launch hooked in?
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genome1698
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How many of you guys launch hooked in to you harness(4 line set up)you hear of so many accidents while launching,i hear of advice to launch hooked in saying the worst thing that could happen is "you'll get dragged a bit" this to me is stupidity,so come on guys who launches there kite hooked in and why?
Hooking into the chicken loop when lauching enables you to depower the kite.
When your a newbie learning never kite overpowered (ring smaller than the experienced kiters), never launch with obsticles within 200 feet, never launch hooked in, and be ready to activate your wrist leash when needed.
As you progress and you start to gain control of the kite you will probably almost always launch hooked into the chicken loop.
If you have any windsurfing experience think of hooking into the chicken loop when learning similar to hooking into the windsurf harness lines when trying to learn to windusurf. One wrong move and your going to get punished.
Once you master the kite or the sail your alomost alwats hooked in.
When your a newbie learning never kite overpowered (ring smaller than the experienced kiters), never launch with obsticles within 200 feet, never launch hooked in, and be ready to activate your wrist leash when needed.
As you progress and you start to gain control of the kite you will probably almost always launch hooked into the chicken loop.
If you have any windsurfing experience think of hooking into the chicken loop when learning similar to hooking into the windsurf harness lines when trying to learn to windusurf. One wrong move and your going to get punished.
Once you master the kite or the sail your alomost alwats hooked in.
Hooking into the chicken loop when lauching enables you to depower the kite.
When your a newbie learning never kite overpowered (ring smaller than the experienced kiters), never launch with obsticles within 200 feet, never launch hooked in, and be ready to activate your wrist leash when needed.
As you progress and you start to gain control of the kite you will probably almost always launch hooked into the chicken loop.
If you have any windsurfing experience think of hooking into the chicken loop when learning similar to hooking into the windsurf harness lines when trying to learn to windusurf. One wrong move and your going to get punished.
Once you master the kite or the sail your alomost alwats hooked in.
When your a newbie learning never kite overpowered (ring smaller than the experienced kiters), never launch with obsticles within 200 feet, never launch hooked in, and be ready to activate your wrist leash when needed.
As you progress and you start to gain control of the kite you will probably almost always launch hooked into the chicken loop.
If you have any windsurfing experience think of hooking into the chicken loop when learning similar to hooking into the windsurf harness lines when trying to learn to windusurf. One wrong move and your going to get punished.
Once you master the kite or the sail your alomost alwats hooked in.
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RickI
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It is true, most experienced riders will launch near the overpowered side of things at times. Some guys even need to be held down by one or two other riders. That is launching a larger kite than can be easily handled unhooked. In the case of launching to where you need to be held down there is no question about needing to launch hooked in or the eventual consequences if things go badly one day.
Normally this is not a big deal in more moderate powered conditions and does allow for easy depowering. The problem is that if you ride long enough or are careless or unlucky in gusty conditions someday this practice may cause you problems. A rider recently broke his shoulder as was discussed in this forum under such conditions.
So if you launch hooked in, expect to potentially have problems someday if hit by a sudden gust. The speed at which these gusts hit often removes the option of popping a QR, snap shackle or even unhooking.
So, if you want to reduce this risk you need to launch unhooked. Through experience you will need to judge to what degree you can depower your kite through the trim strap and by pulling in and tying off your chicken loop and still have a readily flyable kite. If you depower too much in lighter winds, the kite will not fly well at all. If you depower too little or rig too big for the wind conditions, you may not be able to comfortably hold the kite. If you are hit by a strong gust, you simply drop your bar and let your tested kite leash defuse the situation ideally.
You need to have a fixed, hopefully QR line on your control bar. When you are close to the water with your kite low over the water you can hook in to the fixed line to grab your board with one hand. You get offshore pronto and shred like crazy away from the hard stuff.
In doing this you eliminate the ability to launch in overpowered conditions. Does this take away some of the fun, yes. Just as sitting inside a speeding pickup truck as opposed to standing up surfer style in the truck bed does. Not as much fun but it will see you riding longer. It is all about choices and possible consequences.
FKA, Inc.
transcribed by:
Rick Iossi
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: RickI on 2002-10-30 16:09 ]</font>
Normally this is not a big deal in more moderate powered conditions and does allow for easy depowering. The problem is that if you ride long enough or are careless or unlucky in gusty conditions someday this practice may cause you problems. A rider recently broke his shoulder as was discussed in this forum under such conditions.
So if you launch hooked in, expect to potentially have problems someday if hit by a sudden gust. The speed at which these gusts hit often removes the option of popping a QR, snap shackle or even unhooking.
So, if you want to reduce this risk you need to launch unhooked. Through experience you will need to judge to what degree you can depower your kite through the trim strap and by pulling in and tying off your chicken loop and still have a readily flyable kite. If you depower too much in lighter winds, the kite will not fly well at all. If you depower too little or rig too big for the wind conditions, you may not be able to comfortably hold the kite. If you are hit by a strong gust, you simply drop your bar and let your tested kite leash defuse the situation ideally.
You need to have a fixed, hopefully QR line on your control bar. When you are close to the water with your kite low over the water you can hook in to the fixed line to grab your board with one hand. You get offshore pronto and shred like crazy away from the hard stuff.
In doing this you eliminate the ability to launch in overpowered conditions. Does this take away some of the fun, yes. Just as sitting inside a speeding pickup truck as opposed to standing up surfer style in the truck bed does. Not as much fun but it will see you riding longer. It is all about choices and possible consequences.
