riffclown

.....self correction. I should have said "responsive to" instead of "dependent on" @p23brian Great point and that's why high aspect ratio kites like the HQ Prodigy or PL Vapor are so desirable but not for static flying. . The tack is also a huge factor..

@kevmort Beautiful foil. I Like the HQ Beamers a LOT.. Great kites with a lot of stability.. IMO, The Beamer is a great kite for static flying because the flying window is larger for them and they are by design more forgiving. They are also among the ideal kites to learn traction kiting on. The Crossfires can accelerate well beyond their flying window and will just collapse. It's not a defect but a function of the design. Crossfires are more dependent on what we call apparent wind and like to stay moving forward no matter what. But that also allows them to power up quickly and take advantage of the upwind better from the Buggy perspective.. The reason I went with Crossfires was the higher aspect ratio which in my opinion improves upwind performance in a buggy AND the Crossfires have the Angle of Attack Adjustments (AAA) built into the bridle.. The Crossfires really begin to shine when the NON-Kite end of the lines is in motion.. I had a 5M HQ Toxic until recently.. I ended up selling it because I preferred the Crossfire 4M and Flexifoil 4.5 which were very close in size.

WHAT?!?!? and tell everyone where I really am???

Two different browsers, and even tried a different platform/computer. No map at all for me on the profile page for me.. Update.. Had to log out of everything KL related.. Phone, Tablet, Computers etc..Was able to get it fairly close.. Thank You.. I had given up on this feature..

not for me still..

But I wanted to demonstrate with kites!!!

But I LIKE Chat... bad news indeed.. Can we demonstrate or something? with kites of course..

I remember the late 70's and moving from street to half pipes and skateparks in the early 80's! Also had a couple of original Alvas that I passed on to my nephews. I still have my Wally Inouye pool model.

I'm very happy you like it. As I've stated before, it is an amazingly addictive kite and quickly facilitates a flier's transition from 2 line flying to the 4 line experience. Hopefully we can get the opportunity to fly together sometime.

It's quite interesting to see the mindset shifts going on in the kiting world.. Still a lot of Rev loyalist but also other options being discussed across the boards. A year ago this topic would have been borderline taboo or at least polarizing. Thank you for keeping the conversation open and friendly. Things I've seen and heard discussed include: Assorted Revs including speculation on the next big thing. Freilein Vertigo and Exodus Freilein Traneye Phoenix Lam's ABS Fulcrum Magi-Q Spirit Quad Something Home Made Lam's Vietnamese Flute Stunt foils like the Smithi or my Symphony Conversion A New "Something Something" or two we don't fully know about yet. Waiting to see who will be testing the waters there..Will be interesting to see things progress as we get into the Spring and Summer kiting events. Original Topic start updated to reflect this post.

I had a comment and decided to take the high road.

That's 100% the point Using the 2M Crossfire from the first picture And Chris Shultz with the 4M Crossfire pictured above.

Pretty sure that was my Symphony 2.2.4.

And they are all fun!!

Yes, it's a 4.5 square Meter kite. The Symphony and your Snapshot by comparison are what is known as Sport Size which indicates a rough span of the kite and not necessarily in meters or meters square.. A good example of this is in this attached image.. The Smaller kite on top is a Sport Size 2.2 while the bottom kite is a 2 Square Meter Power Foil by the same manufacturer.. The Second Image shows the same 2sq Meter kite on top of a 4 sq Meter kite of same line.. 4m Square kite is very close in size to the Flexifoil Bullet in my other post.. Third Picture is an 8 square Meter kite used as a buggy engine at the Wright Memorial.. FWIW, even the smallest of these kites (the Symphony) can be used as a buggy engine.. In the right conditions any of these kites will turn you into Superman... for half a sec.. followed by a firm taste of reality..

You'd be blown away at how much fun a small foil can be...Symphony 2.2.4

Powerfoils are also a ton of fun.BUT you can get overpowered very quickly if you fail to realize that the wing shape creates lift that is lifting away from you.. The faster the kite goes through the window the harder it pulls.. AND no spars to break..

Agreed, There is NO substitute for time with the handles.

Some time back the question was asked in a thread concerning one piece sails about adding a seam to a one piece sail. Seams not only add a higher resistance to stretching but also allows to change the grain of the fabric so it handles tension differently. My reply below should give you the physics of channeling via the seams in a kite.

As a subscriber you have access to the tutorials.. Take a preparatory look at @John Barresi's tutorial for sail loading..It explains loading the sail while maintaining a constant position.. The shape changes to store the "potential energy" allowing you alter the kites acceleration characteristics. It's where the "belly" of the kite come into play most prominently. Even if you feel you aren't personally ready for the particular technique, it will help you understand the physics behind it better.

For price points, more expensive doesn't necessarily mean better and as you've noted, Less expensive doesn't necessarily mean cheaper. The Freilein kites are sewn better and to more exacting standards than any of the current competition. It's almost too perfect. You will not find a stitch out of place on a Feilein Kite.. If you do, OSK would probably replace it for you. Many of the advancements or modifications on the Freilein Kites are the results of OSK's feedback for Quads they sold through the years, repairs they've made to them and the willingness to make changes to their own product based on consumer input. Those changes may not please everyone but I guarantee you that those changes were made due to consumer feedback. I made a simple phone call about the bag and they changed the bag length to accommodate.. Adjust-ability, -- once you get proficient at your normal sails, you can tweak with framing choices, bridle mods (like French bridles) and venting options. Find what's best for you!! -Rev was the original innovator and has a very strong following and some pretty extreme loyalists.. -Freilein is a relative newcomer that's capitalizing on the expiration of Rev's patent while making changes based on their own innovations. The lower price point has gotten a lot of attention from new and experienced pilots alike. -Phoenix is a effort by a former Rev Masterpiece Designer and producer of the B-Series Pro to provide his (Bazzer) innovations to the quad market. There are others already on the market across the spectrum of price points and quality. There are also some very interesting designs in the "near ready for market" category. EVERYONE has an opinion as to what is best. My opinion differs from others' but I know what I like. I won't force my opinions on you. You have to individually find your options and figure out what's best for YOU. There is no ultimate wisdom and no ultimate kite. YET.

You can also feed one end of the line through a LE with an FSD End cap.. You can use that to extricate the line over complicated entrapments.. I rescued a kite that was suspended on footpegs by its magic stick bridles once this way..

Reported to the Forum Moderators for taunting.. lol Dibs on field testing!!! And First Stack!!!

Dude, you'd need Eliot and a sewing machine marooned with you to get past the first week....I mean tweak...

Symphony 2.2.4