higher wind launching/landing

Quote: Originally posted by Ed Cline I need to be real careful of my field privileges so I try not to leave the mower guy anything to run over.. If he insists on hitting a weight, and it's full of beans he probably wouldn't notice. On the other hand if he ran over a hard drive I would never be suspected :P [/rquote

I was always worried about exactly that and gave up on using hard drives thought they did work well. Windstruck - 18-1-2019 at 06:42 PM Quote: Originally posted by Feyd   What version Access. If it's ReRide equipped, use the reride. If not, pin them by the stall handle. Center of the window. Windspeed induces a continual stall and pins kite down. in a gust, it may roll over and reverse launch, flap a bit but should settle in once the gust passes. Assuming you're stake is solid. If the winds shift, there's always the risk of a tangle but in reality, it's rare. The Access is a low AR kite and can come out of the rat's nest it appears to be in, pretty well 9 times out of 10. But it comes with practice. Window edge launch is great if you have steady onshore but tends to be useless everywhere else in my experience. Chris nailed it. First thing I thought of working my way down the thread. A few years ago I bought several re-ride equipped Ozone kites from him, and they worked in these conditions exactly as advertised. Re-ride is great. If you don't have that (and that's what I'm thinking because you didn't bring it up) then it sounds as if Chris gave some good advice. Good luck! m00ms - 19-1-2019 at 07:30 AM thanks all for your help and advice and it seams weight kite down is the way to go. also like the idea of extra strap to collapse kite more so i will give that a try. my kites are xc6m and the 8 & 10 are xt so no re ride system. abkayak - 19-1-2019 at 07:43 AM if your at the beach and its blowing 20 the best thing to do is sand down the trailing edge to launch its the simplest way..set it up step back stand her up and go...the material is all there and nothing to pick up i don't ever really leave a dp kite staked down...ill go back up and sand it down till I'm ready to go back out again Windstruck - 19-1-2019 at 08:58 AM Quote: Originally posted by abkayak   if your at the beach and its blowing 20 the best thing to do is sand down the trailing edge to launch its the simplest way..set it up step back stand her up and go...the material is all there and nothing to pick up i don't ever really leave a dp kite staked down...ill go back up and sand it down till I'm ready to go back out again Agreed that all things like this are so much easier on the beach or in the snow. This technique works even better with SS kites as there isn't anyplace for sand or snow to accumulate. When I used to snowkite in deep powder with Ozone kites I would cover the trailing edge with small mounds of snow and if it was windy enough I would further punch it down in a couple of places to sort of pin it in place. Once in the air I could often see some snow caught in the internal baffles until it shook loose and fell through the bottom vents. Now.... fast forward to your first experience on a playa. Launching and landing DP kites is NOTHING like this. :o I've read some of Chris' (fewd) write ups on the unique challenges on hardwater, a whole other medium! TEDWESLEY - 19-1-2019 at 10:11 AM I use freezer bags with sand, but I further wrap them with duct tape to make them into solid objects. If the bag is at all floppy, at some point you will snag one on a bridle and be left trying to control a kite that is 1-2 lbs. heavier on one side. You can get duct tape in various colors to help you find them at the end of the session. kteguru - 19-1-2019 at 02:20 PM Since you mentioned they are older access's you may want to check your line lengths, which is good to do annually anyway. If your front lines have stretched (which they will) you will find the kite will not be as well behaved sitting on the beach when staked. Remove lines from kite and bar, hook lines to immovable object (fence, garage, whatever) and stretch them out. If they're not all perfectly equal either adjust the lines or adjust the leaders on the bar to compensate. Keeping lines, bars, and bridle/collectors within factory specs will yield a much better kiting experience. You'll be surprised the difference it makes. PistolPete - 19-1-2019 at 09:15 PM Quote: Originally posted by TEDWESLEY   I use freezer bags with sand, but I further wrap them with duct tape to make them into solid objects. If the bag is at all floppy, at some point you will snag one on