Contacts and Editorial

In this section you'll find contact details and this months editorial (comments, moans etc). Please feel free to send your responses.
 
 
Send comments to mailto:kites@andysworld.u-net.com

 

Editorial (Mid-February 2003)

First impressions of the new Flexifoil Bullet - nicely made and well presented (as you would expect fom Flexifoil). The design is very striking with a highly curved leading edge and simple but effective colour schemes. The Bullet Package includes handles and lines. The handles are topped with funny little coloured fabric boots - they look slightly daft but are comfortable. Lines are dyneema. Those on the 2.5 and 3.5 are 300lb over 200lb on a single winder. Its quite awkward to tell the line stengths. The thinner 200lb brake lines have a white fleck in the sleeving on the ends of the lines. Its there but a complete beginner might struggle. It would be MUCH better to supply them on two separate winders. The lines on these kites had sewn sleeving one end and simple knotted sleeving the other so its fairly easy to adjust their length in the future if they stretch. They're NOT as easy to use and identify as the Ozone line sets. The handles are also supplied with wrist straps (kite killers) so if you let go of the handles the kite folds up and drops to the ground. The system works but they do get in the way, however its easy to remove them if required.

Wind conditions for test flights were appauling - a horrible gusty, turbulent offshore wind. The bullets were easy to set up (simply attach the lines - no adjustment required). They sit on the ground reassuringly well. In the air the bullet is fast and turns are incredibly tight (using a touch of brake). Overhead pull is MUCH less than a Blade but stability is also lower. In these conditions it was fairly easy to force the bullet to collapse but in a reasonably controlled sort of way. Pumping the lines usually made the kite "pop" out and stabilise. General handling was good but in the conditions the bullet would not have been suitable for a beginner! Overall its very similar to the Ozone Little Devil (similar shape, similar price etc) so its likely to be strong competition for Ozone. Further flight tests will explore the differences in more detail.

So, in conclusion, the Bullet is another typically good kite from Flexifoil with an emphasis on easy handling and lower overhead lift so it should be great for general buggying, mountainboards etc. For reference the prices are 1.5m £139.95, 2.5m £189.95, 3.5m £239.95, 4.5m £289.95. The Bullets can be bought with a control bar but only the 1.5m is available at the moment.

Check out some pictures of the Bullets !

Editorial (February 2003)

Ozone Frenzy - some first impressions...

Its an open celled kite with a depower system that works very well. Pushing the control bar away releases the B,C and D bridle lines and the kite effectively hangs on the A lines. Pulling the bar back increases the power.

Like most depower kites, it needs a fair breeze to really get the system working. The 7.3 flies nicely in about 12mph and its possible to feel the depower system at work. Launching is straightforward by simply setting the system to full depower then simply allowing the kite to pull up and accelerate. The pull is very manageable in this sort of wind (if not much at all in reality). Once overhead the Frenzy is VERY stable and incredibly smooth in flight. Even holding it on depower the turns are still quick for such a large kite. Pulling back the bar to increase the power decreases the forward speed making small jumps controllable and safe.

The depower system has some superb safery features which add to a feeling of confidence. Using the chicken loop, its possible to keep hooked into the harness. If necessary, a loop can be pulled above the chicken loop and the kite will pull away at which point the wrist leash holds it firmly and the Frenzy reverses down with a light pull. The features are impressive and a credit to Ozone.

There is a cam cleat adjuster on the central line (attached to the main flying lines). The bar has a standard harness loop (as well as the chicken loop). If this is hooked onto a harness the cam cleat can be used to trim the power i.e. pull the central line in a little to decrease the power.

I tested a 7.3m Frenzy against my 6.3 and 8.4m Peter Lynn Arcs, both on very simple short bars with central depower loop. The 6.3 was noticeably faster than the Frenzy and turned quicker. The 6.3 actually developed a similar amount of power to the 7.3m Frenzy in the fair 12-15mph wind. Swapping to the larger 8.4m ARC, it certainly felt more powerful but not significantly so. The depower range of the ARCs was VERY small compared to the Frenzy. The most noticeable aspect of the comparison was the pull on the bar needed to increase the power of the ARCs compared to the Frenzy. Although the Frenzy requires a reasonable pull to come off depower, the ARCs seemed to need a much more powerful pull and it was more tiring to hold the large ARC at full power. I did feel though that on full power, the 8.4m pulled harder.

