Alright; I'm sure you all have one if not more than one. That one kite that has "got you" before; the one that bit you.

I have two. My 3m Octane, and my 4m Hornet. And they both happen to be red imagine that.

First time I flew the 3m Octane; I had previously that day been flying the 2m. The wind slacked off; or so I thought; so I pulled out the 3m. I rode out; and was going to turn back. The wind lulled so I down looped the kite; right as a huge gust hit. You know that position the buggy can get in on a turn when the front wheel is turned and the kite pull is forward at an angle and causes the buggy to tip? Out I went.

Flying the 4m Hornet one day; hooked in; fully powered up with as much power as I could hold; cruising along; then a gust hit. Instantly ripped me out the side of the buggy. I'm on my back sliding on the grass still flying the kite as the buggy is tumbling. I slide to a stop; get up and back in the buggy and away I went.

But I both respect and am leary of both those kites everytime I fly them.

What kite(s) do you have that has got you and you now keep a close eye on when you fly it?

I have two as well. First one being the good old Pansh Ace 5m. Back before I started buggying, (buggy was on order though) I was static flying when I got lofted by a freak gust that came outta no where that took me up about 12' then the kite crumbled to a ball of fabric and down I came like a bag of rocks.

Second being the 8m Neo I had. Thing pulled like a freight train. Had a gust come in while on a DE beach, right as I launched. Kite took me for a wild ride, about 6' off the ground and 50' down wind. Was a quick reminder to try and launch to the side of the window more than hit launch dead down wind. What can I say, when you like the adrenaline of a hot launch, you like the adrenaline if a hot launch.

Those days are pretty far from happening due to my use of arcs, almost always a side launch so no worries in a launching scenario anyway.

I've been yarded by a few kites. If they were mine, I sold them. If not, I just never bought one. Unless the trading was my fault. Then I just learned from it.

Both original chargers I flew. A 12 pass the kite and a 19. I wouldn't take one if it was free. All the others I took responsibility for any incidents.

Bobby, I as well have kites that have yarded me, not the two I listed, but I also assume responsibility for those happenings. Sometimes we know better, well you know the rest.

My "that kite " is a 2.4m PKD Combat. I won't buggy with it, static only... The power it can generate is scary as hell. Wicked fast too. And a 2.4m Combat is what Jeff was flying on his near death EPIC OBE.

apex 5.5. twice.
about the third time i ever flew it the wind was very jank.
big rolling gusts that would crumple the kite at zenith and drop it in a pile.
i got better a sorting it out during the drop and saving it from hitting the ground.
the wind was increasing and i was lifted a couple of times when at zenith so flew at the edge for safety,
when the mother of all gusts balled up the kite and reflexively i tried to get her flying before it hit the ground
and was successful right in the middle of the power zone!
i think its called "taken", full superman maybe 8 feet up and 20 downwind to face plant.
second time freak gust out of nowhere as kite is heading up to zenith kite shot forward and at the top kept going up!
lofted maybe 12 feet but landed soft. unfortunately i was watching where i was going to land and not guiding the kite at all,
so of course it drives right into the window and drags me 30 or so feet towards oak trees! my first emergency top hat release flagged out and saved the kite. none of my other kite seem near as lofty as apex. not supposed to be lofty, but am cautious of it now for sure.

Seems like a trend of getting bit by small kites. I suppose the wind conditions needed to move with the smaller kites make them more dangerous then the bigger ones.
The trend continues with me as well. A 3m Toxic is that kite for me. yanked me out of the buggy three times in a matter of about 30 minutes. I sold it a week later.

my 3m's have slapped me around plenty
but 4.9 blade has dished out the most severe beatings by far...respect that kite like no other

My nemesis is my 2m Hornet.

First time: at Wasaga: Kite over my left shoulder; gust; yanked out faster than I could let go of the handles. Markite did the repairs to the blown cells and seams and it was good as new.
Second time: WBB - Fall 2012. Same kite, only I was (I think) pulled out sideways. (I'm still grateful for the helping hands afterwards.)
Am I the only one that remembers the day before "Sandy"? Somewhere there's a post that lists that days victims.

