Hi all.

I've been kinda into delta stunt kites for years…. currently fly a Prism Hypnotist. Although I never have enough time to really practice and get good at any real tricks, so I mainly stick to a lot of high speed dives, spinning, etc. Love the pull I can get with it and the awesome whistling and other noises it makes in strong wind. The force of the pull and the high speed is what I really love about it and I want more. I was originally looking at some 2-line parafoils like the Prism Snapshot and the Peter Lynn Vibe, but decided to jump right up to a 4-line trainer power kite. So I'm currently waiting for Brown to deliver my Ozone Quattro 2.5! Seemed like a solid choice to learn the ropes so to speak.

So what I'm wondering is what I can expect from this kite compared to what I'm flying now so I don't do something stupid and make an :moon: of myself. Power? Speed? Handling? Been watching a bunch of tutorial vids and I'm getting a real good understanding of setup, controls, first flights, etc.

Also, how far can I go with this kite? Initially I'm just looking to have some casual fun and catch a few thrills. Eventually I'd like to get into land boarding… over grassy areas. Would I eventually be able to get a board and start to learn using the Quattro and then upgrade kites once I get some confidence? Or is it not strong enough? I'm a 40yo active male, 5'8", 160lbs.

Thanks in advance for any comments/advice.
Looking forward to having some fun!

Welcome to the wonderful world of powerkiting. Say goodbye to your budget..

You should expect more pull than you are used to and an additional level of control (i.e.brakes). Be ready for the kite to surprise you and try to remember to blink your eyes and move your face muscles, otherwise the smile will be permanent.

Welcome to the best kite forum on the web!!!

The Quatro is a good solid choice for a first time 4 liner. You are going to really appreciate the control you get from four lines. Start in lighter winds first and foremost until you get the feel for the pull. You are gonna really love the pull :evil:. Avoid the gusty wind days also until you learn the wind window. A helmet is a must as well!!!

As far as how far you can go, well that's all pilot skill. I will promise you this much, it will NOT be your last power kite

Rule # 1: Live to kite another day. When in doubt, pack it up for the next try. Be safe, and have lots of fun.

Welcome to the addiction!

Dittos to all of the above, and great call on a first kite. A lot of folks in your shoes think (like I did) that stunt kite experience translates into power kite experience, but only on a very basic and minimal level. So since they think they have "experience" they can get a bigger kite for their first (like I did)... Good first choice.

What kind of wind is typical to your flying spot?

After you get a good amount of experience with the Quattro, if you're interested in Landboarding, look into Depower kites. Almost all guys who landboard fly depower kites because they give you a good neutral pull for you to mount the board. I have found it really hard to get onto a landboard with Fixed Bridle kites. But I don't landboard anyway

W E L C O M E.....:D

That is exactly how I started off....Stunt kite (Yukon) in Maine on vacation....got home and bought a 1.8 HQ....couple weeks later got a Rage 3.5 and just flew it static like a stunt kite for almost a year...got pretty good with my skills and control....
I knew how to sail already so when the time came for buggy I was off and going in no time....Just enjoy yourself, wear a helmet and learn how to fly the kite....all the rest will just follow and be so much easier if you have kite skills....
I too am 5' 8" and with a 20lb brick tied to my foot I am 160 too....LOL...
You'll have no problem having the kite you just got pull you as you described....Your going to love it...and as people on here have said...get ready to "buy some kites" as the bug takes over.
Just reading and asking questions on here you'll build a quiver that suits you and where you fly/live so....for now, enjoy the kite, smile and hopefully we will see you soon at an event. Both JIBE and WildWood Buggy Bash are coming up...Again welcome to PKF...

Quote: Originally posted by 3shot

Welcome to the best kite forum on the web!!!

Thanks, guys.

I have a park right behind my house so that's the easiest thing for me. We live way out in the burbs where there isn't much around so it's usually windier than downtown houston but it's not near the coast or anything so it's usually not a steady wind. A bit more gusty i guess. Ups and downs in wind speed. The park is a grassy area about the size and shape of a neighborhood baseball field. Kinda open, very flat, hardly any trees and the ones that are there are small. Downtown near my office is a large park (memorial park) with another open field but this one is surrounded by trees. Haven't ever flown there but it may be an option for some quick lunch hour flight time. If there is any decent wind. If anyone knows anything close to the downtown/montrose area of houston that would work for flying, let me know!

