hi all,

as a kid i always enjoyed kite flying but i have only ever flown single line kites.

i was looking at power kites and was drawn towards the symphony HQ kites and was looking at either the 1.3 or 1.8m.i like the mango colour kites then when i looked on ebay and found a second hand flown once 1.8m in mango all in delivered for £14 which i have brought but not received yet.

can i ask if this kite is good to learn on ? i am 39 years old and 6ft 4" tall so hopefully i wont get blown away!!

thanks

welcome mOOms...you will be fine w/ that kite for learning and ordering a new/bigger one next month at your size
but all kites need a good home...you never forget your first kite ukno

I like it. flying single line at my grandmothers is what started it for me. You will have a blast. Like abkayak says, you'll be ordering another one in a month.

Welcome to the Monkey House mOOms! Always room for a couple more good chimps. Like so many of us here on PKF I'm sure you'll find this forum useful, often very funny (especially my posts - doh!) and rich with comradary.

A great place to start in your quest for knowledge is right here:

http://www.powerkiteforum.com/viewthread.php?tid=28759

Suggest reading that thread cover to cover. Great that you started with a small kite. Can't tell you how many newbies come onto the forum for the first time saying something to the effect of "Just got this killer deal on a 13m racing foil on EBay and want some tips on how to jump. I've got a great little field near my house with some power lines downwind, but I don't plan on getting near them..."

hi and thanks for your replies and thanks for the link to the guide windstruck which i will read now!

i did get myself little confused i will admit as i thought all power kits were 4 line and flown with the two bars which i have now know not to be the case!

the 4 lines and 2 bars is the route i want to go but will have some fun with the symphony dual line when it arrives which doesnt seam like a bad buy and then like you all say il be buying another soon which i will make sure is what i want.

just been to look at local fields to double check theres no power lines or over head trees etc and theres even a well out the way field so i can crash and tangle my lines to my hearts content with nobody laughing!!

Quote: Originally posted by m00ms

hi and thanks for your replies and thanks for the link to the guide windstruck which i will read now! i did get myself little confused i will admit as i thought all power kits were 4 line and flown with the two bars which i have now know not to be the case! the 4 lines and 2 bars is the route i want to go but will have some fun with the symphony dual line when it arrives which doesnt seam like a bad buy and then like you all say il be buying another soon which i will make sure is what i want. just been to look at local fields to double check theres no power lines or over head trees etc and theres even a well out the way field so i can crash and tangle my lines to my hearts content with nobody laughing!!

Sounds like you are off to a great start. By the sound of what you wrote (quoted here) I believe you mean two "handles" not bars. Not trying to nitpick, but the general convention is to refer to the two curve bars that you secure the left and right power (top) and brake (bottom) lines to as handles. "Flying a four line kite off of handles" would be something everybody immediately understands. A "bar" in contrast is a single bar (often about 50 cm in length) that brake lines get attached to on its ends and power lines pass through in a hole in the center to get attached to a loop that gets hooked into a harness that you wear. You've likely seen these bars used by kite boarders in the ocean or other open water.

There are countless variations to what I just told you, but those are the basics. You'll learn all about "fixed bridle" kites (what you own now), "depowered" kites (what I was describing with the bar with the power lines passing through it) single skin kites, etc., etc.

As others have said before me, "welcome to the addiction"! :evil:

HQ Symphony 1.8 was my first "post single-line" kite. It's got hundreds of hours on it, and had had more users than any of my kites. Also used it as a first kite to teach my wife, kids and friends. It now lives in my car so that I always have something to fly (but, sadly) it now only gets used a few times a year).

In hindsight, the move to the HQ RushPro (a 250) would have been better made sooner - I got really tired of turning over the Symphony after others crashed it:-(

The thread referenced by Windstruck is the perfect first-read, as well as the wealth of great info at http://www.coastalwindsports.com/TutorialMenu.Html

As well, let us know where you are; there's nothing like learning some of the tips from someone elses mistakes, and having the chance to try a kite before laying out your own cash.

Have fun and, be safe. People that don't understand kites, can get in the way.

