NSW
107 posts
Just converted to a 5th line safety.
If required, I used to self land by diving the kite to the edge of the window and pulling the safety (attached to a wingtip) just before it hit ground.
Pulling the saferty attached to the middle obviously wont work...so how can I self land my kite now?
Any ideas?
NSW
177 posts
just pull the safety as per usual, you'll find the kite rolls on it back(ie both wingtips up in the air) and will either drift downwind in this position, or if it's really windy, may fly upside down - at any rate, you just pull in the fifth line until you reach the leading edge...too easy...
VIC
428 posts
As per what you used to do with a 4 line, but instead of pulling on your safety, pull on the backline of the wingtip nearest to you to pull the kite to fully face the wind....be prepared for it to go pear shaped in which case you will need to walk up the 5th to the kite.
NSW
107 posts
If it is really windy and the kite stays floating in the air upside down, wouldnt it tear into your hand trying to pull the kite in via the 5th line?
SA
2898 posts
why not just make sure it's all clear down wind and release the kite at the top of the window.
If you have your settings right it will roll over and drop to ground, landing upsidedown directly down wind.
as you walk along the 5th line it will increase the tendency to fly.
this is not hard on the hands, but by keeping the front lines with the 5th line as you work along you keep some tension on the front lines which keeps kite on ground.
Just ask if this doesn't make sense.
Best winds
Tony L
ABK
SA
2288 posts
Attach leash to board by footstrap or handle. Release. Walk to kite.
If it is windy put some sand on the board. Works perfectly.
NSW
107 posts
That makes alot of sense. Thanks.
While i'm on about 5th lines, is the 5th line meant to be noticably looser than the other 4? Ive attached the nose line etc to its shortest point, so I cant make it any tighter. But the 5th line is still about 80cm long than the others if all stretched out.
And this is on a 15m. I guess if I used the same bar and lines on my 10m then the 5th line would be even longer due to the smaller radius of the smaller kite.
So would this loose line cause trouble?
WA
1802 posts
if you put your stopperball on the 5th line at the right lenght from the kite, then the kite shouldn't fly inverted when you engage the safety it should hit the ground and stay there no matter how windy it is
NSW
177 posts
don't worry about the lines cutting your hand...i got a rhino05 and the fifth line at the kite end is the same diameter as the other lines, but you can still get a good grip on it, just don't go and take a few wraps around it, is all. flying the kite inverted about 2m overhead is an easy way to get it past obstacles on the beach,or even up over the sand dunes for those paranoid about getting sand on their kites.
WA
258 posts
With a fifth line I unhook, fly the kite to 2 O'clock and dive it at the ground, then release the bar just before the kite hits the ground. The wing tip hits the ground then the 5th line pulls the middle of the kite down, landing the kite in the normal leading edge down position, ie safe. It doesn't seem like it would work but it does, try it, it is safe as long as you are unhooked. Also the 5th line stops the bar from twisting through the lines like when you release the bar on a 4 line set up.
This works about 95% of the time. Try to adjust the 5th line so it is almost as tight as the front lines, otherwise it will be a tangle hazard when self launching etc.
Gav
QLD
476 posts
On my wipika matrix kites I have about 10cm of sag in the 5th line when the kite is fully powered up (ie. depower strap set for max power and kite sheeted in). The only thing I find with dropping the kite from 12 o'clock is that it hits the ground fairly hard, and then flies upside down as you walk up the line. Not a problem for the hands, but not as neat. If I have space I use the method of getting it right near the ground at the edge of the window, and then diving and releasing at the same time. Most times it ends up LE down and stable.
SA
2288 posts
5th line shouldnt let your kite land leading edge down should it? mine never does...
QLD
476 posts
well, upon pulling the safety with kite at 12, the kite starts fluttering down and usually rolls through 180 degrees to the stable upside down position before it hits the ground or water, so the first point to contact the ground is the middle of the LE, about where the center strut top reinforcing strip is placed. What brand of kite are you flying Spacemonkey, and how does yours hit the ground??
SA
2288 posts
do you mean leading edge down like kiwi said or landing on the leading edge. WHen my kite falls it forms a U pointing into the sky, what kiwi suggests is that the kite lands leading edge down, i.e how you place your kite while your setting up.
QLD
476 posts
Yeah, that is how mine comes down too, like a "U". Glad we got that sorted. It is not like it hits the ground anywhere near as hard as it would in a crash, but comparing dropping it from 12 o'clock with dropping it from 9 or 3, my 13.5m falling from 26 meters lands with a bit of a "thump" which I figured can't do the bladders or the stitching too many favours over an extended period of time, especially if it happens to land on a shell or coral or stick.