I have to admit, I'm a little surprised to see a helmet mentioned a couple times. Maybe this kite has more power than I originally thought. :D

Welcome d2mini! All above is great advice.

I too can't stress a helmet enough. I'd go further - as much pads as possible-knees at least-and always (in my opinion :D) Between rogue gusts or poorly timed loops/corrections things do go wrong. Especially on land-on any size of our quite powerful kites - of which you'll eventually crave many to make almost any wind usable :D

Many of us do almost every type of kiting-and as previously mentioned this forum rocks (fav of the 3 I use). Great advice without much machismo so welcome and I bet some local kiters will jump in for locations advice.

Jeff

d2mini, might be worthwhile to hook up with BigMike in the North Dallas area.
www.bigmikeskites.com
They have several kite events in Texas anually and have lots of kites to demo.

Quote: Originally posted by 3shot

d2mini, might be worthwhile to hook up with BigMike in the North Dallas area. www.bigmikeskites.com They have several kite events in Texas anually and have lots of kites to demo.

Yep, that's who i bought my kite from. Should be here today. One day shipping FTW! lol
Too bad mr weatherman says storms tomorrow.

And i forgot to mention in my previous post, in response to earlier posts… trust me… i know VERY well there will be more kits in my future. :D I'm really into saltwater reef aquariums, too. They seem to keep getting bigger! haha

I was just curious in my initial post how far this 2.5 Quattro could take me. Although maybe not the best choice, could it at least give me a taste of something like land boarding or jumping once i have progressed to that level, with the necessary modification like a bar? I also have a longboard (skateboard) that is whispering dangerous thoughts in my ear. :o
Or is this kite just too underpowered or completely not designed for anything like that? I'm really asking purely out of curiosity as none of this is my intended purpose with this particular kite. It was purchased soley as a trainer/weekend family fun kite.

heya...welcome aboard!!...u shouldn't take advise from me but here it comes..imo the 2.5 should be good for 2 weeks than your gonna really have a problem not buying your next kite...this is a good thing do not fight it…remember the Quattro will always have been your first…and so it will have a special place in your heart

greetings, u r in the right spot

d2mini- since everyone is happy to say hi and not answer the question- ......welcome........the 2.5 quattro will probably not work for you on a land board in grass but could work with a longboard in a parking lot- oh yeah if you dont mind lossing lots of skin learning. could be a good high wind buggy kite but for landboarding your gonna want something bigger and i would recommend depower- in general makes it a lot easier on a board
Scott
ps you got a perfect kite for your intent - trainer and fun

idk..actually i thought my post was tremendously helpful...i also think his first movement will be on a longboard w/ the Quattro in a parking lot...mine was w/ a 2 line Rush 300 w/ a longboard on asphalt and im the same size..used it for my 1st buggy ride too..then i moved on from there..flying dp alone can be an intimidating thing..not that im against it..you learn your kite..max out what you can do w/ it..and hope someone lets you try different type stuff and start making more informed decisions..or just start buying everything you can find..either ways good:D

LOL, ok guys. Thanks for the warm welcome and advice. :D

Well holy cow... that was an EXPERIENCE... and I haven't even flown yet! :o

So Mr Brown dropped off a brown box.
I quickly open it and pull out my new kite bag. I open the bag and pull out the kite, lines, manual, etc.
The lines are wrapped around a line winder and attached to the kite, which is somehow wrapped around the handles, which are attached to the kite.
For the life of me, i could not figure out how to unwrap the darn thing! It was a mess... and I had just begun.
So i disconnected the lines from the kite, and finally got the line and line winder detached from the handles.
Now i had to unwrap all the line from the winder.
I did that and now had four lines all twisted together that I knew I had to separate if I was going to reattach them to the kite and not have a big mess.
Well this process took over an hour!
But i finally got it and reattached all the lines to the kite and handles.
Then I dragged the kite to the end of a long hallway so the lines were spread out and proceeded to wrap them around the handles and then wrapped up the kite and put it in the bag.
And of course now the wife and kids will be home any minute so no first flight for me and it looks like storms tomorrow. Poop.
Oh well, at least its in my grubby little hands and ready to go.

