After many miserable kiting sessions (I don't know if you could call them that) due to tangled lines, I finally got everything set up today. I got a few ok flys but then my kite started to just go in circles to the left. Even when I pulled as hard as I could to my right, it kept going in a spiral. When I pulled on my left brake and pulled with my right, it barely would stop.

Is this common? I looked on the kite and couldn't find anything wrong with the kite. The lines however looked a little uneven by the handles - maybe by like an inch. I don't think it would be that big of a deal though considering I think I would be able to counter that pretty easily.

Check the bridal lines closely, same with the lines where they meet the handles, sounds like something may have tangled, It's fairly easy to get a brake line or something looped around the knot where the flying lines meet the harness.

An inch can make a big difference, especiailly on the brakes and most especially on a Crossfire. I have spent lots of time looking over a bridle on a squirely kite trying find a problem, only to walk back to the handles and find a brake line kinked around a kite killer leash knot.

I've also found that if you get too many wraps in the lines, the friction is hard to overcome and no matter how hard you pull on the opposite direction, it'll still keep going the same direction as it started. Smaller kites seem to do it more due to their relative lack in pull. If it is a friction problem, the quality of your lines may make a difference too.

Thanks for the help. I'll definitely give those things a look. I'll tell you if they do / don't act up next time.

Another trick is to fly the kite as a 2 line and see if the trouble persists. If so, try flying the kite holding on to the front knots and see what it looks like flying on only the bridle. It sounds to me like just a little too much brake on that side. Flying 2 line will remove that issue.

Are you flying in an open space ? Where I fly, there is a raised railway embankment 200 meters downwind, everything is ok at this distance, but get any closer than 50 meters or so, and the kite goes into an uncontrolled spin.

Just a thought
Mongo

That could be it. I was flying behind a pretty good sized mountain / hill. I guess it could be any number of these problems. I will be going back out there tomorrow and I'll take a closer look at all these things.