Date: Mon, 28 Feb 1994 18:19:31 -1000 From: alpha@vpnet.chi.il.us (Randy Sales) Message-Id: <1994Mar1.041931.27999@vpnet.chi.il.us> Organization: Vpnet - Your FREE link to the Internet (708)833-8126 Subject: 3-11 SL by Highly Strung Kites I just purchased one of these but haven't had a chance to fly it yet. I was interested in comments about the kite from those of you who have tried it or own it. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Wed, 2 Mar 1994 21:21:46 -1000 From: micha@ekpux3.physik.uni-karlsruhe.de (Michael Schneider) Message-Id: <2l436a$d6g@nz12.rz.uni-karlsruhe.de> Organization: University of Karlsruhe, Germany Subject: Re: 3-11 SL by Highly Strung Kites Randy Sales (alpha@vpnet.chi.il.us) wrote: : I just purchased one of these but haven't had a chance to fly it yet. I : was interested in comments about the kite from those of you who have : tried it or own it. : hi randy, about 6 weeks ago i bought a 3-11 sports with a 8,9mm prospar frame. up to now i had only one chance to fly it in strong winds. it was fun pure. the kite flies very fast, spins very fast on the point without loosing much height and pulls hard. compared to the light wind version you bought, my 3-11 has 2 more battens in his sail on each side, and has therefore some overstear(or the bridle adjustment is not correct). apart from this and the different wind range, the flying characteristics are more or less the same. i'm only an intermediate kiter with low experience and don't want to comment on tricks. during the first flight i lost a standoff like some others here flying a 3-11. use tape or bigger endcaps to prevent this. in our area the 3-11 sl is the best known light wind kite. we know the kites from "higly strung kites" for more than a year, i wonder that this is the first time that they are mentioned in rec.kites. i hope that some of the experts get this kite hooked up on her/his lines to test it and write a review. micha -- ================================================================== Michael Schneider Institut fuer Experimentelle Kernphysik der Universitaet Karlsruhe Engesserstr. 7(Physikhochhaus), 76128 Karlsruhe 1 micha@ekpux2.physik.uni-karlsruhe.de | BD14@DKAUNI2.BITNET ================================================================== = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Thu, 3 Mar 1994 06:39:29 -1000 From: gerry@bicceri.demon.co.uk (Gerry Lawrence) Message-Id: Organization: BICC Cables, Erith Subject: Re: 3-11 SL by Highly Strung Kites In article 27999@vpnet.chi.il.us, alpha@vpnet.chi.il.us (Randy Sales) writes: >I just purchased one of these but haven't had a chance to fly it yet. I >was interested in comments about the kite from those of you who have >tried it or own it. > I bought a 3-11 SL about a month ago. I *needed* a kite for light winds, because my North Shore Radical isn't very easy to fly in less than 5mph. No doubt there will be a host of follow ups from you people out there that fly NSRs in zero wind. :-) I don't think the SL is not one of those kites that you pump around the sky, my first impression was that it is a very graceful kite, that just flies, even when there is very little wind, so long as you have the bridle adjusted accordingly. The thing that really adds to this is the nearly complete lack of noise. Unlike a NSR, this is the sort of kite you can fly in a peaceful park and not worry about disturbing anyone. It seems that there is no problem getting the thing airbourne, but in the lighter winds, the kite just flies slower. I've not tried it in anything stronger than about 15mph, but even then you can feel that the SL is capable of pulling. I have heard of someone using a stack of SL's to power a buggy, which apparently works well, and gives you enough power even in the 5-10mph wind range. Since the design of the wing is so similar to the 3-11 sport (the only major difference is that the SL only has one batton on either side), I can't see that there would be a problem flying an SL in 25mph. Some more experiments are needed I think. The SL turns much wider than the NSR and generally feels more stable. Which means that it probably isn't so good at those really sharp tricks. Even just doing a simple square, the corners are more rounded than I would like. Maybe that's just 'cos I haven't practiced enough :-( . The bright side is that all those loopy shapes you can make in the sky, like figure 8's and circles are easy to make in a very regular way. I don't know what the move is called, but with the kite pointed upwards, you can sort of float it across the sky from one side to the other...well almost. (More practice needed here too) Overall I am really impressed with it. A cool kite to have in the bag. But the key seems to just let the kite fly, relax and enjoy, rather than pull it around the sky like a mad one. I will be interested to hear any other views people might have on this one. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gerry email: gerry@bicceri.demon.co.uk --------------------------------------------------------------------------- = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Thu, 3 Mar 1994 06:39:29 -1000 From: gerry@bicceri.demon.co.uk (Gerry Lawrence) Message-Id: Organization: BICC Cables, Erith Subject: Re: 3-11 SL by Highly Strung Kites In article 27999@vpnet.chi.il.us, alpha@vpnet.chi.il.us (Randy Sales) writes: >I just purchased one of these but haven't had a chance to fly it yet. I >was interested in comments about the kite from those of you who have >tried it or own it. > I bought a 3-11 SL about a month ago. I *needed* a kite for light winds, because my North Shore Radical isn't very easy to fly in less than 5mph. No doubt there will be a host of follow ups from you people out there that fly NSRs in zero wind. :-) I don't think the SL is not one of those kites that you pump around the sky, my first impression was that it is a very graceful kite, that just flies, even when there is very little wind, so long as you have the bridle adjusted accordingly. The thing that really adds to this is the nearly complete lack of noise. Unlike a NSR, this is the sort of kite you can fly in a peaceful park