yeah, me and my titles.

long post, too... I write a lot and I like writing about kites, and this is MY NEW KITE!!!! YEAH!:wee:

I've been static jumping for about a year now, slowly building my skills and confidence as the wind has allowed. I haven't yet done anything with a board, mostly because my local beaches are not only very small, but partly also because of the $$. I've known for a while that I can make the learning curve easier by boarding with a depower rig. At first i was thinking of something more along the lines of a pulse II 8m, but then folks started going on and on about PL arcs on here and I considered changing my mind...

In the meantime I was jumping hard on a blade iv 6.5 and an ace 8, with occasional goes on an ace 5 and an crossfire 3.2 when the winds picked up, and one memorable session on a DP power 2.5.

And I was figuring out that the fixed bridles get pretty hard core about 15 mph or so, and the increased power of gusts in the bigger winds made me realize that to a certain degree I'm rolling the dice whenever I send it in big winds. And of course once the winds get above a certain level I jump for control & float rather than height, but still those gusts, man....

Continuing exposure to arcs told me about auto-zenith, quick turning speeds, gust-munching ability, and other good things. Also mixed in was mutters about zippers and valves and bowties and lack of low wind range.

The low wind range was my biggest concern, but I've just been through a HK summer (lots of gentle winds mixed with howling typhoons -- nasty gusty stuff usually, almost unflyable unless you catch the storm early somewhere with good fetch) and I knew that no arc was going to give me the low wind grunt of my ace 8, I'd have to go flysurfer for that.

I considered one of the big 10.5 modded blades, but I wanted something closed cell for the water. I've had a few goes with a board and my bigger FB kites, never got up long enough to catch my breath tho, but yes indeedy crash an open-cell on water and it is dead on the spot!

So I was still looking for a depower. I didn't want anything more than a couple years old, and while I had a harness I didn't have a PL bar, so I had to pass on a few deals, then I was too broke to do anything about my quiver for awhile.

Then I had a small opportunity to spend some money without risking further debt about the same time BB's 12m synergy came on the board.

So I got it. I'll need a bigger Arc and I'll need it soon, but for now this will do! I figure it will be the high-wind kite in a two-kite arc quiver eventually.

It doesn't fit my low wind needs, but it will help me fly a lot of stuff in the 20-30 mph range that I currently can't fly, and it's reasonably new, and I can use it on the water, so I'm happy with the whole mess of reasoning behind the purchase.

As it happened, the new-kite wind curse passed me by, except for stranding my synergy at the post office for the weekend.

This is my first anything not fixed bridle, so 8 knots of gentle onshore breeze was perfect for a first flight, no stress at all.

never mind the bag and unpacking and all that... what is an HQ sticker doing in bag tho????

Yep inflation was an issue in those winds. (8 knots in the good bits, a fair number of lulls down to 2 knots or so) after twenty minutes only the first half of the kite was full so I squeezed the air down and kept things going. propping open the zip with a stick didn't help much, but using a couple of boogie boards to make a windscoop did.

Took me about half an hour to sort the lines out, taking my time, walking back and forth a couple more times than I needed to, checking the manual a lot.

Figuring out the bar enough to get it ready for launching took another half an hour.

I also fully opened the leech strap as well as both of the corner turning speed straps, it seemed these were the best settings for low wind after reading up and asking a bit about it here on the forum. And I moved the rear knots to the second knot from the back on the VPC.

Getting it in the air took another hour. Yes, you are all right, and the manual agrees with you: inflate the thing as much as possible before flight. A couple more knots of wind and it wouldn't have been much trouble, but yes I was dealing with borderline winds for a 12m arc.

Anyways, eventually I was able to fly it on the front pigtails and spent five minutes pumping it gently to get a little bit of extra air in through the front inlets, after that it finally got up. The manual recommends launching unhooked, but in low winds seems to work better to hook in before it leaves the ground. On that launch it went right up to zenith, then I started flying back and forth, trying to get as much speed through the window as i could to top it up.

