ok another newb ?

after reading about hooking in and quick releases....

handles with kite killers, and what ever strop system you use plus quick release, eg:winchard/ronstan

how often and why have you had to go to quick release in emergency situation?

if in an over powered situation or an OBE isnt just letting go and kite killers enough saftey? .... for most situatuions.

im just looking at this from a saftey perspective with very little experience

I have only ever had to deploy my safety for safety once. It was the Psycho I. The kite released but the FDS line snapped :o

Think of it like air bags in a car. You hope to never use them but are glad they are there. Trick with a Q.R. is YOU have to deploy it !

When you are hooked in and in trouble odds are your strop or loop will be under tons of pressure. Too much pressure to simply push out of a hook.
With the pulley / wichard release you are captive so your kite killers aren't going to help if you simply let go.

so kite killers and pulley quick release latch are redundant/bad/ not used together

whats your opinion about this rig :

climbing harness to carabiner ---> QR latch---> pulley ---> stroped handle---> 1 handle attached at brake to leash attached to harness



what happened that u had to pull EJECT?

After my "Mini Eric Eck Incident" I can do nothing but stress saftey, DO NOT FLY CAPTIVE! ALWAYS HAVE SOME WAY TO RELEASE FROM THE KITE! (srry) So usually you have a QR on your harness, then a pulley that your strop runs through. And some people like their KS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-s to go to their wrists, some like them to go to harness. I would go to wrist, so you can unhook if you want, and still have a safett. And a nice pulley to look at are the ones that dont have a bottom, that just the strop can come in and out of so you can ride hooked in and unhooked easily. If you pulled the QR it would release the pulley with the strop still inside, and then the KS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-s would engage, putting in full brake pressure, fully depowering the kite, and it would fall to the ground.

Another perspective...

I do nearly all my flying on handles only, and dig out the kite killers when the gusts start to pass ten knots.

I've played around on harnesses, but haven't really had the right combo of good winds / time off to fly lots on harness in winds I could only fly on handles for a few minutes at a time: good harness winds, in other words.

The weird thing about harnesses, QR's and kite killers is that you can't use the kite killers until you use the quick release.

So it all comes down to the quality of the safety release, and the witchart is the good one, piston quick releases are not so good.

I use a thieve's knot with a special bit of rope, 6mm spectra with a tightened sheath for slipperiness and a big toggle on the end. It releases under load, (with a firm tug) but I've never released it in anger and I'd hate to be in that position.

Previously I was using a bent-gate carabiner that allowed me to release most of the time by passing the line over itself on top of the gate.

Both pretty dodgy rigs, but as I was able to bodge them up from my own kit, they were also free.

I won't really feel comfy in my harness until I get a proper QR, and likely might not feel comfy even then.

Two things I've figured. One, that even the best QR's and the best pilots on the best gear still have failures. A QR is a big help but it's not an airbag. And it's most definitely no substitute for hours spent behind the lines of a strong kite.

Second, there comes a time in every kiter's dabbling with kites where he or she has to cross the line into certain risk in order to do the flying he or she wants to do next. It's an extreme sport, after all.

Crossing that line as safely as possible has a lot to do with what these kite forums are all about, but we all choose to do it on our own terms, whatever they may be, from foolhardy to conservative.

(edit, to answer one of your Q's specifically: harness to QR to pulley to strop w/ one kite killer on one handle attached to harness has a problem: the released kite may spiral around the one handle when the killer is deployed, and this may keep the kite in the air for some time, twisting your lines like crazy all the while. AKA "death spiral". It's better to use both, then one can have a bit of control and no spiral.)

disclaimer: these are the musings of a fellow newbie...

cheers,

furbo

I would argue that ALWAYS wear kite killers they protect others not yourself. You have made a choice to place your self in harms way the poor bugger downwind some place did not. I use both depower kites (everything is build in) and handles. I use a snap shackle (proven under load that it will release.) that runs to the block (petzel pulley) with the strop. I am able to release (I added a big handle on the release of the snap shackle) the snap and let pulley and strop go not the best but it works. I have tried it to see how well (very well) but I have never needed to.

kited what sytem are using with handles that has depower built in?

NPW where or link for pulley with out bottom face?

i'm interested in seeing pictures of your attacment rigs

A big part of the original question was Have you ever HAD to use your Q.R. ? and Why ?

A GOOD TOPIC !!!

When I had to use mine it was because I misjudged the wind ( a LOT ) and was WAY overpowered. Tea bagging towards trees and a parking lot. !

I never said you shouldn't wear K.K.'s ( even if I don't ) with a captive system ( which I dislike ) . The trick there is to be sure you are out of the harness before letting go :duh:

Could have used one yesterday, if I had one. :barf:

I use my QR alot LOL are we not suppose too? mainly because i am lazy to pull the brake on really windy days and fight the kite down. i rather just pull the QR and it drops like a sock. all other times i have used it is because i caught myself off balance and the kite is barreling into the power zone about to superman me. other times i use it (My most aggravating) is when it bow ties or the bridle gets tangled in the sail after stalling. :piggy:

I have not had to rely on the QR yet, but I can say that the handles have been yanked out of my hands a number of times as I am performing the superman maneuver through the air, landing on my face. I was pretty great full the KS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-s were on so my kite didn't end up in the ocean. Maybe I should have let go sooner to prevent the eventual whiplash....I'll never learn.

Bladerunner
Riiight, read, ok I can do that sometimes.... sorry for that.

I have released my access a few times once was to dump it fast fast fast to help a friend. Rather than messing with breaks and stakes I pulled the primary release and jammed the bar into the buggy seat, shoved the bug it a mound of seaweed and off and running.

I also discovered that being really tired from a long day combined with being over powered and trying to do 2 things at once (what was I thinking??? hmmm wasn't ) are a really bad combination. The short version I ended up with my foot caught in my buggy bag (please don't ask... ) and one hand also in the same bag. A kite out of control... (look ma no hands...) and a pulled release before I went in saw grass. :tumble:

The last time I was walking backward and tripped. Went to catch myself and put the kite in a loop.
Some where in that mess the release did, release. I didn't pull it the guardian angel did.

On handles Yup once today. I had a caught bridle in 40+ km winds and the kite started spinning so I just let go and then spent 20 min with a kitemare.

Ditto that. Had a yard sale developing on me way overpowered with the kite locked in the heart of the power zone. It wouldn't fly out of it and I was being yarded downwind. Busted the camera off my boot, took one ski 50 feet later, the other ski another 50 feet downwind and by then I was finally able to reach up for the primary. That was the Access.