I’m still trying to figure out what the optimum wind range for this kite is.
Today, with a light weight bridle and 150DaN line, I flung it into a fresh North Westerly. The kite raced away and rose quickly as I paid the line out threaded through the eye of a dog stake. The kite dodged around and even the drogue on a Y line didn’t really calm it down. As the wind speed picked up the Explorer was pushed over sideways to the edge of the wind window, this is not a bad thing ( other, less stable, kites will turn over and whack themseleves into the ground at this point) but it is a surefire indicator of the upper wind speed limit for it :
Whoooa.. at 17mph the pull was terrific and I was glad of my gloves.
I discovered 2 things. At 15mph wind speed the Explorer begins to fly on it’s beam ends and the rate of the line passing though the ground stake at this speed is enough to melt it. On re-launch the line parted and the kite flew away in a collapsed state down wind. It landed before it got to the road 100m down range.
So now I know the Explorer’s upper wind speed is around 15mph which places it as a Bft 3 kite for KAP. Hmph. The HQ Flowform 2.0 does well in this kind of speed and starts to heel over around the top end of Bft 4. There are a lot of Bft 3 kites around and the Explorer might be more stable than many but it has a wind range well short of what I’d like for KAP- at least it behaved politely as it got to the edge of the envelope!
Happy flying,
B
Billboyheritagesurvey's Blog 
My H. Prinzler FF15, flies from 10 to 30 mph without the problems presented in their tests. Sutton Flow Forms is probably irreplaceable.
The Prinzler design is good: it’s a ‘fast’ profile. I fly a 2m version by HQ
https://billboyheritagesurvey.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/hq-2_0.jpg?w=640&h=436
and it’s very reliable in Bft 4. I wouldn’t push it into 30mph though- that’s PFK territory!
The great thing about the Sutton was it’s wide wind range: it will lift a kilo from 7mph right up to 15mph.
Hello,
I ordered a Explorer 1,6 for Kap. What do you think of usability and stability, is it the same like in your Tests? Should I make some Modifications and which weight is possible?
Hi there A-man,
I’d say the 1.6 was too small for serious KAP, From what I know of the 2.7, if the lift is proportional to the size I wouldn’t expect it to lift more than about 400g in Bft3.
Replacing the bridle lines with lighter line is a good modification.
The Explorer 2.7 is very stable, it will not invert and heels when overblown.It will not fly well in less than 8mph wind speed. It has a tendency to rock to left and right which I ameliorate by shooting from a slack line.
Good luck,
B