Welcome to the addiction!

sorry windstruck yes my wrong with calling them bars.yes the left and right handles with power and brakes is the route i wish to go/learn.

been looking and found HQ alpha in either 1.5 or 2.5 sizes with what they call "quad " handles.are those handles what i am thinking and which if either would you recommend ?

hello hiaguy and thanks for your tips and it does sound like my coming symphony be good fun if not fully what i wanted.

il try my best to be safe and i can fully understand kites getting in the way...especially in the hands of a learner!

get a 3m 4line next...we have faith in you...or do i go "the force in this one is strong"

Want a 3 meter, you will

Quote: Originally posted by m00ms

...are those handles what i am thinking... ?

Yes, those are what I was referring to. The most basic (and common) type of handles look like this:


[img][/img]

Note how the user has his hands with the top (power) lines between his first and second fingers. It may seem to make more sense to put your hands completely below the power lines, but you will find that the balance is better if you hold them as shown here. The highly observant will note a line coming off the tops of the handles heading back off frame. That's a "strop"; you'll get to that!

i watched a few youtube videos and there showed finger position like that which i guess will make sense when flying one.

what was yours thoughts windstruck on the HQ alphas i looked at ? would it be best going for the 1.5 or the 2.5? also looked at a peter lynn hornet 2.0

would any of those three be good to learn with?

thanks for your advice and tips so far

Personally I would go with either a beamer, hornet, or similar. Not that there is anything wrong with an alpha but you could grow into the others. I would also recommend the 3 meter size which will be a handful on a day with a good breeze at first, but you will soon grow into it. A 2 meter hornet will still be a much larger kite compared to your symphony. Keep in mind they size symphonies differently than true power kites

Abkayak knows what I'm going to do next.

Here is a picture that illustrates the difference in sizes between stunt foils like the symphony and true power kites. The smaller one is a 2.5 snapshot. The larger one is a 3 meter beamer.

Welcome. The 1.8 was my first kite as well. It all starts there. I won't tell how much $$ I've dumped in kites and gear, but you will figure that out soon enough as well!!:evil:

Quote: Originally posted by m00ms

i watched a few youtube videos and there showed finger position like that which i guess will make sense when flying one. what was yours thoughts windstruck on the HQ alphas i looked at ? would it be best going for the 1.5 or the 2.5? also looked at a peter lynn hornet 2.0 would any of those three be good to learn with? thanks for your advice and tips so far

mOOms, I was silent on that question as I've no experience with the kites in question. Others that have already chimed in and many others on PKF have vastly more experience than I when it comes to dual skin kites. Most of my kiting experience has been with so-called "single-skin" kites such as the Born-Kite NASA Star series, the Flysurfer Peak series, and the Peter Lynn Uniq Quad. I have owned a PL Hornet (4m) and really liked it, but sold it to make room in my stable for a Peak.

Folks with tons of experience always seem to steer folks towards 3m FB four line dual-skinned kites such as the Hornet. Hard to go wrong with a kite like that. As you'll also read, an investment in a kite such as that can become a lasting one, since long after you expand your quiver with larger and more exotic creatures you should hang onto that original gem as a high-wind kite workhorse.

Good luck with your exploration. I hope you don't have kids you are supposed to put through college, a mortgage, or anything like that bogging you down.:karate:

greetings , get started !

thanks for the picture ssayre which is certainly an eye opener! silly question but how do they measure them as its size is much different to size quoted? i see that the beamer 6 2.0 is actually 265cm

looks like i shall have some fun with the symphony when it arrives and try and work out which kite to go for.i want to learn how to fly 4 line without hopefully getting in to much trouble!

yea great picture, puts it all in perspective
get a 3m 4line...dont listen to anyone else
im your friend...listen to me
by the time it comes you will be ready for it

any 3m...you can always buy another one

This could be a result of the server upgrade (just guessing) or could be because you are no longer signed in.

Weird. Maybe contact an Administrator?

lets see if this works today?

worked once!

Welcome to the Monkey House mOOms!

mOOms to explain the size differences is easy. Sport foils are sized on wingspan (distance from tip to tip). Where as true power foils for the most part are based on flat sq meters. A couple (but very few) companies (Jojo I believe) size on projected square meters (the surface area once the Kite is bent into shape) this is certainly uncommon though.