Postby tomatkins » Tue Sep 13, 2016 6:27 pm
There are a number of procedures to follow which will lessen the danger of a self-launch going wrong. As an example for the "drag" self launch. It is a good idea to rig your lines down-wind of the kite, so that you can sight along the lines all the way to the kite, to confirm that there are no crossed or improperly rigged lines. If the lines are laid out downwind of the kite, it is easier to then arrange the lines in a tight "S" pattern, close behind the kite, so that, as the kiter walks off to the side of the kite in preparation for the launch, the lines are pulled "straight out" from the kite, sliding along a narrow "corridor", cleared of sticks, rocks and other 'snagable' objects. This avoids the problem of dragging the lines a long distance up the beach, where one or more lines can get hooked on an object, resulting in an unwanted pull on the kite, as the kiter walks to his position. When the lines are set-up in a downwind position of the kite, it is important to realize, that at some point the bar will have to be flipped over 180 degrees in order to position the bar correctly for the right and left hands. The kiter should think about this "flipping" of the bar, and do the "flip" in such a way that the lines will not be crossed, as the kite takes off during the launch. If the kiter "flips" the bar the incorrect way, the lines will be crossed, and have to be uncrossed right away by spinning the bar. If the kiter errors, and does not "flip" the bar at all, then the best thing that will happen is that the kite does take off at all... the worst is that the kite will take off and immediately surprise the kiter by looping... Opps... it is really nice to be able to note that the lines are all going straight up to the proper place on the kite... as the kite shoots up into the air.
Setting up the kite, the lines and the bar for the drag launch is a large part of doing this kind of self launch... especially on a beach which is not perfectly flat and free of sticks, stones, and other embedded objects.