A couple of my tube kite buddies were with me for most of the process and clearly withholding their judgement... very funny. They had to leave just as i got it flying, but we're getting together at local kitesurf beach for the 14-16 knots winds coming in a few days so woo hoo!!! I've got my fingers crossed about having enough power with the 12 in those winds, but at least I'll be able to body-drag for sure, haven't yet done the proper body dragging with a harness and bar and doing the superman thing.

So I flew it for about an hour, took a break in a lull, found that it wouldn't fly again after the break, spent another half an hour re-inflating the kite, then flew for another hour.

It flew a wide window in nearly all the winds I had but the worst lulls, almost as good as my ace 8 in terms of getting off the ground, but no more grunt than my ace 5. There was some lift, I was able to pick my feet up a few times and got one proper three-footer in, but with all the settings on low power and mostly because of the low winds, there wasn't any real juice there.

I was impressed with the width of its power window, tho, even in those winds. And yes, it turns very quickly.

Lots of launches and relaunches today. I'm getting launching down, think it will be smooth my next time out. landing was pretty messy today, doing those smoothly is going to take a few sessions. After getting back home and reading the manual again, I now know which launch assistant to use (downwind, not upwind... so that will likely help.

It's refined, for sure. I'm going to appreciate the raw power of my FB's a lot more in the future i reckon and I know for sure I'll need a bigger arc.

But that comes after the mountainboard...

I was disappointed by the lack of power, but that was wishful thinking for the conditions, I knew they were borderline even for getting the kite in the air. But the turning speed is there, and I can feel the power-window will be wide. In good winds it will indeed be like a bee on crack with attitude, I'm looking forwards to it.

How much extra power does one get by tightening the leech strap and the two tip straps?

Thanks for reading, I know it was a long post.

And thanks for the sale BB!

Thanks for the story and letting us live vicariously through you!! Another day in the right conditions and there will be alot more , :singing:, :bouncing:, and :wee: s in your next post I imagine.

I am saving for a Synergy as those upgrade to Chargers. I am gonna try for the 15M. Several say that is the best one for wind range.

yeah the 15m would be the one for a one-kite quiver, but I'm going for two arcs eventually because I do have a lot of low winds where I fly.

thanks for the read, I know there are folks here who don't mind a long post as long as its about the right kite!!!! LOL.

yes looking forwards to more wind!

Hey,

My fist two sessions with my new VenomII 16 were almost like yours. Because it was new i wanted to fly it, didn't matter that the wind was just at 2-6 knots :o)

After these two sessions i had one with too much wind(16-25k), and then finally last saturday one with just enought 8-12 knots to learn the arc.

Keep going,

Toby

Bee on crack.. with attitude! :D

Im happy for you furb, when i hit the water i will follow in your foot steps most likely because we kind of have a similar attitude about kites.

Funny thing will be to see you on the water for the first flights, i can imagine alot of funny mishaps lol.

Glad I'm not the only one who stood there scratching his head over a manual Now I got print outs of the .pdf manuals from the PL page and have put them nicely in a folder in my kite box in the boot of the car ...

First time out with the Vortex I had almost no wind too ... but people keep telling me there's almost no upper limit - we'll see!
Don't you find it's so much more like an FB though? Just like flying a big foil, the same tricks work and reaction times are similar - just with a ton more grunt!

Hey Furb I got so excited reading your post. For I want an arc too.
When you get some flying time on it. Let me know how the 12 works out.

I like to fly my kites aggresive. All over the place swooping low and stuff.
Debating on a 12 or 15 .
I get bored with park and ride. Or flying high in the window cause its too windy

hey, really glad you all enjoyed the megapost!

@ toby: thanks for the kind words of encouragement, I know that's the case cuz of the wind but good to hear them anyways...

@ jack: always open to how the wind may give you your next lift you must be, young padawan!:tumble:

@kami: yep and pulled out a few hairs too, what's left of the poor buggers anyways. but must say i don't find it is like a fixed bridle at all... maybe later, conditions today were great for a first flight but otherwise pretty crappy.

