what is a depower kite? and whats the difference to a normal kite? thanks

depower only works at night time

dont mind him...

depower kites allow you to change the pitch of the kite while it is still in flight, thereby either catching more wind (more power), or letting more wind escape (depower), adjusting the amount of power in the kite...

the adjustment is made either through the trim strap, or by pulling the bar in/ letting the bar out...

fixed bridles, on the other hand do not have any in-flight adjustments, their bridles hold the kites sail in a fixed position...

I got the tracking number for my first depower. :bouncy: It's suppose to be here monday, I dont know how I am gonna be able to sleep

What you getting??? what?! what?!

I think depower on a lot of foils works by changing the shape of the canopy so it catches more or less wind (but I am not an expert on depower foils at all!)

Depower on inflatables works by changing the angle of the canopy so more or less wind will "spill" out of it.

Thats how I understand it anyway.

The point of it is that it lets you use one kite for a greater range of wind conditions (you can depower the kite as the wind gets stronger)

Its also safer if you have a lot of depower in the bar throw (how much you can move the bar up and down the flying lines) you can take some of the power out if you feel out of control without having to pull your safety.

Most people would disagree but I actually prefer fixed bridle foil kites. Ok you need a few of them to cover a variety of windspeeds but i dont know any serious kiters who just have one kite anyway - even the depower guys have 2 or 3.

fixed bridles have more power for the size and in my experience are faster and more responsive. the bridles are tuned for the size and shape of the kite and dont have to compramise for different canopy shapes and angles. All you have to tune is your line length ratio between the flylines and the brakelines - and once you work this out for each kite in different conditions it becomes a "goto" anyway.

I'm probably biased because i have never owned a depower foil. I have spent many hours flying other peoples but you never get to know them like your own kites.

I am thinking of getting a 10m depower for some backcountry snowboarding because i dont want to carry more than one kite!

2008 FRlysurfer Pulse 13 :bouncy::bouncy::bouncy:

Sounds a little big for a first one but the average winds around here are low, 5 - 10 mph.

Quote:

From coastalwindsports.com Basic schematic of a simple de-power foil rig for ram air (open cell) kite such as an HQ Apex. A more complicated bridle system with pulleys enables the pilot to control power by changing angle of attack (AoA) of the entire foil using a de-power control bar. Pulling the bar in towards the chicken loop pulls the rear lines, increases the AoA and turns up the power. Releasing the bar decreases the AoA and dumps power. Many kites such as the Montana or Neo have more than one pulley per side for a more sophisticated mixing system. On inflatable Bow kites and Peter Lynn Twinskin "ARC" kites, the lines go direct to the wing tips, front and rear with minimal bridles.

(thanks Angus!!)

Quote:

Originally posted by acartier1981 It's suppose to be here monday, I dont know how I am gonna be able to sleep

Just pitch a tent and cot outside of the UPS depot. I am sure they would understand, as it would save them from having to make the last leg of the delivery.

Win-win situation for everyone

ATB,
Sam

Quote:

Originally posted by indigo_wolf Quote: Originally posted by acartier1981 It's suppose to be here monday, I dont know how I am gonna be able to sleep Just pitch a tent and cot outside of the UPS depot. I am sure they would understand, as it would save them from having to make the last leg of the delivery. Win-win situation for everyone ATB, Sam

done that, lmao!

I don't think that would help, I'll still be checking the tracking number every 3 - 5 min, lol, but it will be on my phone which is a pain in the a$$. Also makes it a pain to board watch and post. I thought about riding my bike around looking for peculiar places to fly that I know I will get yelled at for just so I have to ride somewhere else. People with huge backyards, the police stations front lawn, walking bridge across the river in the middle of downtown. Might backfire, since no one else kites around here they all might just watch in awe. I should have taken a 6 hour drive to try drew's chili, hahaha.


I think UPS, FedEx, USPS, should all have special kite shipping. Something along the lines of the guys that ship radioactive medicine from where it's made to the hospitals that need them. They do it something like 6 - 8 hours.

Might have to check whether you can fly on the fields of some of the local universities. Some nice prospects there. Outside of Spokane proper, might be time to start dating some farmers' daughter(s) :saint:

ATB,
Sam

Quote:

Originally posted by acartier1981 2008 FRlysurfer Pulse 13 :bouncy::bouncy::bouncy: Sounds a little big for a first one but the average winds around here are low, 5 - 10 mph.

Wasn't 2008 the Pulse II ???
Treat it with respect and it will treat you well. It flies early but may be a struggle getting powered at 5mph?

Blade, I checked and checked and I am 75% sure it is the Pulse. I am going to be super cautious with it at first. I meet a guy out here who is experienced with them and Ozone, he is gonna help show me the way around it. Last thing I want to have happen is get hurt before I have enough experience to get on the water. Luckily it has the blowout valves so I should be ok about now making it explode or anything.

Great idea Sam, I never thought of the universities or colleges. Though i am 29 so have to be careful about that. The farmers daughters I don't think is such a good idea, some of them seem to carry more guns then the actual farmers do.

is a depower kite a bad idea for a first kite?

also when someone is using a bar how can they spin it and not tangle the lines?

cgene-depower isn't a bad idea at all, but the learning curve will be a little bit steeper. I would recommend a small kite to start with, or else you are quite liable to get injured. 4m maximum. If you get a quality one, then it will always be in your quiver, and you can use it to teach others, or for very high wind days.(This is advice I give now, from wishing I had taken that path. I wasted some money on some kites that I quickly outgrew and don't fly.)

Barspins? Well, the front(leading edge)lines go down to the center just beyond the bar, and both are attached to one point, just above the center of the bar. The line they are attached to goes through the hole in the bar and attaches to the chicken loop.(this is the small loop below the bar). When you do a loop with the kite, the rear(trailing edge) lines will twist around the other lines. By spinning the control bar in one revolution opposite the direction of the kite loop, you untwist these lines. (looped the kite clockwise? Spin the bar counter clockwise, bam, back to normal)

note about barspins = they are only effective if your leash attachment point is below the bar in some way as with the Flysurfer brand kites.(Naish, Ozone, CORE, Waiman, BEST, & Slingshot have all moved to this style for MOST but not all of their products. Be on the lookout!) If you are expected to clip your leash to points on or above the bar, then "barspins" will untangle your kite lines, but tangle your leash line. Depending on the manufacturer, this can be a pain in the.....well, a giant pain.