Rigging and Control 4line LEI

[Ron]

Rick,

This has nothing to do with airframes, but kiting in the sandstorms here in Kuwait is a blast. In the summer, the best winds in Kuwait (The Al-Baraweh Shamals) are often accompanied by sandstorms.

One of my most memorable sessions was in a sandstorm that limited visbility so much that the local fisherman dropped anchor on their Dhows (traditional arab boats) because visibility was limited to about 50 meters. It can be a bit unerving to be out to sea on a kite with that kind of limited visbility.

Fortunetely, there isn't much traffic on the water during sandstorms. The potential for problems is actually much higher in Kuwait, on certain beaches, when the weather is clear, as there are more pleasure craft on the water and people on the beach. In the sandstorms, there are usually only one or two kook kiters out

[ricki]

Hello Ron,

Thanks for the input. I guess that despite having all the moving particles for friction something else isn't right to cause static buildup. Perhaps it's related to higher humidity or something. That seems to have been a factor in kite line discharges in the past, more about kiting and shocks HERE. Glad it isn't an issue for you though.

Kiting in limited viz., that has to be a trip. Particularly since it sounds like your odds of a collision diminish rather than increase. I would not want to run into one of those high bowed Dhows at speed, ouch! In your case the wind serves as a good point of reference I would guess? I remember doing a reef survey 20 miles off Tampa in December. We were working from Zodiac's supported by a 175 ft. research vessel. A heavy fog had set in and we would lose sight of the mother ship under 100 ft. away. It was a bit unnerving without ready point of reference, compass, GPS, etc..

Ron I just sent you an email regarding your kiting experience in Kuwait, it would be great to learn more about it.