Kites

Firebee 2.0m²

The Rhombus Firebee 2.0m² was the first four line power kite that I owned. I had thought about buying a kite of this style a number of times having seen them at kite festivals and finally took the plunge at the Kennet Kite Festival 2002.
A 2.0m² kite such as this is considered to be a training kite to then work towards the bigger stuff, but even so it can generate a reasonable amount of pull on a windy day. It is very quick to respond and really be thrown about the sky. Most pull from this kite comes when cutting through the air quickly and in a reasonable wind of about 20mph I've got over 15mph in the buggy with it.

Flexifoil Viper 5.0m²

The Flexifoil Viper 5.0m² is the second and currently only other power kite that I own. I hadn't planned on buying a bigger kite quite so soon, but these special offers come in from time to time and the rest, as they say, is history.
The Viper is quite a different beast to the Firebee, and not just because of it's size although this has some effect. Flexifoil call it a traction kite and this is what it does best. On the ground it sits obediently waiting for the brake lines to be let forward, and when in the air it pulls. Sweeping it through the air doesn't have the same increase in tension that I get with the Firebee, this one just pulls all the time.
I've had one or two scary moments with this kite in the gusty conditions that prevail on my local flying site, I think it is one that would benefit from more consistent air conditions. Nevertheless, when the wind is right it pulls the buggy well.

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