First look at the Peter Lynn Lynx. Its pretty sweet.


http://youtu.be/5QUu5tOYR4M

Looks like a tidy design. Tips stay tight even in light wind over at the edges. Can't wait to try one.

Looks reasonably quick too. What's it's depower range like compared to say an Apex/Access? What's the safety system on it?

Its got your standard chicken loop and leash. It also has a 5th line which you are starting to see alot more of. Winds were sub 10 whch if you go by the chart, is where it starts to get in its power range. We thought we had plenty of power for messing around. Got a few buggy runs in, but the wind was definitely light for a 7m trying to drag a buggy across the grass. Especially when I got on and weighed it down.

What adjustments did you have to make to get the steering you like Mike?

I have one here also. I think its the 9m. Hopefully I will get a chance to get out and give it a go soon. I think I may get a new apex 4 as well to give them a good side by side comparison.

I have been waiting for this depower from PL for years. I am super pumped to give it a go.

John I wish you were closer mate I would send a Lynx to you for your awesome video reviews.

I took a few sizes out on a light wind day just to check set up because a few guys that picked them up off me were reporting poor steering response to me and I needed to see for myself. First launching 7m on the smaller bar the back lines were very slack even when powered up. With power lines going to the centre of the bar you need the steering input from lines on the outside of the bar (bottom lines). For a quick on filed check I pulled the knot from the rear leaders out of the recess hole on the back of the bar and pulled a length of line so it wrapped that end of the leader up and and around the bar and then tucked the knot under the exposed leader at the end. The 7m flew perfectly responsive. I then did the same thing using a 5m and that adjustment was too much and the kite flew pretty good on the stock leader setting. Then jumped up to a 11m and the bigger bar. Again very loose on the steering so I did the same quick shortening and it was better but it was just a bit too much because I could stall the kite pulling the bar in.
I went home and measured what that amount was shortening the outside leader and it was closer to 4 1/2 inches on the 7m and roughly 3 to 3 1/2 on the 11m.
But light wind has a different effect on the line setting than higher winds.
We finally got out on a lake today for the first snow day of the season. One guy had started with an 11m before I got there and said he ended up taking most of the adjustment off the leader today because it flew better with more wind but he was overpowered by the time I arrived so we set up 7s. The 7s still liked the shorter leader setting at about 4 1/2 shorter and the 9 also liked around a 4 inch adjustment today.
Overall the kites worked good today - snow conditions weren't the best most guys finding it going from fast ice patches to sticky snow that are a bugger on the knees.
Hoping to get a better overall review in the next week as long as a warming trend this week doesn't destroy the thin snow layer. It'll be good if it melts just enough to give a bonding base on the ice.

A few other comments right now are minor and relate to the bag. The bag expands wider at the top when unzipped and there is a draw string at the top of the inner sleeve. The draw string should be a good 6 inches longer because when the bag is opened wide at the top to put the kite back in the draw string doesn't open as wide and gets in the way of putting the kite in. This was an easy fix to remove and replace the cord with a longer one. The sleeve for the draw string is on taffeta nylon and sewn with a single straight stitch along an edge to make the sleeve - too close to the edge of the material and it should have been folded to hem the edge before stitching. All the sleeves are coming apart for that draw string after a few times tightening. I've sewn a seam binding strip along that edge to reinforce all the bags I have in.
Lastly the bag for the 11m could be bigger. Out on a windy lake with a kite covered in snow, folding it perfectly wasn't happening today and it become a looser roll packing up - the kite would not fit in the bag unless you spend a little more time rolling it cleaner - it doesn't need to be perfectly tight but it did mean bunching up kites on the lake and carrying them to a shelter place off the lake for re-packing it away nicer to fit in the bag.
The bag things are minor - more to come on actual performance of the kites once we get better sessions on them.

John to further expand on the safety, there is a 5th line that flags the kite by folding it in half (5th line connects to centre of kite bridle points)

Markite answered the question. just an adjustment on the back lines. The 7m I flew turned nowhere at first. Now it rotates on a dime. I might loosen it up a tad next outing to see where i am with it.

Does it utilize a one pulley mixer? I've seen that steering isssue problem with slack rear lines and a single pulley only engaging the C lines on other kites. Slack rear lines engaging the Cs only leads to poor steering for sure and worse as the kite is depowered on the trimmer.

Could someone bring one to wbb in April

Quote:

Originally posted by B-Roc I've seen that steering isssue problem with slack rear lines and a single pulley only engaging the C lines on other kites.

I wouldn't call this a steering issue/problem - the kite steers by rear lines and by powering up the kite the rear lines still had slack so either shorten the leaders by adjusting the knot position (easy to do on back of bar) or add a small extension to the fronts.

Doing the quick wrap on the bar end I was able to get the 7 to do a wingtip turn. The 11m at first was doing a turn from the top of the window to the ground and doing a line adjustment brought it to half wingspan turn and tweaking the power trim it was getting closer to a tip turn with the bar cranked.

Still need to fine tune the exact amount and with several options on how to adjust I've made some short extensions with a number of knots just to see what works for each kite and if there is a sweet spot if using one bar moving between kites etc.

I think there is a photo of the bar/bridle set up on the PL site...hang on

Thanks for the additional feedback. I can't understand how issues like this aren't addressed by kite makers during their test flights and prototype developments. Not a PL slam. It just amazes me the number of kites that require tweaking upon arrival. Tweaking to make it fly the way the rider prefers is one thing but tweaking it just so it turns properly is another. Again, not meant as a slam on this kite or PL just using this thread to vent frustration I've experienced with new kites from other companies in the past with similar issues.

Quote:

Originally posted by B-Roc Thanks for the additional feedback. I can't understand how issues like this aren't addressed by kite makers during their test flights and prototype developments. Not a PL slam. It just amazes me the number of kites that require tweaking upon arrival. Tweaking to make it fly the way the rider prefers is one thing but tweaking it just so it turns properly is another. Again, not meant as a slam on this kite or PL just using this thread to vent frustration I've experienced with new kites from other companies in the past with similar issues.

I agree, and especially with a number of kites that I gave out to new fliers. It's a simple tweak for someone that understands what effects what but it meant I had a few people sending messages asking why their new kites don't turn before I had a chance to give them a test fly. All good now on the adjustment for them.

It is a two pulley system, by the way. When tuned I've liked what I've seen so far but want to give them a really good run powered up to see how the power compares as well as all the other things like upwind, speed, gust handling, lift etc.