Power Kite Forum

Kite leash...

code - 23-2-2007 at 06:57 PM

Just got my first depowerable and wouldn't ya know, it didn't come with a leash of any sorts to attach to the brake strap. Plenty of safety releases though, which are really nice. From what I've seen, not many kite companies supply those with the kite package...so what do you guys use and where do you get'em?
~Joe

B-Roc - 23-2-2007 at 07:21 PM

I don't know much about leashes but I know Andrew at Powerline Sports sells a bunch of different ones. But he is gone this weekend at Kitestorm.

Don't you only need the leash though if you are riding fully powered and unhooked? Isn't the kite secured to your spreader bar hook by the donkey dick on the chicken loop? so even when you enact the safety/kill, the kite should still technically be "leashed" to you if you haven't unhooked it.

Pablo - 23-2-2007 at 07:27 PM

Yeah, you shouldn't need a leash, there should be 2 releases, one to dump the kite to safety, it should still be connected to the depower loop, but usually by just one or two lines, no power though, then a second safety that'll cut the depower loop free and totally ditch the kite.

code - 23-2-2007 at 08:55 PM

It's got all the safety releases and like Pablo said one for dumping the kite and still being connected, the other for ditching it completely. Just thought having a leash connected to the brake lines would be nice too, just in case. I'll have to get ahold of andrew when he gets back. Saw that he was headed over there...looks like they're in for some great weather and winds up there too.
~Joe

kitedemon - 23-2-2007 at 09:15 PM

I have a leash on my access and I have been glad I had it! I ran into a pile of seaweed and came separated from my mountain board and fell on my face, in the process I lost the chicken loop from the harness (pulled out the donkey dick) and ended up laying on my belly being dragged in the seaweed to some rocks I couldn't quite reach the primary release (unhooked and arms fully extended in the kelp ;-) and the access was fully powered up as the chicken loop was not hooked in. I let the bar go and caught the works on the leash. With out the leash the kite would have blown into the ocean. It was quite funny but it would not have been if i lost my fav kite! I know some kites don't come with a leash but they are available from most (all??) manufacturers here is a really simple one I am sure it could be easily built if you chose to...
http://www.conceptair.com/pageG.php?page=access&lan=en&a...
NSI Pro kite leash 5' toward the bottom of the list...
Alex

code - 24-2-2007 at 06:10 AM

Alex..That's more along the lines of my thinking. Just in case other things happen and cause me to loose the chicken loop, I don't want to see my kite blowing down wind. I saw that with my TSR (my own fault to an extent), don't want to see it happen again.
How do you like the Access?
~Joe

access

kitedemon - 24-2-2007 at 06:23 AM

Joe,
Hey I love the access! I have been flying her for um 9 months or so and well she was TOTALLY worth the money! The quality... well it is an ozone. The kite is very stable, I lately will put her up when I won't put up the beamer as the beamer in gusty winds tends to be a bit unpradictable and will collaps and then power up at inoppurtune times. I bought a demo access and got a good price on it and never have regreted the purchase I am now looking at a 3m sammie and replacing the Beamer.
Alex

Pablo - 24-2-2007 at 10:02 AM

Dunno, somehow I'd rather chance losing my kite than the thought of not being able to ditch it quickly if needed. Kites can always be replaced, I can't.

code - 24-2-2007 at 10:09 AM

Pablo... I agree with what you're saying about personal safety. The main reason I don't want to loose the kite all together though is because there are typically people nearby where I fly, and the last thing I want is a 10m run-away kite flying at them. I'd rather be the one getting hurt then causing someone else to get hurt.


Alex, Was asking about the access because I just purchased an Apex from HQ, which is suppose to be the competition. Flew it for a few hours this morning, going back out in a bit. Thus far it's extremely more stable in gusty wins then what the Beamers that I've flown are. I think with any static kite though you may run into the gust problem. When I had an ozone 4.5 little devil, I still had the problems with gust. Definitely know what you mean by being caught off guard...had that happen with my 5m TSR.
Does the access have any lift? Curious as I know that both the apex and access are low lift kites, but the apex still has a little lifty feel and can take you off the ground..seems to give you more of a heads up before it does though.
~Joe

Pablo - 24-2-2007 at 04:45 PM

Code, I hear you on the nearby spectator thing, in that case it may be worth it, just be sure in mellow winds that the safety you've added works properly and doesn't keep the original safety from flagging out properly.

