I've been reading posts and watching some videos of self launching/landing.
For the site I launch at (shruby, not very flat, and not many people/kiters around) I think the method of self-launching by attaching the chicken loop
to something solid (stake, vehicle etc), sitting the kite up on it's edge, and then going back to hook in, looks pretty ideal and straight forward
(but one of these vids is trying to sell you a karabiner on a strap, so they would make it look easy!). Anyone who doesn't know what i'm talking
about - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-eMu6hvwfs
What worries me is that the kites always look a bit twitchy in the videos as they sit there, bouncing in the wind. Is this a slightly hazardous
period, or is it fine, given that they are depowered. what about a sudden gust of wind?
I'll be trying it with a mate on hand the first few times, but in the meantime i'd appreciate advice from anyone who uses this technique, and any
pointers to look for when launching/landing this way.
Is this an LEI, a foil, or an arc that you are flying?
There is some risk in just staking the chicken loop and setting up the kite. Depending on what kite it is, you may want to loop the brake lines around
that chicken loop as well. Better advise can be given once we know what kite you are talking about.
there are much better ways. the stake is clumpsy and the potential for gear damage, someone being hurt or you being hurt, during "no one is
controlling the kite" moment.
things break, stakes come out, then what? what happens to the folks hangin' on the beach downwind , as the launch kite tumbles into their 2 years
arms, lines and all AND THEN THE GUST HITS. i don't want to be you on that day. nor the 2 year old.
YOU need to control YOUR gear. thats what leashes are for my friend. this sport has high responsibility to the public at large even if they are all
wankers.
heres a tube kite launch and land and yes the switch blade will do the same exact thing.
Again... I cant watch the videos while at work, so I dont know what Phree just posted. I will say that there are probably three different ways to
consider getting your kite into the air.
The first, and probably the safest, is to get an assisted launch. Have someone hold your kite and take care of you.
Second would be a drift launch. This will not work if there is seaweed, or other obstacles closer to the surface of the water as your lines will get
tangled... Or if the water gets deep quick.
Third would be the trick where you park the kite up wind of you, run the lines, then walk around the kite and drag it around. Interesting trick, and
doesnt always work. But i've seen people do it before. Bear in mind that doing this requires quite a bit of room, and a good working safety system
that you are READY to use as things can go bad...
Our local instructor (and other locals) launches that way from a (screw-in) stake, strap and 'beener all the time. The load on the stake is from the
side of course and is not great, but he is careful to really bury that stake and mark it so no one-trips on it.
Or they use a big piece of driftwood washed up (heavy telephone-pole sized).
Works for most modern bows/ hybrids, but not C's.
Hovers 2-3 feet above the sand with and occasional bounce off the tip, but it's a quick jog back to the bar.
Same with landing solo but in reverse.
That little kit is nice but a quick trip to Home Depot will take care of all that you need.
Angus Campbell Coastal Wind Sports
where life is better when it blows!
912-577-3920 new number
to catch ragden up , video is option #3 solo side , LE down. non sanded tip. and a tiny drag if any. launch and land
the sanded tip versions work(that would be a 4th option) but i think it really stresses the folded tip LE. it does work well with c-kites on basic
four line set up.
a good assist is the best.
the drift launch is a good go, the float out is always a tense moment
wind window knowledge and kite behavior is paramount for all to go smooth
most errors occur from kite placement at the start. ..too deep in the window yields a blasting hot launch in the blink of an eye.
too flat at the edge then too much dragging , needs to be slightly twisted where the tip opens up a tiny bit so it becomes the fulcrum point for
the launch.
Thanks for the advice and feedback. Like Ragden, I'm now at work so will have to check out the videos later and have a think. Maybe a drift launch
is the way forward for the site I use.
For the record, I was planning on using on using the tow ring (with a long climbing sling) on the front of my landrover as a fastening point - if it
can pull a 2 tonne vehicle out of a hole, it can hold a kite sitting on the edge of the wind window. and if there was a 2yr child in the vicinity
that I could throttle with my kite, I'd much rather ask a parent (or anyone in the area) for help, but my point is, there isn't.
