Sport Today

I've been flying flexis a long time, and, at 6'4" and 270#, I have no problem
controlling the ten-footers.  However, I do find that I'm at "full draw" quite
a bit when I fly.  Now I've caused a relative to get the kite bug -- he flies a
Windance 3 with no problem, and wants to go to a Flexi.  At 5' 6" or 7" and
150#, is a ten-footer possible, or should he stick to an 8', or even a stack of
6's?  I'd like to hear from anyone this size who has flown the larger kites.

Brock Vond

Size and weigth are not the only variables.  Experience is also usefull.

I have seen a young guy of about 7 years old in Verdun and he was flying an
eigth feet dual line delta with ease.  Of course the low wind helped.

I have also seen small ladies of about 5' - 2" and 110 pounds manage a train
of three six foot dual line deltas while beeing dragged along a field but
still in control.  Knowing how to adjust bridles help in some case :-)

I would say that if arms length is too short, the flyer of a ten feet Flexi
will have to content with larger turn and plan accordingly.  Or the other
alternative is to use a very long control bar to increase leverage.

Maybe such a bar (or a shorter version) or a pulley system, hooked to a
harness maybe, can be of some help to relieve the arms from too much strain.

Also, I would suggest to the person trying such a big kite to make its first
flights in low to moderate winds to get the hang of it. This in order to
avoid bad surprises in high winds.

Since the last few weeks I have seen many peoples fly a stack of five eigth
feet Flexis on 450 pounds lines.  To my knowledge none of these person is
over 200 pounds and one guy measure maybe 6' - 2".  But one thing these
flyers have in common is experience with stunt kites.

Wind or no wind, fly for fun.

Jean (Johnny) Lemire of team S.T.A.F.F. from Montreal, Canada.

p.'s.  Just say no to plywood!!

--
_________________________________________________
Seven raffish engines  pulling in a train-
sinewed arms and shoulders  muddled little brain.
_________________________________________________
Robert J. Horton    Sr. Equipment Designer, CAD - retired.

why not just let him try your  flexi :-) it will probably put a grin
on his face, and then he will get one and you two can fly team
together.

he may be smaller, physically,  but he may make up the difference in
skill :-)

you don't have to fly in the power zone 100% of the time.  and as a
matter of a fact you are only in it a short  period of time b4 you are
out of it.

That's because flying flexies with extra-fat line and tails destroys the
pull...

Andrew (who used to own 6 10's and has flown a dozen and more, but weighs more
than 150lb...)

Really?  It's all math?  

I didn't ask if someone much smaller (and, I rashly judged -- knowing the
person involved -- with correspondingly shorter arms) could duplicate my modest
feats with a 10' Flexi.  I asked if they might have FUN flying one.  It's
really a question of whether the necessarily larger figures are still a kick to
do.

Still, you've been a help, Alice, because, in writing this reply, it's crossed
my mind that I could simply tie my control handles together with a line as long
as my relative's reach, and try it out.   Hang the math.

As to the control bar, I hate to see people use them on medium-big kites.  My
first Flexies came with control bars supplied by Flexifoil (you wound the line
around the ends of the bar, remember?), and I still use them to teach people to
fly a six-footer, when no one is downwind.  I imagine Flexifoil stopped
supplying them because people got hurt.  Certainly a long control bar with a
10' Flexi attached to it could do some serious damage downwind if it got away
from the flier, and you wouldn't want to tether yourself to it, either.  

Anyway, thanks for the suggestions, everybody.  I've settled on the 8' for now.
  If he wants more control, he can always put a 6' in front, & if he wants more
power, he can always put more 8's or a 10' in back.

Brock Vond