Blade II 9m small
Flexifoil Blade II 9m. What a beast!
Now I just hope we get some summer to use it and that I don't land myself in hospital!
Who else out there likes these things?
I am so excited - just got my new toy through the post....
Blade II 9m small
Flexifoil Blade II 9m. What a beast!
Now I just hope we get some summer to use it and that I don't land myself in hospital!
Who else out there likes these things?
A flexifoil 9m once carried me and 2 friends across a field 
Seriously powerful. I mostly use a 3m flexifoil. Great fun 
Sounds interesting.... Did it hurt!? I have a 4.9m for windy days (well up to 25ish mph). Do you fly inland or venture to the beach? Buggy/landboard or just recreational?
Recreational around the local area in playing frields etc. I have been on the beach too. On a windy day the 3 meter one was terrifying, when we used
the 9 meter the winds were quite mild but it still dragged us away In an ideal world I'd have 2 or 3 different sized kites for different winds
but I find a 3 meter-ish size is a good compromise. I've not used a buggy/board. We did once use a survival bag (got inside it) on wet grass,
that was fun.
Did it hurt? Not too much 
I got loads of bad grazes over the years from kiting, it's great fun, I've not done it for ages, need to get
another one now
I REALLY want to try kite surfing, I saw a beachful of people doing it in South Africa, looks amazing
[Edited on 26/3/08 by Benzine]
look into some kite killers you WILL need them with that size.beware of the power of the wind.but have fun there awesome.
quote:
Originally posted by ruskino80
beware of the power of the wind.but have fun there awesome.
I think I will invest in some kite killers. I have never ever found I had to let go/panic, even when getting pounded, but I am sure there will be a time! I have always advised newbies if the worse comes to worse then just let go of one handle, and under no crcumstances should one pull the brakes when airborne - it hurts!
I would definitely invest in some kite killers, not only do they protect you but also your equipment and other people.
I really need to free the kites from there prolonged winter exile in the boot of the car and actually use them. Luckily for me im right near the
beach so have some nice places to fly.
I Just fly recreationally at the moment but really want to get into kite surfing. But keep telling myself that i can't take up and MORE hobbies
before the car is finished (i can find enough excuses to stay out of the garage already)
Another thing that i would advise is joining the British Power Kiting Association (BPKA) as included in the fairly cheap membersip is 3rd party
liability cover if the worst should happen (the amount of suicidal idiots who get too close to the kites is mad)
BPKA linky
ETA Nice kite BTW 
think I might end up in France if i flew it though 
[Edited on 26/3/08 by Duncan_P]
quote:
Originally posted by twybrow
I think I will invest in some kite killers. I have never ever found I had to let go/panic, even when getting pounded, but I am sure there will be a time!
Beast!!! Iv got a 2.5m power kite which is good fun. My father inlaw has a flexifoil rage 3.5 which was great until we were out new years day last
year and he broke his back flying it!! That was with a bar and the killer didnt work properly. He bought an 8m rage and a buggy just before that the
8m ended up on ebay. He cant fly them anymore so hes looking at the revolution stunt ones. Great fun mind you.
The blades are sposed to be for more lift arnt they? U must be brave.. My 2.5 traction lifts me up when its windy..
Have u seen the power kite vids on youtube?
Just looked at the piccie im surprised that didnt come with kite killers. Well worth it. Iv never neded them on my little one ut im sure you will
with that.
[Edited on 26/3/08 by Danozeman]
Reminds me of when the top gear guys went quad biking- "Hello, I'd like to hire some death please"
Just to reassure you chaps, I have been doing this for some years now. I have learnt at least some of my lessons the hard way. 20' off the deck
over a summer baked field is not the place to pull the brake lines - especially when you are the usher for your sisters wedding two days later! I have
had a Blade II for 6 years. They do produce lots of lift, and can be scary! The smaller kites tend to pick you up and dump you very fast. The larger
kites have a floatier character (I hope!).
I have done some rather large jumps over the years. My record was in 30mph winds on Exmouth estuary (one for the Devon boys!). We were flying on my
harness, hitting pendulem jumps. I hit one and cleared 150 foot (over the ground) before touching down! Needless to say, we didn't try to beat
it!
Check out this vid on utube. This is the same kite flown on 2 handles!
Awesome kite. I have 1 of those and took it out at the weekend. Fully harnessed up in fairly strong winds and I was in the air more than on the ground. Has anyone tried buggying or surfing? I've been buggying for about 8years now, and kite surfing for 2. Struggling to get the hang of the surfing though. Given up spending money on kites since I started "fiddling" with cars!