@ dg:I'll let you know for sure, expect lots of arcorrhea on this thread! from what i've read, tho, and with your kite experience, you'd be best off with a phantom or a scorpion in the 15m size. But seeing that carltb is now an official member of the PL arcristocracy, you should get in touch with him...

thanks for the read, y'all!

11 knots tomorrow, 14 on thursday, and 18 on friday! Thank god I'm unemployed LOL!

Just me then huh just reminds me of flying the big fat 6.6 or 5.0 in light winds ... ignore that it's on a bar and they're on handles, it just feels so similar
Everyone says working an Arc will net you the most power ... I'd rather park and ride but I'm lazy

Take it easy - just because your first session came up short don't let your guard down. I've flown a 10m syn in 17-20mph winds and it was a handful, so when the winds start to pick up beyond 14mph be sure of your settings, and now would be a good time to start practicing on how to effectively use your safety release system. Have fun man, and take care.

I know you just got your ARC, but remember this advice from awindofchange....

Quote:

Originally posted by awindofchange The trailing edge strap controls the curvature of the kite during flight. More curvature, more power and faster turning - heavier bar feel. The way this works is that tightening the internal strap will boost performance. Loosening the strap will dump the power out of the kite. So why does loosening the strap work for you in light winds? Well, the above information is for when the kite is flown in its recommended wind range. As you probably have already figured out by now, speed is power with the twinskins. The more speed you get out of the kite, the more power those beauties produce. This is also the reason you want to fly them hard, not just poke them in the air and let them sit there. If you spank them around, they will reward you a ton!!! In light winds, the tight strap will actually cause the twinskin to fly much slower as it is cupping more air in the foil. If the strap is very tight, it will actually cause the kite to stall. Remember, speed is power. A stalled twinskin will produce nearly zero power, so stalling the kite in light wind will just end up with a ball of nylon on the ground. Loosening the strap all the way out will allow the foil to dump all the wind out of it which will reduce the tendency of the foil to stall - or in other words - letting the foil build as much speed as possible. Once the kite starts to produce some speed, it creates its own apparent wind and will fly in nearly zero wind conditions. You won't have much power out of the kite and pulling the bar in will give you a small surge of power and usually end up pulling the kite out of the air....but it will fly. This is the same as normal depowerable foils as well. Shortening the center lines of your foil so the power adjuster strap is pulled all the way in (fully depowered) will let the foil fly in very light wind conditions - you wont have much power but at least it will fly. As the winds pick up, you will want to start tightening the internal straps or letting your center power adjuster back out to get a bit more power out of the kite. As the winds start to hit the top end of the wind range for the kite, again you want to go back to the "Light wind" setting. By letting the straps all the way out you will dump the power back out of the kite - you will have some speed but not as much power. Also pull in your depower strap to kill the excessive power. Hope that helps clear a little up.

This'll help you get it up on low wind days, fly optimally on great wind days and not get overpowered on high wind days.

yep, I read that thread, AWOC does some of the best advice on this site, and I love the way he posts only when he has something solid to say!

winds today didn't bump up beyond 8 knots, so I didn't go out, went for a job interview instead!

11-12 knots on Wednesday according to windguru, but that's what they said about today all day yesterday so fingers remain crossed. Hopefully that will help me get my head wrapped around the settings before I pass the 14 knot threshold flexiblade mentions...:bigok:

You probably know this but give the center lines a tug if the kite stalls ... I was flying the Phantom in gusty conditions on Sunday and the odd tug kept it in the air.
Filling it up properly really is the key for beginners it seems ... perhaps you should invest in a leaf blower too

getting the kite inflated won't be as much of an issue when the winds are right... But I'm pricing out a battery-powered fan set-up this afternoon, may build it. I'd like a 19m eventually, that's the one which will need help.

And yes lots of center line tugs yesterday... No way I would've kept the thing in the air without that trick! I'm so used to FB's it feels really weird to be reaching for the lines while flying...

