Hi, im a newbie so hold back the fire for a bit :wink2:

I bought a HQ Beamer IV 5m, im 85kg in weight.

The tech spec says the 5M is actually 4.18 meters squared, so I was wondering if the kite I have bought could be considered more of a '4 meter' power kite?

I tested it out today and was shocked and amazed at the amount of power it created , it had me sliding through the field! (no people, large area).

I guess the wind was maybe around 15mph, and there is no way I could hold the kite in the main power zone to be honest, it would have me on the ground!

After that initial scare, I got some balls up and gave it another blast.. adventually I figured out once its in the zenith it seems resonably harmless if you keep it tamed... I started to understand that you can brake it, steer it and try and cross back through the top of the power zone. Doing these combinations I managed some small jumps and one little glide a few meters long.


I'm using the 3rd knot on the brake lines. I keep getting worried that my kite killers won't work and ill be dragged across the field again, but they have been fine so far. I guess its confidence.

At some point I will probably try out an ATB and a buggy , but not until I have become really confident with the kite. Its that initial launch and full power area that scares me, as its just too much to hold back, but I guess you may need that for a buggy etc, and you just make sure that you keep it out of that zone?


That balenced my confidence out again.


My questions are though..

1.) Did I buy a kite too big?

2.) Is it closer to a 4m spec?

3.) Am I progressing ok for a first timer?



Cheers and any comments criticism welcome

Oh, i've also learnt that you must be safe out there and take good precautions. My Kite killers were used at least once!

Yea, the 5.0 Beamer may have been a touch to big, it really depends on the dominant winds in your area. But it's all water under the bridge, you have now, better learn it.

With the 5.0 beamer try to keep it flying from 10 o'clock to 2 o'clock for now. This will keep it well away from the power window. Just get to know the lady. Fly her back and forth. play with the brakes. You will notice if you apply brakes to both handles the power increases a bit. Be careful when doing this. The kite can power up and over power your braking input.

The 4.18 is actually the flat span of the kite (tip to tip)

Trust in the kite killers. Practice with them. Using them should be second nature.

Remember we all must crawl before we walk or run. Seems you are progressing nicely.
Keep your feet on the ground for now.

Try launching the kite off wind about 30-45 degrees. Then turn the kite to the nearest edge of the flight window and just steer it to the zenith.

Just remember if your scared, pack it up and fly another day. No shame.

Quote:

Originally posted by LeonR I guess the wind was maybe around 15mph, and there is no way I could hold the kite in the main power zone

when you can't hold the kite in the main power is somewhere around where the real fun kicks in!!!!

jumps and glides in 15 mph wind at 85 kilos? that's very nice wind...

you'll be on top of that thing in no time, just put in a few hours in good winds.

do you have a smaller kite? (good for safety when the winds look edgy for the 5)

Welcome to power kiting first off! Try to fly in more manageable winds, say 8-10mph winds. Doesn't sound like much of a difference, but it truly is. This way you can practice flying in all parts of your window. This will definitely help build your confidence, and prepare you for the days the winds are a little higher, and will also help you to know what to do when you get in trouble. i.e. bail, take it to the edge, or take it to the top. I.M.H.O. Fly safe and wear your safety gear!

5m is a bit big to get started. The trick in learning is to become the one controling the kite not the kite controling you. That comes quicker with a smaller kite.

Just be logical with this kite and you can overcome your handicap.

Don't be trying to jump before you can walk !!!!!!!!!!!

The trick for you at 1st is to NOT FLY the kite. To keep it as calm and controled as possible. To start knowing by intuition how and when to make the next move.

Work slowly in to the power zone. Try and be the one who is in control of the power as it comes on.
There are no short cuts in this sport. You need to progress slowly or pay the price.

OK cheers for the advice guys!

Seems like a friendly forum! I was expecting everybody to call me an idiot for buying the wrong kite or something, but instead I got some positive encouraging responses :bouncing:

As for controlling it, I know what you mean, I need to tell it what to do and know where to put the kite when I need it.
The 45degree launch suggested above is probably a good idea, I was probably following the instructions, which in theory 'do worS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-, they also do warn you that the kite has to travel across the full power zone on its way to the Zenith.

I used the kite killers once, and they worked really well, it collapsed into a heap of material and just floated to the ground. Once on the ground it kept trying to inflate and collapse, but it had no pull (which is good).

