TRIGGER WARNING
Notice to Ram Lovers: the following content is potentially distressing, including graphic references to ram air failures, underperformance, and inferiority.
COVID sucks. BUT … what has been *REALLY* upsetting in the last year has been the RIDICULOUS claims from ram lovers. Despite the lies and exaggerations, ram airs cRaSHeD in 2021. It's interesting to note that NO ram airs..... no NOT ONE (!)…. feature anywhere near the top of world rankings in ANY discipline on the GKA World Tour www.gkakiteworldtour.com. Ram airs cRaSHeD in Freestyle, Wave, and Speed disciplines.
Ram lovers try to hide their problems in their own little forum, but the issues keep leaking out, e.g., inferior lifespan, safety issues, sinking, problems with relaunch/landing on rough beaches, mixer tuning problems, and a litany of other disasters:
- Worn bridle lines: viewtopic.php?f=197&t=2410535&sid=993f6 ... c2502cda96
- Unexpected collapsing: viewtopic.php?f=197&t=2411118&sid=993f6 ... c2502cda96, viewtopic.php?f=197&t=2410767&sid=993f6 ... c2502cda96
- Folding and loss of flight performance due to bridle stretching: viewtopic.php?f=197&t=2410952&sid=993f6 ... c2502cda96
- Issues with mould and moisture retention: viewtopic.php?f=197&t=2410603&sid=993f6 ... c2502cda96
Ralf Groesel, who once designed ram air kites for FLYSURFER, had this to say:
“… it’s the Tube-kite that stands victorious. From a designer’s point-of-view it shines in every aspect; its simplicity in design is the key to controlling its complexity. Tube-kites rule most of the sport-related requirements… Soft-kites have an approximate market share of 4%, meaning that 96% of all kites sold worldwide are Tube-kites. This figure basically validates the success of the concept. Without being too sarcastic, you have to be a believer to think that Soft-kites are the future of the kite market…”
For the full epiphany and admission, please check-out this link: viewtopic.php?t=2400039
Finally, as 2021 winds down, the opportunity to look ahead presents. Waaaay back in 2007, “pluvious” predicted Ram Airs Crashing in 2023 viewtopic.php?t=2343945 . As we start the two year countdown to 2023, let’s keep in mind pluvious’s Nostradumus-like predictions.
Ignore the LIES and exaggerations. Ram airs are grossly inferior compared to inflatables.
Pumpy