Anyone into flying kites?

[willb]

Just wondering how many people on here are into flying kites? Last weekend was perfect, warm with a decent wind.

 

I've got an HQ Symphony 2.1m power kite and an HQ Jive 2 stunt kite. I managed to brake a carbon strut after trying to recover a tight spiral over the weekend. The stock lines are a bit crap and only 8 loops in the control was almost non-existent so along with a new carbon strut I'm upgrading the lines too!

 

If anyone is local, a kite meet would be awesome.

[Sharkfat78]

I used to have a few freestyle kites. Can't be doing with powerkites though.

Just have a Benson Gemini at the moment although I did have a Prism E2 and Prism Nexus

[willb]

What's a freestyle kite?

 

Just got my new carbon rods and lines through for my Jive

[Schern]

I've got a Sting 3.3m, a Pansh Ace 5m and a Peter Lynn Venom II 13m. Haven't flown them for a while though. The Venom scares me too much lol. Not once it's in the air, it's just launching the bloody thing!

[willb]

That's a huge kite! Surely more of a surfing or buggy kite? The 5m must drag you pretty hard in a strong wind?

[Tamiyacowboy]

What's a freestyle kite?

 

Just got my new carbon rods and lines through for my Jive

 

freestyle kites act slightly different to speed kites. 

 

a speed kite is used to propel the user along, tend to find them used with buggys and for racing.

 

a traction kite, produces grunt in the wind window, skudding, buggy and boarding tend to use a traction kite.

they produce a large amoumt of Pull.

 

freestyle kites are a little differnet as we have ability to increase /decrease the angle of attack the kites foil sits at.

this can produce a huge amount of lift ( imagine a glider wing ), these kites, take the blade 4m job are freestylers.

they give traction but also give lift, so a user can use the kites lift to induce jumps and lifts, these kites are the widow makers.

 

 

about freestyle you really need to be a half decent flyer to start, they not for the faint hearted, these things lift you a good 20-40ft in the airand throw you a good same distance along the ground. most accidents involving kites are because of freestyle  foils and users that just do not know how to control,

and/or equipped with enough knowledge of the wind and the kites power it will release.

 

for a newcomer i would say start with a tratcion kite get used to the pull they produce and learn how the wind affects the foil

when airborne. ALWAYS be hooked into saftey gear, be it a chicken strop quick release system or the good old kitekillers.

wrist guards, knee/elbow pads and a good crash hat.

 

KITE size is key. we tend to run a few kites in our quiver/bag.

 

small kites we use in very windy conditions, even a 1.5m kite will become a traction puller in heavy wind.

 

mid range size 2.5m - 6m we use these when we have some nice wind, nice ideal cruising and general flying.

 

huge beasts, we use these to capture those breezes you find hard to feel on the skin, them baking hot summer days,

the big kites make the best of light wind and capture every drop of power from the light breeze.

but they are also used offshore for kite boarding.

Edited September 25, 2013 by Tamiyacowboy

[Sharkfat78]

I meant a stunt/sport/trick/whateveryouwanttocallit kite.

 

http://v2.2.kiteclique.com/benson-gemini-review-by-glen-warren-2/