System: Spinning leash with metal pin type quick release on chicken loop (Gastra).

Location: Phone Box 22/02/04

Circumstances: Luffed the kite on a large boost, the kite powered up just before hitting the water and I over corrected and sent it into a death spiral which dragged me several hundred metres downwind. For the next 20-30 seconds I made continual attempts to pull the quick release but due to the extreme load the pin would NOT pull free. Fortunately I managed to force the kite to crash nose down in the water at which point the pin finally released.

Conclusion: This type of system is a death trap and does not operate under extreme loads. I will now be purchasing a Witchard but am still concerned about it's ability to operate effectively as I have heard of at least one failure when the load was light, eg., the kite was luffing but that's something I think can live with.

Clive

My understanding is that only a true Witchard is suitable under loaded conditions as these are desinged to release spinikers and the like on yachts. An ordinary snap shackle is totally ineffective when under load, eg., >100kgs

In the final moments before bringing the kite down I started reaching for the quick release on my Prolimits harness but with the sand and salt exposure it's not exactly working at an optimum level.

The 'Ronstan' snap shackle you can buy at Whitworths for about $45 is a precision made shackle. Alot of guys use these.
Stay away from the cheaper one they sell though.

( I have one of those wichards for sale by the way...I changed chicken loop setup so no longer need it, but does work as described, ie releases under load if required). Contact me if anyone wants to buy it.

The cheaper version looks Ok but the inner springs often rust and will not budge. Wichard has no springs and is very straight foward, it's deffinately the way to go.

bonny

Luke & Andy

I was definately pulling the red webbing attached to the pin and not the shakle on the safety leash. I did have time to check!!!

As I said the pin finally released when the kite was in the water. Yes there was still some load on it but nothing like when it was in a tight loop directly in the power zone. The wind was up around the 20-22 knot mark and I was flying an 11.5m kite which felt very powered up.

Has anyone ever had to use this type of quick release under an extreme load. I can only guess that it may have been something like 150kgs or more.

I have a 2004 Slingshot Bar which has a “pull the pin” QR on the chicken loop. Your death spiral experience gave me some concern so I rigged myself up to the roof rafters and simulated a dead weight on this QR.

You are dead right that the QR will not pull free, unless you pull it in a certain manner.

Normally the QR loop is quite low down on your body and hence when you grab it and pull, you tend not to pull exactly vertically down, but rather down and slightly out (away from the loop towards your body). After many tests, I was unable to release the QR no matter how hard I pulled and how long I took to do so, assuming my whole body weight was being help by the chicken loop.

The only way in which I could activate the QR was to consciously pull only vertically down on the loop, but then the Velcro on the loop tends to re-engage, which makes it harder.

Also pulling only vertically down is not that easy due to the space available above your harness hook.

Altogether it is not a system, which will operate easily and I think that the manufacturers of these QR mechanisms need to improve them.


Iain

I think everyone should know how to use their safety system before they go out and be familiar with doing it. As Hepburn said, you have to pull it in a certain way, and you should know that before you have to use the system in an emergency. Pull it every session if you have to, just to familiarise yourself with it. Also note that if the pin is rusty, it won't release, so keep it maintained!
Don't blame the system, because it does work.
Airhead, if you felt very powered up, you should have come in. Common sense is the best safety system of them all!