Power Kite Forum

Recommendation for a more advanced (jumping) kite.

Samolot - 27-1-2012 at 11:51 AM

Hi everyone!

This is my first post and I have found the information here to be very good, but I have a question.

My name is Mike and I have been power kiting for a few months now. Just a little background: I fly the HQ Pro Rush IV 3M kite that I really love. It is a great kite that I learned to fly very well. At high winds, it is pure adrenaline. However, at low winds (4-12 mph) it is quite boring. I would like to purchase a new, larger kite, that can take me to the next level. I would like this kite to be very versatile. I would love to do some jumping with it, and might even want to get into kiteboarding with it as well. What can you recommend?

I am 6ft tall, and 175 pounds. I was reading a few forums and learned that the Peter Lynn Twister IIR is great, and then I also learned about the Flexifoil Blade V. Which one would be better and what size?

Also, I learned to fly the Rush with a bar and feel very comfortable with it, therefore I would like to stick to the bar and not the handles for now. How different is it to fly with handles?

Thanks alot everyone!

Mike

Looking_Up - 27-1-2012 at 12:23 PM

Depower :wee:

Samm - 27-1-2012 at 12:39 PM

Welcome :thumbup:

Handles are fun. They give you a more direct feel. And they made me actually think about what i was making the kite do and the mechanics behind it a lot better than i did with a bar..

For jumping / boarding you'll want to go depower.
do you mean land or water?

Samolot - 27-1-2012 at 12:42 PM

On land. Id like to just fly it recreationally and then later on I might jump on a mountainboard :)

Samm - 27-1-2012 at 01:02 PM

In that case i would scratch depower.. they like to be moving.
I dont have experience with either the twister or the blade, but i have heard a lot of great (and scary) things about the blade.
Someone else will have to help ya, im much more knowledgable with depowers. :dunno:
good luck!

but i do recommend trying handles!

mougl - 27-1-2012 at 02:12 PM

The twister is an awesome kite. I had a 5.6 and could fly it up to 20ish mph. Great lift an float, excellent stability, great for fun in lower winds. The twister is very predictable so you won't have to worry (as much) about unintentional lofting.

The blade is in a class all it's own. It's not nearly as forgiving as the twister in my opinion. I have an 8.5m Blade VIP that in over 10 mph gets EVIL. Evil as in 10 foot jumps without trying. I do NOT recommend the blade to someone just starting to jump but then again, I don't take a lot of chances lol!

Check out the 5.6m Twister, it's a great kite!

Kober - 27-1-2012 at 02:18 PM

Jaki samolot ???? .... lepiej by bolo latawiec .....lol

Bladerunner - 27-1-2012 at 05:51 PM

The most versitile kites will be depower but as folks mentioned they are less entertaining to fly static. They work best in motion.

The 5.6 Twister on handles is a good suggestion. Sort of a mid size kite giving you a decent range. Just big enough to jump and create some float yet not so big you will be overpowered right away. I enjoyed my 7.7 but found it's range was small.

Samolot - 27-1-2012 at 08:02 PM

Hehe... masz racje. Pasjonuje sie tez samolotami modelarskimi...

I think the 5.6 Twister would be ideal. Still debating between this and the 4.9M Blade. The larger foil area in the twister is making me lean towards it more.... decisions decisions...

flyjump - 27-1-2012 at 10:33 PM

Depower is the best for jumping safely IMO

DAKITEZ - 28-1-2012 at 12:08 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by flyjump
Depower is the best for jumping safely IMO


do you feel the same way if the pilot is only static jumping?

Samolot - 3-2-2012 at 12:41 PM

Got hooked up by DaKitez with a 5.6 and 4.1 Peter Lynn Twister IIR!!

mougl - 3-2-2012 at 01:19 PM

Great choices!

wheresthewind? - 3-2-2012 at 01:26 PM

with 3 months experience, id go with the twister......

AnnieO - 6-2-2012 at 02:06 PM

I got my Twister IIR 5.6 for low wind days where I could still get a good bit of pull and a lot of lift just for fun and a good work out. Have had it about 2 months and it's been a blast. Thankfully it does have good manners and really responds well to braking input on handles. The max wind I've had it out in has been about 12 mph, reason being I'm 5'7", 124lbs. If you respect this kites characteristics and exercise common sense you shouldn't have any nasty surprises. That said if you really want to go for it jumping wise then this is definitely your kite, please wear your safety gear- it really lifts. It absolutely launched my 195 lb hubby, I don't think he thought a 5.6M could do that and was caught completely off guard.

Samolot - 8-2-2012 at 11:08 AM

You guys are getting me so psyched...
Im going to take advantage of the 12mph projected winds this saturday. Ill take the 3m HQ and the 4.1 Twister to get used to the handles. I unpacked the 4.1 yesterday... IT IS HUGE. Quality is second to none.

Thanks again DaKitez!

Drewculous - 8-2-2012 at 11:11 AM

pics!!!
pics!!!
pics!!!
:lol:

have fun! I rarely have a full day of kiting where i dont bring out my twister.. its a riot!

my biggest jumps still are on this kite (the 5.6) wahooooooo!

dandre - 8-2-2012 at 11:34 AM

Sometimes I'm sad I sold my twister, but be careful!
I got dropped like 10-15ft out of the air at like 20mph

put me out of the game real fast, I'll tell ya what. lol

mougl - 8-2-2012 at 04:01 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Drewculous
my biggest jumps still are on this kite (the 5.6) wahooooooo!


