Corsican Dave

This kite arrived at 08:30 this morning. By 09:30, after a swift cup of coffee, I was already nearing the end of a fantastic 40 min flying session. If this doesn't tell you everything you need to know, then read on..... The kite was supplied by Roy (shore leave). Ordered on Sunday, delivered wednesday. As I said before, we don't get next day in Aviemore, so this is as good as it gets. Kite is supplied, neatly folded in a fairly small nylon sack. Ideal actually, as I have adopted a stuff bag storage system (used successfully by arctic expeditions) There was hardly any wind this morning. My wind meter gave a reading of about 2.5mph, with "gusts" of 3.5. A good morning for just laying out the kite and checking things, then waiting for some wind, I thought... Lines are colour coded and neatly wound round a plastic winder. Handles are better than either my Radsail or my HQ ones and do not look "cheap" at all. The stitching on the kite is fine and the workmanship of the kite is perfect. I did notice some white inner threads showing through on the brake bridle lines, but on closer inspection this where the lines are spliced back on themselves and the wormanship is fine. I'll keep an eye on these, but can't see it being a problem. Anyone else noticed this? Roy had warned me that I should check the brake lines to make sure they were the correct length. They were. Connecting up was a cinch and everything appeared to be in order. Still next to no wind, but what the hell, I'd got it laid out now. It launched first go and climbed firmly straight up the power zone. A pull to the left and off it went to the edge of the window. By this point I was waiting for the sucker punch: line stretch, uneven bridles etc. etc. Not a bit of it. This kite flies perfectly, straight out of the box. I gave it a good work out from edge to edge of the window, figure eights left and right, long swooping passes and loops. All good. Response to both power and brake lines was fine. even in this slight breeze, there was a lot of power in the zone and now I can't wait to get it out with the buggy. I've read all the other Pansh reviews and I'm aware they've had their teething problems. However, their web site states that they've addressed these and, if this kite's anything to go by, they have. Go and get one!! I'll be putting a 12m on my wish-list for still conditions.... By : Corsican Dave

Got this kite as my first quad kite, with a view towards getting into buggying. the price was attractive and, once I 'd done some research I realised the radsail range has had some input from andy preston, which apparently is not a bad thing... Bought from marionville models in edinburgh, delivery was an impressive 2 days (we just don't get next day in aviemore!) Packaging consisted of an adequate "day sac" sized pack with kite neatly folded and lines supplied, colour coded, on separate plastic winders complete with line strengths. there was an illustrated instruction leaflet and two dvds. handles were basic, but neat enough. The DVDs were: 1. A short but inspirational promo film. the long-haired lunatic hoofing his buggy through the dunes is a joy. 2. Allegedly an instructional cd. this wasn't recognised by any dvd player or pc I 've yet tried it in. and I 've tried quite a few. however, I thought it all added to the sense of adventure! The kite itself appeared to be good quality, with no loose ends, flappy seams etc. I was suprised by the fact that the two power bridles share a common link in the exact centre of the kite. I 'd never seen an arrangement like this, but then my experience had only been with paragliders and parachutes. I decided it must be part of the design and left it as supplied Flying proved difficult. quite aside from the least windy period in two years (must've been something to do with my purchases), I just couldn't get the kite off the deck. it would inflate nicely, but refuse to lift off, even when assisted. Checking the line lengths showed no difference (25m all round). I tried inflating the kite while just holding the bridles near the kite... better. SO... We eventually solved the problem by adding a whopping 30cm to the brake lines at the handle end. as I work in the outdoor trade, high strength kernmantel rope of the correct diameter is not a problem, so I just took the end plugs off the handles and inserted a suitable length of 6mm static rope. Ii suppose I could have reduced the length of the power lines to achieve the same result, but I 'm new to this game. Was this a design flaw, or just some friday afternoon workmanship by eolo? Whatever, the kite now flies very well right across the window and with steady pull and lift. brake line turns are very rapid, with a hint of collapse if you're too aggressive, but that may be just inexperience. It is certainly capable of pulling you off your feet (i weigh 76kg-ish) if you're not careful and has a very powerful climb up the power zone Use with the buggy on the local football field has been hampered more by the wind than the kite. however, first impressions are that it's powerful enough but needs to be kept pulling, otherwise it's easy to "get ahead" of the kite resulting in a collapse. once again, I 'm no buggy pilot (yet!) so don't consider myself experienced enough to comment Overall, this kite has already proved excellent value for money, great fun to fly and a superb learning tool for a newbie kiter. sorting out the initial problems, through just common sense, was certainly a useful (and ultimately very satisfying) experience Once I get onto a decent beach with a steady off-shore wind, I 'll report further!! By : Corsican Dave