hello all!--just got back from flying in a violent hailstorm.....what an extreme blast!!!! i got launched forward about 100 feet at breakneck speed while sitting in a utility bin--then got lifted up still from the sitting position about 10 ft straight up at which point i decided to let go and spare myself any broken bones.......another run got going sideways and fell into and through a big puddle of muck and water haha ---the winds that accompanied this storm were tremendous!!! and i was using a blade 6.6 to boot!!VERY DANGEROUS--BUT FUN!!!!i urge all of you to try this sometime except noobs--be careful out there hahahaha:wee::wee::wee::wee::wee::wee::wee::wee::wee:

That sounds like a blast. You will remember that forever. I love those moments when you feel like you are going to die, but then you get out of it scott free.

Sounds like lots of fun! Is your name Kevin? :smug:

You might do a little research on how hail is formed,............... you might rethink your actions...........aj

Quote:

Originally posted by action jackson You might do a little research on how hail is formed,............... you might rethink your actions...........aj

LOL What goes up must come down, but no one said it had to be right away... or in the same form.

Yer nutz.
I would think hail would damage your kite though...

makes me think of...

http://www.darwinawards.com/

Hail is associated with thunderstorm activity. I'd be in the house next time.

actually ,the hailstorm only lasted 15 minutes and was completely gone....the hail was very small,the kite isnt damaged.....dont count on seeing me on the darwins--im still very careful,sure something could happen and i could be seriously injured, obviously there are inherent risks involved here you cant make it completely safe while having total fun.......as has been mentioned many times here--your brain and judgement are your best safety devices---i'll use them well and take my chances and beamer bob my name is don:singing:

Don, your description of events was much like one by a guy named Kevin. He was having an "extreme blast" when he was "launched forward" for hundreds of feet at "breakneck speed" with a kite WAY too big for conditions. Well, he was flying a kite in hurricane conditions that couldn't be safe with any kite. A 6m Blade in winds you described as "tremendous" can get you on national news and that usually isn't a good thing for you or the rest of us. I'm sure Kevin helped in getting kite buggying banned at a Florida State Park I used to frequent. Be careful out there!

i Yi Yi, Yikes, hail.

Quote:

Originally posted by geojones hello all!--just got back from flying in a violent hailstorm.....what an extreme blast!!!! i got launched forward about 100 feet at breakneck speed while sitting in a utility bin--then got lifted up still from the sitting position about 10 ft straight up at which point i decided to let go and spare myself any broken bones.......another run got going sideways and fell into and through a big puddle of muck and water haha ---the winds that accompanied this storm were tremendous!!! and i was using a blade 6.6 to boot!!VERY DANGEROUS--BUT FUN!!!!i urge all of you to try this sometime except noobs--be careful out there hahahaha:wee::wee::wee::wee::wee::wee::wee::wee::wee:

are you serious...? are you the ani-kiter trying to get us all banned???

sorry....maybe i was a bit excited when i wrote this.......when i said tremendous winds--they were right around 18-20 and fairly clean for a launch----ive seen lots of dangerous kite vids on you tube and what i was doing is nowhere near ANY of those .......i would be willing to bet many writing these critical comments were on some of those vids.......riding along in a rectangular bin sounds one hell of a lot safer than having an OBE in a buggy at 20 plus mph which ,i am sure MANY if not ALL of you have had........so enjoy your criticism of my activities while youre nursing your broken arms,legs and concussions and i'll be outside,continuing to safely enjoy my kiting. have a great day ---i know i will :singing::singing:

way to promote safe kiting. And most are correct here, Hail is associated with a thunderstorm. Which means unpredictable winds, and lightning.

Come on people, think before you kite.

Quote:

Originally posted by geojones sorry....maybe i was a bit excited when i wrote this.......when i said tremendous winds--they were right around 18-20 and fairly clean for a launch----ive seen lots of dangerous kite vids on you tube and what i was doing is nowhere near ANY of those .......i would be willing to bet many writing these critical comments were on some of those vids.......riding along in a rectangular bin sounds one hell of a lot safer than having an OBE in a buggy at 20 plus mph which ,i am sure MANY if not ALL of you have had........so enjoy your criticism of my activities while youre nursing your broken arms,legs and concussions and i'll be outside,continuing to safely enjoy my kiting. have a great day ---i know i will :singing::singing:

We were merely responding to your description of conditions.
VERY DANGEROUS
flying in a violent hailstorm
let go and spare myself any broken bones
launched forward about 100 feet at breakneck speed
the winds that accompanied this storm were tremendous!!!

If you exaggerated, then you can't really fault us for our response. You might be a little embarrassed right now but if you had done what you said, our comments would've been warranted. Or maybe you really did what you originally said and want to downplay it now that it didn't get received very well. Either way, we'd rather you not do either again and are glad you didn't get hurt this time even though you don't seem to feel the same about the rest of us.

Gotta agree with the masses here. If you're going to take risks like this, better not to post them up on a public forum where they end up representing the kiting community as a whole.

