Power Kite Forum

Sad week

lceliz - 24-6-2016 at 07:04 AM

So, Im going to have to not kite for a few months or a year.
Should have called it early to head home but what happen and so will take
some time to heal and rebuild my muscle.

I probably still see whats on here from time to time.
It was all going good too.

BeamerBob - 24-6-2016 at 08:01 AM

Imagine for a moment we weren't there and don't know what happened. Hope it's not as bad as you fear.

lceliz - 24-6-2016 at 08:47 AM

Well the buggy tipped over on a turn and well ended up with a fracture doing better I haven't taken a pill today. Either way have to recover from it.

bigkid - 24-6-2016 at 09:17 AM

ouch, hope for a quick healing. funny, i've taken 2 pills so far today.:cool::D (a chill pill and a vitamin) haha
Seriously, get well.

WELDNGOD - 24-6-2016 at 09:19 AM

I thought you might be getting ahead of your skillset. What happened?

WELDNGOD - 24-6-2016 at 09:33 AM


lceliz - 24-6-2016 at 09:34 AM

yea should have called it quits at 2 pm specially when I couldnt control the kite up at first after. It was going good but I think the adrelaline made me want to keep riding on the buggy.

So, I took the kite got on the bugggy and took off and then later went to do a turn and im going to assume I had a gust come in since it was on top and took the turn and when I took it I got flipped out of the buggy and broke my wrist. Thats all I really remember obviously at that point im just holding my wrist.

abkayak - 24-6-2016 at 09:45 AM

wow...sucks, id take the pill
heel up quick...small dp kite can be flown 1 handed im thinking

lceliz - 24-6-2016 at 09:49 AM

yea my 1.8 I can fly with one hand it has a bar

WELDNGOD - 24-6-2016 at 09:55 AM

You were not ready yet. You need to be able to fly, land and relaunch without looking at kite. When you can do that 5 straight minutes,you might then be ready. Hope you mend well. When ya get back to it, slow down and develop a skillset to help keep you safer.

lceliz - 24-6-2016 at 10:01 AM

yeah for sure I hope it heals well just have to be patient with it.

bigkid - 24-6-2016 at 10:12 AM

So it was just a break? No titanium? No pins? No wires? Then I would say no problem. Don't you just love flying kites?
Don't tell anyone that you got hurt flying a kite, tell them that you punched out a car that was trying to run you over. It's easier to explain the car than the kite.

lceliz - 24-6-2016 at 10:16 AM

lol yea people think kite as the thing you buy at walmart with 3 sticks and a string. I already been threw that explaining it at work.
I dont go to the doctor till a few days so no idea yet on pins or wires I hope not

bigkid - 24-6-2016 at 10:16 AM

Quote: Originally posted by WELDNGOD  
You were not ready yet. You need to be able to fly, land and relaunch without looking at kite. When you can do that 5 straight minutes,you might then be ready. Hope you mend well. When ya get back to it, slow down and develope a skillset to help keep you safer.

I totally agree. I think a very wise man came up with that recommendation.:thumbup:

lceliz - 24-6-2016 at 12:39 PM

I dont think that would have done any good since I fell on the turn switching the kites direction. so I knew were the kite was and were wind dirrection change that brought me down.

WELDNGOD - 24-6-2016 at 01:59 PM

But your timing was off. When you approach your turn,you turn the kite first and as soon as the power starts, turn the buggy and the power will pull you through the turn. Get it wrong and you OBE or flip. Did you turn the kite up or down? Makes a big difference.

lceliz - 24-6-2016 at 02:25 PM

the kite was up when I decided to do the turn then I turned and moved the kite to the dirrection at the same time and I flipped.

bigkid - 24-6-2016 at 02:30 PM

The biggest issue I have seen with new buggyers is the turn itself. Weather the kite is turned up or down the turn needs to be as tight as possible to eliminate the change of direction the pilot makes. Newbies are more focused on the kite, they have no idea as to the requirements of the buggy to "follow" the kite. If the buggy turn is to slow or too big you will OBE, or flip over, or be ejected out the back of the buggy. You should have enough momentum to make the 180 degree turn without the kite.
Once the buggy turns are tightened up the kite needs to turn faster also. The faster the buggy and the kite turn, change direction, the less chance of an OBE during the turn. For me and all the people I have taught to buggy, your turn radious in the buggy should be no bigger than 3 times the width of the buggy. As you increase your skills and increase your speed the size of your turn may increase but should not, to deal with obstacles and other needs.
The closer to the ground the kite is during the turn will also reduce the OBE. Turns of the kite up high is an invitation to the hospital or the morgue.

Not saying you screwed up or you dont know what your doing, just saying the part of learning we all have to go through. Some of us know from experience and have the right to speak our piece. Been there, done that, not goin to let it happen again.

