Hi,

I kitesurf and fly Paragliders...

I used to fly with the HG´s a lot when I was living in Perth. I am not going into who has the right and so on, but I would like to highlight that there are not many flying sites for PG and HG in Perth. It is only a short stretch between Leighton and Doutchin that is beeing used for flying and the only wind direction we can fly in is WSW to WNW = onshore and not particular safe and good for kiting anyway. It is plenty of room for waves at doutchin and Lighton so it would not be much to ask for, having this location for flying. Tacking the kite is a different story than stacking the HG... It does not happen often that we have this problem though, and normally it is only caused when people are not aware of the potential risks kiting could cause for HG's and PG's.

Thanks for reading!

Mr. No-one said...

I was flying at Cott roundabout yesterday with a few other hangies haveing a ball when one kiter chose to rig and sail in front of launch. We asked him if he could relocate, he said he would but didn't. This created quite a dangerous situation as the kite was often higher than us and there was one close call. We all experienced the terbulance from down wind every time he came close which is like standing on the side of the road when a truck drives by, very unnerving.
A glider dosen't need to be physically hit to be taken down, it can happen from 100 meters away upwind. Anyway it was only one guy who dosen't understand the physics of flight so I thought I'd bring it to attention for everyones safety, happy kiteing.

unfortunately every Tom, Dick & HArry are taking up kitesurfing and as such many have no clue about the physics of flight or wind shear, knocks and lifts etc....
Many dont even comprehend the fact that if they fly their kite directly in front of yours ( or you HG/PG ) it will cause turbulance on the down wind canopy causing it to behave eratically.

When you learn to sail you learn to sail the boat and to understand the wind.....

When many people are taught how to kite they are told how to fly the kite and ride the board and that is pretty much it.....

perhaps this is something that kite schools should be making students aware of......

could save a few accidents...

Thanks for the positive feedback, just talking about it is a learning experience.
I'm only a newbee myself, started last May so I don't have many old skills though a powered harness is on the shopping list so takeoff from anywhere is possible. These guys have have great control of there gliders such as landing on the wire fence then stepping off to fly away or brushing a wing tip in the bushes just for fun, so it really is quite safe.
As Erlend mentioned we need an almost straight onshore wind to give us the ridge lift to stay up, not the most ideal conditions to kite in which works out great for all of us.
Sebol, I had a great time sitting off the groine watching you guys (I was the the big red and white bird) . There is not much in the way of websites like this one for Aussie pilots, they are either small club level sites which are seldom used or large ones which the yanks dominate. If it is blowing 10 to 20 knots westerly that's the best time to go and hope someone's flying, that's what I do!
If you see us there drop in and have a chat. The school thing's a good idea too Harry.

Why the hell someone would want to rig and launch from in front of the HG launch site? Place is full of rocks. Launch area is in front of stairs or further north towards Dutchies where no reef present. After launching can keep kite well down until you hit the water and get out of there... not difficult to stay well out of HG pilots way with a bit of common sense. Also point taken that crossover conditions are rare at this site with direct onshore winds not so suitable for kiting anyway.

Note also that the HG pilots have had to fight hard to maintain their right to fly at Sth Cott, would be a shame for them to lose the spot due to an accident not of their own making.