Ed Cline
Posts: 638
Registered: 5-25-2016
Location: Raleigh, NC
Member Is Offline
Mood: Truth, Justice, and The American Way.
|
|
NASA Star 3 kite
Looking for a gently used 12.5 m nasa star 3.
Or equivalent DFO.
Kite only. 
Flying mostly single skins, with some orphans, the American flag, and a PL buggy. US01
|
|
|
Windstruck
Posts: 3338
Registered: 5-16-2015
Location: St George, UT, USA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Get in my buggy!
|
|
Ed,
I do not wish to stand between a man and his desired kite. However, as likely the only person to have actually purchased a 12.5 NS3 in the US
(certainly the only one here on PKF) I can speak with experience that this is not exactly a desired inland light wind flyer. Inland winds light enough
to make such a large FB kite a good choice in the buggy often have lulls that will cause this kite to repeatedly stall and back fly. I have personally
had a lot more luck with the large SS DP options from Flysurfer and Born, viz., the P2 and LS2.
I appreciate the costs of these DPs. I hope I am wrong about the number of 12.5m NS3s in the US. Good luck! Steve
Born-Kites:
RaceStar+ (3.0m, 5.0m, 7.0m, 9.0m, 14.0m)
RaceStar (9.0m, 11.0m)
NasaStar-4 (2.5m, 4.0m, 5.5m, 7.0m)
NasaStar-3 (custom 3.2m)
Flysurfer Kites:
Peak-5 (2.5m)
Buggy:
Peter Lynn BigFoot+ nose & tail; midsection VTT rail & seat kit; home-brewed AQR
NAPKA Member US2815
SWATK Member UT0003
|
|
|
Randy
Posts: 1886
Registered: 5-20-2014
Member Is Offline
|
|
Might check with Sean. Think he has or had one.
NPW Test Pilot -US99
|
|
|
Windstruck
Posts: 3338
Registered: 5-16-2015
Location: St George, UT, USA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Get in my buggy!
|
|
He sure does. He got my old one.
Born-Kites:
RaceStar+ (3.0m, 5.0m, 7.0m, 9.0m, 14.0m)
RaceStar (9.0m, 11.0m)
NasaStar-4 (2.5m, 4.0m, 5.5m, 7.0m)
NasaStar-3 (custom 3.2m)
Flysurfer Kites:
Peak-5 (2.5m)
Buggy:
Peter Lynn BigFoot+ nose & tail; midsection VTT rail & seat kit; home-brewed AQR
NAPKA Member US2815
SWATK Member UT0003
|
|
|
Ed Cline
Posts: 638
Registered: 5-25-2016
Location: Raleigh, NC
Member Is Offline
Mood: Truth, Justice, and The American Way.
|
|
Hey Steve, I thank you for your very personal experience. I'll ignore that your 12.5 tried to kill you when y'all first met.
Im really okay if I need to buy a new DFO, I like the colors on the Star3, but the DFO is very adjustable and my seven is becoming my best girl.
So it's settled then Steve, since you know how poor the kite is, and don't really recommend it when can I expect delivery? Any time before the next
wind lull will be okay.
Flying mostly single skins, with some orphans, the American flag, and a PL buggy. US01
|
|
|
Ed Cline
Posts: 638
Registered: 5-25-2016
Location: Raleigh, NC
Member Is Offline
Mood: Truth, Justice, and The American Way.
|
|
Dutch Flying Objects Bridle.
It comes with instructions.
Flying mostly single skins, with some orphans, the American flag, and a PL buggy. US01
|
|
|
Windstruck
Posts: 3338
Registered: 5-16-2015
Location: St George, UT, USA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Get in my buggy!
|
|
Ed, I reached out to Sean who is planning to reach out to you so please stand by. Steve
Born-Kites:
RaceStar+ (3.0m, 5.0m, 7.0m, 9.0m, 14.0m)
RaceStar (9.0m, 11.0m)
NasaStar-4 (2.5m, 4.0m, 5.5m, 7.0m)
NasaStar-3 (custom 3.2m)
Flysurfer Kites:
Peak-5 (2.5m)
Buggy:
Peter Lynn BigFoot+ nose & tail; midsection VTT rail & seat kit; home-brewed AQR
NAPKA Member US2815
SWATK Member UT0003
|
|
|
Randy
Posts: 1886
Registered: 5-20-2014
Member Is Offline
|
|
So Ed do you like DFO better than the NS kites?
NPW Test Pilot -US99
|
|
|
Ed Cline
Posts: 638
Registered: 5-25-2016
Location: Raleigh, NC
Member Is Offline
Mood: Truth, Justice, and The American Way.
|
|
Mr Randy,
I'm not qualified to make a judgement call. I can make observations. Innocent and impartial..
The DFO is built better. Like wearing JC Penny and suddenly you discover LL Bean.
They both do the work, but if you look closely you can see the extra stitches and reinforcing.
Everything is sturdier, and thicker. Except the simple drawstring bag.
This brings up price. The DFO is less money. The terms of sale are set and easy. They will send you a PayPal invoice with no figuring or fees on your
end. Born kinda leaves all that up to you and you pay the fees over the price and the conversion premium that PP charges.
The Star will be a little more than you thought, The DFO a little less than you thought.
Turning is the same on both kites. You tune some of the backfly out of the DFO by adjusting it to fly a little forward in the window, the cost is paid
in lost grunt. It's not a dramatic difference, if A newbie can notice though, there is a difference. A more experienced flyer would see it better I'm
sure.
The best way to control backfly is to fly forward.
The depower arrangement is more extensive on the DFO. Loops and sliding lines encourage the pucker, ingenious but why?
The Star has a simpler and easier connection at the kite and gives more control with a shorter bar throw. The DFO gives finer control if you are
flying unhooked, the Star third line is more of an on off switch for power. When the bug is skidding sideways and you are losing ground on a reach,
you can unhook the DFO and regain control without turning off the power altogether.
I've only flown a few Star3's, the DFO and the pink NASA from Weifang. I fly in a field with a bar mostly. I can't draw a conclusion at my level of
experience,
I did take some pictures when the DFO arrived but they got lost in the photobucket blackmail plot. I'll send them in Email, or try to post them if
anyone wants to look at the build.
I'm at ineedtocontacted@gmail.com
Flying mostly single skins, with some orphans, the American flag, and a PL buggy. US01
|
|
|
Randy
Posts: 1886
Registered: 5-20-2014
Member Is Offline
|
|
Thanks Ed. Seems like a pretty good review to me. I agree on the Star depower system.
NPW Test Pilot -US99
|
|
|
![[*]](images/perspective/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
