Sport & Stunt Kites

Well after receiving my Prism lines from KitePower, I've been busting to get out and try the el-cheapo Aldi stunt kite. Yesterday it was blowing at about 25kph from the SE so I headed out to Nobby's Beach. Not nearly as many PPL on the beach this time (last time I went was a Sunday), so no worries about decapitating anyone.

After a particularly stressful afternoon discussing whether plasma or LCD TV's were better with a couple of neighbours, the LAST thing I was expecting was for my kite to stress me, but it did. Well, not actually the kite, but the lines. Everything that COULD have gone wrong, DID go wrong, it seems. As soon as I undid the rubber bungee tie-down on the winder, the handles dropped by about a foot, and so did the pigtails... and in the cool afternoon breeze, started spinning around each other violently. So instead of just setting it all up and off I go, as was expected, for the next 15 minutes my blood pressure goes thru the roof as I sit and undo a complete bird's nest mess.

I can say quite assuredly that I really didn't need that.. ! Kinda funny in hindsight, I guess, but man.. I was fuming at the time...

Well I finally get the mess sorted (note for future reference - DON'T just let the flying straps flap in the breeze when preparing to lay out your lines !) and lay everything out.. and I'm ready to go. With the kite on it's belly, first thing was to practice dead launching (which I learned from some video tutorial I found online). Took me a couple of goes (being a cheapie kite with solid glass rods) but I got it in the end. The kite gets air and I'm immediately impressed by how much better it feels with the decent lines. Much more responsive !

Now, I should mention here that the other thing I was really looking forward to was seeing the change in performance of the kite after I'd measured and adjusted the bridle correctly (out of the bag from Aldi, the bridle was horribly out of balance !) So anyway, I get to cruise around for a few minutes, and happily found that I'd fixed the problem of the kite turning much better in one direction than the other. The breeze was great, nice and smooth, and I knew I was in for an enjoyable afternoon of trying/practicing my first basic tricks (I was planning to learn a fade, side slipping and the dead launches). Little did I know that my relative inexperience was about to bite me on the arse..

All in all I got to fly for only about 5 minutes before this very nice lady comes up to me and compliments me on how well I was flying, and that it looks like a lot of fun. She was perhaps in her 50's and was clearly a very friendly person, so it just felt right when I turned to her and asked "Would you like a go ?". Perhaps you've been there yourself. Perhaps you've been so naive as to think that, well... it's easy enough for ME to keep this thing off the ground.. of course everyone ELSE should be able to do the same thing.. right ? Right ? Oh dear.. Well, I'm sure you've at least SEEN it before. With the kite's nose turning towards the ground, the arms are immediately outstretched, thrown above the head, hands flailing in all directions like a nutter, and the usual associated running backwards when at all other times their feet are encased in a large cement block, my kite is driven into the sand from on high, under almost full power, a grand total of 3 times.

Of course you know what's coming next, don't you. Yep, SHE BROKE IT ! "Oh no, I haven't damaged it, have I ?", she yells from the flying straps. "Ahhh... ehhh... yup, just a little, but it's OK... nothing major." The bungee that retains the spine had torn free with the impacts. There was no way I was going to let this kindly woman know how bitterly disappointed I was. It was only 3.30pm or so and I was REEEEEALLY looking forward to learning those tricks. I'd been waiting for a couple of weeks to get out... and here it was, all over. Inside my head was wall-to-wall "FFFUUUU&&^%$%^*(#@||+*&%$#@!!!#%^&*$#$%&^&%##%^*&()))(&%$##@#*^&&^&#^$#@^^(**&%*$%#*&)*&*%^$$(&(*%&^%*^%&*)*CK". She offered to pay for it, but since I'd told her it was only a $10 kite, it felt ridiculous to even consider taking any money from her, so I declined as graciously as I could. I also reasoned that it was only this bungee cord that needed re-attaching, so I'm sure I can handle that (how the hell, I don't know, but I'll think of something).

So at that point it I packed up the stunt kite, holding back the tears Then it was out with the cheapie Aldi parafoil, attached the new lines to it and we're off again. That's right, I said WE. Even tho she tried to skulk away in embarassment, I decreed "You don't think you're gonna get off THAT easily, do you ? No spars in this one... you can't really break it !".

Suffice to say, after numerous more hefty contacts with the ground, and about half an hour later, she finally was able to keep the thing airborne, albeit with lots of instruction. Setting aside the embarassment, I think she geniunely had a bit of fun as she wanted to know where she could go to get started. I gave her the KitePower URL and suggested a decent beginner's kite (eg Prism Jazz), explained it already comes with good lines, carry bag, etc.. much better than the Aldi cheapies which, now from experience, can't survive too well the incidents associated with raw beginners. And she wandered off to rejoin her family who were watching and waiting patiently nearby.

I was left cruising around the sky with the backup kite.. the parafoil. If only the wind was a bit stronger, I would have been a whole lot more fun, but as it was, I flew until dark.. sore as I was (literally and figuratively). There were actually stars out by the time I packed up. During the afternoon there was a couple of other folks who came down, one with a couple of teenage girls who were learning to power kite... and the other with a buggy who spent the afternoon lazily zipping up and down the beach with his kid in his lap grinning from ear to ear. I didn't get a chance to speak to ANY of them, unfortunately, but all in all, it seemed like everyone had a fantastic afternoon... 'cept me..

TassieDevil

(Hit the post button, and just realised what an essay this was... sorry about that.. !)

Yes I think alot of us had wished we'd never offered a go to a noob. Mine, well it was the mother in-law in the early days of meeting my now wife. Mother-in-laws and kites do not mix!

From what i understand of your adventures, you may need one of these..........................



Kite Stake

...my now wife.

