Ok first I am a newbie and have started out on a P.4. It seems to be a great kite, but all I know how to do is launch it and fly it back and forth and loop it. The pull is still really fun though. People keep telling me to change over to quad lines and that I will have more control and be able to reverse launch it. Remember I am a newbie I don't even know what this means. Can someone explain to me what all I can do with 4 lines, and how to do it. I want to eventually advance to a blade for kite jumping, but the rate I am going it will be a loooonnnnggg time. There is nobody else out here in kentucky that flies. Advise would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

I tried to start up a page of links for beginers on here , hoping it was going to get a sticky. Now I can't find it.

This is a very good spot.
http://www.coastalwindsports.com/TutorialMenu.Html

www.kitesurfingschool.org is also good but I'm not sure they discuss how to use handles.

A great kite for starters- would be a 7M. Strong enough to lift you, but stable/ for learning...

Quote:

Originally posted by SamN A great kite for starters- would be a 7M. Strong enough to lift you, but stable/ for learning...

Let me be the first to disagree with this one......:puzzled::o:puzzled:

A 7 meter kite is way to big to start out with unless a 7M is a kind of kite and I'm missing something.

SamN, I have to disagree with you on the 7m. That kite is way to big for people just starting out in the sport and it could actually be fatal if used in the wrong conditions.

On the P4, it is super easy to convert the kite over to quad line.

Basically what you are going to do is double up on the flying lines you are using now. From the factory, the P4 ships with all the bridle lines connected to two attachment points (the bridle is the network of lines coming from the skin of the kite and connecting to a center point where you attach your flying lines to). The P4 has two bridles on each side of the kite, one upper bridle that is somewhat extensive and one lower bridle which just goes to the trailing edge of the kite (trailing edge is the bottom of the kite when the kite is flying normally, leading edge is the top of the kite).

What you will need before converting your P4 to quad line:
A Quad Line set (four flying lines all exactly the same length)
A set of quad handles w/leaders

To convert your kite from two line (dual line) to four lines (quad line) all you need to do is remove your flying lines from the bridle attachment points, separate the upper bridle from the lower bridle and then attach the quad line set, one line on the top, one on the bottom for both sides of the kite. Then attach the other end of your flying lines to the leaders on your control handles, matching the way you attached them to the kite. Right top handle line goes to the right side leading edge bridle of the kite, right bottom handle line to the right side of the kite on the trailing edge bridle, left top, left leading edge bridle, left bottom, left trailing edge bridle. Add extra knots onto your leaders so you can adjust the flight characteristics of your kite by moving your attachment points of your flying lines in or out as needed.

Hope this helps clarify things for you. If you have more questions (which I am sure you will) please let us know and we will gladly help you out.

I will be the third to disagree... I really hurt myself with a 7m kite, and I sorta knew what I was doing, please dont go get a 7meter kite to learn on. A 3m is a great size, and will prove very useful in some higher winds as you advance. It is generally recommended that a new kiter start off with something in that size with not a lot of lift. My first kite was a crossfire 3.2m kite, and there is one just exactly like it for sale on this forum right now (it actually was my kite, it was time for an upgrade). It is a lot of kite to start out with, but it was a blast, part of me will always miss that kite. In 10-12mph winds it was fine for me to fly (I weigh 190lbs) without too much danger.

There are plenty of kites on lots of different sites that you could look into. Everyone has their own preferences, and there is a lot of information out there, and on this forum.

Thr first time I flew a quad line kite, I knew I had to have more of them. From reverse launcing, to being able to let go (with kite killers attached) if I was in trouble. Not to mention the fact that they come in MUCH larger sizes than the 2 line foils, with different characteristics. It took a few flights to figure it out, but once I did, I never looked back. You could probably find a beginners manual with a simple google search, also.