I accept that breakages happen, but if anything is going to break, surely it's more likely to be when the kite goes up and there is a greater strain
on the system - by which time you have removed the stake/vehicle from the equation and are in control?
Having said that, I accept what Phreerider says about having a duty of care, and that not having anyone controlling the kite at certain points is
dangerous - which is why i'm here asking for advice about it and not out learning the hard way.
Originally posted by acampbell
Our local instructor (and other locals) launches that way from a (screw-in) stake, strap and 'beener all the time.
I think this link will take you to the device that Angus is referring to. I know the guy that makes/markets these and I see him use it all the time to
safely launch and land. He flys Cabrinha kites exclusively.
Safety first. Ensure that whatever you use is compatible with your equipment, environment, and situation.
One of our locations doesn't have the real estate for a regular self launch like Phree showed, so if nobody will assist we use a concrete drain erm
thing and attach to that. At the lake beach, we have bags in the sand with loops on - by far the best method IMO cos there's no pointy bits
Staked or secured - landing is the worry IMO cos you gotta rely on the kite sitting there on its own as opposed to the launch where you've set it up,
but after securing the bag and sprinting to the kite, they remain stable long enough to do that ... usually
Stakes in general though - no thanks. There's some #@%$#! from out of town who turns up occasionally with a bloody stake and leaves it lying around at
the edge of the sand, where the grass starts - and people land kites or walk through.
I think this link will take you to the device that Angus is referring to. I know the guy that makes/markets these and I see him use it all the time to
safely launch and land. He flys Cabrinha kites exclusively.
Safety first. Ensure that whatever you use is compatible with your equipment, environment, and situation.
No, Robb's screw-in stake is plastic and smaller like a robust cork-screw but holds well with side-loads, and he really buries it. What that is in
your link is essentially a mobile-home tie-down anchor with a kite label on it. I have seen Steve Pigeon in Clearwater FL use one to anchor his big
20' Delta. Works really well and is incredibly secure.
Angus Campbell Coastal Wind Sports
where life is better when it blows!
912-577-3920 new number
Yea, this thing is pretty solidly constructed. There is a minimum line that you must screw the stake down to ensure reliability. It goes in fast even
in hard packed sand. Hey, if its good enough to hold down a trailer in a tornado...
I know the Cabrinhas' sit docily and completely de-powered at the edge of the window awaiting launch. Landing requires taking the kite to the edge,
then kneeling down to clip the keeper line to the CL before unhooking.
I knew Scott was at St Simons last summer and and kited some with Rob. Thought he might have sold a few while he was there.
I have a Cabrihna and do like you were planning off your truck.
I use a carabiner and my trailer hitch.
I also land like that but as mentioned the kite will bounce around a little more than when you set it up to launch.
One word of caution is that at the top of the wind range the kite will occasionally lift off. I've never had anything happen but it will go up 10 - 15
feet and then come back down. Like I said this happens in higher winds.
If landing in stronger winds is less controlled that the take-off , what's to stop you from landing, staking down the kite and then pulling the safety
device to stop it flying at all (or is that what people mean by 'depowered' - i'd assumed itjust meant ensure the bar is pushed to max depower). Is
it all just a matter of the extra hassle of putting away lines if you've activated the safety device?
Your right if the kite is going to jump around a lot when trying to land pull the safety.
I usually wait until I've tried to let it down slowly a couple of times but just pulling the safety is probably better. Like you said it's a matter of
untangling things a bit more but way safer.
Thats the way i land my Arcs(Different animal of Kite). If possible I stall land them (not too much wind) and mount the back lines to the stake once
savely down. then i am running to the kite and secure it.
When there's too much wind, i connect the leash to the stake and pull the safety(holding onto the leash as well to help the stake). Is a little harder
to sort out the lines but save.
I created my own anchor with some PVC pipe, rope and a carabiner clip. I took a large diameter PVC pipe (about 2.5-3 feet in length) cut in it half,
I made a point on one end and a hole in the middle and top. I put some rope through the middle hole and attached it to a carabiner clip (about 3-4
feet worth). I put some more rope through the top hole (this helps to take it out of the ground). When I get to the beach I bury the pipe at a 45
degree angle to the surface. It's holding power is very high, and it doesn't come loose. So far it has worked very well.
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