Pulling the lines feels weird but unlike the C-kite, I know when it's going to need it ... and all I have to do is pull. Beats having to walk backwards with the foils, yanking the lines and falling backwards into the river :D

My inland Phanny excursions made me a member of the Tug Club too.

I got a $16 WalMart bed inflater to try on my Phantom.

But, when you think about it, if you need to use one, you're probably not in the kind of winds that the Phantoms are going to fly well in (at least the smaller ones).

Quote:

Originally posted by lad I got a $16 WalMart bed inflater to try on my Phantom. But, when you think about it, if you need to use one, you're probably not in the kind of winds that the Phantoms are going to fly well in (at least the smaller ones).

same for all the smaller arcs I'm thinking, after my low-winds flight yesterday I'd agree... Above 15m a different story.

went shopping today, but the rig would cost about US $35 to build with a 12v fan. 240v fans were going for $2.

Glad you are off the ground furbs.:wee: I see you are aware of how inadequate your conditions were on your first flight but I think you have some eye opening ahead of you. When you get that kite out above 12 knots steady, you will have scuds that have you balancing yourself because of the speed you develop. I had faster scuds with that 12 than any fixed bridle kite I've flown. It is different because you can fly it in higher winds than you would be comfortable flying your Blade. I've seen the look in tridude's eyes when talking about downturning that kite when the wind picks up. You haven't seen it yet but this kite will spin inside of a wingtip and it generates heavy pull when you are whipping it around like that. That is handy when on the water because in your newbieness you will invariably have the kite in the wrong place and yet this kite turns so fast you can have it corrected in an instant. I look forward to your future posts on this. By the way, I threw the HQ sticker in because I knew you had some HQ's and I have some stickers so I decided to share a little.

Quote:

Originally posted by BeamerBob By the way, I threw the HQ sticker in because I knew you had some HQ's and I have some stickers so I decided to share a little.

read the whole darn post, eh? I deliberately put that in the middle to see if you would pick it up.... Yes I do like HQ, I'd love to try a montana, not to mention a beamer, haven't flown one yet! Thanks for the read...

on the whole, I was impressed by how well it flew in those winds, but next time it's blowing like that I'll take the 8m ace and leave everything else behind...

thanks for the encouragement and thanks again for the sale, kite was just a wee bit sandy but was otherwise in beautiful condition, lines (wow very nice!) unwrapped without a tangle, the bar has just a wee bit more wear than I expected but it's absolutely solid, just didn't have the nearly new sparkle of the kite!

Take care and keep moving kites, you east coast boys know how!

Quote:

Originally posted by furbowski thanks for the encouragement and thanks again for the sale, kite was just a wee bit sandy but was otherwise in beautiful condition, lines (wow very nice!) unwrapped without a tangle, the bar has just a wee bit more wear than I expected but it's absolutely solid, just didn't have the nearly new sparkle of the kite! Take care and keep moving kites, you east coast boys know how!

Sorry for the sand issues. I'm surprised it was still sandy, I had a fan blowing air through it for about 20 minutes after I got home from our last session to make sure it was dry inside and out, so most of that should've just fallen off. On the bar wear I guess you are talking of the depower line. It showed wear after my first session on the water. I think those are a frequently replaced item because of the constant rubbing and stress they are under. I'm sure yours has lots of life left in it before needing replacing though. The whole kite package has only been on maybe 4 sessions and the bar/lines/kite have only been used with each other.

no worries, I often have way more sand in my kites than I should, I do what I can about it but yours was less sandy than most of my others are at the moment....

and yeah it's shocking how quick the depower line can mark up rubbing on metal, but I'm used to that from climbing, the rope feels new just looks a wee bit grey just like me. thanks for the clarification tho...

i would have bought the kite if i hadn't known i'd be completely happy with the sale, and i'm looking forwards to getting to know it in a whole wide range of winds above the mosquito fart stage!!!