Kite shuts down trains ...

[RickI]

Another good reason to pick your launch and riding area carefully follows. It also underscores the need to use a working, tested kite leash. If not, things are going to continue to work against this sport and we will all lose.

Reality is starting to knock very hard on this sport and individual riders, after a long time of pulling punches. We don't seem to be getting away with traditional levels of carelessness all that well anymore in some cases, so please think about it.

Rick Iossi

The following was prepared by Philou of Flysurf.com.

http://www.flysurf.com/default.asp?id_bb_languages=2

Like the sword of Damocles…
Monday 11th November, bank holiday in France, it’s about 4.00pm just next to fashionable Cannes on the French cote d’Azur…Suddenly a wing flies loose from the nearby beach and lands wrapped round a ‘catenaire’ (one of the electric supply lines for the main railway line) above the railway lines themselves!!!

Instantly the two tracks are automatically neutralised, the line closed and a technical team hastily called in,result : Two hours of total shutdown for the line!!!

Everybody’s been wondering for a while about the possibility of a ban following some fatal accident, maybe this in fact will turn out to be the incident that brings this particular sword of Damocles down on the sport…

Happily, the miscreant (who, let’s face it, screwed up badly letting his wing go and by being an inexperienced flier in inappropriate conditions by all accounts) at least made every effort to recover the situation…

He went straight round to the SNCF to report himself responsible and the matter should now be settled amicably between the respective insurance companies…

“The culprit and facts of the case are all known to us and now further action will be takenâ€

[BLOWN AWAY]

I say it again... use a saftey leash and be alert..... these things happen quite often when you least expect it... like what nearly happened to me today.. Did a spin forgot to untwist my lines... too busy focussing on something else to notice that my kite was taking a dive so I half unspun by bar and pulled on it to correct... half spun bar means controls are reversed!! Very lucky to just miss a parked car with my 20m AREO.... ended up crashing the kite in the water.. It was due to luck NOT skill....

allways keep an eye on your kite at all times.....

BLOWN AWAY