Today we had a slight situation where a fellow had to ditch the kite in a badly overpowered situation, we were all much happier fishing the kite out of the nearby lake than we would have been dealing with an injured kiter.

You've got to weigh out the pro's and cons, make sure that you're running a system that works for your area. It sounds like in Code's case it's better to risk being stuck to a kite than to get bystandards involved. For us it's nothing but trees and lake, they won't mind getting hit by a kite, Lakes are quite effective at stopping a runaway kite.

kitedemon - 25-2-2007 at 07:29 AM

Hey,
Hmmm that is very interesting, I had not thought of that part. The leash I have on my ozone also has a quick release so I could still dump the kite. The leash has always dropped the kite almost instantly and the flapping mass has little traction. I don't know, it seems like there is an equal argument for both cases. For my part I also have spectators and I have made the choice to risk injury but the pp. coming to the beach to walk did not so I will take the hurt so they don't have to. It would be different if there were only trees around...

Joe, the access has next to no lift I have ever encountered. In fact the Beamer 3.6 (it has twice lifted me off my feet in gusts then i learned in gusty winds to not put it exactly at 12 but a tad lower....) and even a Rage 2.6 both have more lift in a similar wind condition not to say that the access can't develop it in the right (wrong?) conditions I just have not found them yet.
Alex

Bladerunner - 25-2-2007 at 09:47 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by code
Pablo... I agree with what you're saying about personal safety. The main reason I don't want to loose the kite all together though is because there are typically people nearby where I fly, and the last thing I want is a 10m run-away kite flying at them. I'd rather be the one getting hurt then causing someone else to get hurt.


~Joe



The park closest to my home is hard to use without having people around. I feel that if I am flying there I'm actually in the WRONG spot. In this location and simlar ones I KNOW I'm responsible for my kite and stay attached in good winds. Regardless of my personal safety. If I am in the RIGHT spot it only makes sense to save myself over my kite.

I admitt my guilt but think if you " have " to remain attached you are actually in the wrong location.

Most important, I think about if my actions will bring trouble to the whole community and act respectfully .

code - 25-2-2007 at 10:07 AM

Snowbird... I understand what you're saying, however, it's more of location than anything else. If I lived somewhere with less people then I'd have more "right" places to kite. In the past I've driven hours to multiple fields only to find them congested with people, then headed home giving up for the day. Other times I've done the same only to find one or two fields empty, started using them then others shortly show up. Yesterday we lucked out and had a lot of spots open, mostly due to the amount of mud in the fields.

Dealing with what I and other local kiters have puts us in the "wrong" spot I suppose... but with the leash I atleast feel a bit more like I'll be held responsible for my actions as oppose to someone else having to deal with my actions and the hurt.

I put together a make shift one for yesterday and tested it out, along with all the other safety releases and it all worked really good. Planning on buying an actual leash here shortly just for those cases.

For the most part we seek out spots with little to no people around, but like I mentioned earlier..living in a congested area, you can't count on your fields being empty.
~Joe

kitedemon - 25-2-2007 at 10:10 AM

snowbird,
True, the beach I use is at low tide anyway about 60 feet wide and about a km long on a given day there will be 2 dog walkers and then only for a about 30 min at a time. I am just worried about them when they appear. There is not really an accessable beach that nobody uses that any buggy / board could be run on. I have picked the least used I can find. When I did my lessions I was told always use a kite killing leash. My ozone dumps fast if you drag the brake lines 6 foot longer than the power lines. :D The leash also has a release loop. I have never encountered a reason why the leash would cause me trouble. Please if you have explain it to me. I had the one case where the primary 'failed' (can't reach it is a failure) and a total release was the only way to stop. the leash saved the kite and at no risk to me. I just can't imagine a serineo where the lease would place me in harms way. Flying a fixed bridal with out a leash is um... not very wise why is a depower differnt? I am still learning and you likely have more experience than I so when would having a leash a problem?
Alex

kitedemon - 25-2-2007 at 10:15 AM

Joe,
Hey I was looking at a gel band I used to use it is a tension bandage thing with heavy duty velcro (drug store item 15$ ish) it would likely make a good leash wrist strap and in a pinch can be released easily. You never know if you need to get away from a kite fast it could be bad if you could not undo it fast!
A

