So.... like many newbs I have been reading a lot of reviews!! yay!!! (no worries already selected my next kite... Ocius here i come)...
but things I want to know so that I can understand the references while reading some kites reviews are :
some one please define "deep" in reference to turtles ?
what is meant by "It’s not all French in its Turtle bias..." ?
as a matter of fact... someone just tell me the difference between "french" and "not french"... please?
does "light on the lines" mean less pull and more slack in the lines?
please someone help me define "old skewl" vs "new skewl" since I only know what I see now....
I am sure there is other stuff I didn't think of or remember yet..... thanks in advance
The first thing to remember is that we use these descriptions because of experience flying kites of different types. So they make more sense once you've flown kites that fit the various characteristics. If you haven't had the chance to fly different types, well it's never going to make complete sense. Also, with many kites, there isn't always a distinct line when describing a kite and how it flies and tricks and many kites are somewhere in between.
Deep turtle kites sit on their back with the nose further down toward the ground. So the nose is "deep" as opposed to a kite that sits flatter like a plate when on it's back. They also tend to come out of tricks with a choppier / snappier look.
French when used as a flight characteristic means the kite is usually less spinny and does tricks edgier, less swoopy. They tend to click or snap from trick to trick as opposed to a kite that rolls from trick to trick in a smoother fashion. A kite that is kind of "rolly polly" is the opposite of French.
Light on the lines means a lighter feel or less pull. Now if someone describes a kite as "heavy" it could mean the bridle setting, nose back or "heavy" because the kite has less drive and seems heavy. Or they may mean a heavier feel, more pull. These often go hand in hand, but not always.
Old school / new school was pretty well covered. But again, kites evolved so it's more of a progression from there to here than a line between them.
