Power Kite Forum - Do you use a kite leash?

Do you use a kite leash?

B-Roc - 28-9-2009 at 12:22 PM

After watching Carl's latest video where the chicken loop fails and the kite is saved by his leash I'm thinking I may need to get me a leash. Now I'm just getting into the depower scene and not jumping like that but I'm wondering how many of you are using leashes when you ride so I figured I'd start a quick poll.

dylanj423 - 28-9-2009 at 12:55 PM

a safety is built into my pl bar.... so not really a leash when i fly my arcs.... always with my fs'er though... unless i forget- which has happened once or twice:embarrased:

i just would hate to lose a kite or hurt somebody

dgkid78 - 28-9-2009 at 12:59 PM

I put that I never use a leash only because HQ States it's a leashless system. Although I do have the option to clip a leash to the parking brake handle. :dunno: it makes sense for a Arc since it has auto zenith. So I wouldn't clip it to the chicked loop on my kites.

flyboy15 - 28-9-2009 at 12:59 PM

Some kites have a top-hat release system above the bar that kills the kites power. Others, like carl's are built so you can ride unhooked and not worry about losing you kite if you drop the bar. Many kites have different safety systems

I ride a slingshot ranger, and it comes with a leash as its primary safety system, the leash breakaway is the secondary.

f0rgiv3n - 28-9-2009 at 01:13 PM

I use my PL zer04 bar's safety leashed to me. I'm sure I use it wrong. it has some sort of bobby thing with a pin sticking out of it. All I ended up doing was tying the leash to my spreader bar cuz I don't have anything for it to hook into. The leash is tied to an outside line so it just flags out when the chickenloop fails (it's happened to me twice)

carltb - 28-9-2009 at 01:17 PM

always.

snobdr - 28-9-2009 at 03:01 PM

Same here, always.

indigo_wolf - 28-9-2009 at 03:11 PM

Doesn't apply to me yet, but I have always been intrigued by the fact that Ozone's Turbo bar gives you two attachment points for a leash depending on whether you are hooked in or not.

Insomnia gives you waaaaaaay too much time to think about things. :o :rolleyes:

ATB,
Sam

Bladerunner - 28-9-2009 at 04:46 PM

Always

I don't use the handle pass leash because I don't do unhooked stuff. I just use the normal leash that comes with the arc . I move it from my Chicken loop to harness for landing. I also always use a leash on my Flysurfer FDS system .

Jovver - 28-9-2009 at 05:24 PM

I too always use a leash. There was a point where I was flying leashless, but it really just adds a sense of security for me. I only really use it for landing... when you deploy the chicken loop, the leash takes over and the kite drops out of the sky. It's a kite killer for bar systems. I have only had to release the chicken loop and depend on my leash in a handful of situations where it could have been devastating if I didn't have it.

doublespeed360 - 28-9-2009 at 06:08 PM

yes i use one to ,but have ridden with out one. forgot to put it on , sea brease was blowing so i didnt have to worry on my warroo 13.

action jackson - 28-9-2009 at 06:14 PM

I always use one on my arcs. I hook up to flag not sucide..............aj

ripsessionkites - 28-9-2009 at 09:29 PM

i took off the safety off from the Twinskin bar and only use the Pro Leash

the only time i think you'll need a leash is when you do "unhooked". so when you let go of the bar its still attached to you and you just pull the leash back in.

carltb - 29-9-2009 at 03:43 AM

the 07 bar has a tendency to unhook if you dont have the donkey dick set right, so i think a suicide leash is a sencible added bit of safety. it only takes it to comes loose once.

BeamerBob - 29-9-2009 at 03:56 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by ripsessionkites
i took off the safety off from the Twinskin bar and only use the Pro Leash

the only time i think you'll need a leash is when you do "unhooked". so when you let go of the bar its still attached to you and you just pull the leash back in.

Rip, what did you take off your 07 bar and what does the proleash hook into?