As much as that was a major pain in the a**....That was a great learning process...You know see how all your lines go out, get attached to the bridle of the kite and wrapped back up...
When you finally get out there on your field...start your own process of laying out your kite, lines, stake, etc the same way every time...this process will let you always have a well packed kite and a no tangled mess (packing / unpacking).
In no time at all, you will be able to just lay the kite out and be in the air in a couple minutes...Have fun and be safe....

Alrighty... I called in sick today. :D

No, really... i felt like dirt yesterday and went home early and figured I'd better stay home an extra day to you know... recover.

So this afternoon I got my first flight time in! 2 hours worth!
Took some video, just my iPhone. Here's some clips of the fun!
Unfortunately I didn't get the really strong stuff recorded but this should give you a good idea. 3-6mph winds for the most part.
What do you think? Any comments/suggestions/tips for improvement? Not sure how much you can really tell since its hard to see me.
If you go to youtube you can watch in 720p.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/KsJuMXYGIPg[/youtube]

Fixed that for ya



Looks like fun to me.
Advice? Fly, grin, repeat :D

Oh, a smaller wallet too. Wont be much cash left in that anymore :evil:

Thanks! I dunno why the forum's own code wouldn't work.

And good advice. :D

Quote: Originally posted by d2mini

Thanks! I dunno why the forum's own code wouldn't work. And good advice. :D

When you copy and paste, just use the video id only in the brackets. No http: etc.

I had the same experience recently with my new Ozone Octane... Why the h377 they decided to wrap all 4 lines on the same winder prior to set up is beyond me, but after some work it was all good... I DO use the winder when I pack the kite, but the lines are all already attached.

Hey,... I think I have a video of that hehehe
https://vimeo.com/85890919

Nice instructional vid.
I started off like you with positioning and weighting the kite, but then I went back to my handles and wrapped the line around the handles.
When i got to the kite, i wrapped the handles up securely inside the kite. Just like this guy. Except I didn't use a sock so I didn't figure eight wrap the lines, i just wrapped them around the handles. Why the figure eight? Fast forward to 7:45

Figure 8 just helps keep from developing twists in your lines

It's not necessary,... A lot of guys wrap their lines around the handles... The method I showed is just what has always worked for me.

Cool, thanks.
I figured that was the reason for the figure 8, just couldn't "wrap" my head around how it helps. I'm sure it will become clear soon enough. lol

It'll be second nature to you before you know it.

I use the sock and figure 8 wrap and it works every time for me. I got the idea from the same video you referenced. I have tried wrapping the lines around the handles without sock or figure 8 wrap and end up with a mess. Soliver's method uses the same principal IMO in a different way so I'm sure it would be fool proof as well. In my opinion, finding what works best for you with packing and unpacking is an important step so you can enjoy your kites instead of being frustrated. Welcome and have fun.

These kite line winders have it all wrong, FYI. (Disclaimer: this is a subject of not insignificant contention amongst fixed bridle enthusiasts.... But I'm right :-) )

Parapacking saves me a ton of time and gets me flying faster, while still staying tangle free and preserving the quality of the lines. Socks and winders and rubber bands and Velcro or such are all just things I forget to keep track of, so I (and many others) go with parapacking instead. Its certainly not for everyone, but its certainly easier for me to sort my lines and identify problems. There are a ton of videos on how to do it, but the upshot is that you fold the kite up into a cylinder, put the cylinder into the bag, make a big hole in the middle, stuff the lines in as deep as they go (all 4 at the same time), put the handles in the bag (not in the hole), zip up the bag and go.

Then when next you excurt (yeah, I just made that up), you just unzip the bag, grab your handles, walk out the lines, pull out the kite and fly. I'd highly suggest it, unless you're weirdly OCD about winding every time.