Okay, time to 'fess up...

Conditions: winds 3 to 7 southerly occasional gusts to 15

Gear: Montana V 9.5, Scout Buggly with hot wire setup employed

Synopsis: Got caught in a dust devil and went for "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride"

Lessons Learned:

1. You read me #@%$#!in' about wearing all your gear all the time, especially a helmet...

and then I don't because there's no way I'm gonna get hurt in a whisper of a wind like I have today, right ? WRONG !!! I got very very lucky today. Somebody upstairs likes me. (at least a little bit)

2. Safeties do no good if you don't exercise them once in a while. Familiarity with the motions is key but exercising them occasionally is just as important.

I vapor locked while trying to figure out why the kite was flying way out in front of the window and why I was 15 feet off the deck and why the nose of the buggy was sitting so high and ... OH SHIBIT, TOO LATE, Here comes terra firma and it's got TEETH !

Bang-ity-boom-bump-bump-bump-drraaaaggggg

Oh yeah, I can stop this awful grinding sensation if I pull one of my 3 quick release systems ... sure wish I had exercised the re-ride release because it seems to be stuck... Hmmm, chicken loop ain't playin' right because it's got sand jammed in it... sure wish I could find the flag on the hot wire release but it's not were it should be now that I'm upside down... Dammit !!!

sss-ttt-iii-lll-lll-ddd-rrr-aaa-ggg-iii-nnn-ggg-upside-down KNIFE !

Aaaahhh, that's better. I needed to re-rig that hot wire anyway.

The bottom line:

1. Bent axle bolt, no problem, I've got spares
2. Wasted wheel, no problem, I've got a spare
3. Wasted sunglasses, no problem, I've got spares
4. Soiled drawers, no problem, I've got laundry soap and a hose
5. Barked shin, no problem, skin is cheap, chicks dig scars
6. Jacked up neck muscles, that's gonna take awhile to heal
7. Arrogance and Complacency, BIG PROBLEM, could be taking the endless nap right now.


---------EDIT------EDIT------EDIT------------

My intent with the above, how ever melodramatic, was to accentuate the importance of gear checks and hypocrisy of failing to following my own advise. I now see this is a keenly perceptive and compassionate group. Your comments are all together too kind and I am quite far from worthy of your compassion. My apologies for my short sighted presumption and arrogance.

Please allow, by way of explanation, the following.

If I were brutally honest in "confessing my sins", I would have to point out this incident was every bit a matter of making bad choices and ignoring obvious indications as it was a failure to exercise due diligence toward essential safety practices. Hence the "arrogance" reference.

First Fail
The initial intent of the session was a brief load test and adjustment of a hot wire set up under a great vertical load than previous. In and of itself, this screams "safety gear required".

Second Fail
The kite selection was intentionally sized to the base winds with little margin for changes in conditions. Additionally, I am far from expert with that piece and have not yet thoroughly mastered it's handling and dynamics to level of some of my other pieces.

Third Fail
After half a century on the planet and over half of it living, working, hunting, fishing, playing and generally cavorting about in the Sonoran Desert, one might expect I'ld have a more than cursory awareness of the local weather and precursors of developing conditions... which I do. Late morning and early afternoon thermals are common and almost predictable in frequency and intensity near certain terrain features which tend to propagate rollers. All this to say, in the back of my head I was already thinking it was getting too bumpy to continue without proper gear.

By anyone's count, that's 3 strikes. I could go on but it would be pointless, redundant and rude.
So, here I sit, hoist upon my own petard.

Again, initial intentions aside, please accept my most sincere apologies in misleading you to believe me a victim of the fates for I did little of what I could to prevent it.

Great that you lived to tell the tale! People have asked me why the helmet, as I putt along at a leisurely 10-15, and I've replied,"because you can't see the wind, and if it comes up, and you are not paying attention, or your kite is in the wrong spot, well, that's where the "extreme sport" comes from! Dust devil, though, you'd never see that coming. Yeah, soiled drawers for sure!

Good advice!

Glad you're ok man!!

Good write up and reminder to us all. Glad you were able to walk away.

Excellent, and you said all the things to yourself that anyone else could say. Lesson learned. Time to reboot and get back in the game with the right gear and with well exercised safeties. Glad you're ok for the most part.

I appreciate the kind words guys, glad I'm still here to read 'em too.

Can't say enough about playin' smart and staying vigilant.

It's hotter than the hubs of hell around here but gear doesn't impede "the ride" as much as wounding yourself... or worse.

Glad you're alright for the most part. Knowing from experience, everyone can take this bit of wisdom with them every time they head out. You could be taking all the precautions and nothing will happen. The only time you decide to overlook those precautions, something will happen. Unfortunately Murphy's Law has a real knack for getting us when we least expect it.

could have been much worse, glad to see you were lucky.

Yea started wearing mine every time now. Never did see a need for it. Lucky I started reading your posts again LOL. Now I don't leave home without it.

This was a great write up. To bad it had to come from experience. Glad all is going to be OK.

Whooooah.....easy tiger....glad you only really suffered a hurt pride Ken

Greasehopper if you were unaware of the risk of flying in an area where termals are lifting off or had never experienced a similar situation there is no way you could have avoided what happened. Being a competent flyer you will almost always attempt to asses the changes taking place and adjusting your controlls. In this case you were unaware that the feces had allready been loaded into the fan. Who practices popping safeties while being tossed arround? Ive got lots of experience , but I never practiced it. The closest simulation I can think of is to get in a barrel and roll down a hill while trying to find the releases , thats pretty much what it's felt like the bad times I've been thru. Glad you're ok!

"Who practices popping safeties while being tossed arround? Ive got lots of experience , but I never practiced it. The closest simulation I can think of is to get in a barrel and roll down a hill while trying to find the releases , thats pretty much what it's felt like the bad times I've been thru."

True that. I have been obed and drug before but you have milliseconds to realize what is about to happen and how to prevent it. My problem is once I realize whats about to happen. WAAAMMMM deathgrip from hell. Then you realize while your flying through the air oh yea let go, too late now.

bump for the edit of the original post

Just read your edit so I'll comment again. What the f**k were you thinking? JK Being the test pilot of my own creations I know what its like to "work out the bugs" , some times it gets ugly. This is such a fun sport!