Synergies
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Basic Comments
I have to start by saying there are people who think the Synergy is a very difficult kite to fly. There are some people who can't seem to get one off the ground and others who can get them airborne but never for long and always with a hard crash. Still others can only seem to make the Synergy 333 dance on the ground but never get them up. As for me, I can't tell you how much I enjoy these kites. You do need a stronger wind to get them off the ground (5mph is good) and they are a kite which requires more "feel" from the rider than most. The three line configuration can be a wrist breaker until you've figured out which wing is going to capture the wind and which wing wants to steer.
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Getting the Synergy 333 airborne
The Synergy 333 comes with 30ft lines. These are good to start with because these kites don't fly like 1, 2 or 4 line kites and longer lines might be frustrating until you've learned this three-winged kite's flight dynamics. You'll also need to read the instructions carefully before you string up the kite and the control. To me, the pictures in the instructions were more confusing than helpful. The kite wants to be strung up so that the struts face into the wind and getting the lines onto the controls requires a good grip. Also, these kites can be strung up to fly either right or left handed and it does make a difference once you get them up (I'm using a right-handed control in the figure on the right). Once you've got the control set up, run out the lines and make sure there are no crosses and no tangles. What I usually do is set up the control and attach my top line first, then either right or left control lines until all three are secure to the control. Next I walk the lines downwind and keep them clearly separated while I assemble the kite itself. I assemble the kite so that the wings are pressed against my legs and stomach by the wind. In other words, I'm standing facing the wind with the kite assembling going on in front of me. This way I stop the kite from taking off, which any kite will do if you don't take steps to prevent otherwise. Attach the bottom control lines first, then the top line. Make sure the lines are clear and run from bottom right control to bottom right of kite, bottom left control to bottom left of kite, top control to top of kite. Remember that this is a light kite and will get airborne easily. I'll lay the kite down on its back and walk the lines back to the control regardless of wind speed. At the control, just a gentle tug on the top line will right the kite and, if the kite is properly facing into the wind (the wind's at your back and the kite is downwind from you), another gentle tug will get the kite airborne.
Riding the 30ft lines
As I wrote above, the Synergy 333 comes with 30ft lines and these are great for learning the kite's flight dynamics. Do remember that 30ft is not a lot of line in a strong wind and the kite is going to respond quickly simply because you're running relatively short lines. I wouldn't recommend flying in anything stronger than 5mph winds on the 30ft lines until you're comfortable with the kite because it is a quick kite in the air and you may not be use to its responses. You can fly these kites in a reverse configuration in higher winds, which I'll discuss further down in this review
Characteristics/Dynamics/Responses
The Synergy 333 will easily fly at the extreme edge of the envelop without hesitation. In fact, you can fly the Synergy 333 from the edge on one side, directly over your head and down the edge on the other side with tremendous stability. It is highly maneuverable throughout the flight window without noticeable pull until the winds get above 7mph, at which point you'll start to experience some strain on the controls. Be aware that there are two parts of this kite which will deform under stress, the kite itself and the control. This may cause you to take the Synergy 333 out in stronger winds because the stress isn't obvious on the kite (like it would be on a Legacy or Maxima, for example). Remember that any deformation on the Synergy 333's control is going to be echoed in the kite itself. Too strong a wind and both will snap and all you'll have left is memories of some incredible flights. That being said, the Synergy 333 steers remarkably well and easily (and remember that I started this review by saying some people can't get it airborne for love or money). As mentioned before, it is highly responsive.
This kite is designed to be controlled by small, gentle wrist movements. Once the kite is aloft you can ride the wind with the control at your side, in front of you, over your head, or whatever position feels comfortable. A gentle tug on the top line will send it shooting up, a gentle tug on either bottom line will send the kite in either direction. What you want to be careful of is that this kite isn't going to go simply up, down, right or left when you pull on a control line. Look at the picture at the top of this review and you'll see that the Synergy 333 doesn't have a wing pointed straight up, another pointed straight down and another pointed straight somewhere else. However, this orientation was perfect for keeping the Synergy 333 motionless in the sky on the day this picture was taken for wind we were having (South 5mph, SE gusts to 10mph). If you want the kite to go straight up you either need to turn the control so that a single wing is pointed towards the zenith then pull on that wing or you need to steer appropriately with whatever combination of directions and wings are necessary to go into the direction you want the kite to go. Getting a single wing into a given direction is simply a matter of turning the wrist. Flying backwards and sideways when you need to control the orientation of two wings, etc., is much more work but also much more fun and beautiful to see.
Riding the 100ft lines
When I ordered my Synergy 333s from Vickee I asked her to include some 100ft lines. Remember that the Synergy 333 comes with 30ft lines and these are great. I wanted longer lines just to see what the dynamics would be at 100ft. I can tell you they are fantastic. The figure above showing the right-handed control also shows our intrepid hero flying with the 100ft lines with the control at chest level. The flight characteristics are the same but the response is slightly more sluggish because the geometry of the control doesn't allow for much line separation (unlike a 2 or 4 line kite where you have a control in each hand and you can separate them by as far as your arms can go). You can expect control delays of about a second or two, depending on wind speed and the angle your Synergy 333 attacks the wind. However, you will experience butterfly like flight in a light wind and hummingbird like flight in a stronger wind. As before, remember that in a stronger wind the control and the kite are sharing the strain. I will routinely fly at the edges of the envelop or along the zenith line just to make sure the strain is low. I do get the kites airborne by lifting them from ground level about 45º from windward on a strong wind day, 0º from windward on a low wind day (in other words, in a low wind day I'll get airborne with the kite directly downwind from me. On a strong wind day I'll get the kite airborne at either 3 or 9 o'clock with the wind blowing towards 12 o'clock and me standing at 6 o'clock). Too strong a gust and you'll lose both kite and control so play safe until you know how your kite'll fly, then go have even more fun.
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More fun: Stacked Synergy 333s
I was told by a few people that the Synergy 333 couldn't be flown in a stacked configuration. Thank goodness I don't listen well. Originally I purchased two Synergy 333s from Vickee to fly them in a dual right- and left-handed configuration. As an experiment, I attempted to fly them stacked. If you look at the following set of images, you'll see that they fly quite well (this was in a 7mph wind). Here I used the 100ft lines from the right handed control to the first kite, which was the right-handed kite, then ran the 30ft lines from that kite to the rear kite which was the left-handed kite. You attach the control lines to the first kite first and snug them at the bottom of the loop line. You attach the 30ft lines at the top (near the knot) of the first kite then run them back to the second kite. Realize that you're controlling the first kite and the first kite is controlling the second kite. This means you're going to get some incredible sky dancing as they pull each other across the sky.
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I mentioned above that I ordered two Synergy 333s from Vickee with the intent of flying them together in right- and left-handed configurations. This I did, and do, and I'm telling you it's not for the squeamish. If you're worried about the investment in the kites or the heads of spectators, you should not attempt flying two kites, one in each hand. But if you do, you'll have a riot and laugh pretty hard at yourself. First, this is something which really wants to be learned using the 30ft lines. Longer lines and you're just begging to end up with crossed lines and downed kites. Second, go for a light wind, say 3-5mph, and be sure the wind is steady from one direction. No gusts allowed. I have to be honest with you and say that this requires more co-ordination and skill than most people are willing to take the time to acquire. I find it easier getting the kites airborne simultaneously and flying them in "close" formation. For me, this means keeping the kites in the same part of the sky so they'll be catching the same wind from the same direction. I did make one attempt at flying them at either ends of the envelope and bringing them up overhead. My goal was to do some skywriting like maneuvers. One of my goals is to be young and handsome, too, and that ain't likely to happen, either. Maybe with practice I'll do some skywriting with the Synergy 333s. When I do, I'll write about it.
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Still More Fun: Dual Synergy 333s
Meanwhile, I've found that the best way to get dual Synergy 333s airborne is to lay them about twenty feet apart, downwind (duh) and (this could be important) facing slightly away from each other. The reason for facing the two kites away from each other is so that they'll climb away from each other if I get them airborne simultaneously, which I'll do sometimes. Other times I'll lift one and get it stable then get the other up. What is important to remember is that, once airborne, the kites will behave differently from each other. Remember that the kites are strung for right- and left-handed flying. You don't have to do that but I actually found it much easier to control the kites when I rigged the controls for each hand. Running the kites right- and left-handed means that the kites will fly much like playing the piano (or any other keyboard instrument). If you move your hands in the same way the kites will move in the same direction but you also have to remember to keep the wings in the same orientation to get equal flight. If the left kite has one wing pointed directly east and the right kite has no wings pointed directly east and the wind is blowing from the west and you pull your hands to the east, the left kite will go east and probably cross over or under the lines of the right kite which is has flown either up and left or down and left, depending on the wing orientation. Likewise, if you move your hands in different directions the kites will follow your hands but only to the extent that the kites' wings are aligned in the directions your hands want the kites to go. Hey, I said this type of flying requires lots of co-ordination, didn't I? |
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Although I have no pictures of this, it is possible to fly the Synergy 333 in stronger winds (over 12mph) by inverting the kite, which means you tie it to the control lines with the struts facing downwind and the convex surface (the surface with the logo on it) facing the control. This flight configuration might occur during normal flight if the kite gets caught in a strong crosswind and inverts. Usually the kite just floats down to the ground when this happens because there won't be enough wind to keep it up. However, this is a much safer way to fly the kite (safer for the kite, that is) in a stronger wind because the pressure on the struts decreases dramatically. Before the struts were working to keep the kite open because the normal flight configuration wants to pull the wings together. Flying the reverse configuration causes the struts to work merely to keep the kite into the wind because the wings are no longer capturing the wind. This also means that the flight dynamics, characteristics and responses are completely different. I've only flown this way twice and found it not very exciting because the kite, flying in reverse configuration, really isn't designed to stay aloft unless it's flying directly downwind. Pull it slightly to either side and it wants to slide through the wind and stall, rather than catch the wind and climb. Doable, but not much fun, at least for me. You give it a try and see what you think.
Final Notes
- 5mph wind to get them airborne is good but you can get them airborne in less.
- requires more "feel" from the rider than most kites.
- can be flown in steady winds over 10mph but the control will start to twist and bend, perhaps more than you'd want it to.
- unusual and way fun flight characteristics.
- can be flown on standard 30ft lines or longer lines.
- can be flown anywhere in the envelope with equal response and agility.
- can be flown in stacked formation or as dual, one-handed kites.
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