F-arc 1200. NOT a beginner kite. Very nearly blew my ACL trying to learn to fly it. Sold it and then traded to get it back after I got friendly with arcs. STILL scares me!

10m Psycho II. Found out they don't have much depower the hard way! Sold it and never regretted it!

Luckily never really been tossed hard enough to injure myself but when I started, my only 2 kites were a 4m twister and a 6.6 biii. I flipped the buggy semi frequently and really had a blast with them but the lulls made it inconsistent fun so I opted for different kites. However, I didn't hook in with them. If I had, I would have been lofted badly without a doubt.

If I had to pick "that kite" I would have to say the blade 6.6 but I have nothing but love and respect for that kite.

I sold "that kite" after the reparative surgery

5.5m RII :o

9 meter Ozone Frenzy. Out in gusty overpowered conditions. Not the kites fault......Placed kite in the wrong place at the wrong time. Body slammed on the ice. Minor separated shoulder. Still have this kite and still love it! I learned a lot that day :o

It appears that most if not all of the examples on this thread have in common the weather. In particular higher winds with big gusts (thus the smaller kites). So it's not really the kite, but the gusty winds. And if it's the weather then again, it's not the kite, but the pilot.

Is it user error from start to finish? With the ultimate error being the very decision to go out in high, gusty and thus potentially dangerous winds. (Or not stopping quickly if conditions change for the worse.)

Not for me. I take responsibility for those. My incidents with the Chargers were from the tip clap issue that some had.

Br44 brings up a good point though. How often is it pilot error that sets the stage for things to go bad? I would argue lack of experience or preparation or both are likely more responsible than the kite.

I've been beat down hard by three kites. The first, Ozone Samurai 3m. Why? Because I was a jackass and launched the kite in conditions beyond my ability at the time. That was clearly lack of experience and poor judgement. Now, I could fly the same kite in the same conditions and wouldn't think twice. I have over a decade or flying since that day. Second kite was a Peter Lynn prototype. Unexpected response from the wing when I pushed it too far. Part of the testing process is to see what the wing can or can't do. Found its limit, dodged a bullet and haven't ridden the kite since. Third was a Peter Lynn Phantom 2 proto. Had a spar pocket fail at 50mph and the kite looped. Didn't know what happened until we watched the helmet cam footage. Fixed the pocket and continued to fly the hell out of that kite. When my wife nearly died on the 8m Charger 1 it wasn't the kite. She'll be the first to tell you it was her error and momentary lapse in judgement that got her. She was having too much fun and disregarded our standing rule of not Hucking over clean ice. She hasn't flown the 8m since but for me it is still one of my favorite high wind kites. It has a bad reputation but again, mostly because the pilot wasn't up to the performance it offered. Assuming it went one of the affected kites as Bob described.

I think it's pretty rare that a kite causes harm without being inadvertently directed to do so.

I blame all of my kites for not allowing me to be as good of kiter as in my imagination. I knew it was their fault I'm not going fast enough or jumping sky high.

For me "that kite" (9m Ozone Frenzy) is already out the door. I'm not blaming my recent lofting and blackout crash on the kite in the least. It's out the door for the simple reason that I was flying the kite I wanted to the day of my accident (nod to Jeff aka BigKid for his thought process) and I just don't want to fly that kite anymore.

Though not yet "that kite" I was in the NorCA coast these past few days and got to fly my three small NS3s static on the beach on handles, 20m lines and z-bridles. First day was blowing hard and I had my hands full with my custom 1.5m. When the day comes that this little kite is the right choice in my buggy I better be on my A-game. That kite flies through the sky like a raped ape! The slightest twitch sends that kite steaming. I could absolutely see myself getting ejected with that little guy in the sky. Man, that kite moves fast!!!

I agree with others that it is the small kites that bite the hardest. I've got seemingly microseconds to react to personal errors with the 1.5m NS3; I can grab a panini and latte waiting for my 12m Peak2 to come about. :P