Hey, I can barely afford a kite, let alone one of those !

From what i understand of your adventures, you may need one of these..........................

Kite Stake

U might have to help me a little on this one, I'm new to all this, U see. Is that to keep my lines under control, or to drive thru the heart of the offending total noob when they wreck your kite ?

You anchor the handles around the kite stake while let your lines out and set up your kite. A large screw driver blade first into the ground would suffice. Hope this helps.

I think the Kite Stake is for the Mother In Law

Open cell foil kites are always a good start for newbies as they are a bit tougher for those rough landings, unless they manage to burst a cell. I have had a few try to break my PKD Buster and it still lives.

Ahhh yes Tassie.

Thats why I suggested the foils for the newbies!!

Anything with "sticks" tends to get broken.

A word of warning about the Aldi stunt kite, you may find that you can't trick the kite!!!

It is not you, but the kite.

A kite is designed to fly, and thats all the makers of this kite have done.
A trick kite is much much more than this.
Some basic tricks could be done, but others will result in wing wraps, and impacts with the ground.

I have some stunt kites from 10-15 years ago, these will not trick!!
Even a top of the range team kite finds it hard to do a single axle, let alone anything like a cascade etc.

Save the tricks for kites that will do them.
Pay the extra for a good basic trick kite, and you'll have many hours of enjoyment infront of you.

A little more news..

After writing the first post (above) I thought I'd check the kite, wash it down, etc. I'm a little embarrassed to say that I could have continued flying the damned thing on Thursday... it wasn't really broken. I thought the bungee cord in the tail was sewn in to the heavy duty black hem material they've used, but it's not so. It looks like the bungee cord just feeds thru a small loop in the hem, and is tied in a loop itselfwith a simple knot so that it can retain the spine. All I had to do was re-tie the knot ! Oh well... another lesson learned...

A word of warning about the Aldi stunt kite, you may find that you can't trick the kite!!!

It is not you, but the kite.

Well, I actually managed to get out with a mate yesterday and have another go, this time up on Stockton Beach. My mate had never flown a kite before so I had to spend 45 mins with him on the foil getting the basic skills. He ploughed it into the sand under full power a couple of times, creating a "thud" that could be clearly heard 80m away.. But in the end, I think he's better at getting the foil back up off the ground than I am..

So again, the plan was to try to learn how to do dead launches, side slipping, and perhaps a fade. To cut a long story short, I pretty much got to learn.. well.. none of them ! The slope on the beach made things a little awkward, I'm sure, but essentially out of all the attempts I had at relaunching after contact with the ground/water.. every single one failed. And as for the side slipping.. I couldn't really get the kite to stall.. but then again I may not have been doing it properly..

Last night, whilst laying in bed (trying to get to sleep), it dawned on me... could it be "bridle adjustment" ? I wonder if my efforts will be rewarded by a little tinkering with the bridle... hmm... seems some experimentation is in order..

I'm sore as hell after 2 days out, but I'm overdosing on the pain killers and hoping that another mate (who DOES fly kites occasionally) gives a me a ring to say we're going out again this afternoon..

Gary

He did ring. And we went out flying at Stockton again.

And I don't think I'll be going anywhere for the next week. I can barely walk... lol

Had a ball dogfighting with the foils. Found out that his flies beautifully, mine steers like a bus. Since I have 2 of them myself, I'll sit down and measure the bridles and see if they're the same lengths as the other one (which I haven't flown yet). My friend's foil was faster, smoother, turned better and had more pull. Luck of the draw with the cheapies, I guess, eh...

Tried some more landings and then some dead launches today. If I'm honest, most of the landings were really flukes as the kite tumbled out of control and ended up standing upright. I couldn't stall it sufficiently to land.. Not sure if I'll persist with the dead launches any more.. on hard, level sand, anyway. The kite is either sitting too flat on the ground for any air to get underneath it, or it's too heavy and the nose ain't lifting up enough to get air underneath (I suspect the latter).

Great story Gary... Seems as though you're getting your moneys worth. It also appears now that you're trying to drive a Barina like a Ferrari, you can at least try until the motor blows up. In the mean-time, it's sort-of fun - but a little frustrating, and not nearly as fun as driving the Ferrari.

:( Not sure if I'll persist with the dead launches any more.. on hard, level sand, anyway. The kite is either sitting too flat on the ground for any air to get underneath it, or it's too heavy and the nose ain't lifting up enough to get air underneath (I suspect the latter).

Gary,
Sounds to me like your kite isn't capable of a dead launch. If you can't do it on hard sand don't try it in soft sand as the only result will be a broken kite.

[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VANxs3rZd5E]YouTube - Sleeping Beauty/Dead launch Studies[/URL]

Jas

...don't try it in soft sand as the only result will be a broken kite.

I've kinda been expecting either that or broken lines.. No matter how hard I tried to "hit" it, I haven't yet been successful.

It's making me wonder if it's capable of doing ANYTHING other than cruising back and forth, and tracing some pretty patterns in the sky. Perhaps in the hands of someone who knows better...

On Monday I downloaded all of that guy's videos... they're pretty good. No instructions at all, just a study, as their name suggests. All are helpful..

Gary

It's making me wonder if it's capable of doing ANYTHING other than cruising back and forth, and tracing some pretty patterns in the sky. Perhaps in the hands of someone who knows better...

Not all kites are freestyle capable as they need certain characteristics built into them. It sounds like yours isn't.

If you're ever in melbourne, stop by moran reserve and I'll be able to tell you the degree to which the Aldi kite sucks donkey balls. A fair bit, I'd say.

Also, don't feel bad about the prang. A mate once ran backwards over my kite that was resting on the ground, and the end result was a write-off. The kite was from France and retails for $480.