:puzzled::puzzled::puzzled: VIP :puzzled::puzzled::puzzled:

@Samolot: Don't forget the 5.6! I loved my 5.6...should have never sold it. Not saying to just toss it up first that day, would be interesting but probably not a great idea :lol: Fly that 4.1m and if it's comfortable enough, try that 5.6 out somewhere mid session. The difference between the 4.1 and the 5.6 are night and day.

You are bringing back epic memories for me bro. My friend got a T II 4.1 a few years back and invited me to fly it. I fell in love with kiting! I promptly purchased a 5.6m after that. We used to spend the days swaping kites. Dude, you are in for some epic times!! SO jelly!

Samolot - 12-2-2012 at 12:27 PM

So I don't know if any of you live near NYC, but the winds today were crazy. Knowing that Liberty State Park is going to have >20mph winds, I only packed the 4.1M with me. I was too eager to fly one of the PL's so I did not bother bringing the HQ 3M Rush Pro. I got there and immediately realized why people bring bags of sand with them. After I finally found a calm enough place to set up my kite, I wasted no time. I hooked up all the lines properly and asked my girlfriend to bring out the kite to the middle of the field. I took off and WOW! What a ride... In all honesty, the wind was a little bit too much. I really wanted to get used to the handles, but could not really get the job done. I flew the kite around flawlessy and caught some very minor air. Most of the time I was just on my ass (and feet) getting dragged around quite fast. By the end of the day (short flying day... my muscles were wrecked), I came to the conclusion that handles are so much better for static flying. It really gives you the ultimate control over your kite. I learned to properly land, fly in reverse off the ground, and learned the art of quick turns. I really wish the wind would have been a little less intense so I can do some loops and really get a feel for the handles so I can learn how to jump most effectively. Next weekend, the winds are supposed to be about 13 mph so it will the perfect opportunity to get really comfortable with the handles on BOTH the 4.1 and 5.6 :)

Naturally, I am very happy with my purchase.

Kober - 12-2-2012 at 01:22 PM

So good to hear that you have good time ..... Sounds like you will be coming here more often to where you progress , get more info and get MORE !!! gear ....
..... U2U me if you want to come to NJ for a session at Sandy Hook sometime .....

Statistic - 12-2-2012 at 02:05 PM

Sam - How is Liberty State Park as a place to fly? That's not too tough for me to get to.

Is it roomy? Crowded?

Samolot - 12-2-2012 at 02:41 PM

In my opinion, the best place within 3 miles of me. Not crowded at all during the winter months. There are a few huge open fields. If people see you flying, they will definitely stay clear from the field. Good, constant wind since it is close to the ocean shore. I think its good for static flying. I have seen people fly bigger kites there who also had mountain boards handy, but I never got to see it all in action.

Samolot - 18-2-2012 at 02:03 PM

Well this is pretty damn addicting!
I took the 5.6 out today with 13mph winds...

The 5.6 is SUCH AN AWESOME KITE! It is really maneuverable and really easy to fly. Because of the lower winds, I really got a chance to get a feel for the control. Everything from break turns to loops, this kite can do it with ease. The wind started to pick up and I really felt the lift. The field I fly on is hard and it is impossible to dig a jumping base so I had just as much fun getting dragged around.

But then it happened. I managed to keep my feet down and turn into the apex --> I TOOK OFF!! My first real jump! About 8 feet high and the kite took me about 6 yards... I learned to keep my head down so I can control my landing. It wasn't the prettiest but at least I did not injure myself ;)

In any case, this kite is insane. I love both the 4.1 and 5.6.

What a great day...

Cheers!

Samolot

Samolot - 18-2-2012 at 02:06 PM

How do you post pictures? I do not know why, but whenever I upload one, it does not show...

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Statistic - 18-2-2012 at 04:37 PM

Sam were you at Liberty State Park today?

I went to Long Beach today and conditions were good but the trip on my 230cc kitemobile is a little harrowing. A couple guys in the water there too.

I would have gone to Liberty State Park but the forecast looked like 5-10mph. Is the wind good from any direction there?

Samolot - 18-2-2012 at 06:29 PM

Yeah I went to LSP. Once again, the conditions were perfect. The wind picked up quite a bit (>10mph), so for a 5.6M, the pull was definitely there. I am constantly surprised by how empty the park is on gorgeous days like today.

Wind is best when it goes from SE to NW... those are the constant winds feeding from the Atlantic. Almost all wind in that park is SE-NW.

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Samolot - 18-2-2012 at 06:32 PM

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Samolot - 18-2-2012 at 06:33 PM

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Statistic - 18-2-2012 at 08:26 PM

Interesting thanks. I might try tomorrow even though wind looks like it's out of the north. Maybe we can do a synchronized routine with our Twisters.

Samolot - 19-2-2012 at 09:03 AM

Finally figured out how to post pictures... didnt realize you had to make 'em so small...

Statistic - 19-2-2012 at 09:17 AM

Page 2 glitch?

Samolot - 19-2-2012 at 10:00 AM

Seems good now. I posted in the pics in my previous posts.