So, I'm toying with the idea of getting a Phantom. aside from being the coolest kite ever, I have never used a kite like this before (Arc right?), is this a bad place to start?

on a side note does anyone have that picture of the guy in a buggy with a phantom against the sunset? I think it was at NABX... I want it for my desktop background

There is a fairly high res version if you follow the link to the pic.

Here's a link for you Bob.

Link to high res


I love that picture

photo credit is Mark Groshens (markite here on PKF)

/drool


I

Want

One

So

Bad

Ahhhh, wish I hadn't seen that again.

Video: Buggy with a 9M Phantom.

Well thankyou Markite for making my desktop an altogether nicer place... and a place that makes me want to buy more kites every time i load up my computer. damnit.

there are few phantoms for sale going around, but its not long until the phanny II, i hope.

Mmmmmmm phanny II. The 12m phantom was my favorite kite ever.

Watch out with Phantoms. Great kite but unless you have people around you who can show you how to launch ARCs its a long learning process by yourself. Its also worth paying for a lesson. Once its filled and in the air its a great kite.

Make sure the Phantom is filled with air. Lots of air. This is a pain since it only has 1 center air intake. Also a pain if you've never flown ARCs because you can't really judge how much air is enough.

Much easier to fill Venoms and later models which all have an air intake at each end.

For best results use a leaf blower to pump it up. May not be needed on windy days but it guarantees that the kite will be filled properly on low wind days.

If you don't have it properly filled, it will not fly right or not climb. You'll be wondering why its sitting just above the ground; is it the line length, your technique, not enough wind?

Quote:

Originally posted by acampbell photo credit is Mark Groshens (markite here on PKF)

Mark is credited in the signature of the image itself and on my flickr page as well. Awesome shot and he definitely deserves credit for such an inspiring image.

Quote:

Originally posted by doneski Watch out with Phantoms. Great kite but unless you have people around you who can show you how to launch ARCs its a long learning process by yourself. Its also worth paying for a lesson. Once its filled and in the air its a great kite.

I had very little depower experience and almost no arc experience the first time I launched my Phantom. I did a textbook launch in less than ideal winds and up she went. After 15 minutes or so, I walked over to the car and dug around in the front seat for my water bottle while the Phanny sat happily up at zenith flying itself. To get ready for that day, I talked to friends that had gone down that road before me (thanks to Angus and tridude for their patience with my questions) and watched videos until I was comfortable with the launch process. Given that, I wouldn't shy anyone away from a phantom. If you have someone with experience that can be around, that is always good but not mandatory in my experience.

That is where I got my 9M. Over in the UK.

Hey guys, I just landed a nearly new 18m Phantom for £170 and I'm really stoked :p

however, it is kite only. Will my sabre depower bar and lines be able to control this monster? Or do I need to invest in a new set up?

I guess I have to apologize to you...I'm one of the people who was bidding on that P 18m in the last minutes.

I wasn't certain if, and for how much, the seller would ship 'cross the pond.

I think you still got a great deal, tho.

Good luck with it (and post videos!)

Just scored a 9m that has been sitting in a closet for a few years... Complete with playa dust from '97... :D

"Just scored a 9m that has been sitting in a closet for a few years... Complete with playa dust from '97"

GGGRRRRRrrrrrr...where does everyone ELSE keep finding them?!?!?! :ticking::wink2:

I'm glad you broke that news Cheezy, I could hardly contain myself. Did it clean up yet? I didn't have time to research the best method yet.

I called fixmykite.com and they said there is some kind of spray that reconditions the fabric. I just hoping to restore some of the black... But hey, so long as it flys...

Very true my friend.

Quote:

Originally posted by cheezycheese I called fixmykite.com and they said there is some kind of spray that reconditions the fabric. I just hoping to restore some of the black... But hey, so long as it flys...

sailkote is what you need to restore that luster and crispy feeling.......................Westmarine carries it................

Haha, no worries Lad, I didnt really think I was getting it for £106 anyway, good luck with your continuing search!

anyone got any ideas about the bar and lines issue?

Thanks tridude...

My 12 ...

My phanny was my first depower

:dunno:

pretty dang simple... just make sure its full!

Phanny in high winds= epic fun. Super fast and will take you to the sky. It also has so much depower.

The bar you have should work ok....but the Peter Lynn's usually prefer a long depower throw to get the most use out of them. What you may need to do is lengthen your chicken line to take advantage of the extra depower that you are probably going to be missing out on with the Saber bar.

The only other problem you may run into is the safety leash and release setup. MAKE SURE that when you deploy the safety systems that the kite flags out completely flat and that it releases down to one line! If it does not release out to one line then the kite could stay semi-powered up and cause you some severe issues and safety problems. Either releasing to ONE front line or ONE rear line will work.

Hope that helps.

Check out the bar section here ... I think it gives you minimum or recommended lengths for the the depower line ...
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/mx5alan/arcs/ARCsetup_FAQ.htm

Yeah ...

hey cheese. the fabric should not need any "reconditioning" as it is a practically new kite. probably less than 5 hours in the air its whole existence.

it's been out a total of 3 sessions. once in the desert for a couple of hours, then again in the desert next day in 45-60mph winds (and dust storms) where i ended up getting lofted and broke my back (less than 20 min in the air), and one last time on the water at plumb beach brooklyn, ny in 35mph+ gusty winds where it just wasn't comfortable and realized a p9 is not well suited for water, so i came in (maybe 45 min in the air).

the playa dust bothered me too, since just before that it was nice and black. i thought i could just wash it off, so i hung it in my parents back yard and hosed it down and rubbed it, but the deep black didn't return. it seemed so strange that the playa dust could be that impregnated into the kite. i'm pretty sure i even posted to this forum for advice on how to clean it, but it seems the black rock desert is there to stay on it.

i just remembered, i also had it out 2x in the snow(add another 2 or 3 hours flying time), where it was also and awesome kite. phantoms are the coolest looking kites i've ever seen imo, and great on land, but for water, they fly to the edge too fast, and depower. you have to ride really fast to keep up with it, which is tough to do in the huge chop that the winds that are necessary to fly the p9 create.

hope the kite brings you plenty of smiles when you can get it out.

if anyone's interested, i also have a P15 which is like new, never been flown in playa dust. bought it as a year round (water/land/snow) kite in '05 soon after i started kiting in '04 and moving on from ozone foils.

i used that kite while trying to learn water starts so it never even has had a full session on it. it crashed into the water and bowtied on me, effectively ending my session, but it was never crashed LE down. kite is crispy and has been siting folded in the bag practically since it was made. hate to sell it, but hate to see it getting no use either. for water i have been using my venoms, and i never get any land time around here. total time in the air for that kite is just a few hours static flying on the beach, and trying to get up on a board in too light wind. $500 takes it.

cheers,
ssameer (mykl)

Quote:

Originally posted by cheezycheese I called fixmykite.com and they said there is some kind of spray that reconditions the fabric. I just hoping to restore some of the black... But hey, so long as it flys...