Wow, I missed that "let go and spare myself any broken bones" part on the first read. Did you let go of the kite 10 feet up in the air or once you landed? I always thought that when you got lofted that it was better to hold on and ride it out than let go or hit the brakes.

thats fair--i guess i was so excited maybe i got carried away.....breakneck speed was only about 15-20 which seems really fast in a bin and even though it did hail twice during the day,not a single bolt of lightning or thunder occured during the 5-6 hrs i was out there,but i think i will stay away from the hailstorms from now on if thats what they typically bring......as far as being lifted up by the kite--i always let go about 6 to 10 ft--im not taking the chance on getting lofted further.......as far as "kevin" goes hes an idiot.....my only crime here was that i made it sound alot worse than it was and for that i am sorry.....i would bet i'm at least as safety conscious as any of you-i dont want bad publicity for our fine sport

Quote:

Originally posted by geojones then got lifted up still from the sitting position about 10 ft straight up at which point i decided to let go and spare myself any broken bones!!! and i was using a blade 6.6 to boot!!VERY DANGEROUShahahaha:wee::wee::wee::wee::wee::wee::wee::wee::wee:

I don't see this kite in your Sig'?
I'm still trying to get my head around why you are launching yourself 10ft high out of a utility bin( why were you IN a utility bin ? ) and the ........ LETTING GO :shocked2:
Have you ever considered HOLDING ON ? After all landing with the kite should be your safest option, if you know how to fly.

I'm not trying to call you out . I don't doubt you try and be safe. As safe as one can be launching themselves from a utility bin and then letting go at 10ft. I'm just confused WHY you are doing this stuff ? :puzzled:

I want to get lofted but only SO lofted ??? :puzzled:
I only like to use my kite to go UP :puzzled:
It's just not making sense, sorry !

blade--first of all--i wasnt TRYING to launch myself out of a bin--it just happened. 2.given the high,unpredictable winds,letting go was the best option 3.launching out of a utility bin while sitting was BY FAR the SAFEST way to launch......i NEVER scud on wet grass, a great way to get hurt,of course all you EXPERTS already know this 4. u want to get lofted but only SO lofted--i dont want to get lofted period....just some decent jumps 5. your comments made little sense to me as well,maybe we can get beamer bob to explain them to me as he clearly is the resident know it all--i must say im enjoying all the attacks --i love a good fight haha

I'm not trying to give you crap. Others already did.

I think I am just getting it now.
Are you saying that you HOT LAUNCH a 6.6m ( ? odd size ) Blade in over 15mph wind while sitting in a utility bin because you think this is the right way to launch ? That it is safe ?

I'm not trying to come down on you I'm trying to come to grip with your methods. They aren't any I've ever used.

Side launching is the only safe way in the winds you described !

I don't want to fight with you. I'm SURE you want to be safe. I just don't think your methods are always as safe as you may think they are ? Just have fun and don't let this all scare you from sharing + learning !

hey blade--i appreciate your concern....i really do--youre right about launching at the side of the window--i was hot launching,but i didnt when the winds were really blowing and the few times i started to take off and i felt unsafe--i simply let go of the handles....i just dont understand what all the fuss is about--you feel unsafe--LET GO OF THE HANDLES!!!!i always do that and ive not been hurt once!! not even a little!!someday we'll meet and you can see for yourself.......there is a guy around here that flys arcs and he gives lessons and he really can snowboard hes been doing it for years--he has seen me fly in all kinds of conditions and he thinks im a safe kiter--im almost 50 with a great job a daughter etc do you think im going to take a big chance and break myself in 2???NO WAY, JOSE

one more thing,blade-- when i hot launch the kite goes straight to the zenith,i get pulled forward and put the kite down for another round....in those winds side launching is more dangerous--say you launch at the left edge of the window pull the kite to the right to enter center of wind window all while kite is climbing i would get pulled out of the bin!! its not a theory,either i have tried it.thats why i prefer my method --simply put it is SAFER in the conditions i experienced--someday i will be happy to show you. once again i challenge anyone on this forum to show me a more safety conscious kiter than myself--personally i think some of you guys need your heads examined for wanting to go 50+ mph in a buggy,but i guess thats a discussion for another time......this is my last post for awhile--im getting worn out with this crummy typing

Quote:

Originally posted by geojones even though it did hail twice during the day,not a single bolt of lightning or thunder occured during the 5-6 hrs i was out there,but i think i will stay away from the hailstorms from now on if thats what they typically bring.

Not to give you more dodo, but to improve your weather knowledge. Hail is only formed in cumulonimbus (thunderheads) clouds. When there is hail, there is always the potential for lightening strikes.
S
The lightening bolt I want to see when flying is the design on my kite.

PEOPLE!!!!!

It dosent matter what he was flying, or what he was riding in, or anything else for that matter.

The point here should be

Flying when its hailing or there is any kind of indication of turbulent air is a bad idea PERIOD.

Long time lurker first time poster. I wondered if this guy lost his marbles often like this. He actually had a post a while back about people being able to admit they were wrong and how good it felt to do so, or something like that. What a hypocrite! Just goes to show you that maturity doesn't come with age. Maybe what he did was more talk than action and he really wasn't so foolish.

Ha Ha,

I hear you about that going 50mph with your balls so close to the ground bit ! Not my drive !

It's all good! Just have fun and learn as you go ! :singing:

Quote:

Originally posted by acampbell makes me think of... http://www.darwinawards.com/

LMFAO!!

WOW! This thread is unbelievable! I am sure that I will never be playing out in this kind of weather! Boys, Boys, Boys!!!!!

Flying a large kite in a hail storm?



For a real charge, next time run a thin wire from the kite to your ground stake. :o:o:o

ROFL!

This thread is kind of sad, really. I'm a noob and even I know better than this guy. You might want to look into some kite safety courses bro. Till then, keep em on the ground.