ASS MAN

So I bought this new kite (6m slingshot RPX) for stormy conditions and decided to familiarise myself with setting it up in calm predictable winds. I soon regretted not bringing the buggy along with me as the wind was better than forecast. So I decided to make best of the situation.

Just wanting to make you all smile

https://youtu.be/pg-eczjG1J4

I remember the assman! Kiting was different back then it seemed.

Always important to bring everything just in case. Last time I went kiting I forgot the stupid pump and all I brought was tubes

Always love your videos Redsky. My all time favorite one was Purley way https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DnGDWg3MKU
Great shots, great audio, great everything but it looks like you removed the beautiful old footage from the end
Thanks for sharing:cool2:

Well, as far as the state of New York is concerned, you are the ass man!

I can spend hours going through old episodes.


Thanks for the kind words btw. I have restored the old version of Purley Way.
Luckily YT allows this, much to my surprise. You made me feel sad. I had no idea you or anyone would find the history interesting. Through YT analytics I noticed that few people if any ever actually make it to the end of my videos so I chopped the end off. If there's no end then people have no choice but to continue watching. Am I right or am I right?

That's an interesting theory you have on endings . As a general rule I would never trust analytics from anyone unless you personally did the measurements yourself. Several decades of experience myself.

The old footage was fantastic in my opinion. I had to have watched it beginning to end at least 20 times since you made it. The aeronautical history of the area was great and is really enjoyable for those of us who appreciate not just where we are but how we got there as well. In fact some of the best content online is old original footage of how things used to be. It really puts life in perspective. Sadly very few people appreciate what it took for our forefathers to get us where we are today.

Seeing the history of Purley way along with yourself with the next generation of kiters was perfectly done in my opinion. The beauty of linearity in non-linear systems flawlessly executed.
Of course I may be mistaken and you were just out for a day of kiting:D

Well, I'm astounded that you watched it 20 times! Is there any greater compliment than that? You've stunned me into silence. Wow, thank you, my good man.
Maybe I should've had more faith. I've let myself down by taking a butcher knife to it.
The original idea was to pay homage and to give thanks to Purley Way for a decades worth of great memories and I had forgotten to consider this fact.
Shame on me.

You're absolutely right though, I did try to capture the beauty of linearity in non-linear systems. You actually took the words right out of my mouth. I was going to say exactly that

I haven't been there in a good few years. It might be time to revisit the hallowed grounds once more.

After trying every crazy idea I could think of to ride the wind - I've never tried this one. It was sitting right there, behind me, all this time.....I'm so embarrassed....

You should try one of those mini buggies Randy. Might be right up your alley. No pun intended . Maybe Redsky has the video of it somewhere. Back in the 2000's a fellow buggier from across the pond strapped one wheel to each cheek and a wheel between his feet. Nothing else needed. His legs were the downtube. :o. No need for a big race buggy:D

Quote: Originally posted by kteguru

I just realized I forgot to ask you how you like the RPX? When winds are nukin' I use my 7m switch nitro but its always good to hear about the latest shiny new toys! Give us your take on it,,, speed, upwind, turn rate, stability in rough conditions?

Absolutely. My only experience so far, however, has been on my derriere :moon:
I will have to get back to you once I get a proper session in.

It was no accident that I chose the RPX.
A supposed replacement for the RPM but with a more streamlined bridle, better upwind and improved vertical boost with faster-powered loops which, of course, sounds like every kitesurfing sales marketing BS out there.

Its upwind ability remains to be seen, although I'm not overly concerned as I'm cannonballing in one direction, not racing around a course.

I was in the market for a high-wind kite to help me push for a possible new PB, one that was previously set on my 7m Genetrix Hyrda.

I did my homework, watched all the YouTube reviews and finally settled on a 6m Slingshot Machine which had been reduced in price by a massive 50% because it was last year's model.

Rarely do I ever buy a new kite, so when it arrived it was like Xmas. I ran upstairs with the box and into the bedroom. Locking the door behind me I carefully unfolded the crispy goodness, laid it out on the bed and gave it a good pumping (8psi).

I was in awe! I caressed and marvelled at its firm and plump curves, toyed with its pigtails, soaked up that new kite smell, and stared dreamy-eyed at its logos, and that's when it dawned on me.

This isn't a Machine, this is an RPX! They've sent me the wrong bloody kite!
I wanted a 5-strut delta bow that sits on the edge of the window with a tonne of depower. What I got instead was a 3-strut Hybrid C that likes to sit deep and wants to murder you at any given opportunity.

Consumed with rage I immediately yanked the dump valve. Sure, I may have said one or two things in the heat of the moment that I now regret but once I calmed down I turned towards deflated mess on the bed and apologised. It's not you, it's me, I said as I slunk out of the room.

Later that evening as I was repackaging the kite to "return to sender", it suddenly occurred to me!

As the tide retreats, my beach becomes dissected by run-off water. These deep streams remain at low tide halting any chance of a high-speed run unless you accelerate quickly enough between them. Nothing new there but a new PB will have to be even briefer and so while the RPX sits a little deeper than what I'm used to, it might just provide the low-end grunt acceleration I'm looking for, also being a smaller kite than what I'm used to, it might also delay the onset of being pulled prematurely downwind as I currently experience with the larger sizes.
The perfect balance perhaps? I guess time will tell.

How do you like the Switch Nitro? I've read on Kiteforum it's a boosting machine with bombproof construction. Does it go big?

Quote: Originally posted by kteguru

You should try one of those mini buggies Randy. Might be right up your alley. No pun intended . Maybe Redsky has the video of it somewhere. Back in the 2000's a fellow buggier from across the pond strapped one wheel to each cheek and a wheel between his feet. Nothing else needed. His legs were the downtube. :o. No need for a big race buggy:D

Quote: Originally posted by Randy

After trying every crazy idea I could think of to ride the wind - I've never tried this one. It was sitting right there, behind me, all this time.....I'm so embarrassed....

And so you should be embarrassed! :D
Innovation is the mother of invention...... or something like that.

Besides, it's just as well you hadn't thought of it, I've seen where you ride. :D

That was getting pretty steamy in the bedroom there Redsky. I'll just pretend I didn't hear anything :saint:.

As for the Switch Nitro, I really like it. My 7m is a 4th gen so it's probably 10 years old by now but its the last generation that was designed by Bill Hansen. The current ones have done away with the constant curve leading edge and other features which in my opinion was done just as a cost savings at the end of the day. Typical raise prices and cut costs and quality . Corporate 101.

It seems bombproof having taken several crashes at speed and came out of it without a scratch. My first time out with it happened to be a 45-50 mph wind day and I was surprised it took it without flinching. It's amazing how stable tubes are compared to foils when the wind is extreme. It has a medium turn rate, great acceleration, and enough depower to handle 50mph winds so I'm pretty happy with it. I wouldn't mind trying some of the newer tubes that have more of a pivot turn but I'm afraid they probably lose all power in the turn also.

Maybe a new PB is in the cards for 2024 IBX, who knows . I'll keep you updated.

Thanks kteguru. That is extreme wind for a 7m on land, and agreed, tubes are amazingly stable, we could never hope to replicate that with a foil.
Apologies for enduring the steamy wall of text. I got carried away there.

If you're going for a new PB then at Ivanpah it will be. Just get as much video as you can. I could always help you with the edit should you need it.