HQ Crossfire 3.2M

I just flew this kite in pretty high winds, and realized just what a great kite this really is, so a review is in order. Im no expert, so I wont be going into too much detail about things, but heres what I can offer the community.

This kite has an aspect ratio of 3.9/1 (3.9 units of lenth to 1 unit of height), and is a good cross between a high performance kite, and a very stable beginners kite. The kite is very lightweight with a minimal bridle (unsleeved dyneema). It is engineered to IMO high standards, and has taken a good bit of abuse from me (second owner at least) and is still in great shape.

The bridle: very simple and easy to keep track of , but being so simple and light, I like to keep it attached to my flying line to prevent tangles.

My first time out was in 12-18 mph winds, and the kite was stronger than I thought it would be. It easily dragged my 190lb body across the field, and wore me out prettty quickly. My next time out, I learned how to use the brakes, and this kite made it very easy to learn on. It is very stable through the air, and easy to re-launch. It like to overfly zenith, but that is easy to control with a little brake.,

I have also flown this kite in about 4mph wind, and it stayed in the air as long as I worked it. It seemed to generate its own power, and that really impressed me in a pretty small kite.

With practice I have learned how to spin this thing on a dime, and keep it in one spot indefinitely with stable wind. The kite has luffed on me only a few times, and in very unstable, choppy wind. I think this is a very stable kite. I have flown it in 13m lines in pretty light wind, and even then, in gusty conditions, the kite behaved very well.

The experience that caused me to write this was a 25mph wind session last week. I got the kite in the air (30m lines), and was flyin in zenith trying not to get overpowered. All of the sudden, I was picked up in the air and carried about 10 feet, and landed at a rough speed of 12mph in the park. I'm used to stopping, but this time I gained speed, and was literally blown away at the performance of this kite. I began practicing steering, and was instantly able to get where I wanted to go by kite power. My only problem was that when I tried to land it, the wind was too strong to let it just lie there.

All in all, I think I ended up with the perfect kite to learn on (maybe a little advanced to learn on, but I tend to go off the deep end, anyway). From low wind to high, this kite has tought me all about this sport in an exciting way... but not scary (well... maybe once or twice). I highly recommend this kite, and I will keep it in my bag as long as she flies.

By : dylanj423