Flexifoil Sting

Like all grown up boys I had to out-do a mate who had bought an HQ Symphony 2.2, so I rang up a well known Kite Shop (oops, given it away) and talked myself into buying a Beamer 3.6. My maiden flight was in 30 mph winds and I had never flown a power kite before... My friends packed up the Beamer whilst I was in casualty. The kite stayed in its bag for eight months.

Then... one day... I saw a Flexifoil Sting. Hmm, I thought, I could try this - why not blow good money after bad?

Well, for any beginners out there - DO IT! The Sting was incredibly easy to set up and will make you grin from ear to ear. Its turn rate is unbelievable and though it needs a pretty good breeze (there's a lot of material for its size so it's quite heavy and loughs easily) you can fly it in gusts without ending up going into orbit with dislocated shoulders and arms eight feet long. This makes it versatile for those who (like me) don't live near clean air.

In only four flights I have learnt to parapack, stake out, reverse launch and grin like an idiot. It's fast, it'll cane along parallel to the beach and then brake-turn on its own axis. If you have the reactions of a housefly it will perform very rapid manoeuvers. It won't get you air but it will definitely help you to understand how power kites develop energy in the window. You can learn how to control this power without being intimidated; it has given me the confidence to want to move on to something bigger.

I am hoping to graduate to a kite for scudding and jumping (any suggestions - I weigh 14 stone...?) and there's no way I'd be at the stage if I hadn't used the Sting. I'd still be looking at that Beamer's Big Zip and feeling queasy.

By : tedrw