Are you an instructor Livit?? You sound experienced

Kazan said...
Puppet is really living up to his name - "a tight arse stuck on strings by rules and regulations". The next thing he is going to do, is come to my beach and measure the distance between the water's edge and the dunes and the distance to the water at low tide and THEN decide whether it's safe for you or not.

Look pups! I know you've got the best intentions in mind, etc. But please stop preaching here dude. We know (should know) the safety side of kiting and yes, having the kite fully depowered and later trimmed is the way to go - IFF() the conditions allow it! Otherwise.... well... lets just say every day is different and it warrants different adjustments on the kite. So what!? Each to their own. And yes, I meant "to their own!". Safety is one own's responsibility. At the end of the day, if the ambos arrive to scrape you off the reef it's because your time was up anyway - you did not adhere to the safety and conditions of the day. Every kite is different, every rider is different. BUT NOOOOooo in Pup's world we are all the same and should be talked to the same.

Hey Kazan - if you look at the forum heading it says "Newbies".
Im not preaching - Im just giving advice to "newbies" who in more cases than not have never learnt or been shown what is safe & what isnt.
I agree with you 100% that every day is different & each to his own.
BUT if you dont do it the safest way possible until you know what the differences are & what different adjustments may suit those differences
AND have had enough experience to 'do it your own way' successfully then its pretty obvious you need to do it the 'safest' way.
Im not posting this on the 'experts forum'. Im posting on the forum thats here for the benefit of "Newbies".
No one needs to be told it can be done differently. Of course it can. And every experienced kiter I know does it differently. I cant remember the last time I launched my kite (outside of lessons) where I followed my own advice here. Its a safety precaution everyone should follow till they come to realise that it can be done otherwise and know how to do it otherwise safely.
But to come on here & suggest newbies should 'do it their way' without the experience to know yet what 'their way' is laughable.
You accept that "IFF the conditions allow it it is the way to go". So whats so bad about suggesting to 'Newbies" who dont know this that it is in fact the 'way to go".
Bit harsh IMO.
Different if, as you imply, I was down the beach running around sprouting 'rules & regulations' to all the experienced kiters who launch on full power then trim back if they need to OR heaven forbid hot launch - which even I do regularly 'on certain different days'.
We all learn in good time whats appro on 'different ' days.

And Im totally confused where the "tight arse" fits here - hhmmm perhaps thats your pre-occupation

Cheers for tips Puppet.....and others!!
Much of this was left out of my lessons and I have been basically been guessing with what feels right. This will definitely help.
THanks

Main said..

Just found this post on depowering a kite when launching which seems to completely contradict the current post running which recommends to have the trim strap completely out when launching.

Seems to be quite a few schools of thought on this one....

It's all very confusing in deed and it becomes a case where you can't see the forest for the trees. To see clearly you have to take a step back and look at the big picture. Every launching scenario is different and one can't justify forcing all to adopt one specific universal method that would apply to any situation.

As far as newbies are concerned, the most important aspect (which is often overlooked) is a proper assessment of the wind conditions. Anyone planning on launching a kite must have a pretty good idea how strong the wind is blowing and make sure it's not too gusty, not bad weather, no turbulence in the area, etc. The kiter must also know what wind range his kite can be used in based on his/her body weight. As an example: if the newbie kiter is 75-80KG and only has a 9m kite, the minimum wind speed to get out comfortably would be around 15-18 knots and the maximum wind around 25 knots.

Knowing that you are around the low end of your kite's wind range, there is not much benefit from pulling in the trim strap. Pulling the trim strap in at the low end of your wind range will make launching very difficult and most likely enforce bad habits such as pulling the bar in all the way during launch or choosing a launching angle too far upwind, thus overpowering your launch and making it difficult/dangerous for the person holding your kite.

Knowing you are around the higher end of your kite's wind range, or hesitating to go out thinking you might be overpowered, fully trimming the kite prior to launch is obviously a great idea to play it safe and will reduce the risk of getting dragged during launch.

Knowing you are above the higher end of your kite's wind range, pulling the trim strap in all the way wouldn't make much difference and any single kite quiver newbie should simply give that session a miss (this is when most accidents happen).

Knowing you are around mid-range of your kite's wind range, pulling the trim strap all the way in could make it difficult to control the kite and could force you to pull the bar far down and prompt you to oversteer the kite which could then send the kite into the power zone, especially if you have a long/very long trim strap system. Not trimming the kite at all or pulling the trim up to half way in would be better alternatives, depending on the conditions.

Note: Many newbies who choose to buy second hand gear don't know how to recognize their lines are out of tune and don't know how to fix it and end up flying kites with front lines longer than the back lines which causes the kite to fly over-sheeted and back-stall. In this case, using the trim strap would be the only temporary corrective measure to ensure a safe launch.

zzzzz said..

livit
next time out just let me know where you are
cos I dont want to be anywhere near you

Is it because he's French?