Couldnt wait for Tuesday so I took her to a field after work. Unrolled, sorted lines, blah blah blah...
Problem: kept folding up at about halfway up after launch. No bow ties but it seemed the leading egde was wanting to roll itself under the kite if
that makes sense. The tips kept trying to fold in as well. Too little pre-inflate maybe? Unfortunately the wind was only 5-10 when it was blowing so i
used a cordless air mattress inflator to try to do the job but that died at about 80% filled so I tried to launch from there. Yeah, no. Had the power
lines hooked to the end of the pigtails, seemed the brakes didn't have much slack. Played with the internal straps a bit, didn't seem to do anything.
So....too little pre inflate maybe?Feyd - 7-5-2011 at 07:30 PM
Yup, need more air. The more internal air pressure the easier to launch.
You can fake it by balancing out the back lines a bit and being less agressive with the front lines. Launches a little differently than a regular
foil.
I'd leave the straps all loose. Wait until you get a feel for her then expiriment. She's designed around no strap tension.
She'll give you a work out in the power zone static flying in 5-10.
What bar are you using?mougl - 7-5-2011 at 07:55 PM
It's an old PL bar...looks older than a zero4 evenflyjump - 7-5-2011 at 08:03 PM
make sure that you use a 60-65cm bar. that'll work the best. good luck, you'll love that kitemougl - 7-5-2011 at 08:15 PM
I may need to get a newer (zero4+) bar an larger maybe. The one I have looks to be 50-55.
Also looks like I'm going to need a cordless leaf blower lol
This is getting expensive arkay - 7-5-2011 at 08:28 PM
5-10 is probably not enough wind for a first time flight. I can fly mine in 8-10 but it's not what I'd call fun.
Does sound like you could use some more inflation. I usually fill mine up as much as I can then when I launch I yank on the center lines over and
over to force more air into the kite and keep it in the sky. Looks like a flapping bird bigkahuna - 8-5-2011 at 02:53 AM
Not sure if someone already mentioned this, but be sure that your back lines aren't too tight, in fact, they should be completely slack. A few inches
too short will keep the kite from launching. The lighter the wind is, the more you have to make sure you keep the back lines slack. Also, be sure to
launch your kite "aggressively". In other words, don't be afraid to walk back and pump the bar to get it to fill and launch. Can't remember what the
strap set up was on the V2, but it sometimes helps to adjust the internal straps. Although the advised setup is to tighten the straps in light wind,
I found that making them loose helped in super light winds.arkay - 8-5-2011 at 08:25 AM
Good point about the slack back lines... so slack that you may not be able to control the kite with the bar This is where a much bigger bar comes in handy. I've even been known to occasionally use the landing rings to fly
the kite...Feyd - 8-5-2011 at 06:41 PM
A longer bar will help increase your turn rate but isn't critical for just getting her airborne.
The rear lines should have some slack in the with the bar at he end of the center line. But not so much to reduce the your abilty to turn too much.
More wind will help the turn rate.
When launching use steady, deliberate pulls on the center lines. You'll see the kite flap slightly like a bird and you will feel, as you pull the
center lines, the kite slightly power up. If you pull and hold too long you will feel the power start to fade. At that point give the center line a
little slack, pause for the kite to open up, (maybe a second) then pull again to rebuild power and get the kite to the zenith.
At that point I usually down turn the kite to top off air and build moving power.
This is an F-Arc but it kinda illustrates what I'm sayin.
This is where a much bigger bar comes in handy. I've even been known to occasionally use the landing rings to fly
the kite...