So, second time out with the 8m PL hornet...

Was happily being dragged down a field, when a very large gust of wind came along, and I got lifted ridiculously high (I know this for a fact, as my brother and a friend were there to tell me so) . anyway, when I did get lifted, instead of letting go, I managed to steer the kite overhead, so that I came back to earth without even a bump. The thing is that i've read everywhere that the thing to do in a lofting situation is to let go of one of the handles... I reckon if i had done that, the kite would of steered into the window, and I'd have fallen to the ground from about a storey-and-a-half in the air, been pulled along faster that I can run, and most probably broken at least both my legs.

Kiting in those situations is about making real snap decisions... (although if it had been even windier I would probably have ended up with an erick eck sort of situation. we've all seen the video on youtube of the guy getting lifted, and having about a minute's hangtime)

B.T.W. None of the above was at all intentional..

who told you to let go of one handles.
in the case that you get lifted off the ground i would not let go at all, the kite will work as a shout and you will float to the ground. where you can safly let go and not pumble to the ground and break both ankles. letting go of one handle will just loop the kite and you will get sprung forward and hit the ground harder too. kite loops are to be done by advanced riders.

The time to let go is before you are too high up ?
The other thing is you had a proper sized kite for jumping / lofting. Down in the 5m range you wouldn't have expereinced such a smooth return It is a different game with a smaller kite ! With a smaller kite a loop is definately an option to consider !
My Flysurfer manuals all say to relax in such a situation and trust that you have a canopy to float you.

By getting dragged downwind after letting go are you suggesting that the kite killers would do that ? I think they would definately mess you up when they hit hard on the brakes ?

Glad it all turned out O.K.

Quote:

Originally posted by kiteon who told you to let go of one handles. in the case that you get lifted off the ground i would not let go at all, the kite will work as a shout and you will float to the ground. where you can safly let go and not pumble to the ground and break both ankles. letting go of one handle will just loop the kite and you will get sprung forward and hit the ground harder too. kite loops are to be done by advanced riders.

What did you mean by "work as a shout"? I figured out pumble but you got me on this one.

Parachute ?

Were you wearing padding at all? In the instance you described, were something to have gone wrong, and you had no protection, things would have been MUCH worse. If I feel I am about to do something risky (it doesnt take much gust to make an 8m fixed bridle risky, by the way), I at least put on my elbow and knee pads and helmet. If I'm doing something more than risky, I wear impact shorts, also. I learned these lessons the hard way. I hope you dont have to, also.

I think I first heard about the "let go of one handle" trick in an advert for a kite, it said to let go of one, you'll have a terrible mess, but you'll be otherwise unharmed. pah...

With a 3m, I was thinking "what's the big deal with this kiteloop thing, it's not that hard... with the 8m I was thinking "weeeeeeeee....... I'm scudding soo fast ...... uh oh tree approaching and the kite is still facing the floor... let go of handles now"

I thought about what would I do if I did get lofted, and considering "gravity always wins" i figured that that holding on would alway be the best idea.. i did eventually return to earth, about 3m away from where i started... to give you some idea of how soft the landing was - ive jumped off of a pavement/sidewalk, and it was more uncomfortable.

yea I definatetly wear a helmet and pads, I figured they might be worthwhile, with a bigger kite. - Impact shorts will hopfully be ordered soon also...

the other thing was that it was gusty enough that i didnt really realise that i was off the ground untill i looked down - most of that session i was lying with my feet on the floor and the rest of me about a foot off the ground.

anyway, i must order some more handles as I left mine at the field, (packing up quick because of torrential rain)

Bladerunner with the only correct answer so far....he speaks from experience, as he is one of the most experienced on this forum

don't be a dangerous kiter! check the condition regarding to the rate of change and amplitude of change...UNDERSTAND THE SKY

you could hurt someone if you don't know how to fly in gusty winds...no one can tell you anything here unless its what you want to here....

kiteon is wrong, everyone on this thread is crazy for giving you any advice as to "hang" or "not to hang on"

SMALLER KITE AND WORK YOUR WAY UP GOING NO FURTHER THAN YOUR ABILITY :dunno:

you hurt yourself, whoops, you hurt someone else, and it's your ass...

don't be lucky, be sure you won't get hurt...
sir you gotta be more careful and make better PRE-FLIGHT decisions

Quote:

Originally posted by Bladerunner The time to let go is before you are too high up ? The other thing is you had a proper sized kite for jumping / lofting. Down in the 5m range you wouldn't have expereinced such a smooth return It is a different game with a smaller kite ! With a smaller kite a loop is definately an option to consider ! My Flysurfer manuals all say to relax in such a situation and trust that you have a canopy to float you. By getting dragged downwind after letting go are you suggesting that the kite killers would do that ? I think they would definately mess you up when they hit hard on the brakes ? Glad it all turned out O.K.

Gotta say I have to agree with Eli and Bladerunner on this one.
You gotta do some sort of pre-flight before you go out.
I always check in with the noaa weather bouy site and get an up-todate forcast first. We've all had an experience where changing weather patterns have snuck up on us. You just have to learn when to haul it in.

Like Eli stated, "Understand the Sky". Learn to read what the clouds are doing (color changes, shape, etc). If you fly near a large body of water, learn to read the surface action. Last, learn your kite,
you can get a lot of info from that critter.

Respect the wind, and have fun

Quote:

don't be lucky, be sure you won't get hurt...

Well said Eli

When I first read your post I was thinking this guy is gonna get hurt if he doesn't get a handle on the wind conditions/kite combination and learn to know when not to kite...gotta respect the wind or you're gonna get spanked!

A gross mis-interpritation on my part then - The PL Hornet always came across as a real puller, but even in high winds, wasn't the most lifty kite, I'm perfectly happy scudding real fast along the field, and had never really ben lifted more than a couple feet, now when I go kiting, evern couple minutes I check over my shoulder to see what's going on, although its been real sunny here, and almost completely windless...

Please avoid gusty wind until you are quite experienced.

One of the anti lofting sayings is "keep it low". If the wind is gusty keep the kite near the ground on the edge of the window so you won't get lifted up. You'll get pulled forward but not up.

Don't let go when your high up in the air. Let go before you get lofted :puzzled: It's easier said than done. Don't let go of just one handle either. That's asking for a kiteloop and trouble.

Best way to avoid getting lofted is to put up a kite that is sized for the gusts. When you do this your fully powered up but not overpowered in a gust. Then in the normal wind you'll be slightly underpowered but safe when the gust hits.

Good luck and be safe.

Scott
p.s. don't fly with trees nearby or especially downwind of you.

in a word .... WINDMETER

I fly handles only and always use Killers . And use em' regular too! But there is nothing better than better judgement. Live to kite another day.

But I will also admit ,that if I wasn't pushin' the envelope, I'd be in it!