Also theres no way I would be able to practice it currently without a friend, as im not sure how your mean to get it all setup before the kite flys away.... I staked the brake line end of the handles, unwound all the lines, connected up the brake lines first, and then the control/main lines. That sounds good in theory but it was still trying to inflate, and I had visions of it taking off and never coming back!!


Also I see saftey gear mentioned alot, which I agree with, but what are we talking?

I have thought over what I would do in an emergency which is let go so the kite killers cut in, and if that fails, try and only hold one handle(unstrap one kite killer if possible), my logic being the kite can't fly with no resistance on one side? (not sure if thats true!?)

I have a helmet from snowboarding.. is there anything else? Skate gloves?


Cheers for the help people, much appreciated!!

safety gear for flying static -- depends a lot on the winds, the ground, and what you're trying to do.

8-10 mph on soft sand is quite safe. 15-20 on rough wet grass can be pretty dangerous.

also if you are actively seeking jumps (not recommended just yet) rather than familiarizing yourself with control of the kite around the zenith and the edges of the wind window, then you'll be taking on more risk.

I don't use much safety gear myself, but i get lots of gentle winds and soft sand where i fly.



There are many stories here of people who have had hard knocks while wearing helmets, and sometimes not.

if you step up to ATB, by then you pretty much need your safety gear. helmet, elbow and knee pads, impact shorts, and some kind of impact vest would see you quite well protected.

you may get a range of opinions on the self-protection front, but in the end, you and your budget decides....

a snowboarding helmet is a good start, but other folks here will have much better advice on that front.

the kite should sit on the ground pretty nicely if staked by the brakes, unless the winds are strong, in which case it should start to bounce around a bit but still stay on the ground OK. The trick is enough brakeline tension to keep it on the ground, but not too much or the trailing edge of the kite will lift up at times. a little power line tension, just enough to help the kite sit up a little, also helps. experiment, there may be more than one way to stake the brakes.

the kite should dump to the kite killers just fine, as you have already described. if they fail, it's usually because the kk line rips out or breaks. occasionally, a break in the kS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-s will rip out a couple brake lines on the kite as well. but if the kS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-s break you probably won't be able to get the handles back until everything is on the ground again.

the kite won't really fly with one side unpowered, but it can spiral around a lot and take a while to get to the ground, the 5m shouldn't give you much trouble.

btw, my previous post in this thread was heavy on the encouragement and lean on substance...

reading between the lines, that sounded like a very exciting first flight! sounds like you handled it, but be careful, you may have been lucky that time!!!

just a few small things to add--the kite killers should work every single time,so you should be ok there--even if they snap/break while flying--it shouldnt be a big deal--happened to me a bunch --another thing-if your kite starts flapping and bouncing while its staked down-make sure you are behind the stake,otherwise it could self launch and those lines could slice you up pretty bad--if youre flying in reasonable winds,you shouldnt have to worry about this too much......

You have come to the right place.
Feel free to ask questions. That is what we are all about !

Great advice

I am waiting to have another go at it, but my muscles hurt too much at the moment! I think I should cancel the gym membership and just do the kite, its the same as doing a 20 minute pullup

I also forgot to ask about crashing the kite.

As i'm learning occasionaly I do crash the kite with the leading edge pointing at the ground, which makes a horrible 'smacS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K- noise.

Luckily I don't think ive crashed it hard, but I am always a bit worried I might break it.

How robust are they? I read HQ are quite high quality, maybe even in the same league as flexifoil?

I try not to crash it obviously, but sometimes I start to spin it and can't recover it for whatever reason.

crashing the kite is not a huge problem, but yes definitely avoid.

the faster the crash the likelier you'll have damage, above 20 mph the chances are pretty good. the harder the ground, the likelier the damage.

keep on flying, you'll crash less and less. spin less as well, also get better at flying out of your collapses before you hit the ground.

the only problem is that your kite is yes quite big to learn on and so when you make a mistake and then recover deep in the power window you can get yanked pretty hard if the wind is up....

but I reckon from your first post you know that already....:D

one of the things that happens when you get a bit further up the learning curve is that you'll start to recover with a plan: i.e. you'll be able to open up / recover the kite so it's going in the right direction (usually off to the side) when it reopens.

Yes HQ kites are very robust, flexi ozone maybe slightly better but seeing that you have the latest version you're in the same ballpark.

But be warned: when you start to jump, ATB, whatever, you'll go the the whole crash / collapse phase again!!!! :shocked2::flaming:

have fun out there.... & fly safe!