How do you do it? how much room do you need? What about light poles, parking bumbers etc? Kites? How long are your lines? Any police trouble? I want to be able to buggy down my street to the parking lot nearby and get a few minutes in now and again....

Sean

If it's a small lot, short lines, if you have the room, usually long lines are better, it'll keep your kite higher up and in cleaner wind for a good part of the time. Go out way underpowered for what you'd usually use on grass, I usually buggy with a 5.5 or 6.5m kite, but get along on asphalt no problem with a 3m. Give yourself lots of room to slow down cause you won't have much rolling resistance. Some sort of gloves and long sleeve jacket/pants are a good idea seeing as asphalt acts like a cheeze grater when you land on it at speed.

Hey Sean

I buggy over here in town in a limestone and pavement parking lot. It is big and we use 100 ft. lines. I always buggy with my nasa wings in town because the rocks and pavement tear up the kites real easy. The name of the game is to have fun and not go to fast. You can keep up your skills and have a good time.
Be sure and wear safety gear. I try to keep my speed at about 20 mph. It is easy to go faster but by the time you get going fast it is time to turn around. I always fly underpowered. I find that flying underpowered has kept me safe.
In real strong wind days we fly the nasa wings with short lines or no lines at all. The winds inland as you know can be real gusty and it is better to be on the safe side.
The parking lot over here only has a few poles so they are not a problem. I know that AJ has flown in lots with a lot of poles and you just fly the nasa wings on the bridle lines.
You mentioned parking bumpers we do not have that problem. The city police are no problem. We are in a college football stadium parking lot and the college police have not been a problem either. We try and not buggy if there is a sports event going on.

See ya.

Susan

Quote:

Originally posted by jonesing4wind How do you do it? how much room do you need? What about light poles, parking bumbers etc? Kites? How long are your lines? Any police trouble? I want to be able to buggy down my street to the parking lot nearby and get a few minutes in now and again.... Sean

Shorter lines are better in a parking lot because of the light poles. As much room as you are comfortable with. Try not to fly in gusty winds too.. it hurts when you are yanked out of the buggy. If you are in the US the mall parking lots are considered private property and the only way that the police will ask you to leave is if they were asked to tell you. I would not take the buggy onto the roadway itself.

Quote:

Originally posted by Pablo Some sort of gloves and long sleeve jacket/pants are a good idea seeing as asphalt acts like a cheeze grater when you land on it at speed.

I second that! My first time buggying on a hard surface was in a large parking lot adjoining a grass field. I was stupid and didn't bother to walk back to the car for my gloves (knee/elbow and helmet, but no gloves). Not being used to the lack of rolling resistance, I slacked my lines while turning and rolled over the left set with my rear tire. The kite then inflated and pulled my hand around the axle and right into the ground. I was only going about 2-3 mph and the back of my hand only hit the ground for about a second, but it scrapped a nickel sized chunk of skin off the back of my hand and a 3/8" by 1" chunk on my index finger. Straight to the nice white part of the under skin.

It hurt like a SOB and looked really gross while healing, 2 years later I still have a faint scar. But it's the only time I've drawn blood while using a kite, and was easily preventable.


Also the suggestions of flying under powered are really good one, especially in parking lots. If you fly over powered, get out of control and damage someone's property I can guarantee you that you'll have problems flying there ever again. While if you fly smart and don't appear dangerous, no one will question you.

-chip

Urban assaults are great, parking lots are fun but a slow pace passing cars and Trucks passing you is a rush

Rob Verland photo

http://www.pbase.com/robv/2005_ozone_slc

Thx for the tips! I would only ever buggy on the street if I could assure myself that it would be empty the whole time, which around here wont happen. Also, pads are a given! Short lines and a NPW seem like the ticket.... the only prob here is the wind, or lack of. Thanks again for allt he advice!!

Sean

Something to look for are open parks that have low traffic access roads or bike trails. Two of the best places in Ohio are like that, one is a state part on Lake Erie with a large grass field adjoined to 3 parking lots w/out light poles and a bike path around the whole thing. The other is a sport park just outside of Cincinnati that has two access roads running 90° to each other, when the wind is just right it's the best thing that's local.

lol, Parking lots are a blast, just be sure you know your kite and the area, I've been places were i had to drive buggy through a ditch full of water, what a hoot. I even buggied in parking lot on the beach, untill i truned a corner and the local police bumped into me. they were driving on the wrong side of the idiots... still if you have control and remeber, power kites, and buggies, If you can't walk chew gum and snap your fingers at the same time, don't do it