Question:
"How Do I get the NPW Aloft Fast" ???

Answer:
I'm not totally sure I understand your question beyond "How do I get the NPW aloft fast?"
and my lack of understanding concerns me. Aren't you the fellow looking to do some kiteboating?
Now, as to getting the NPW aloft fast, I have some land based solutions and a boat based solution.
Please read through these carefully before attempting them.
  1. Land Launch: Light Wind (1-3mph wind) Method -
You'll need your NPW, the quad lines, the handles and two 12" tent pegs (you can get a package of four
at a KMart or WalMart or any sports store for about US$5.00).
Please notice that I mentioned QUAD lines above even though what I'm about to tell you will sound
like I'm describing dual line action. I'm suggesting you go with quad lines because in a sudden gust this kite really wants to be controlled and dual lines don't (in my opinion) provide the rapid control necessary.
Drive the tent pegs into the ground upwind of where you'll lay out the kite and about 2-3 feet apart from
each other. I use lawn&garden gloves to drive the pegs in deep by hand, so that maybe 4" is above the ground. I also drive them in at an angle so that the pegs are about 30degrees from vertical in the ground. String up the handles (but not the kite yet) and place the handles around the pegs as if they were      horseshoes and you'd just scored a ringer.
Now walk your lines out to where you'll launch the kite. Make sure your lines are straight and untwisted.
Open the NPW flat on the ground.
Find the kite's bottom lines first and attach these to the bottom lines from your handles.
This is an important step.
I prefer to attach bottom lines first  because there's no chance the kite will inflate and take off if the bottom lines are attached first. Attaching the top lines first means the kite has suddenly become a dual line kite with an unstable flight geometry and can be dangerous in the right kind of wind.
Once the bottom lines are attached attach the kite's top lines to the top lines from your handles.
Lay the kite out so that the top of the kite is about 1/4-1/3 curled over the rest of the kite.
Take one of the top lines in each hand and, facing the kite, walk backwards until you reach the handles.
With the NPW slightly folded over, a gentle pull on the top lines with the handles will get it airborne.  
2. In the above, it is important to remember that the tent pegs are there in case there's a sudden gust
which does get the kite airborne.
The tent pegs give you a few minutes to think before you need to panic because the kite is lifting you
off the ground.  
3. Land Launch: Stronger Wind (3-7mph) Method - In a stronger wind (3-7mph) you will want to keep your workgloves with you as you tie the lines from the kite to the handle lines as described above.
When you get to the part above where I suggest you walk backwards, put your gloves on and then grab the lines. This much wind will inflate the NPW and you'll need to be a little sensitive to the wind as you walk backwards because you can "feather" the kite so that it stays inflated but doesn't get any lift until you
get back to the handles.
Feathering means you provide just enough resistance to the kite's pull to keep it open and windward
without giving enough resistance to get it airborne. If you've ever done anything like push-hands in T'ai Qi
then you know what I mean, except now the wind is your partner and the kite is your partner's hands.
The gloves are necessary in case there's a sudden gust and the kite does get airborne, which now means
the lines are running through your hands and having the gloves on will prevent you from getting burns and cuts from the line (trust me, the speed and power could seriously damage your hands without the gloves to protect them. Did I mention I use thick, canvas lawn&garden gloves?)
Also remember that you're only holding onto the top lines until you get to the handles or the handles get
to you (I've had the tent pegs pulled from the ground several times. If you're not careful, the pegs get stuck
in the lines and you'll know when they whack you in the spine). Holding onto only the top lines means you're flying a dual line kite until the you get to the handles.
Remember that dual line kites have different steering geometries and characteristics than quad line kites.  
4. Land: Still Stronger Wind (5,6,7-15mph) Method -
As the winds increase you can get a more stable initial lift by running your lines at an angle to the direction of the wind. For example, if the wind is East at 10mph, run your lines so that your launch site is ESE or ENE.
All of the above still applies, with the exception that your upwind wing (the wing most E at the launch site) is going to want to be inflated first which means you'll want to keep those upwind lines loose until you're back at your handles. Likewise, your downwind wing will require some tension on its lines so that it doesn't fold over until you're ready to get the kite airborne. Once you've got the handles in your hands the geometry and
strategy changes. Relax the downwind lines and tighten the upwind lines. Your upwind wing inflates and your downwind wing folds. This causes the NPW to pull itself into the direction of the wind (E in our example) and,
if the wind is 15mph or above, you'll get pulled with it.