and not worry about disturbing anyone. It seems that there is no problem getting the thing airbourne, but in the lighter winds, the kite just flies slower. I've not tried it in anything stronger than about 15mph, but even then you can feel that the SL is capable of pulling. I have heard of someone using a stack of SL's to power a buggy, which apparently works well, and gives you enough power even in the 5-10mph wind range. Since the design of the wing is so similar to the 3-11 sport (the only major difference is that the SL only has one batton on either side), I can't see that there would be a problem flying an SL in 25mph. Some more experiments are needed I think. The SL turns much wider than the NSR and generally feels more stable. Which means that it probably isn't so good at those really sharp tricks. Even just doing a simple square, the corners are more rounded than I would like. Maybe that's just 'cos I haven't practiced enough :-( . The bright side is that all those loopy shapes you can make in the sky, like figure 8's and circles are easy to make in a very regular way. I don't know what the move is called, but with the kite pointed upwards, you can sort of float it across the sky from one side to the other...well almost. (More practice needed here too) Overall I am really impressed with it. A cool kite to have in the bag. But the key seems to just let the kite fly, relax and enjoy, rather than pull it around the sky like a mad one. I will be interested to hear any other views people might have on this one. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gerry email: gerry@bicceri.demon.co.uk --------------------------------------------------------------------------- = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Sat, 12 Mar 1994 02:29:19 -1000 From: grs@werple.apana.org.au (Gary Schmidt) Message-Id: <2lsciv$525@werple.apana.org.au> Organization: /etc/news/organization Subject: Re: 3-11 SL by Highly Strung Kites Well, being as I am, one of the first test-fliers of what eventually became called the "3-11", I think I could pass on some pointers, but as I don't fly one very often, preferring to fly my Checkmates, or West Coast Angels (a truly gorgeous kite from Neil Taylor of Hold the Line Kites in Perth, Western Australia, Oz, of which I now own two of the most expensive and exclusive in existence, having been a little overcome with the glow of good cheer at the last two Oz Nationals, and gone a tad over the top at the auction.... [Well, at least I didn't spend $900 on a Magnum Opus....;-)..]) In article gerry@bicceri.demon.co.uk writes: >In article 27999@vpnet.chi.il.us, alpha@vpnet.chi.il.us (Randy Sales) writes: >>I just purchased one of these but haven't had a chance to fly it yet. I >>was interested in comments about the kite from those of you who have >>tried it or own it. Fly it!!!! It's the only way, because it does behave differently in different hands, not a lot, it is teamable, but it does need to be flown, it doesn't fly itself, if you get my meaning. >I don't think the SL is not one of those kites that you pump around the sky, ^^^ huh?? >my first impression was that it is a very graceful kite, that just flies, >even when there is very little wind, so long as you have the bridle adjusted >accordingly. The thing that really adds to this is the nearly complete lack >of noise. Unlike a NSR, this is the sort of kite you can fly in a peaceful >park and not worry about disturbing anyone. The bridle - play with it to your hearts content, do things with it that other flyers tell you will make the kite fall out of the sky, they don't know what can be done (because _we_ don't know what will happen, we occasionally surprise ourselves, I won't tell you about the kite that was so stable off the wind that it couldn't be landed, but that taught us a lot that went into the Checkmate). And don't be afraid to yank hard on the lines, it's a fairly forgiving beastie. >It seems that there is no problem getting the thing airbourne, but in the lighter >winds, the kite just flies slower. I've not tried it in anything stronger than >about 15mph, but even then you can feel that the SL is capable of pulling. >I have heard of someone using a stack of SL's to power a buggy, which apparently >works well, and gives you enough power even in the 5-10mph wind range. >Since the design of the wing is so similar to the 3-11 sport (the only major >difference is that the SL only has one batton on either side), I can't see >that there would be a problem flying an SL in 25mph. Some more experiments are >needed I think. Yes, the SL will power a buggy, (well, a stack of them, a single doesn't really. >The SL turns much wider than the NSR and generally feels more stable. Which >means that it probably isn't so good at those really sharp tricks. Even just >doing a simple square, the corners are more rounded than I would like. Maybe >that's just 'cos I haven't practiced enough :-( . The 3-11 SL is a little harder to turn sharply, it does take a little bit of practice, and the confidence to realise that it isn't a Phantom, it won't break if you give it a bit of stick. It will punch into a stall in the middle of the window with depressing :-) regularity, once you get it down pat, even at what seem like wind speeds too high to be flying what is ostensibly a light-wind kite. >The bright side is that all those loopy shapes you can make in the sky, like >figure 8's and circles are easy to make in a very regular way. >I don't know what the move is called, but with the kite pointed upwards, you It's a stall, see above. >can sort of float it across the sky from one side to the other...well almost. >(More practice needed here too) >I will be interested to hear any other views people might have on this one. Just my 2c worth on it, and as I said, I don't fly them very often, but they are a damn' nice kite. Cheers, Gary B-) -- ______________________________________________________________________________ Gary R. Schmidt Internet/ACSNet/FishNet: grs@werple.apana.org.au ______________________________________________________________________________ = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =