Length of your line?

[bishop]

I've just taken my first kite for it's first flight today, a New Tech Pyro XS that I purcahsed on eBay... it wasn't as windy as I'd have liked, but I ended up staying 2 hours longer than I'd planned on having a good time!

The question I have is this: Is 80' of line enough? When I got it up, it didn't seem like there was much line at all - I kept thinking that if only it were higher then I'd be able to keep it up for longer. Then I realized that the higher it was, the less responsive it would be - which leads me to wonder how much "enough" line is... and where you would even purchase the string. The two 80' lines I have now are Spectra #80, with flying straps and what not but if anyone has any advice, information, or opinions they could share with me I'd be very appreciative. Also, I'm not sure that this would make any difference but I purchased the kite because I'm going to be vacationing by the Red Sea in June (doing some diving) and remember that area has GREAT wind... last time I went to the Middle East (High School Senior Trip... about 4 years back) I kicked myself every day for not bringing a kite with me...

By the way, I've already searched the forum for all topics containing "string" and "line" in the titles - no luck on anything close to answering my question. Just thought I'd add that in there.

[Dorsal]

80 to 85 feet is a good length to start with. They will provide you with a relatively wide "wind window", but won't be so long the kite is non-responsive. Using longer lines also means the walk is longer, to the kite and back, to set it up and get ready to take off again.

Your ability to keep the kite up isn't dependant on the line length, it depends on your skills. As they improve, you'll get to the point where the kite will land ONLY because you let it. Don't feel insulted or diminished, you are developing a new set of muscle memories, and that takes time and practice.

Once your skills do improve and your reaction times have decreased, you might want to try flying on 65 foot lines. I've found the shorter lines are better for me to learn new tricks, because I can see the lines all the way to the kite. (I usually do fly on 65' lines, because my flying fields are often crowded with soccer playing kids and barking dogs. )

[ikky68]

The question I have is this: Is 80' of line enough?

Dude, that question doesn't really have a straight forward answer. Some guys like the shorter lines for trick flying, while others like the competition length lines.

The kite will also dictate the line length. Example of dumb: "putting a set of 90# 120' spectra on a prism micron. Some kites work well with a longer linset and others don't.

If memory serves, the pyro xs is a little over 6.5'. So the 80' lineset that you have should be more than adequate.

[Dorsal]

Ikky - This is/was bishop's first post, and he's asking about the length of lines to fly. I'm not disagreeing with what you said, I just think it's a little "over the top" for bishop's needs right now. okay?

[bishop]

Thanks for the replies; looks like I'll stick with 80 for the time being - the more I play, the funner it is!

[John Barresi]

Yeah, 80' is sufficient for general fun flying... Longer lines will come into play if you'd like more sky to "paint" on, like if I'm looking to fly large intricate shapes and maneuvers, as opposed to tricks and such.