In my experience very few squalls have been a surprise. There was one after sunset several years ago that blended into a darker gray sky and boosted wind to about 45 mph that was a bit of a surprise. I still had landed prior to that being uneasy about subtle developing conditions. I caught the gusts driving home a couple of miles south.
The best advice I can offer is to do your best to avoid squalls, if you screw up and get caught out anyway, then Emergency Depower EARLY. If this means swimming in, so be it, you should have the skill if you are out there in the first place. Don't wait for someone to catch your kite either. You should have a good enough buffer to do this. Guys have been taken out just waiting for someone to catch their kite. Take the kite's power away to do you harm.
I strongly advise against having a kite in the air when it moves in. Too many guys, dozens have died and likely hundreds have been injured worldwide for many years for making this choice. That is trying to fly through a high wind emergency. Emergency Depower well before the winds get out of control and sort things out after.
__________________
FKA, Inc.
transcribed by:
Rick Iossi
|