FKA, Inc.
transcribed by:
Rick Iossi
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: RickI on 2002-10-30 16:09 ]</font>
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F12-Flyer
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After just writing a very good post I lost it because I wrote my password wrong... A VERY good reason to become anonymous. other forums give you the option to login once from one computer so It recognisers you eaxh time you visit..
Anyway I can only be bothered to write the punch line.
Know your WINDS, Know your KITE and Know your LIMITS.
Rod
p.s
I have launch launched hooked in from day one.
Anyway I can only be bothered to write the punch line.
Know your WINDS, Know your KITE and Know your LIMITS.
Rod
p.s
I have launch launched hooked in from day one.
A repeating theame in my post is "That there is always somthing" no better example than launching. Shackle in the chick loop and launch: (good/side) you have full control of the trim, depower plus power for full steering control. (bad/side) you could get yanked, I doubt if i could pull the release while still on the ground in a sudden huge gust. Alternative; (Good/side) depower kite no hook in, just let go in gust and get dragged by leash, (bad/side) loss of steering, no ability to change trim in lull, more chance to lose control and get into trouble! "sacrifice or take charge" THERE IS ALWAYS SOMTHING!! I kite at a remote spot,we kiters are the only ones there, no one has a kite leash connected,no one launches without shackleing in! One injury from crossed lines he had no time to pull the shackle! for me I accept the risk i kite i shackle in i take charge and i am pilot in command! Go big or go home.
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Mr Jo Macdonald
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In light wind anything goes, more or less, in stronger wind, especially if gusting, I would say it's safe to launched hooked in if you keep the kite low and launch so the kite is pointing towards the water and you don't fly it at, or past zenith, because you never know when a gust will hit. If you have to launch with the kite pointing inland or pass the kite past zenith for any reason I'd say it's best to be unhooked so you can let go anytime.
You can launch a foil unhooked and fully/half depowered by holding the depower on the bar, pull half or full depower and hold it on the bar under one hand then launch, works fine. I'm pretty sure you can do the same with an LEI too but you obviously can't power the kite up/depower to change the angle of attack, or fly the kite further back from or towards the edge of the window, unhooked the kite will stay depowered as much as you're holding the depower on the bar and basically just fly on the front lines, which isn't ideal for control.
Pulling down the trim you can launch unhooked in quite strong winds as long as you move the kite slow and keep it at the edge of the window, but it'll be further back in the power zone and if it picks up speed, starts a dive or drifts further back in the power zone it can take off fast and you have no way of depowering it, which you do if you're in the depower.
Imo, it also depends how powered up you want to be, if you can't hold the kite at the edge of the window without using the depower, unless you're looking for extreme jumps the kite is too big anyway. Once it starts flying it has apparent wind too so even more power.
In the potentialy nasty situations I've been in near or on land, once I got lofted by a gust and only had time to release the shackle after it was all over (couple o seconds and a lot of luck), another time after I'd stopped using a shackle I was hooked in but pulled the bar down, hooked out in the air and let go of the bar just before I touched down, much better, best of all is just being attached to the kite with your hands, shit hits the fan, just let go and let the leash do its job.
The bottom line is that your own personal safety is a very personal thing so up to you to decide how you feel safe, after getting lofted without warning once, personally I don't feel safe hooked/shackled to a traction kite in strong or gusting wind on land.
Anyone tried launching an LEI unhooked while holding half depower on the bar?
Royce you launch unhooked, how do you launch in stronger wind?
Jo
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Mr Jo Macdonald on 2002-10-30 17:22 ]</font>
You can launch a foil unhooked and fully/half depowered by holding the depower on the bar, pull half or full depower and hold it on the bar under one hand then launch, works fine. I'm pretty sure you can do the same with an LEI too but you obviously can't power the kite up/depower to change the angle of attack, or fly the kite further back from or towards the edge of the window, unhooked the kite will stay depowered as much as you're holding the depower on the bar and basically just fly on the front lines, which isn't ideal for control.
Pulling down the trim you can launch unhooked in quite strong winds as long as you move the kite slow and keep it at the edge of the window, but it'll be further back in the power zone and if it picks up speed, starts a dive or drifts further back in the power zone it can take off fast and you have no way of depowering it, which you do if you're in the depower.
Imo, it also depends how powered up you want to be, if you can't hold the kite at the edge of the window without using the depower, unless you're looking for extreme jumps the kite is too big anyway. Once it starts flying it has apparent wind too so even more power.
In the potentialy nasty situations I've been in near or on land, once I got lofted by a gust and only had time to release the shackle after it was all over (couple o seconds and a lot of luck), another time after I'd stopped using a shackle I was hooked in but pulled the bar down, hooked out in the air and let go of the bar just before I touched down, much better, best of all is just being attached to the kite with your hands, shit hits the fan, just let go and let the leash do its job.
The bottom line is that your own personal safety is a very personal thing so up to you to decide how you feel safe, after getting lofted without warning once, personally I don't feel safe hooked/shackled to a traction kite in strong or gusting wind on land.
Anyone tried launching an LEI unhooked while holding half depower on the bar?
Royce you launch unhooked, how do you launch in stronger wind?
Jo
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Mr Jo Macdonald on 2002-10-30 17:22 ]</font>