Twice yesterday I had to pull the quick release.


Was about 18knotts.

The kite however just floated up in the air attached to one line like an airbed.


I think it was plain luck that it came down (it did once, then went back up again!)


So question: when you pull the quick release, how do you secure the kite if no one is around to grab it?

5th line ball needs to be like 3m from the bar for like a 12m or around that. I think it is basically from the the attachement on the kite, pulled out straight until it is level with both wing tips. Thats about how far the ball should be from the bar. Maybe your ball is not secure.

When carrying your kite off the beach many people leave their 5th line attachment on and just fly it off that and the kite just floats in the air. This is basically what souds like what happened to you. With a properly configred 5th the 4 lines have the slightest ammount of tension to stop it from floating, so if my above 2 suggestions were wrong basically u need to adjust the ball untill the slack is taken up a bit. This providing you have 5th line.

is your leash attached to the front or back lines?

ive had this before on a four line kite with leash attached to a back line, it improved by attaching it to a front line. but yeah, ive had kites pick up and flap around on the leash before. it sucks

Jan,

He only uses four lines.

Monkey, what kite do you use and once again which line is the leash attached to?

on of the Rears or one of the front? Sounds like you did what another kiter did that is connect the leash to both centre lines somehow ?

Yeah, solo landing tubes is a pig. I know guys reckon it's no worries, fly to the edge, turn down quick and pull the safety line, attatched to the upper wingtip, but this method is really dangerous. Sounds like going to safety is dangerous to both you and your kite.
I've got a solution.
Sell it. Buy a flysurfer!. I kite solo a lot, one of the attractions is really easy, quick and safe solo launch and landing. And the hangtime......mmmm.....floaty..........

Totally. I'm as bad as a born again! [}:)]Trying to convert all you non believers to the one true god. Sorry. And you're right, 5th and bows deal with "safety" pretty well. I've been there though, 14m tube bucking around on the beach, trying to reach it hand over hand without losing a finger or the kite blowing into the trees behind the dune, bad news.

Now don't take this as pimpin, just correcting a little misinformation, FS kites relaunch faster than anything else. Forwards, reverse, downwind. I've never been unable to relaunch. Let's not turn this thread into Tubes vs. Doona's eh?