So I built my own turbo bar to try out on my NPWs. Just didn't have $200 lying around for the experiment.

It works fairly well, but I almost lost one of my kites last night :o

I set it up like Ozone's bar, with a primary release (top hat) and secondary release (chicken loop), both of them being panic snaps on my homemade bar. I then clipped the "chicken loop" snap to my harness with a carabiner.

So while clipping into my harness, my glove caught the "chicken loop" snap... when released, the turbo bar slides to full brake, which in my setup was enough to reverse launch. So the kite slammed into the ground, deflated and then reinflated and took off in reverse. Luckily I was flying static to test the setup and was able to make a few quick steps, dive and grab the bar.

So the whole reason this stupid event occurred was because I couldn't think of where to clip a leash to the thing such that it would be depowered on release but not wind up the leash when I spin the bar.

I know some guys here have the Ozone product. Where does the leash go? Ozone claims that there is a "leashless re-ride safety", but what the heck does this mean? Should I set the brakes such that the kite collapses on release instead of reversing, thus making it just lay there on the ground? I assume it will still blow away downwind though...

Number 1 is where you connect the leash. Number 2 is the leashless reride.

Thanks a lot! The "leashless reride" safety works pretty well, it kills the kite dead and is easy to reconnect and get back in the air. That's how I land the kite to pack it up. I'm just not quite sure how it's "leashless" as the kite will still slowly blow away if you aren't holding the bar.
Guess I will just add a leash to my chicken loop snap and set the bar to not reverse launch when the bar is all the way back.

This video shows the various safeties in use:

Quote: Originally posted by rtz

Number 1 is where you connect the leash. Number 2 is the leashless reride.

Err.... umm....

While I agree with #1, #2 isn't the attachment point documented/recommended by Ozone.

Per Ozone, the leashless attachment point is the sewn webbing loop (#3) on the brake handle strap.



Details can be found in the second row of pics and accompanying text of the Turbo Bar Setup instructions:
http://downloads.flyozone.com/landkites/downloads/Turbo_Bar_...

ATB,
Sam

That's correct. I should have been more clear about #2 being the leashless re ride safety and not having anything to do with being a leash attachment point. I'm glad you mentioned the #3 connection point because I'd forgotten all about that little detail.

IMO #1 is a pointless leash point as far as safety goes... It is a suicide leash point, not like a 4th or 5th line safety. If you want the leash to function as an Oh S*** safety to depower the kite while remaining hooked to it, I would use the attachment point on the brake strap. I also like to use that spot for my stakes to keep the bar from popping off the stake as I walk my lines out.

I would assume the word leashless means you don't need a leash. Attaching a leash to the break strap doesn't gain you anything over the primary safety. And if your primary safety fails to do its job, surely you'd want to completely disconnect? I have never felt the need to attach a leash to a turbo bar as I feel it would just make a simple system into an awkward one. I've had to pull the primary on a few occasions and its done its job well.

I agree with you, John. I do not use a leash with mine, as the primary safety works very well. I have had to pop it once for real, and every now and then I pop it to keep the muscle memory in tact. I can't help but wonder what the loop is on the brake strap though, if not for a leash? I use it to put my stake through personally.

Thanks for all the discussion. I am now realizing that leashless basically means that the chicken loop IS your leash, and the primary safety is what you want to pull 99% of times. The secondary is the same as the release you would have on a leash, to ditch the kite in an absolute disaster. I just have to watch I don't pull the secondary by accident! Oops.

I use that loop to stake my kite too, I think that's what it's for.

I heard you can ride unhooked with one of these bars, but again don't know how. If you are unhooked, do you not have the brakes full on?

You have to make sure you trim it right. If you have the brakes adjusted perfectly, pulling the bar all the way in should just barely pucker the tail of the kite so it powers up a bit, but not enough to stall it if it is at speed. If you want to ride unhooked, you would need the brakes to be one knot looser than perfect trim.

Just realized I have been flying this all wrong... I had it set to backstall on bar in - it was a pain to say the least. Supposed to trim it to just cup the tail bar in and pull the brake strap to backstall!
So obvious, I feel dumb :P going to trim properly so the kite is always going forwards now.

Yeah the first time I launched my kite on it to check the trim, I noticed it would hardly launch. If I pulled the bar in at all it would try to stall on me. That sounds like what you had going on. You want the lines to droop just a bit with the bar all the way out, and barely pucker the tail with it all the way in. I found that this is the perfect balance because it allows you to have a slight depower effect on most kites. If the kite is at speed and you pull the bar in, you shouldn't be able to stall it with the bar, but the kite will pull a bit harder and slow just a tad. It isn't the same as depower, but it does give a similar feel at times.