QUAD OR DUAL LINE,IN ONE KITE ?

[mattiefrank]

Hey,everybody.

I have a serious question,before i pull the trigger on a purchase.

I came across a kite called the T.C.ULTRA and,i seem to have a desire to purchase it.

The deal is it can be flown EITHER AS A QUAD OR A DUAL LINE.

And,i came across a guy by the lake who said he has seen this kite and,it flys pretty darn sweetly

They have a smaller version of the kite and,it come with the lines and,handles for quad flying and,the straps for dual line flying. ALL FOR LESS THAN $80 ON CLOSEOUT.

I was looking at another kite called the FIJET and,i figure instead of buying the lines and,handles for the FIJET,i could by this T.C.U2,anyway and,i would have a spectra lineset AND,HANDLES,then just order the FIJET as a kite only.THAT WAY,FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE,I HAVE 2 KITES,LINES AND,HANDLES.

SO IM PRETTY SURE IM GONNA DO IT ANYWAY.

But,im just hoping that someone can spread a little light on this kite that appears to be living in the shadows

I like the IDEA of it.Whether it is only feasible in practice is i guess what i am asking.

SO HAS ANYONE HEARD OF ANY OF THESE KITES.

[windofchange]

The TC Ultra has been around for quite some time and it does work as a dual or quad....but...

It doesn't really do that well as a dual or a quad. Quad line flight is ok but very difficult to do compared to a Rev. Reverse flight is cumbersome and jerky and not very fluid at all. Forward flight is like a dual line but not nearly as sharp or precise due to the drag and fuss of the lower bridle setup.

It doesn't trick as a dual line kite anywhere near that of a decent priced dually and really lacks in its trick capability compared to the newer kites like the Silver Fox or Widow. Roll ups are difficult or impossible because of the lower bridles and unless you are happy with figure 8's and general basic stunts you will be bored with it fairly quickly.

It does reverse flight and will hover but again, not nearly as nice or precise as a Rev does. Also, if you have it in an upside down hover be careful because if you let off the brakes even a touch it will lawn dart into the ground just like all the other dual line kites and you'll shatter the spine.

I would rate the kite as a novelty that is fun to play with but if you are looking for Rev like performance or Silver Fox type stunts you will be disappointed.

Just my opinion anyways.

[Fast EDDY]

Hey Ben,

I just posted to you in a P M.

Ya what He SAID!!!! The Kites does fly sorta O K as a whole. The Man who built these kite does put on a very good display in his demonstration in his clips with the kite. As for Me flying the kite with Years of experience in Dual. As well as Time in Quads. I just couldn;t get it to do much of anything like he did.

Now the best of the three you have listed in My Opinion is the TC - UR It Float really well and if your not careful the Lawn dart is QUICK!!! in the TC-UR as well. It was the last version. It is the Red and Black W/ a yellow ish S in it I referred to. That was probably the Best one of the series to have. More mods were done to the kite and the airfoil as a whole. It was also a STRONGER air frame. Over the T C Ultra and the Others in My Opinion. The Spin was also better in Quad mode. The Side Slide was also MUCH Improved in MHO in the TC - UR. However It is anly as GOOD as you are in your Control inputs The Biggest advantage was the more so floating ish lower T spreader to allow the Kite to move a LOT more freely than the Predicessors IMO once again!!! Which allowed the Kite to "TWIST" more in Quad mode for the center rotation. Althoe it was not like it was 10 flod better than the previous versions. Just keep that in mind.

The Sight I referred you too in your P M has them on Close OUT prices right now at HALF PRICE!!! Ping me back if you wish more Input and I will fly it for you this weekend again and see what more I can tell you about it to refresh my mind.

Yet the kite unless you wish to put a LOT of time in will be just a Kite. You need to Understand it is just a Basic delta kite. Set up for two bridal configuration. One a Dual, the other a Quad. Both have there Time and Place to fly in a certain type of Wind and MPH factor as well.

[mattiefrank]

THANKS FOLKS FOR THE INFORMATION. But i already ordered the kite.

I know i have only been flying kites for a couple of months,but i am just crazy about holding those lines.

I know that there will be some sort of compromise,inherent in the design, BUT YOU NEVER KNOW.

This may be the kite for me.

I will keep you all posted about how it working. Thanks, BEN.

[monkey]

THANKS FOLKS FOR THE INFORMATION. But i already ordered the kite.

I know i have only been flying kites for a couple of months,but i am just crazy about holding those lines.

I know that there will be some sort of compromise,inherent in the design, BUT YOU NEVER KNOW.

This may be the kite for me.

I will keep you all posted about how it working. Thanks, BEN.

My first quad was in fact a pair of TC Ultras, back when they were hand made by TC himself. Fun kites, I still have the SUL one but it rarely comes out these days.

[mattiefrank]

Thanks monkey. thats good to know. I already figured some aspect of it would be flawed.

But i am still gonna enjoy the time i spend flying it.

I figure the only bad kite is one that wont stay in the air.

Since you enjoyed yours,i know i will also.I think its hard not to have a great time flying a kite.

OTHER PEOPLE WILLING.

[monkey]

Thanks monkey. thats good to know. I already figured some aspect of it would be flawed.

But i am still gonna enjoy the time i spend flying it.

I figure the only bad kite is one that wont stay in the air.

Since you enjoyed yours,i know i will also.I think its hard not to have a great time flying a kite.

OTHER PEOPLE WILLING.

