Power / Traction Kites

[yeow_hwee]

ok guys, this will be where we post all our power kite stuff.

[yeow_hwee]

Love the pictures that you guys post. But if you stand beside your kite for size comparison, that will be a total different matter.

And a picture of your kite in the sky would speak a thousand words. Sorry, my camera is down now..

You just have to see for yourself when the kite inflates and flies in the air. Its beautiful

[nightbreed]

...eh...why you start 2 threads with same title? Actually, I'm kinda pleased the "My Kite " thread has 158 replies and 1000+ views...

I think when my stunt kite gets here (whenever that may be...geez it's taking so long), there may be a "Stunt Kite" thread...

I wonder when we'll get into kitesurfing...

[nightbreed]

Love the pictures that you guys post. But if you stand beside your kite for size comparison, that will be a total different matter.

Yah...next pic I post will be me lying fully stretched out on my Fury...

[yeow_hwee]

Opps, i deleted the other threat liao.

Kite surfing ah... looks great but we dun have enough wind in singapore. And the surfboard would cost a fortune. I was thinking of using a skimboard. You guys saw those fellas at East coast Park with their skimboards ?

Its just a plywood board thats cut into shaped and wax/fiberglass kinda thing. But our kites are not meant for water..

...eh...why you start 2 threads with same title? Actually, I'm kinda pleased the "My Kite " thread has 158 replies and 1000+ views...

I think when my stunt kite gets here (whenever that may be...geez it's taking so long), there may be a "Stunt Kite" thread...

I wonder when we'll get into kitesurfing...

[nightbreed]

Ok. Since we all got our kites and will start flying soon, I shall use this thread from now on.

Anyway, more pix:

1. Me on kite
2. Me, Kite n Bike

[yeow_hwee]

The size of your kite is crazy !! Dun get blown to Malaysia or something.

I flew my kite today !! Its awesome. The wind wasnt really strong but I already had to lean back and sometimes jump forward to avoid falling down.

Tried to relaunch many times but only suceeded once. Did plenty of loops and stuff. Its great fun. Cant wait for the wind to be stronger.

One thing about the pepper 3.5m is that the kite speed must always be up. I cant seem to hang it at the edge of the window without collasping.

Love it

[yeow_hwee]

Had so much fun that i didnt realised that the sun was freakin hot. Got sunburned. My hands and legs were like jelly, my hands are literally shivering when i clenched them.

So tired that i bath than fell asleep. Good workout !!

[nightbreed]

Yah! It's like a work out in a gym! My whole shoulder and lower back areas are aching! I guess pulling on a kite is like weight lifting 50-60kg. For 1 hour or so.

I was mad enough to kite from 1130 to abt 2pm....stupid thing to do. Kena heat stroke if not careful. And a bit burnt, too.

I will tell you my 1st quad line experience when we next meet. Too long for here.

Thinking of going Marina to kite this evening. If u guys free, sms me.

[Mad Armour]

Just came back from Punggol Beach and flew my Pepper for the first time. Not much wind today. Collapse twice. However, still got a good workout when it's in the air. Need to constantly use my body as counterweight.

My 2.5M already pull so much in lousy wind condition. I can imagine how much both of your 4.5Ms pull man.

Anyway, it's a foregone conclusion that I'm getting a bigger kite for low wind condition and the 2.5 for higher winds.

[yeow_hwee]

mines is 3.5m. did some land sliding today....

My hand is sun burnt. I was thinking of wearing gloves when i fly. Its kinda pain when i put on the brakes and the string presses on my index finger.

I kinda mastered the relaunching techniques liao. But there must be sufficient wind to do it. Hovering at the edge of the window is also possible already, just that the wind have to strong.

[yeow_hwee]

What tricks you guys have up your sleeves ? Let me list some stuff to do.

1) Hovering at the edge of the window above or at the side. It takes minor pulling adjustment and brakes to achieve it.

