Micron - A Hornet on a String!
 
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Those of you who've read my other kite reviews know I like big kites. Really big kites. I'm generally not happy until I'm getting a good ride several feet off the ground. So what am I doing with a Prism Micron?
It went kind of like this; I was with some kiting buddies at a local park. The winds were kicking up good and steady. I was there pretty much for support and to help launch and teach (there were some novices in the group who were intent on breaking the struts on their deltas). When the sky traffic died down a bit I thought about getting out one of my wings, but the winds were getting a bit strong and I was getting a bit tired. I wasn't in the mood for my usual wrestling matches.
Then one of my buddies asked if I'd like to try his Micron and showed me the kit bag. "That's a kite?" I asked.
"Oh, yeah."
"That won't have any pull."
"It's not about pull, Fuzzface, it's about skill. How much skill do you need to launch a wing as big as a semi? This little kite," he said, starting to unpack it, "This little kite will give you a thrill that's an entirely different ride."
Yeah, I thought. Right.
One of my great joys is admitting when I've made a mistake. I made a mistake. The Micron is one heck of a good ride. It won't lift you unless you weigh about 1/2# soaking wet, but it's a hornet on a string when the wind is right.
Note that last sentence, folks, "...when the wind is right." The Micron is a small kite which is specifically designed for high wind conditions (15+mph, 18+kph). Don't even attempt to get it airborne with winds less than 12mph (15kph) because you're wasting your time and you'll end up frustrated, angry and tired. The Micron doesn't have enough wing surface to stay airborne and stable in lesser winds. However, when your hair is whipping, so will the Micron. In fact, at one point I lost control of one of the lines (it slipped off a finger. I fly Micron's one in each hand) and she spun like a mad hornet around a badger hole for minutes before it touched the ground.
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This is not to say the Micron can't give you one of those quiet, Zen moments where you and the kite just hang in the sky. One of those moments is captured in the accompanying pix and another on this site's Micron page. It's easy to find the Micron's sweetspot; she likes to be full face into the wind, 65-80degrees from the horizon depending on windspeed.
Launching the Micron can be a bit of fun in itself. The wing is so small that normal launching methods (placing the kite face into the wind and walking the lines back) can sometimes result in the kite falling forward. My suggestion is to use ground pegs (yes, I know. I use ground pegs for everything), place the control lines over the ground pegs, take the kite and walk the lines out downwind until you run out of line. Plant the kite on the ground about 10-15degrees from the vertical and angled downwind. This is important. If you angle the kite upwind it'll launch, so angle it downwind so you can get back to the pegs and launch it yourself. The Micron comes with a tail which it needs for stability and drag. Make sure the tail is either opened before you launch or at least streaming downwind of the kite before you tug it skywards.
Once up, the Micron is fast. Most of the people I know fly it by placing a control line over each index finger, then placing their hands in front of them as if they were praying (perhaps they are. The Micron really zings!). My method is a bit different, as you can see in the pix. I loop a control line over my index finger and the other over my pinky, then let the Micron fly. This allows me to fly one in each hand, which is really a trip (and the price of the Micron makes this an affordable option~!).
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Bringing the Micron safely groundward takes a little practice. It'll come down, no problem about that; it's just making sure the landing is gentle and intentional. Fortunately the Micron is so small it won't hurt itself should you decide a panic stop is the only way down.
The usual method for bringing down a delta is either at the edges of the envelope or to fly it earthward, reverse direction at the last second and relax the lines. The latter method is very tricky with the Micron because of its small size and phenomenal speed. Please make sure there's no one within line length if you're going to try method two above. The Micron, as I wrote, is small but it'll stun you if it whacks you on the head because of it's speed. That said, method one, flying the Micron to the edge of the envelope and letting it lose enough wind to start its own descent is a good alternative. Even here, though, you need to be careful. The Micron has a small wing surface and will lose pull much faster than larger kites. The edge of the Micron's wind envelope isn't perpendicular to its attack into the wind as you'd experience with larger deltas; the Micron will lose significant attack at about 60degrees from the perpendicular, a full 30degrees sooner than you'd expect.
Final thoughts: Yes, guys (and women), this is a manly kite despite what it looks like. It'll give you a good ride and then some, and I strongly suggest it for those days you're too tired to handle your big wings or simply want to have a little play time in between those high-wind, big wing wrestling matches.
Safe flying, friends.
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