really cool and you make it look effortless!

had quick watch of some of your videos which are all great,on the ones with the nasa star is that really short lines you flying on?

Thanks! Yes, I fly either 5 meter lines or no lines with the bar attached directly to the bridle leaders. NASA stars are made to fly well with any length of line and with a 2 line bar or 2 line bar with 3rd line to kill power when activated but retain kite. Nasas can be fickle in lightish winds and can back stall easily if not kept moving. As long as there is a breeze they fly great. The other kite I used to buggy with is a flysurfer peak single skin depower. My quiver is tailored to work best with inconsistent inland winds.

thats really random a kite on 5m lines or no lines! guessing thats the way kiting has evolved.

i will google and read up on both that and the single skin depower as i am always keen to learn!

You have a pretty decent quiver of kites together for fun flying static. I suggest you think a bit about where the sport is taking you before investing in too many things. Depower kites are " all of that " in motion but the kites you have ( on handles ) are more fun to static fly.

Probably your best next purchase may be a harness ? With your Janky winds and all you may not want to rush to hooking in but .... Hooking in while not pushing it allows you to stay out a LOT longer since you don't tire out as much. Flying hooked in with a harness is required for depower.

Changing line lengths changes the size of your wind window. On short lines the kite gets to the edge of the window faster. So it spends less time in the power zone. Great for very high winds and tight spaces. Long lines give you a big window and power zone to stroke through. Often inland and such the good wind is only up high. ( sounds like what is happening to you ).

that is good to hear that you think i have made good choices with my kites so far.with regards to the 5.5 bullet i cant help getting the feeling that even in the lightest of wind that flying it static is going to be a handful,would i be right?

i tried the flexifoil bar the other day on my 2m beamer and i certainly prefer the handles! found bar hard to launch,hard to land without brake control and boring to fly with!

funny you mention harness as i been looking and thinking seat harness is better than waist harness? are our kite harnesses the same as windsurf ones as ive been looking at second hand harnesses on ebay?

with regards to the future i do want to do some buggy lessons later on this year and have found a place that will teach both kite and buggy sides but i want to turn up able to fly and with selection of kites and a harness and just do buggy side.do buggy learners clip in as i saw a nasty first timer get it very wrong whilst clipped to harness!

that makes sense with the lines length and could be worth a try if this bad wind persists.

Mooms - a lot of basic buggy questions get addressed in this video by John Holgate: