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Mad Kyte 3.2m² (Paimpol)

The big news from French manufacturer Paimpol is its new range of soft power kites. The Mad Kytes have been developed from the Mad Kite by Sylvain Berthomé, and redsigned by Paimpol in a up-to-date version.

Construction
The Mad Kyte (the Y is the difference) from Paimpol is a stable kite with no frame, having a bridle with a simple single attachment point. The bridling has been considerably changed compared with that of the original Berthomé design with just seven attachments on the 3.2 metre kite on test. The bridles come from these attachment points. The Mad Kyte has long bridles on the outside with shorter bridles toward the centre which are attached to an arch line. The bridles are joined using O-rings which block themselves with a small plastic piece when the kite starts to pull. By turning the plastic piece it is possible to demount the bridle. The other different thing about the kite is its profile which is slightly raised toward the trailing edge. The general quality of the sewing was good and a Dacron reinforcement along the area of the eyelets assures strength. On the trailing edge and the leading edge ribs, the nylon is not rolled, but only hot cut. The nylon will not fray but it leaves a little to be desired. The Mad Kyte is presented in a stuff sack rather like a sail with a screen printed logo with the kite’s name and size. An attractive image overall.

Flight test
The Mad Kyte will get off the ground in as little as 5mph of wind but starts to give some impressive pull in about 15 mph. Whatever the wind speed, the kite is quite slow and doesn’t accelerate quickly. Once the kite is under pressure, it always has a tendency to wander, as if the compartments lack regular pressure and deflate. The kite’s window is not very large and it does not like to hold the edge of the wind. If one tries a downward turn on the edge of the window the wing-tip being pulled goes underneath the kite and it ends up on its back and then recovers, doing a sort of axel. Turns nearer the centre of the window require care - if you pull hard the kite will easily deflate and it’s a fifty/fifty chance whether the kite will recover or crash in a ball. From the ground the kite will generally always recover even when it is leading edge down. All that needs to be done is to pull sharply on one line to get the kite into launch position where it will immediately inflate and is ready to go.

Conclusion
In conclusion the Mad Kyte 3.2 m2 is a power kite for general leisure use, ideal for those wanting to start out in this increasingly popular pastime with a modest pricetag. It will never put the user in a risky situation and will give safe delivery of power. It does not bear comparison with specialist power kites like Skytigers, C2s or others because it isn’t in the same class. The Mad Kyte is there for those first power work out