Airblast 6.3 for Beginner ?

[niko]

hi to all,

a friend of mine wants to have a kite for stronger winds, as in the past he often was sitting on the beach because of too much wind.

He Rides Aero 14 and Aero 12 since about one season. His experiences are not so much, he cant turn but he is going upwind quite good.

Is the Airblast 6.3 a suitable kite for someone like him ? It is a power machine, but flies more friendly like the 8.4 or the 11.8. Furhtermore it has a good depower.

What you think ?

[RickI]

We don't have higher wind that often so my AB 6.3 m doesn't get all that much use. It is a high aspect kite and does move rapidly through the sky. It flies more rapidly than the AB 8.4 m and a lot faster than the 11.8 m.

I have heard of a couple of accidents that occurred to experienced riders that were a little careless with this kite in higher wind and the high kite speed got the better of them. What would you think about moving him into a medium to low aspect, small kite? He could probably manage an AB 6.3 m with care but early mistakes could have a rough response.

Rick Iossi

[aklbob]

the 6.3 AB is a similar aspect ratio to the Naish Aero! its only quick cause it's a very small kite (8m) if you need to slow it down, use a 30cm bar and 30m lines, then you will find it is very tame, and very similar to the 8.4. The original setup that Wipika supplies with it with a reactive bridle and big bar and 20m lines is crazy fast and useless for most riders (What were they thinking!) .. and the kite is so easy to relaunch you don't need a reverse launch bridle, and certainly don't need the power steering it gives you!!

[slingrider]

Hi Before I switched to slingshot kites I used The wipika airblasts. A couple of weeks ago I used the 6.3 (2002) for the last time on a 18 inch slingshot bar with 30 meter lines. I had a really good time wave riding and making really high jumps but on 1 occasion when I was getting near to the shore I got lifted twice and was slammed on the beach. This happend because I wasn't paying attention enough and the kite just suprised me. The kite is slower on 30 meter lines but its stil really fast and powerful. I weigh 90 kilos and I'm pretty experienced. My advice is not to buy a 6.3 if you're a beginner. Buy an aero, hydro or gto, even the pro's use it in high winds!!! Always be careful in high wind situations. Smaller kite and more wind result in an explosive situation wich is a blast but also can be dangerous.

Have fun!!!

[niko]

yahh, but hes not a beginner, he s already goin upwind.

dont you think that senough for him to have fun with the 6.3 and 27 m lines ?

[Sylt Rider]

if you understand german very well and you have lots of time for a long topic maybe you would like to read this, carefull, because it is not fun after a while, as a matter of fact it is taff, but it got yet taffer later on in other subjects
http://www.oase.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/004126.html
Sylt Rider

[Flyboy]

In my experience the AB 6.3 is a great kite: not very high aspect, relaunches very easily & very good depower. I have used it in up to 35 knots+ where, like any other kite, it was a bit hairy, but for someone learning in lighter winds (15 - 25knots) it would be a perfectly suitable kite.

[stef]

I think this size is too small, as a beginner you need a biger size because you are not going to use it in 20+ knots...

have fun

[tommen]

read the original post dummy...
it's in addition to two other kites. the wind range on the ab6.3 is pretty big, cause of good depower and cause it's so quick and responsive you can really drive it. i've used it from aprox. 15 knots to over 40. at 40 we used 10m lines though...

[swancvs]

stay away from the 6.3 I've flown 3 kites in those kinds of winds, the old wipi classic 5m was great being a lower aspect it behaved well and still gave plenty of grunt when needed.

The 6.3 airblast was a tart. It twitched all over the sky needed to be watched and controlled all the time so if you had a bad landing or got smacked by some surf, look out. You just don't need those kinds of added complications.

I've also now got an F-one Mach1 9.1 which has all of the power of the 6.3 but is as stable as a rock in the wind, just as responsive when I need it to turn but also has a reliable depower. I've been tea bagged horrendously in 25 kt plus winds on the 6.3 but had no trouble on the 9.1 in 30kt plus winds. I weigh around 95-100kg in all my gear.