It's very definitely a flyable kite and unique in its experience. I should dust mine off again sometime soon just to see what it was like again.

[tonycarl60]

Dusted off my tc ultra and flew it today. Dive stops and backing up slowly look real weird on a delta shaped kite. Rocket ship landings and side slides are cool. This is one delta kite I never have to do the walk of shame with. I intend to fly it more often:)

[mattiefrank]

O.M.G. THAT THING LOOKS WICKED.

If i can get the u2,to do some of the things people say it will,MAYBE I WILL SPRING FOR THE ULTRA.

SELL OFF A TAYLORMADE BURNER OR 2. Inever golf anyway and,these clubs could be one of those mean looking suckers.

Is that a custom sail job ? I JUST FOUND OUT ABOUT THESE KITES 1 WEEK AGO AND,THE GUY TOLD ME HOW IT FREAKS PEOPLE TO SEE A DELTA DOING THAT STUFF.

BUT all the ones i have seen were either blue or red. THAT IS ONE AWESOME KITE,I LOVE THAT.

I see you have it hooked up as a quad. do you prefer that to the dualie setting. THANK YOU FOR THE PIC.

[mattiefrank]

SORRY. Another noobie question.are the vents in the wings to increase the wind range,as in other kites.or do they help the kite to do quad kite stuff.

The reason i ask is because i dont know.But also, THOSE VENTS ARE HUGE. They look to be maybe 1/2 to 1/3 that big on the T.C.U2, which is the one i ordered. YOU HAVE KITE AWESOMENESS THERE. I love the color of that sail.

[tonycarl60]

O.M.G. THAT THING LOOKS WICKED.

If i can get the u2,to do some of the things people say it will,MAYBE I WILL SPRING FOR THE ULTRA.

SELL OFF A TAYLORMADE BURNER OR 2. Inever golf anyway and,these clubs could be one of those mean looking suckers.

Is that a custom sail job ? I JUST FOUND OUT ABOUT THESE KITES 1 WEEK AGO AND,THE GUY TOLD ME HOW IT FREAKS PEOPLE TO SEE A DELTA DOING THAT STUFF.

BUT all the ones i have seen were either blue or red. THAT IS ONE AWESOME KITE,I LOVE THAT.

I see you have it hooked up as a quad. do you prefer that to the dualie setting. THANK YOU FOR THE PIC.

Thank you very much, I'd forgotten it looks a lot better than it flies. No, it's not a custom sail. This is the way I got it from an online kite store (don't remember which one:( ). I prefer to fly it as a quad because of the unusual stuff it can do as a quad delta. You're welcome, I might try to do a short video soon:) I have to agree with the others in that it is not a good 2 line or quad, it's just a weird delta but I like it anyway.

[tonycarl60]

SORRY. Another noobie question.are the vents in the wings to increase the wind range,as in other kites.or do they help the kite to do quad kite stuff.

The reason i ask is because i dont know.But also, THOSE VENTS ARE HUGE. They look to be maybe 1/2 to 1/3 that big on the T.C.U2, which is the one i ordered. YOU HAVE KITE AWESOMENESS THERE. I love the color of that sail.

Yes, I do believe the vents increase the wind range although I think the placement on the ultra keeps the wing tips from rattling in the higher winds. I don't think they affect doing quad stuff. I am surprised how well it handles the higher winds since it's not a very heavy kite, but it will still hang in there in a lighter wind. Thanks again:) Please feel free to ask as many questions as you wish:).

[monkey]

SORRY. Another noobie question.are the vents in the wings to increase the wind range,as in other kites.or do they help the kite to do quad kite stuff.

The reason i ask is because i dont know.But also, THOSE VENTS ARE HUGE. They look to be maybe 1/2 to 1/3 that big on the T.C.U2, which is the one i ordered. YOU HAVE KITE AWESOMENESS THERE. I love the color of that sail.

Yes, I do believe the vents increase the wind range although I think the placement on the ultra keeps the wing tips from rattling in the higher winds. I don't think they affect doing quad stuff. I am surprised how well it handles the higher winds since it's not a very heavy kite, but it will still hang in there in a lighter wind. Thanks again:) Please feel free to ask as many questions as you wish:).

In fact, they DO affect the quad performance, they make a reverse flight a little smoother.

[mattiefrank]

WELL HERE SHE IS. I dont know why i assume its a female ?

ANYWAZE, I have only flown the kite as a dualie. please dont ask me how it tricks. I HAVE A HARD ENOUGH TIME FLYING FIGURES and,straight lines.

I am very pleased with the package and,i think it was well worth the $75 on closeout.All of the possible frame and,sail tuning is beyond me,at this stage of my kiting development.

But the one thing i did notice right away is how quick this kite is,compared to the 7 and,8 footers that i am used to flying.

i am amazed that i havent pile drived this thing yet.Its like im used to pickups and,this is a corvette.ITS STUPID FAST.

I love the colors.It looks so much more VIBRANT,in person than it did at the harbor winds website.OH YES,kudos to buz and,fast eddy,for the fast shipment and,help they have both gave so freely.

I love the way this kite just sits wherever i place it.It just hangs right there until i decide to move it Check out the funky center t connector.IT LOOKS LIKE A PIECE OF GARDEN HOSE.

But its some kind of hard plastic or such and,it keeps the lower spreaders away from the sail also.PLUS its also supposed to keep the frame from twisting in quad mode.At least that is what i was told and read.hear it is.