flysurfer viron 2 dlx

[alford]

This kite is marketed as a beginners foil kite and/or a storm kite. Is this the best way to learn how to fly a foil kite for an adult using the 6.0 size?

[Regis-de-giens]

I owned the the v1 6m dlx which is the same design.
I would say "why not" on land or snow but not for the water, due to poor upwind ability. Hence on water you can use it for the 1-2 first hours to learn planning but as soon as you need to go upwind or come back to your initial point, it won't be the easiest kite.
It is uncomparable safe and easy to relaunch which is very good but also very different to pilot from a "standard" foil kite, so on water i would advise not to spend too much time with the viron (unless very strong wind) to avoid unstandard habits.

[foilholio]

Get a pansh a15 in 15m or 18m. It's an easy kite and big sizes in foils are much easier than small ones.

[alford]

How should I go about learning the intricacies of foil kites? In my area it's all tubes...
Seems kind of daunting going with a 15m a15 or similar. My only foil experience is a small 2m trainer.

[borist]

I'd recommend Pansh A15 in 9m. Bigger ones are too slow for someone who flown only LEIs. It floats well like all A15s, easy to save from dropping in a lull, goes upwind OK and it moves fast enough. It is an excellent foil kite to learn on in water because it relaunches very easy especially if you know how to reverse launch - the skill every foil kite rider should know. It is cheap, pretty well made, packs small, etc....
The only negative with A15 is depower range. It does not depower as well some other kites in my quiver. This may not be obvious to the user who does not have experience with racing kites (LEI or foil) though.

Start in light winds on land to get use to handling. I'd recommend shortening brake lines by about 3 inches to get a better bar feedback, especially when on land and lighter wind. Once under way you can trim depower strap to compensate.

[foilholio]

Learning you can watch videos or read or ask here. I favor big kites for being safer, which is the opposite of what inflatable riders think or are taught, but I have had my bacon saved a few times on land because I was on a bigger kite. Small kites drop you like a stone with no chance of recovery. Having said that you will "feel" safer on a smaller kite, but all up being sensible with the wind/weather you put what size kite up in and where you use it(on water away from land) is most important. Borist has experience with all the a15s so, I only know the 18m. I am thinking also in terms of adding to your inflatable quiver, a 15m or 18m will be a good size for light wind. If you were using a hydrofoil then a 9m could be considered enough for lightwind. Also the A15 in 9m or 12m will have good performance for it's design. Maybe you want to add a more higher performance foil in the larger sizes later and a larger a15 would be obsolete. For me the race kites and even the flysurfer speeds are too unstable to surf with so I prefer something like the A15 for a big kite.

[joriws]

Is this the best way to learn how to fly a foil kite for an adult using the 6.0 size?

My food for though is that you could consider second hand Speed4 8std/dlx instead of Viron. It flies in a puff and is good as a trainer. It should work better in high wind when compared to Viron, I used "should" as I don't have personal experience with Viron. At least 8DLX which I have drifts perfect in lulls. Just make sure it flies well before buying.

Here is a video of S4 8DLX (and Sonic-FR 15) in conditions where Frenzy 5sqm 2006 or similar year model could not fly. Video shows how S4 8DLX handles and is in my mind also a perfect trainer in low winds. There is a lot of apparent wind generating by skating as kite 360 circles were flown.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4a7X0PiagQ

[Adventure Logs]

Is this the best way to learn how to fly a foil kite for an adult using the 6.0 size?

My food for though is that you could consider second hand Speed4 8std/dlx instead of Viron. It flies in a puff and is good as a trainer. It should work better in high wind when compared to Viron, I used "should" as I don't have personal experience with Viron. At least 8DLX which I have drifts perfect in lulls. Just make sure it flies well before buying.

Here is a video of S4 8DLX (and Sonic-FR 15) in conditions where Frenzy 5sqm 2006 or similar year model could not fly. Video shows how S4 8DLX handles and is in my mind also a perfect trainer in low winds. There is a lot of apparent wind generating by skating as kite 360 circles were flown.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4a7X0PiagQ

I would not recommend that gen of the Speed. They are known for having their internal mesh tear on crashes and have had this happen to my twice. I would recommend getting a Lotus Speed 4 8m. Only problem i've had with the Lotus models is having the internal strap tear which really didn't effect the flying characteristics(only noticed the broken strap with the sun shining through it. No idea how long it was broken). Also Flysurfer corrected this in the later models and if you get a older one, it really is a simple fix. Also with the new Speed 5's just coming out, the Lotus's are gonna be cheap.

=J-

[Hardwater Kiter]

If you are looking for a close cell foil to learn on go with the Viron 2. It will teach many of the basic skills needed to effectively fly a foil and with some of the highest safety factor you will ever see in a kite. The kite, even in smaller sizes, is a smooth and somewhat slow turner. This is to help yiu avoid making mistakes that can rapidly go bad. And unlike larger kites, it won't overpower you when gusts come through. It will relaunch easier than other kites and has minimal lift so reduced risk of accidental lofting.

The Viron 2 is a considerable upgrade from the Viron 1. We've used both and the original version was not very good IMO.

Once you get a feel for it, the kite can be tuned a bit and made to fly more "sporty" if you want. It's not going to be like a Speed or other high performance kite, and that's the point of kites like these. If water relaunch is not a priority, the HQ Rush 300 School is another good option.

6m is a good size. It will allow you to train but can also be used to ride in some high wind conditions.