PHREERIDER - 29-9-2009 at 05:13 AM

always, suicide on the main.

without having a "flag leash " (or some type ) attached to you, your kite becomes a liability.

example , you're on the beach flying/riding , whatever , you release the kite or it gets away from you . now the kite is freely tumbling down the beach with lines flailing, it tumbles into a family and a child gets caught in the lines nest, kite pops up ....now your day has just turned to #@%$#! and someone could be severely injured. there's no "SORRY DUDE" gonna fix that folks . certainly not intentional but preventable .

its your device(the kite) in a public domain, you will be held accountable

this is where a community safety issues will spawn bans on kiting .

ragden - 29-9-2009 at 05:55 AM

Always fly with a leash on. Its part of the flysurfer safety, and the same on my TD2. Actually had it fail (the spring in the clasp failed, letting it fall open and off the ring it was connected to) on last Saturday. That was the point when I called the end of my session. I had a second one back at the car, but didnt feel like trudging back to get it...

BeamerBob - 29-9-2009 at 06:34 AM

I always use a leash every time but I'm a little worried about the PL 07 bar after reading some of this. My current (Non PL) bar flags the kite on a front line if I pull a safety or if my chicken loop fails or is intentionally disconnected for any reason because the leash attaches directly to my harness. On my PL '07 bar, the flagline leash attached to the chicken loop swivel on the kite side of the chicken loop. With the wonky chicken loop on that bar you could lose the whole kit if your DD moved and allowed the chicken loop to disconnect from your harness, leash and all. I saw it happen to MGATC's synergy once and it happened to me once. I found that I could run the DD through the back ring on the chicken loop and it couldn't slide down to disengage but I still wonder if a second leash that connected directly to the harness would be prudent and recommended.

Bladerunner - 29-9-2009 at 05:35 PM

B'Bob ,

You can hook the safety on the 07 bar to your spreader if that feels better? I do it for landing but move it to the chicken loop when hooked in.
You will end up with a Navigator bar soon!!!!!

syuzhak - 29-9-2009 at 05:41 PM

Why not???

BeamerBob - 30-9-2009 at 06:38 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bladerunner
B'Bob ,

You can hook the safety on the 07 bar to your spreader if that feels better? I do it for landing but move it to the chicken loop when hooked in.
You will end up with a Navigator bar soon!!!!!

My problem is gone for now since my 07 bar was sold with my 12m Synergy, but the issue could come up in the future. Also with the leash attached to the harness, you lose the ability to spin the bar if you have a twist. Everything is a compromise it seems. I like discussions like this, where we get to learn the way others handle these things.

rudeboysaude - 30-9-2009 at 06:46 AM

That's one of the reasons I like Peter Lynn's spinning spreader bar. It even has a little loop above the hook designed for the leash. That was their solution to a leash twist with the Zero4 bar and it's still a great piece of gear to have for any bar and leash option. It doesn't work with the Dakine power clips though I believe and I don't really care for the Peter Lynn harnesses. They just aren't up to par with what is currently available. I have a Prolimit harness that it works with it so there are other options to use it with.

BeamerBob - 30-9-2009 at 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by rudeboysaude
That's one of the reasons I like Peter Lynn's spinning spreader bar. It even has a little loop above the hook designed for the leash. That was their solution to a leash twist with the Zero4 bar and it's still a great piece of gear to have for any bar and leash option.

You are right. That small ring in the chicken loop would be perfect for a leash to the harness and it wouldn't twist. If I end up with one again, I'll get a second leash and I'll be set.

yugga - 30-9-2009 at 09:45 AM

i sometimes leash into the loop on the landing handle on the neo. i only had to use it once (pulled safety and chicken loop) and the kite kept twisting and dragging me until someone jumped it. it was however too windy to have an 11m kite out to be honest!

B-Roc - 30-9-2009 at 05:13 PM

Any of the non-arc users using leashes (aside from yugga occassionally). I'm still trying to figure out the value of them on my FS and Gin. The FS needs it to deploy the FDS and I use the short leash that came with it but the Eskimo is also a 5th line FDS safety system and the 5th line is attached to the chicken loop and the bar cuts away above the chicken loop when the safety is deployed.

I have no rear line grab handle to hook a leash to and if I did, that would prevent the 5th line from working. The only thing I can really hook a leash to is the fifth line which won't come off my harness unless I release it.