SEA:
5. Sea: Any Wind Method and Land: Very Strong Wind (over 15mph) Method -
First I need you to understand that I've never done any kiteboating (if that's your interest), nor have I flown the NPW in winds this strong (as of yet).  What I'm describing is based on other large kites (SkyTigers and CQuads) I've flown in strong winds and this is a method I think would work for you if you need to do a boat based launch. You'll need your gloves as described above. I have a jeep modified with tow hooks front and rear. I'm assuming a kiteboat has some kind of hooking mechanism or oarlocks or something which would server the same purpose. Vickee can sell you a harness (gelding harness, chastity belt, whatever it's called, Vickee'll know what I mean). I put on the harness then run a plastic covered cable (15' long, 500# breaking strength) through the back of the harness to the tow hooks on the jeep (usually the front because sometimes
I fly at night and need the headlights to see what I'm doing).
I then take one handle and line set. I let the handle go to the ground, walk forward and slightly to the side
about 3' with the lines in my hands, then let the lineset coil on the ground in about a 1' wide diameter coil.
Take the other handle and lineset and do the same, making sure the handles are about shoulder width apart, which means the linesets are coiled in front of you and are wider than your shoulders apart. Walk back between the two linesets and hook the handles into the harness (or into the oarlocks or whatever).
Walk back to the coiled linesets. Unlike the above methods, leave the NPW crumpled up into a ball and just free up the kite lines. As before, tie the bottom lines first then the top. You should now be standing in front
of a ball of kite with the kites lines running behind you and attached to the coiled handle lines, which have some lines running to the handles which are attached to your harness. Put on your gloves. Hold the upper kite lines where you attached them to the upper handle lines. Shake the kite like you're shaking a beach towel to get rid of the sand. The kite will inflate. Let the lines run through your hands (remember, you're now controlling a DUAL LINE kite even though you have quad lines attached) and work the kite so it stays into the wind as the lines now pay themselves out. Do this slowly so that the coiled lines don't twist up. Eventually you'll run out of coiled linesets and you'll get a snap when the lines pull on the handles you've attached to your harness. Be sure your insurance is paid up because you're in for one heck of a ride. LAST NOTE: I think this method would work for a boat launch in a light wind and would love to hear your thoughts on it. Remember, I've never flown the NPW in a very strong wind and I've only used this technique on other very large kites (simply haven't had the wind to do this with the NPW yet).

There you go, my friend. I hope this has been helpful. With about a day's practice you'll be able to get any large power kite (dual or quad line) airborne using these methods in very quick time. With winds 5-7mph I'll get kites up in less than 30 seconds (after I've run out the lines, etc.). In stronger winds it can take longer to launch because some kites will self-launch until you get the hang of feathering them (described above). It can also take longer in very light winds but only because the NPW is sensitive to the wind's angle of attack. It wants winds around 3-5mph or better to get it above 30degrees from the horizon, but anything beyond that might be too high (maybe) if you're kiteboating.

Question
Hey! I guess you tested the Nasa Power Wing, I am a somewhat beginner at traction and power kiting I have flown a Blade 3.3 and some similair foil style kites as well as an inflatable 2 string kitesurfing kite, Is there any potential with this Nasa Power Wing for kite buggying? I am interested to see how you think that a kite like the NPW stacks up to a ram air style foil kite, like the blade. The NWP looks really great for the money and it sounds like a relatively lite air kite, how is it in heavy air then? Thanks for your time,