I've always found the ARCs to be great for jumping but the Frenzy does have a better "feel" - its more controllable and the power delivery is smoother and more predictable. Overall the safety features of the Frenzy offer a real sense of security which make it much nicer to fly (and of course being opencelled, the Frenzy inflates immediately !!)

Detailed reviews and pictures will follow soon.

Editorial (January 2003)

Sorry - its been a long time since I posted an editorial !!

2002 proved to be a strange year for buggying in general. The fatal (sandyacht) accident at Lytham had repercussions throughout the country as clubs and councils imposed buggy (and sandyacht) bans, some of which are still in force. Safety has become paramount and following risk assessments, the club here on the Wirral (WSYC) has allowed access to the beach for members of the club. Membership enquiries should be addressed to the club - check out the WSYC web site. All buggiers (parakarters) require a K7xx series number for indentification to the regulation size so please ensure that you get a number with your membership. Due to the rise in applications for membership, applications now result in associate membership. The current license (to use the beach etc) is due for renewal in April. Since there are many organisation such as English Nature who have an input into the equation, no-one really knows what the exact out come will be..so in he meantime buggy safely and observe all the necessary rules !! The web site has details.

The long ban meant that we couldn't get out and do many reviews although we've squeezed in some buggy reviews that were undertaken before the ban and some flying only reviews of basic power kites.

So what's new...well the Ozone FRENZY looks very interesting. Not specifically a buggy kite but nevertheless with an effective depowr system it will rival the Blade as a suerb allrounder. Flexifoil have the BULLET - at a glance it looks a bit like a ram air c-quad but its VERY distinctive. We'll look forward to trying a bullet ASAP. Its immediate competitor must be the Ozone Little Devil. The LD range is excellent -forgiving and easy handling, it has proven to be a success so maybe Flexfoil are after a slice of that market following the demise of the Sky tiger and Viper. Personally the Hi series Tigers were VERY good, the Viper not so good !!

I'm now a certified British Buggy Club / PKSF power kite and kitebugy instructor which means I can offer training. I'll be posting more details of this shortly.

Editorial (June 2002)

As you may be aware the biggest development at Prokites has been the addition of a retail site (www.virtualkitestore.com) The inclusion of Ozone kites has been very successful -the Little Devils are proving to be very popular since they're very good kites. They're well made, competitively priced and are great in the air. The handling is fairly gentle without the huge overhead pull of a Blade II. This is superb on a buggy when you DON'T want to be dragged up and out !!

Reviews of both the Ozone Little Devils and Razors have been added and more photos and reports will be added over the summer when we can get some good conditions !!!

I have a Flexifoil Freestyle buggy on test at the moment. Its a good quality buggy - very rugged construction and much more robust than the Peter Lynn competition buggy. Although its roughly the same size as the PL buggies, the Flexifoil is surprisingly comfortable since the seat has a useful but rather small built-in backrest. In action, the treaded tyres seem to offer a high level of grip under power giving a feeling of security over the PL buggy.


Editorial (November 2001)

At last a chance to update the site a little so check out the images of the Advance Rhea on a new page. Billed as an allround kite it is a sealed foil design therefore useful for kitesurfing / kiteboarding. Although the safety release system is superb and VERY, VERY effective it has an articulated control bar and its actually difficult to see what real advantages, if indeed any, it offers. The biggest problem with the Rhea (as usual) is the overall price. Despite a full package with kite, bag, bar and lines the 10m comes in at whopping £739.00 so its up in the league of the larger inflatables. OK the construction, presentation etc is great but it IS an expensive package. To be strictly honest its hard to understand why kites have to be so expensive when the material cost is reasonably small ??

On the subject of prices - Alfred at Pegasus has generated much comment on the various message boards and forums but as a number of people have commented the savings are extremely good so why pay more in the UK -even Flexifoil's blades are cheaper !!! Alfred's service is excellent and highly recommended !

The beach has been busy recently although other committments have meant that I haven't been able to get out too much. High tides have provided (limited) opportunity to try some kiteboarding - the NEXUS proved to be very good -why does it get slated (or forgotten) so much. The relaunchability is very good as long as the pressure in the bladders is OK. The only really noticeable "disadvantage" is a lack of a proper safety depowering system. The kite does land on the water if the bar is dropped when using the leash provided but the Nexus still pulls like a train on the water - definitely NOT suitable for offshore winds but overall its impressive and performance is very good compared to the more "popular" inflatables.