2) Bringing the kite sweep from 1 end to the other, by passing the middle of the window. Bring it as low as possible, but try not to crash. I put my water bottle upright, and i could use my kite to whack it away after many tries and crashes. Its fun !

3) Land sliding. Do figure of 8s in the middle of the window. Should be able to slide if the wind is strong enough.

4) Loops. Try doing 4 consequctive loops. Experiment with brakes. One push, one pull. The radius of the circle differs.

5) Relaunching. A useful skill if the kite luffs and come to the ground. Basically, apply full brakes and the kite should inflate and rise off the ground. Play with releasing 1 brake and pulling to make it do a half loop to the correct direction again.

6) Sit/lie down and control your kite. The wind have to be strong enough, as you cant step back.

7 ) Do a 360 degrees turn, yourself ! Then loop the kite to go back to normal position. Repeat with the other side or do few consecutive turns.

8) Kite jumping ! This one i no experience. The wind wasnt strong enough on my side. Maybe nightbreed can try and tell us how.

Thats all i can come up of at the moment. Please add more if you have anymore interesting ideas !!!

[Mad Armour]

The wind wasn't strong enough for me to stall the kite at the edge of the window today....

[mathsinstrument]

Hi guys,

What's the difference between power/traction kite and a 2 line stunt kite? Is it easy to handle?
I see many sizes on internet shops but what will be a good start? 1.8m or 3.5?

[nightbreed]

ALRIGHT!!! Someone else has posted here besides the 3 of us!!!

Ok, mathsinstrument, Power kites are usually (but not confined to) dual line kites. They are usually quite small, about less tham 1 sq meter to about 1.5-2 sq meter. They can give quite a big pull under very windy conditions. But not enought o drag you a lot. My Ozone Imp (See thread "My Kite! ) is a power kite. MA also has a small power kite.

Traction kites are usually (but not always) quad line kites. They are about 2sq meters to 9+sq meters in area. These buggers are meant to pull you along, either on a landboard (like a skateboard), buggy or even on your own feet (called scudding). In Singapore, the wind now can drag you along if you fly a 3.5sq meter kite, like yeow_hwee's Peter Lynn Pepper. MA's 2.5 Pepper...still no news of him being dragged....My Ozone Fury 4.5 (See pix this thread) pulls ALL the time and my arms are jelly and weak from controlling it.

So, to answer your question about what kite to start, let's say this:

I started with a 1 sq meter Ozone Imp, dual line. That was fun. You can do quite a bit with it, but it's not likely to drag you although it CAN pull quite hard in strong winds. Then I graduated (more like took a big leap) to a 4.5m quad line....

yeow_hwee, on the other hand, has no experience with a dual line and he got a 3.5m quad line. As you can see, he's having a blast!

To me, if you want to start this hobby, go big. You will eventually get a bigger kite, so short-cut the process, save some money and get at least a 2.5m quad line kite. It will give you lots of pull, better control (pending strong arms) and give a you real kick out of kiting. But you may end up getting more than one kite anyway...I'm thinking of a 2.5m for really strong winds. I really don't think I can handle my 4.5 in strong winds. And MA's going the other way round - started with 2.5, but thinking of bigger for low winds. Looks like we need to visit Bilbo again. Sale ending in 8 days.

As or jumping, I never managed to do it consciously. But yesterday, I was lifted off the ground about what felt like half a foot and about half a meter forward. But I had to stop because my arms were really tired and I was not able to control my kite properly. So, I'm resting today and trying tomorrow.

I'm trying to maintain a constant pull so that I can scud continuously, but the Fury really needs strength to turn in high winds, so I haven't managed to turn it fast enough to keep it in the window to achieve my goal.

Oh, mathsinstrument, later tonight I will post some links for your info. Where do you live? If convenient for you to go Punggol Beach, I can let you try my dual line and quad line. You'll be able to pick up the sport in 5 minutes or less. I guarantee. I'm usually there weekdays after 5.