A bad day of buggy riding is when I can drive home without a stop at the clinic or a heli ride to the ER and that quiet time to rest in the morgue. Imagine a GREAT DAY of buggy riding. JUST SAYING!

riffclown - 24-6-2016 at 04:02 PM

Sorry you were injured.. Get well and 100%. Buggying is indeed a steep learning curve and we ALL get surprised sometimes.. Take your time, heal and stay safe..

soliver - 24-6-2016 at 05:16 PM

mend up Icelz!... sorry to hear you were hurt. I've been there, its a real bummer.

Bladerunner - 24-6-2016 at 05:20 PM

Bummer,

I am left asking myself how you bought a board but flipped in a buggy? Sounds like it was your 1st time out and you were picking up on it quick?

It's great that you got enough of an adrenaline rush to get a taste of what keeps us coming back. Even after injuries. They DO help to teach you to respect your limits.

lceliz - 24-6-2016 at 05:31 PM

lol I havent tried kitting with a board since was waiting for all my safty gear to come but got invited to try buggy so went for it. Yeah I should have just quit sooner before the wind picked up more it was around 18 to 20Mph with some burst once the sand picked up should have stopped.

WELDNGOD - 24-6-2016 at 05:37 PM

A word of experience... Never say" just one more run"..... It ended badly for me once too.:thumbup:

markite - 24-6-2016 at 07:39 PM

yes that one more run when just learning also ended badly for me in the early 90's. Got the first PL bug in Canada and was anxious to show everyone on a kites and camping weekend. Left work thurs eve and passed a nice big reservoir sports field with the buggy in car and took it out for a ride and it started to rain and wind picked up. Using an old large fixed bide foil I decided to make a diagonal bee line across the field to my car and didn't realize just how much side slip i was getting over powered. Looked at a goal post ahead to the left, then looked at my kite and looked forward again and goal post dead ahead and made the mistake of trying to do a Flinstone stop instead of steering around and my feet just slid on the wet grass straight for the post - put up a hand and a foot to brace the impact and thought i broke my wrist but lucky it was just the bones across the top of my foot and damn good ding in the back axle. More pissed that i missed that camping and kiting weekend but a good lesson learned about big kites, gusty winds and wet grass and how to steer/stop a buggy - never take your feet off the foot pegs.
heal well - rest and live to fight stronger and smarter.

abkayak - 24-6-2016 at 07:48 PM

Hummmp....i haven't gone out the back of the bug yet, that's gotta be interesting

hiaguy - 24-6-2016 at 08:12 PM

Quote: Originally posted by abkayak  
Hummmp....i haven't gone out the back of the bug yet, that's gotta be interesting

Interesting? Nope. It's why I upgraded my helmet :o

Iceliz, I hope you heal well and soon.

volock - 24-6-2016 at 10:19 PM

Quote: Originally posted by WELDNGOD  
A word of experience... Never say" just one more run"..... It ended badly for me once too.:thumbup:


I'll second this. Though mine was more literal running which led to the stress fractured femur (where the fracture spread to a real one adjacent) and that coupled with two previous injuries (wake boarding, then a health issue), that I've only gotten to kite once since October, and it'll be October before they'll clear me to again (End of August to get off the crutches...).

Sorry you got hurt and hope it heals quickly and painlessly as possible. I'll dissent in saying you don't need perfect kite skills for flying blind, but sticking to down-winders or at least to down-wind turns and losing plenty of ground and speed in them can do a world of good for a begginer. A taste of what moving is like, without the part I find to be among the 2nd easiest to put you in a dangerous situation, the upwind turn when you don't have it down.

Most dangerous? Sitting still in a buggy cross-wind (or upwind pointed). All my worst accidents/turtling has happened then. Including upside down and dragged for a little (lost a pair of glasses and a cut on my head, and sore back the next day). Still, with a kite high in the air, and a bad gust is a recipe for flipping.

Quote: Originally posted by abkayak  
Hummmp....i haven't gone out the back of the bug yet, that's gotta be interesting


I've not managed out the back yet. I did manage from a gust (and still not sure how) out the front in the air and landing on my feet 30 ft in front of the buggy with it then rolling to a stop into me. (My only kite session this year). I think I screwed up in an upwind turn when a gust hit and having the bar mostly pulled in/in process of pulling it in for more power to finish the turn). How it all worked out as it did, with such a gentle float down in the unintended jump and buggy and myself in one piece, I don't know. A fair amount of luck, and remembering what to do the second I realized I was headed in the air. I do buggy in a helmet at all times, other pads haven't been needed much, though I go pants always and long sleeves most the time (there's no beach around!).