I know this question sounds odd but how do you guys fly static for long time frames?

After about 1.5 to 2hrs my arms are done. Now keep in mind that i am flying formation, pattern etc so the kite is pulling and usualy pulling extremely hard. Most of these kites don't like to be parked at zenith so......????

I had asked previously about using a harness but the general response i gathered was it would not be the best thing.

why not use a harness? you dont have to be hooked in all the time. fly for abit, hook in, take the weight off your arms, fly for abit more!!

i have thought about this myself, what harness would be good to use with handles.

when your arms get tired, do a hand stand and fly with your legs.:karate:

Houston Airhead that reply is worthless without pics....lol

yeah, that thread about using harnesses did a good job of the storm in a teacup thing didn't help the rookies out much in the end, lots of good info in there but hard to pull it out of all the differences of opinion.

i just land my kite when i need a break, if kite landing is tough well it gets a lot easier with practice. But that doesn't help your situation.

but if you are not feeling overpowered, then yes hooking into a harness is good. It is advisable to have a release on the harness or on the strop. the thing to do is not to use the harness to handle kites you couldn't otherwise fly.

strops on handles work way better on a roller tho. you do lose a fine edge of control.

ctb above is right on, using a harness as needed to extend your flying time exactly as he suggests is good.

But using a harness to handle bigger kites than you could handle without a harness is risky when flying the bigger FB's w/o depower.

depower is a different story, and crazy dutchmen flying big FB's off buggies are another story again. :frog:

It's good to get advice from the forum, but bottom line is to take a good hard look at the risks in your situation and then decide for yourself, perhaps using the forum as a guide, but relying primarily on your skills and understanding at your location and with your kites.

Not looking to use the wrong kite in the wrong wind...this is simply about extending flying time with the proper kite!

Bring a picnic and maybe other toys. Take a break, eat, have drink, rest a bit. May be play with your RC Crawler truck. Chat with buddy. After a while go back to flying.
Flying static is much harder work than being mobile.
Bladerunner and I are looking forward to flying with you next week after work.
S

Quote:

Originally posted by Scudley Flying static is much harder work than being mobile. S

Can't get away with ignoring that, very true...

I can pump myself out in less than five minutes flying hard static, fifteen minutes if I pace myself, then it's down with the kite and off to the shade for a sit and a drink and maybe a natter with someone hanging out on the beach. Start jumping static and it gets intense fast.

So when I have a session I might have the kite out for eight hours, but I'm lucky or more likely a little lazy if I have the kite up even close to half the time I'm there. Otherwise we're both in the shade.

I used to rock climb and boulder a fair bit, our sessions were the same then, you just can't climb hard all day (well most of us anyways, there's some pretty hard core folk out there...)

In actual fact I all of my jumping static without KK / strop these days, my KS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-s are for newbies flying close to trees, as i like my kites well enough to keep them safe!

If you can fit into it, I'll bring my spare waist harness for you to try. Take a look at Scudley's XC harness. They are a good choice. I'll have my Mystic as well.

Carltb is right. Use the harness for the breaks at 1st. After a while you will try more and more hooked in. It should extend your fly time right away.

Flying F.B. static is a lot more work than riding well powered and hooked in for sure. Add depower and it is even better.

I'm off work at 3:30 these days . Vanier right after work will be our best bet ?

I do a fair amount of static flying with a harness. I want to be comfortable flying with it before I use it in the buggy, and it makes for nice long scuds (and the accompanying wedgie.)

A very good reason to use a harness! You need to for depower in any case...

not all harnesses give wedgies, btw, it's also usually possible to reduce the wedgie by pulling your clothes around a bit so when the harness cinches up under load it doesn't pull your clothes up with it so much...

:evil:

Quote:

Originally posted by Tonka After about 1.5 to 2hrs my arms are done. Now keep in mind that i am flying formation, pattern etc so the kite is pulling and usualy pulling extremely hard. Most of these kites don't like to be parked at zenith so......????

sounds odd. it should hover at zenith to some degree.

why not reduce the pull if you're only static flying?

static flying with a harness is a good way to start going use to the idea of being hooked in.

i'd say that using a harness depends on what you want to do.

if you're static flying but staying on your feet then yes using a harness is quite safe, and you might want to use one to take the strain off your arms or just get used to a harness as rip mentions above.

but if you're jumping while flying static then best to do your jumps unhooked when on an FB. you can jump hooked, but if things go wrong, your recovery options are more limited due to the reduced length of travel in the strop and / or the fact you'll need to reach for and activate an emergency release instead of just letting go. For me, I jump better unhooked on my FB's, I guess maybe others have different experiences.

resting between jump sessions should be easy with a strop, and yes most kites will hang out OK at or near zenith with not too much input, tho it does vary a lot from kite to kite.

it's just that for me I go hard until I pump out, then I have a ten-minute rest, at least, before going again, so it work best to just land the kite in between jumping sessions.

what you're doing -- "formations and patterns" -- sounds quite different, and likely a better place to use a strop.

you'll lose a degree of fineness to your control, this is the reason i don't really like using a strop.

if you use a hook you lose more finesse than when using a roller.

if however you are using a harness and strop to fly a bigger FB kite than you could handle without a strop i.e. using the harness to fly a kite you don't think you could handle at all without the harness, well that would be bad and risky and all the rest, and pretty much the only situation here where i'd just flat out say "DON'T"

eat a solid meal before you fly--take some healthy snacks with you--be in good shape-and take a rest every once in a while and drink LOTS of water

Quote:

Originally posted by kitejumper eat a solid meal before you fly

yeah i hate getting an empty stomach just when the wind gets sweet.

Pretty hard to eat and fly at the same time as well...lol

Quote:

Originally posted by carltb why not use a harness? you dont have to be hooked in all the time. fly for abit, hook in, take the weight off your arms, fly for abit more!!

I agree, I use this method whenever i'm on fixed bridle, especially when i'm jumping with my Blade at the beach. I fly and jump unhooked, but when I get tired, I just hook in for a breather or to reposition myself, makes a big difference throughout the day.

Just a note, letting the kite hang out at zenith is one of the most dangerous positions to have the kite. This is when most loftings happen.

Good point, this is why I don't do it....hence the question to start with...