Seattle AirGear Winddance 3

seattle airgear
winddance 3
13.1 sq m / 14.1 sq ft

pull = speed = flying!

what else can i say about this kite that already hasn't been said?

Seattle Airgear will be closing soon (due to retirement), and is offering a significant discount on their kites (only the Winddance 3 size is available). when i heard about this, i visited their website and started researching their product.

upon reading the convuluted website, 2 things become exceptionally clear.

1. the website was designed by an engineer (too much data, no clear organization) i should know, i grew up in a family of engineers

2, the proprietors have an axe to grind with the current state of kite culture. i felt that as a "non-flying" individual, that i was part of the problem. perhaps this direct assault on the vendors attributed to the lack of market penetration?

anyhow, to return to the kite review... after flying the kite in a variety of wind conditions, the winddance 3 shows it personality as an easy kite to fly, as long as you do not try to fly it like a stunt kite. if you do, the kite will find ways to get tangled up in the bridle, and sink slowly to the ground, where recovery is usually only possible in moderate (8+ mph) winds. speaking of the bridle, SAG claims that their bridle system allows for the kite to fly like an airplane wing and thus will turn "exceptionally" well. i cannot agree with this claim, as i feel that my .80 sq m wasp can do it all better while using a control bar, and is handicapped with 1/2 the bridle missing. perhaps i will compare it with a speedfoil or RM design kite of similar size.

the website has numberous videos that show the kites flying quick loops around each other. i have not had that experience. i find that due to it's size, the kite is slower than advertised. i'm still trying to figure out how to adjust the bridles to adjust for the wind, but remember that the instruction manual was written by an engineer, so there's alot of flipping back and forth between pages

SAG also recommends the use of ergonomic handles to fly, vs the straps. i say don't believe the hype. i find that the only benefit of handles is the added heft in the hand while flying the kite. straps seem to work just fine, as long as they're held by your finger. if you try wrapping the straps around your wrist, it becomes more difficult to express your control motions to the kite.

however, i still like this kite, the attention to details (stitching, bridle setup, coloring, etc) are pretty well thought out. i will still keep this kite in my bag, and use it to teach friends and observers with. because it has such a large wind window, fewer breakable parts, and the ability to de-tune the kite in high wind days.

By : oeioei