I'll be working on more reviews very soon for example the excellent Airea Raptor II and the Wipika LTR. I've plenty of SUPERB shots of the Boom 9m to post although I can't comment too much on its flying characteristics.


Editorial (July 2001)

The best and most recent "buggy" days were 14th and 15th July - the PKA National Series races. The turnout was excellent and the range of kites and buggies was impressive with several Libre Boras, Airea Raptor IIs, Predators etc. I managed only a short spell on the beach but there are some good pictures on the new page. The Raptors looked particularly striking !

There's an increasing number of visitors to the beach which is great -just take care and make sure you're insured -we don't want anyone causing a potential problem ! To be honest the beach hasn't been particularly good during June and July due to the recent spell of bad weather. Let's hope it improves !

I've bought a couple of Boras from a German web site - Pegasus. Their prices on European kites are very, very good, particularly the Libre kites. Airea are well priced and Peter Lynn kit is good. Thanks to Paul Burford for telling me about them. E-mail repsonse is very prompt and delivery about a week if the kites are in stock. Interestingly Pegasus have a few special offers and a POWERSALE whereby you can express an interest in the specified kite and if 5 or more people "sign up" the first five buy it at a discounted price. Now if you look at the prices and convert them into £ (or local currency) UK dealers should be VERY worried. They simply knock spots off the typical UK list prices so it does make me think who is setting the prices in the UK? As an example the Libre Bora 2.8 was £191.00 against the UK price of £280.00 (based on the current exchange rate) so they are VERY competitive with Blades - by the way prices on Flexifoil stuff is NO cheaper ! I reckon you can save in the region of 30-35% - take a look.

On the subject of kitesurfing I attended a course at Watergate Bay - nice location, hotel and instructors but the wind was very low on one day and non-existent on the second so I didn't get much out of it, however I have had a go locally and can get up on the board fairly easily so something must have stuck !! One problem in Cornwall was the surf. Its very powerful and spat me off the board on every water start but on a local lake in "soft" conditions and flat water I was OK (using a Blade 7.2) !! The course focussed on Wipika so at least we flew some of the big Free Airs although personally I prefer the water-relaunchable ram air kites such as the ARC. The latest kite on test was an Advance RHEA which is featured in the shootout (yes I know its a water kite really !!). The safety release set up (as STANDARD) is EXCELLENT and despite the high prices its a good kite and Peter Lynn should really take note since none of his kites are supplied with any form of safety /emergency set up (or indeed any instructions to do so). We're hoping to get a BIG Rhea soon and perhaps one of the new BOOM-KITES which look very similar !

 

Editorial (February 2001)

The kite scene is still fairly slack here at the moment so little to report. Local beach conditions are still horrendous !

A full review of the 2nd generation Arc is now on the site - check it out !

I have a production Arc 630 (4.5m projected area) which I intend to review in detail very soon. A taster appears on the Arc review page. I've used the new twistgrip bar with the 630 which is an interesting combination. The new Arc differs from previous versions:

In terms of flying characteristics the 630 is much faster than the 2nd generation 7.2 and turns very quickly which is surprising with the main lines crossed !! At the point where the lines cross they are supposed to go through a line separator (button) which I don't have so a stainless steel ring will have to do for now. Its possible that the lines could wear with this set up ?

Arc 630 (4.5m Projected)
Twistgrip Bar

Editorial (December 2000)

A quick update and futher thoughts on the ARC

The year is almost over and here on the Wirral its not been good for kiting with appauling conditions for the last few months and a "summer" which never really got here ! I'm still experimenting with my 2nd generation 7.2m Peter Lynn ARC and I've only flown it statically in lightish winds. I understand that production models are due out in January- they're fairly expensive in the smaller sizes but better value in the larger sizes @ about £350 for the 4.6, £450 for the 6.3, £550 for the 8.4 and £650 for the 11.2. These sizes are flat areas and don't include lines and handles / bar. The projected area is obviously less than this and a better indication of the power @ 3.3, 4.5, 6.0 and 8.0 sqm respectively. I'd expect slightly better power than a similar sized Wipika since the ARC maintains the foil shape so I suppose the 4.6 may have an equivalent power of a 3.3 Blade. My 7.2 falls in between the 6.3 and 8.4 and I suggest that its not as powerful as the 7.2 Blade in light winds or conversely it needs a stronger wind than the 7.2 Blade to get the same pull.

