1.Solo Flat Kite Launching-Safety Tip Of The Week

[ricki]

Originally Posted by BigR

agreed, But, I think self LANDINGS in over 35 kts are even more of an issue with flat kites, no?

Big time and I wouldn't go as high as 35 kts.? Rare sustained winds in our area anyway. I wouldn't solo land ANYTHING in such wind aside from emergency depowering it. Too much can go wrong and has more than once.

The are only two solo landing techniques that I have used with flat kites. In light winds just dump it down on the leading edge with a quick pivot to flatten it out on the sand in slightly stronger but still light winds. The second involves reliably tethering the chicken loop to an adequate anchor and running over to secure the kite. By contrast solo depowering C kites has been very reliable for me if not a bit messy with dealing with the lines after.

Solo landing flat kites absent the tethering them has been tricky and to be avoided in my experience to date. You can get away with solo launching flat kites a lot (apparently not always) without problems unlike solo landing without anchors where you may have problems the first time you try it, hence this post. Assisted launches AND landings are a good idea with flat kites.