So I guess my question now is, since the 5th line is attached to me via a short leash on the FS and the chicken loop on the Gin, does a chicken loop slide off the donkey dick enough to warrant the need for a leash if I'm not flying unhooked? Thoughts?

PHREERIDER - 30-9-2009 at 06:53 PM

the fifth line leashed to you is fine thats all the leash you need .

mainly for launching and landing safety stuff. and around people and things so "when " you deploy safety release or land you still have control of the flagging kite .

the sole purpose is to have control of a dead kite with fds and 5th line type systems

with the DD popping out ( rare and does happen )and the loop coming off the hook, the FDS and fifth lines systems can be a little messy when they do deploy not all, but can be . that's why a suicide leash allows the kite to remain lit ...bar goes all they way out then the leash catches it being placed ABOVE the loop ... you might get snatched but the kite is still flying or ready to fly.

ripsessionkites - 16-10-2009 at 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by BeamerBob

Quote:

Rip, what did you take off your 07 bar and what does the proleash hook into?

oops, read passed this

yes, i took off the bar leash / safety. only BR uses ones.

I clip my Suicide Leash (Pro Leash *harness ---> kite) to the D Ring in the center of the Chicken Loop minus the Donkey Dick.

The downfall from putting it there is if i eject the kite is going solo downwind. i have yet to eject "knock on wood", but placing the leash there allows for easy hook-in / out.
Also i've come to notice that ARCs are 100% safe. you cant screw it up even on failed jumps other than a pure nose drive to the ground. you could have the Arc far outside the wind window and it always finds zenith.

I've practice letting go of the bar and letting the suicide leash take over a dozen times, and 100% of the time the auto zenith kicks in. I just pull the stretched out suicide leash a few inches in bit by bit and hook right by in. no reason to bother with the safety / bar leash to flag a kite. If i was in trouble i would want my kite 100% depowered above my head in the air than some 15m kite flapping on the ground near people. Thats just my opinion for a crowded park we have.

I've tumbled, fallen, rolls, face plant and the second i let the bar out the Syn just auto zeniths for me, so i could basically fly blind on cruise control.

Im not suggesting that you all remove your safety / leash from your bar, i just use what works with my style.

snobdr - 16-10-2009 at 10:25 AM

The only thing i dont like about the auto zenith is the kite is still powered till it gets to zenith. Dragging you the whole time till it gets there. This is made worse the further into the power zone the kite is when released.

macboy - 16-10-2009 at 10:49 AM

Yup, stay powered for a bit - that's where my submarine impersonation came from BUT I also took comfort while I was submerged that indeed, the kite would power out and I'd surface. Still I came up with my finger looped in the release ready to let go if need be.

True to form, the kite zenithed and I was able to choke the lake water out. Good to hear your case studies Rip - I must admit I've wondered if they'd ALWAYS auto-zenith or not. I guess if you really goof and crash the kite while being dragged that there is a chance it'll drift back, power up, relaunch and drag you more but even in that case I'd bet that you'd eventually end up at Zenith :lol:

And yes - I use the spinning ring on the chickenloop to hook my leash to and now (thanks to PKF education) unhook it and attach it to my harness for landing.

kiteNH - 16-10-2009 at 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by B-Roc
So I guess my question now is, since the 5th line is attached to me via a short leash on the FS and the chicken loop on the Gin, does a chicken loop slide off the donkey dick enough to warrant the need for a leash if I'm not flying unhooked? Thoughts?

I'm not really familiar with the safety systems on either your FS or the Gin. My only depower experience is with the Ozone's and reride system that doesn't really require a leash. I use a leash sometimes and mainly its because of the few times that I've had the chicken loop slide off and been left holding a kite at full power with people, the ocean, and barbed wire fences down wind.

For the reride systems (and for people who don't unhook) I think the "slip off" is the only real purpose for the leash. Because the primary safety is leashless. And if you go for the second safety (the CL) you probably don't want to be connected to the kite anymore (and don't want to take the time to pull the third safety which would be the leash).

I found that the Ozone CL + Dakine spreader hook is not a great combo. The Ozone spreader bar holds the CL much better. And the D-ring is pretty much foolproof.