My kite has a fairly complicated bar / brake doubler arrangement which at first glance appears to offer a sheeting facility as per Naish or 4 line Wipika. However despite a number of comments on the Peter Lynn Discussion forum (which incidently has been reset and not much works on the site - sort it out ASAP Paul !!) I agree with guys like Ted that the ARC cannot be depowered. The main lines are connected to line passing THROUGH the centre of the bar and the brakes to the bar ends (on my bar via a pulley arrangement). Pushing the bar forwards releases the brakes and makes the kite accelerate forwards with a vastly reduced ability to turn. There is a fine line between forward flight and quick turning but once the setting is found it flies very well. In very light winds it does have a tendancy to stop flying forwards (stalls) at which point releasing the brakes a little allows the kite to open out a bit and fly forwards. I may try a simpler bar arrangement without the "sheeting" arrangement -I understand that PL has a new twistgrip bar for the ARC which allows fine adjustment of the brakes during flight ? I've tried the ARC with conventional quad line handles - its OK but the brakes are VERY heavy and need a substantial pull to turn and reverse.

 
I'll post some pictures of the ARC as soon as the conditions are OK and theres a bit of brighter sky to improve the picture quality !! In the meantime check out a couple of views of the leading edge valves during inflation !

There's very little else to report at the moment - I've bought a second hand Libre V-Max which is excellent and I wish I'd bought one years before. Its extremely comfortable and the seat is a tighter fit than the Peter Lynn Race buggy. I'm not totally convinced about the black epoxy finish - it does chip but the tubing does appear to be treated somehow therefore I'm hoping its OK against corrosion from sea water. The old Flexifoil original buggy has been sold to pay for the V-max but it's a good, tough buggy and it should see a lot more service yet !!

Editorial (October 2000)

Construction and Quality

If you take a look at the discussion forum on peterlynnkites.com there are a number of messages concerning the new Waterfoil. The main "complaint" refers to the inlets / valves which are only glued together and the seam can be affected by water. I made a brief comment that the general standard of construction on the Peter Lynn products was not as good as Flexifoil or Quadrifoil and it prompted a flurry of activity. Obviously everyone has their own view and many suggested that they knew of problems with the Blade !! Essentially the standard of sewing on the Peter Lynn kites is NOT as good as the others - its fairly obvious and clear to see a few loose threads and messy seams. However I have to say that to date there have been NO problems with any of my kites !! Although I have NOT suffered any Blade problems, one or two have been reported and I've just learnt about a kite failing on our beach !! Hopefully it will be returned to Flexifoil for repair and a diagnosis of the failure which appears to be at the points where the bridle attaches.

If you want so see excellent standards of design and construction take a look at the Spider kites - they sew a flat line along the bottom of each rib and the bridle lines are attached through the skin and round the line. PL use a similar design in some of their kites. Interestingly a close look at a Blade reveals a "simple" construction with little reinforcement (unlike Quadrifoil kites which are reinforced everywhere). I'd assumed that the Blade construction was OK for the job but maybe very hard use can cause a problem - we'll wait to see ?