Pablo - 25-2-2007 at 11:10 AM

I've had cases where something stupid like a brake line lead getting caught on a power line lead and the kite having one side of the foil powered up and spinning right in the middle of the power zone. I've had an LEI on 4 lines tangle when I dumped the bar, same thing, kite stayed 1/2 way powered up, hit the water and walked to the side of the window away from the beach and tried to drag me out to sea. Luckily on that one I could touch bottom, I made the mistake of trying to get to the tangle to release the kite more and only managed to get the lines stuck in my harness. Only 2 options left, cut the lines or pull in a bunch more of just one line to flag the kite out. If I could have cut the whole mess free easily right away it would have been fine, walk the 200ft downwind, grab the kite off the beach where it would have washed a-shore and been done.

I've had both the problems happen, Now I'm flying mainly on land with fixed bridal kites, I usually use a Wichard QR with a spinning shackle. I've only got 2 options, first I try and control the kite, either flying or braking to kill it, or dump the whole mess. When a powered up kite is dumped it normally turns into something much resembling a ball of fabric, only danger to anything around is if the bar/handles snag on something along the way and power it up again, when it's in it's ball form it doesn't pose much of a risk.

kitedemon - 25-2-2007 at 03:20 PM

Pablo,
EEk that sounds like a disaster! I am glad that you didn't get hurt. I have as of yet never fouled the leash line. Crossed fingers I never do. I can see why you don't trust them. It never fails when you think you have something figured out there is an exception. I will likely keep using the leash mostly due to the possiablity of others. I will make sure I am very careful of where and what the leash is doing. Thank you. I now have added another safety check to my list!
Thanks
Alex

Pablo - 25-2-2007 at 05:52 PM

Yup, As long as you keep on top of things, most of my problems came early on in my kiting career, just figured that everything would always work and never thought to check. I check regularly now, even if it all looks good.

Bladerunner - 26-2-2007 at 05:24 PM

Actually with my 4 ( now 5 ) line inflatables I am always on a safety. Then again i'm always in the water with them and space is not an issue.
I think I was a bit confused. What I was actually saying was .... when I'm flying in my local park I will use " kite killers " and remain attached with good winds. Like so many of us I have to deal with others around living downtown. When I'm in a park with safe space I prefer to go without. I generally find kite killers to be a pain and would rather fly a situation out if possible.

code - 26-2-2007 at 06:27 PM

I'd prefer to be without the kite killers as well. I flew my 5m TSR this past weekend once we moved to a cleaner wind field without any spectators and just connected the kite killer to the bar (close enough to grab and tug on if needed, but I really wasn't worried about it).

Pablo you're so right..the first few months and years of kiting you make mundo mistakes that you learn from. It only takes one day of slight disregard, or something happening that is completely out of the norm and unexpected that throws things into a groove where someone else may get hurt though.

Again, a lot of this depends greatly on location and population though. I am by no means saying what you do is bad..for your conditions and locations that you fly in, it may be perfect. I know that the general area that I live in is a relatively lawsuit happy society. If they think they can make a buck off your mistake, they'll run with it. Sad but true. While I'd rather not see anyone be hurt, but myself for my mistakes..and also while I'd like to avoid being hurt for my mistakes... I'd rather not loose everything my family has on one gamble.

With that said, I've got to be pretty sure that no one is around or going to be around while flying, for me to fly without killers on.
~Joe

Pablo - 26-2-2007 at 09:27 PM

Myself, I rarely use KS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-s, I'm always hooked in with a captive system, I've made the mistake of relying on the KS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-s and forgot that I've been hooked in, now you're running full power but the handles are flailing around in front of you. Bad move on my part.

To avoid this and the most unfortunate " I've just run over the KS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-s with the rear axle at speed" I fly without them, but I do have the QR that'll ditch the kite if needed. But then again, I'm always using a captive system.