Nice Kite
Up to about 2 years ago, I owned a kite shop I just don't get much time to play anymore 
Still got all my landboarding kit and surfing kit plus a few new kites that I really should have sold off. Blade III 8.5m anyone? Lines, handles,
boards, nicknacks!..... LMAO.
Enjoy.
O
[Edited on 27/3/08 by Omni]
By the way my weapon of choice for landboarding was a 13m Peter Lynn Guerilla (said in homer voice "Sweet floaty jumps, arghhhhhhhh"
O
ooh, I have two 1.5 m stackers
Yep, 3.3 and 4.9 Blade II.
Great fun. Be careful with the 9, they have some serious ooomph. Great for surfing and buggying, but mental for just trying to hang onto.
David
Yes, i am a qualified power kite and buggy instructor. Been flying for around 4 years and have spent thousands on equipment. Be very very careful
with that blade as it will bite you big time.
Don't take it out in winds over 10mph and make sure you have some kite killers. I may have some spares lying around if you want them. Just pay
me the postage costs.
Heres a picture of me buggy jumping on my 6.5 blade in Aberdeen.
[Edited on 27/3/08 by neilj37]
Blade II 9m small
That's the flattest canoe I've ever seen
[Edited on 27/3/08 by Mr Whippy]
Yeah, I love those kites, I've only got a 3.2m two string HQ Harmony which is great fun on the beach in Tarifa, Spain (Kite boarding mecca). My wife wiped me out with my kite in Norfolk last year - she did a low fast swoop and nearly knocked me out! I actually caught it on video! Also got a smaller one (1.4m) which is great too. I've got a little camcorder I hang on it for aerial footage.
we fly down at Exmouth most weekends when it warms up a little. Friends have caught on and bought a couple of smaller 2.5/3.5 Bullets and things.
Iv got a 6m Blade II, awesome fun on a harness and bar! Had a few scares mind, not worth playin if you dont get scared tho! hehe
quote:
Don't take it out in winds over 10mph and make sure you have some kite killers. I may have some spares lying around if you want them. Just pay me the postage costs.
You could build a KEC with that 9m one
All that power and it only weighs 3 kg! I must win the power/weight ratio!
Me and a mate are looking to start, however the cost of £1250 for 10 days training is putting us off at the moment. How did you get started. Any advice gratefully received.
Is that for kitesurfing? It is quite different to land based kites.
I got into power kites when I was about 11. I bought a Flexifoil Stacker 6, and took it from there. Then just get out and fly. Talk to others - most
will let you have a go on their toys as long as you can show you have some ability. I took the plunge to get a Blade, and built up the wind I would
use it in.
I can reccomend Watergate Bay. This place is a kite mecca. They teach all sorts of
abilities, and the beach is huge, with a good variety of kites/kiters about.
There will be a local power kite group to you who I'm sure you could join and learn through? Just like Locostbuilders, virtually all kiters I
have spoken to have been great people....
quote:
Originally posted by pawgrp
Me and a mate are looking to start, however the cost of £1250 for 10 days training is putting us off at the moment. How did you get started. Any advice gratefully received.
Thanks guys. I'm getting mixed up with paragliding, its the similar shape of the canopies thats done it. My drinking buddy seems to think he can
buy one off ebay and just 'have a go', needless to say I have my reservations.
In theory you can. You do not need a licence to fly a hand/foot launched machine. Paragliders, hangliders etc can all be bought and flown by beginners. Crazy really!
the way i learnt was to start small with a 2.5 metre kite and take it easy. Oh and deffo join the buggy club etc so you have the public liability
insurance. I still my have 2.5 beamer but i used to have a 11.2 peter lynn ARC which was a really nice kite you could float along for ages. Another
plus you could use it in the water and if you crash it it wouldn't deflate and fill with water.
I also had a 16 metre peter lynn F-ARC that was very hairy, the aspect ratio was so high that it wouldn't half drag u in to the air.
I really must get back into it as it was really fun, still have a board too. was much better when i lived down south and could board on the beach.
I'm all for doing the course but a group of 3 of us is going to cost £375 per day. Now if thats for say 6 hrs tuition then thats not a bad hourly rate for somebody. Not sure what their overheads are but they can't be that high. Add on the cost of B&B, travel and meals and it's going to be a dear do. The other 2 are into the 'locost' way of doing things but I'm not too keen on getting a Darwin award.