Development and Kite Surfing

There are many new kites coming onto the market which have been designed for good water-relaunchability for example the Waterfoil, ARC and Flexifoil's Nexus. The latest "wings" from Kitesurfer.com look interesting with a number of inflatable tubes in the leading edge to make it more aerodynamic rather than the typically round tube in a Wipika or Naish. Expect to see a lot more development work on this type of kite using plastic welding technology to experiment with various profiles. There are still two main categories of kites in this area - inflatables and ram air. The inflatables have pump up tubes at the leading edge which set the kite into an arc type shape and pump up battens which create the aerofoil contour on the kite's skin. Generally they are not as efficient as ram air kites unless their aspect ratio is large for example the Naish AR5s - this I understand reduces the relaunchability. The inflatable kites have a very simple bridle (if at all) therefore there is little to get tangled up and they can be flown on two lines for simplicity. Conversion to four lines allows "sheeting" - in this case the kite can be tipped forwards i.e the angle of attack is changed and the kite's power decreases. The ram air kites rely on incoming airflow to inflate the kite's interior so it forms the aerodynamic shape. They have a number of one way valves on the leading edge to keep the air inside - the valves do leak and therefore the kite does deflate. The Waterfoil is typical of this design. Other kites have both valves and inflatable "balloons" inside which obviously stay inflated for example the windtools Mosquito KS. Generally ram air kites have a complex bridle and can be flown on two or four lines. The current trend is towards rounder shaped kites with lower aspect ratios which aids water-relaunchability. The Flexifoil Nexus has been long awaited with many replies on the message board at www.flexifoil.com. Although I've only seen pictures it looks like a single skinned kite with inflatable tubes and battens - nowhere as curved as a Wipika but along the same sort of design. We've often wondered why Flexifoil didn't "aquatise" the Blade which has been praised for its stability and overhead power in jumps. Peter Lynn has sealed his kites using taped seams therefore it would have been possible to do this on a Blade and design leading edge valves. In this case they would have started with a design which we all know works well and had development potential (I dare say this would make an interesting project for anyone with a Blade to "doctor" ?)

Peter Lynn ARC

A recent development by Peter Lynn is the ARC. This kite is a valved ram air type but it has NO external bridle. Lines are sewn internally and the tips are supported on carbon fibre battens. In flight it looks like a Wipika and forms almost a perfect semi-circle hence the name ARC. I'll be reporting on this very soon as I have a second generation ARC (originally stated as 7.2sqm projected area but probably more like 6.5 according to the latest PL newsletter). The kite was supplied with a short bar using a four line set-up. The two main lines are taken to a rope which passes through a grommet in the centre of the bar. The rope is tied off in a loop so that it can be hooked over a harness hook / pulley. The two brake lines are connected to the ends of the bar (via a crossover / pulley arrangement). Therefore if the bar is pushed forwards the brake lines are slackened.

Brake line tension has to be set up accurately - if they are too loose the kite is sluggish to turn, too tight and it reverses. At the optimium point the kite flies well, however there is a very fine line between stalling and turning response. This where the "sheeting" ability of the bar can be used. If the kite begins to slow and stalls, pushing the bar forwards slackens the brakes and it flies forwards but turning reponse is very slow. The same type of effect can be achieved using lines fixed to the bar with a strap which can be pulled to tension the main lines. Existing ARC users say it is NOT the same as the 4 line set up on a Naish. On the Naish (or 4 line Wipika) this alters the angle of attack and depowers the kite. The ARC does NOT depower and I don't think the system affect the angle of attack at all, therefore it is NOT a "sheeting" adjustment as such. (I may well try the curved c-quad bar on the ARC which might work OK ?)

Using conventional quad line handles the ARC flies very well, responding to 2 lines pull-pull flying nicely. Its VERY heavy on the brakes however and a lot of pressure isneeded to reverse and turn the kite which is why the bar may be more efficient. Peter Lynn claims that the kite is very resistant to luffing (collapse) . In very light winds the kite is obviously difficult to keep in the air but interestingly even in the lighest of winds in simply hangs in the air as if it was full of helium !!! At first glance the valve sealing is better than my Waterfoil although they look very similar. The only downside so far is the fact that each tip has a rigid batten therefore the kite has to be rolled up and won't pack up very small. It does however have a large sealable valve on the trailing edge which is used for very quick deflation. I'll post pictures and flying reviews ASAP !

Safety

Another concern at the moment is safety. The Wipikas have an effective safety system so the control bar can be released and the kite falls safely. The bar for my ARC has a similar arrangement. The problem arises because surfing requires more power than buggying and it is obviously dangerous to fly continually overpowered. A number of 3-line set ups are available e.g Conceptair whereby the brakes are connected to a single third line which goes to the centre of a bar. If the bar is released the brakes are applied since you wear a wrist leash. I've yet to try this type of set up but it looks OK for the Waterfoil. I feel that more development and ideas will come out on this subject.