Answer:
You've already got a good start towards understanding power and traction kiting just from the kites you've mentioned you've flown. Specifically, can you use the NPW for kite buggying? Gosh yes, and within some limitations. Buggying is one of those things that requires more co-ordination than most people think. Your hands are working the kite, your feet the buggy. Meanwhile your eyes are making sure the kite's up and at the same time they're making sure you're not going into the trees, a ditch, the water, whatever. My first question would be which NPW are you considering? My second question would be how big are you? The answer to the first depends on the answer to the second, the buggy you'll be using, and you get the idea. I have NPW LK-300, which is just over 6.9m of sail and great for all sorts of wind conditions. One thing to remember is that the more surface area a kite has the less wind it will take to get it aloft. This, of course, assumes the kite is made out of the standard fixings and not lead. Thus the LK-300 will go up in less wind than the LK-200. I would think for buggying (and I'm going to assume a body wieght of 200# because its an easy number to work with) you'd want the LK-300, quad line set up and winds up around 7-10mph for level buggying and over 15mph to go uphill with a standard highway grade (less than 10%). The NPW is going to be slow to respond in all but the strongest winds (15mph and up). Even in a good, steady, strong wind (like at the beach or on a plateau off a mountaintop) it won't respond as quickly at your Blade. I've flown my LK-300 with two friends. My take on it was that it was like flying a hotair balloon or a dirigible; Graceful as anything but slow on the curves. I didn't tell my friends this and waited for their reactions. One said it was like piloting a balloon from the ground and the other said it was a pedalpowered dirigible. Guess I wasn't too far off. The reason the responsiveness issue may be important comes with steering both the buggy and the kite. You can do some mean turns with the buggy but the kite may not keep up so, if you go this way, make sure you're wearing elbow and knee pads and a helmet until you get the hang of it. The NPW will respond much faster in a stronger wind but then you have the problem of maybe too much power until you get use to it. If you want to test the power over speed issue I'd suggest you fly the kite halfway between horizon and zenith and about 15 degrees from the edge of the envelope. This will give you enough pull in winds around 10mph to get you moving and give you the ability to pull the kite more into the wind (ie, away from the envelope and more windward) should you want more power and also to pull the kite away from the wind (ie, closer ot the edge of the envelope) to decrease power without running the risk of deflating the kite or having it fold. About "heavy air" by which I'm guessing you mean strong wind? I've just come back from a vacation where I flew the NPW in 12mph winds with gusts to 17. God, what a ride! I had to bring the kite down about every 5 minutes just to give my arms and back a rest. At 65 degrees up and about 10 degrees out of direct windward the kite had enough pull to get me off the ground in those gusts (I weigh about 240) so you know there was work going on. I was tempted to harness myself to my jeep and go out when the wind got up around 20mph steady but I'd already been out for 4 hours and was dead. I needed a rest. The next day the winds were more civilized (back to 7-10mph steady from the South) so it was not as much work to keep the NPW tamed. The NPW is a great kite for the money, no doubt about that, and it's highly versatile. If you're buggying for fun and to learn what it's like, sure, the NPW is a great kite. You can buggy with it, learn some stunts, learn how to maneuver and so on. But if you're into serious buggying or are competitive, I'm not sure the responsiveness would be what you need. You want to pull stumps, though, go for it! Enjoy and fly safe. Joe

Question
Thanks for the in depth response about the NPW, I think am am going to get it, I weigh between 180-190 pounds. I am interested in the 6.9m kite, I usually fly in lighter winds, I am in the washington D.C. area, so the wind here is ok. I think this might be the best bet for my first large kite, I have always flown friends kites, I do have some smaller stunt kites of my own, but I wanted a larger kite so I do not have to bum off my friends, It also sounds like this kite can be flown  without someone else to hold it up, if that is the case I think this is just what I am looking for. Once again I really appreciate your taking the time to respond back, I never expected such a wonderfully detailed response!!! Thanks,

Answer:
No problem on the response. That's what I'm here for. In this email you mention "...this kite can be flown without someone else to hold it up, ..." and I'm guessing you mean during the launch. If that's the case, the answer is yes, the NPW is very easy to launch solo. In fact, it's probably easier than some strutted kites (nothing beats my Maxima for ease of launch, but I've been spoiled by it). I think I covered launching somewhere. In short, tie the bottom lines first, top lines last. Make sure you've staked out the lines so the kite won't fly away on you. In a light wind and with the lines attached lay the NPW on its back, walk back to the handles, pull and walk back a few feet and you're up. In a stronger wind feather the kite a bit as you walk back to the handles. In even stronger wind you may want to launch the kite at an angle to the wind then guide it into the wind or launch it inverted then right it once it's airborne. Sorry not to write more right now but I've got to be somewhere soon. Hope this helps. Let me know if you need more details. Joe