a bridle and be left trying to control a kite that is 1-2 lbs. heavier on one side. You can get duct tape in various colors to help you find them at the end of the session. I use those Costco plastic nut containers filled with dry sand, plenty of weight and the slide off the wingtip smooth for launching. ssayre - 24-1-2019 at 08:21 AM I use water softener bags. I cut them down and fill with a little small size gravel and duct tape it. They are the width of a bag and a few inches tall. easy and free and a couple can be tucked in a kite bag easily. I usually side launch with one tip weighted. may not be feasible with your kites. not sure Bladerunner - 24-1-2019 at 11:33 AM Some bottles of water also work. They roll off nice. Not the end of the world if you forget them or they get taken while you ride. Side launch. Fold the tip so it throws the weight off and the weight does not touch bridles. Getting your landing strap right should help it stick to the ground? In real strong winds I will take the kite down one side of the window then either take it down on the back lines or go to safety. If you have a spotter you can always use my famous move. Get them set to catch the kite at the windows edge and then simply crash it into them! :P Windstruck - 24-1-2019 at 01:40 PM I'd recommend holding down the kite with some Whoopass. These work best when the cans haven't been open yet because all their attitude is still caught inside. [img][/img] Randy - 24-1-2019 at 03:17 PM Quote: Originally posted by Bladerunner   Some bottles of water also work. They roll off nice. Not the end of the world if you forget them or they get taken while you ride. Side launch. Fold the tip so it throws the weight off and the weight does not touch bridles. I kind of like the water bottle idea best among those posted here. I refill them several times after use anyway before trashing them. This give a new use. BeamerBob - 25-1-2019 at 02:11 PM Quote: Originally posted by Bladerunner   If you have a spotter you can always use my famous move. Get them set to catch the kite at the windows edge and then simply crash it into them! :P That wasn't an accident?!?! Bladerunner - 25-1-2019 at 03:49 PM Quote: Originally posted by BeamerBob   Quote: Originally posted by Bladerunner   If you have a spotter you can always use my famous move. Get them set to catch the kite at the windows edge and then simply crash it into them! :P That wasn't an accident?!?! Not with you, Sean or Ken 2. :saint: tomdiving - 25-1-2019 at 08:27 PM water bottles do indeed work really well. a 16 fluid oz. bottle contents weigh... 16 oz. (1 pound) 32 oz. gatorade bottle? 2 pounds. i loop a short length of cord around the bottle necks and put my ground stake through the loop for easy carrying. BeamerBob - 26-1-2019 at 09:51 AM Quote: Originally posted by Bladerunner   Quote: Originally posted by BeamerBob   Quote: Originally posted by Bladerunner   If you have a spotter you can always use my famous move. Get them set to catch the kite at the windows edge and then simply crash it into them! :P That wasn't an accident?!?! Not with you, Sean or Ken 2. :saint: You can crash a kite into me anytime. Like say first week of April? Houston AirHead - 27-1-2019 at 03:37 PM Try landing a 15m speed 5 in high winds. Woooweee. When im alone i just tie off to a post on the beach, park it at 3 or 9 and sprint like im stealing home base. jeffnyc - 28-1-2019 at 02:25 PM I get my speeds low and either take the CL off or pop the safety if it's windy. Dealing with the twists is better than getting dragged around tight spots. At the airport I usually park so I can lean my kite against the car, wind pins it down. There are large plastic barriers there you can do the same thing with. Bladerunner - 29-1-2019 at 12:14 PM Quote: Originally posted by jeffnyc   I get my speeds low and either take the CL off or pop the safety if it's windy. Dealing with the twists is better than getting dragged around tight spots. At the airport I usually park so I can lean my kite against the car, wind pins it down. There are large plastic barriers there you can do the same thing with. [/rq6uote] Good point. A piece of rebar and pool noodle make a great kite catcher. Not as fun as wrapping a buddy in ripstop but it works. Feyd - 30-1-2019 at 06:09 AM Foils can tail stall. Foils can flag out on a single line. Even a bigger foil can be stalled down, and then either walk out to the wing hand over hand on a flagged line or brought in, much like a self-rescue. What do you do when things go wrong and you don't have your contraptions nearby?