Editorial (August 2000)

The local conditions have been fairly extreme - most of July and the first week of August was poor - the beach was very wet and muddy. High tides however did present a chance to try my newly aquired buggy boat !! Basically there are three floats which replace the wheels. A standard buggy frame bolts onto a larger frame which support the two rear floats. A new front fork bolts onto the third float. Neither the tide or the wind has been favourable therefore I've only managed to go a few hundred metres but it feels OK. I'll post some pictures ASAP. The PL Waterfoil was used however the very light 5mph winds caused several problems. The Waterfoil 5.7 really needs a higher wind for a successful relaunch. We also found that if the kite is left on the surface of the water for more than a couple of minutes water DOES find its way in, it gets very heavy and will NOT relaunch. I've posted a query on the PL discussion forum to see if this is a common problem.

The new Peter Lynn RACE buggy is out - looks OK, not as nice as a Libre V Max but the suspension rear axle is great. Check out the images and a brief initial review !

 

Editorial (March - April 2000)

Still very poor conditions at the moment but it should get better soon !!

Kite Passion magazine has now become kite surfing - still a good interesting read, particularly the kite reviews so have a look. The previous and actually last copy of Kite Passion reported that Peter Powell has ceased trading (again) - sad news indeed.

Not a huge amount of activity on the message boards recently, e.g. Flexifoil and the new one at the X-zone but a fair amount of second hand stuff for sale which is good - check out the Highwaymen (see links) and their second hand section via the sitemap - more stuff there.

Check out the new mountainboard - tried it for the first time on grass recently. Its fairly difficult to balance the power of the kite and try to steer the board at the same time, however it didn't take too long to get the hang of cross wind runs. The kite needs to be fairly gentle but constant power - I had to ditch the harness to get much finer control of the kite using gentle sweeps to smooth out the power delivery. The first runs didn't use the bindings since I had visions of trapped feet  !! Most of the time I used the Quadrifoil Competition XL in winds which varied from about 5 to 12 mph - the gusty conditions resulted in a number of nice gentle jumps off the board  - when I try the bindings this could be interesting !!  Overall its much more physical than the buggy, with a need to constantly alter body position and focus on the kite and direction of the board !!

Editorial (February 2000)

Not a lot to discuss this month unfortunately  - the weather has been horrendously bad therefore not much flying, except for a good dusting off for the Modulus which suits high, gusty winds. My Mosquito Pro 2m has been tried but it suffers from constant collapse despite experimentation with the brake lines. If anyone can help please let me know how I can tame it !! I hope to do a photo session on the buggy soon with plenty of frame by frame "how to" shots . The site has been converted to Microsoft Frontpage which offers more than composer so I've had to tweak bits here and there to get them to display OK. I'm looking at Dreamweaver at the moment as part of a company website - this package is very powerful and allows the use of all sorts of effects therefore in the not too distant future the site will be re-written and hopefully it will look a bit more animated. 

Checked out the Cunningstunts web site recently - glad to see they've got some of it online now - its looking good with some really interesting kites for example the Libre Adrenaline at attractive prices !!

I also noticed a link on deja.com in the rec.kites forum for the worlds largest parafoil from NASA - have a look !!

Editorial (January 2000)

Good news from the PKA:

The cost of membership including insurance is now only £25.00 which is excellent and they have realised the need to attract "fun buggyers" who may like to buggy "in company" but who are not necessarily that keen on racing. The standard class however looks interesting since it restricts buggies to "standard" types i.e. not with huge rear axles etc. I hope that that do allow more people to take part  - last years UK series results clearly show quite a depleted entry ?

Technical Details of This Site (For Those Interested)

This site is a "first attempt" so I've tried to keep it simple and its not as hard as you think.  I've used Macromedia's excellent Dreamweaver . All images are taken with a Canon PowerShot A5 digital camera which is excellent outdoors in good light but poor indoors. Compressing the images to make the file size more suitable for the net has been "interesting". The outdoor shots in bright sunlight are very large files to start with although I think I made the mistake of setting the camera to maximum resolution. I'll try it with a more net friendly 640 x 480 soon. For example one of the Blade shots was 235K and it loses a lot when its compressed, however a recent picture of a Wipika against a very dull and angry sky was only 29K and compressed to 6K with no real loss of perceived quality ! The camera is supplied with ULead PhotoImpact which is very useful and comes with the ULead GIF animator which I'm experimenting with now, although I'm not sure that simple animations and banners will look any good on this type of site ? I've also got PaintShop Pro which can be used to design graphics and reduce the number of colours.