Nice videos!

With the self launch, you might find it useful to take a few paces downwind once the kite is ready to pop up. Taking a pace or two downwind moves the kite closer to the edge of the window so you don't get as much power as it lifts up. Allows you to keep your hand on the bar during the launch for more control.

Great videos... I have seen them many times before and learned something from them.
In certain circumstances I do however agree with Weebitbreezy. Launching in high winds especially with a bigger kite size for those winds. When the kite is about to pop up it really does help if it is a little closer to the edge of the wind window. Again the OP is correct in saying with practice it becomes instinctive to know when the kite is in the right spot.
As in the video...practice in light winds with a small kite.
Don't screw up...mistakes can be painful.

Personally I definitely wold not recommend self landing any kite in strong winds by grabbing a kite line. Much prefer the OP's method. Plus the tether on that tiny log...are you serious???? Just watch it collect your head as you walk down to your kite.
That is not a good instructional video

weebitbreezy said..
The bit I am talking about is shown here :

I'm happy to be shown a better method, but I find with my freeride kites I get the least sliding by only using the rear lines until the wind starts to just catch the far side of the kite (I can rotate the kite most of the way before hand on the beach before walking back along the safety line) and then releasing the bar as I continue to walk slowly upwind before the kite starts to pop up (in other words front line tension only). At this point it will be sitting on the edge of the window unpowered. I can then walk back downwind to move it forwards in the window to the normal position I would try to get a helper to launch from - before reaching back to the bar to launch the kite. My theory is that using front line tension only seems to make the kite roll over around the leading edge rather than around the tip.

I have tried the method you have shown here but for my local conditions (one spot with a sea wall offering a small wind shadow between the rigging area and the water) it hasn't worked as consistently for ME. I kite at a stony beach so try to avoid dragging where possible. It might be that this works better for me because we rig the lines cross wind as the wind is generally onshore rather than side shore (less chance of getting caught in beach debris as the lines are closer to where you are launching from too)?

I appreciate you are doing a general technique for everybody rather than a specific one. Just wondered if you had tried this slight difference and why you chose not to use it?

With respect to Jake, this is one of the worst vids I've seen and I'm sure it has contributed to some very scary launches and landings. Jakes video is shot in really light winds - unrealistically light. Jake also has no flagging system on his kite, which is a bit of a WTF for me. Jake is in the habit of pulling in a large amount of line quickly with his hands and letting it spool around/near the bar - BAD IDEA!!! (because this method does fail and when the kite takes off again there is a real good chance you'll have a rear line wrapped on a bar end and you are in for some death loops) Jake also does not weight his kite with sand and when he slid it around to get it in a better position, he did not clear his lines. The tether is ridiculously inadequate if it was 20 knots his kite would be gone!
Basically his intentions were good, but what he shot and made public is pretty much dangerous misinformation.

I've used the method shown in the vids I made for several years, refining it from other vids I've seen, other kiters methods, and my own experience. The method has been practiced in 30-35 knots with a 6M and all the way to the other end at 12-15 knots with a 17m and in all of that time I experienced maybe 3-5 times that the kite did not sit down properly due to my poor timing and it rolled over once and then sat down LE into the wind. While it was doing this I was in no danger as I was only connected to the kite by the flagging line and could ditch the kite if I needed to, but the kite has always sat down LE into the wind, just not where I intended it to be.

I definitely recommend and prefer the kite to launch slightly "hot" but basically just in from the edge of the window, this way it pivots up nicely and one small step back is all it takes to make the kite launch and immediately fly to the edge of the window with very little pull.

The key to success is taking the time and effort to practice in light winds until you are nailing it 9.9 out of 10!

Regards

Steve

Ozone Kites Aus said..

weebitbreezy said..
The bit I am talking about is shown here :


I'm happy to be shown a better method, but I find with my freeride kites I get the least sliding by only using the rear lines until the wind starts to just catch the far side of the kite (I can rotate the kite most of the way before hand on the beach before walking back along the safety line) and then releasing the bar as I continue to walk slowly upwind before the kite starts to pop up (in other words front line tension only). At this point it will be sitting on the edge of the window unpowered. I can then walk back downwind to move it forwards in the window to the normal position I would try to get a helper to launch from - before reaching back to the bar to launch the kite. My theory is that using front line tension only seems to make the kite roll over around the leading edge rather than around the tip.

I have tried the method you have shown here but for my local conditions (one spot with a sea wall offering a small wind shadow between the rigging area and the water) it hasn't worked as consistently for ME. I kite at a stony beach so try to avoid dragging where possible. It might be that this works better for me because we rig the lines cross wind as the wind is generally onshore rather than side shore (less chance of getting caught in beach debris as the lines are closer to where you are launching from too)?

I appreciate you are doing a general technique for everybody rather than a specific one. Just wondered if you had tried this slight difference and why you chose not to use it?

With respect to Jake, this is one of the worst vids I've seen and I'm sure it has contributed to some very scary launches and landings. Jakes video is shot in really light winds - unrealistically light. Jake also has no flagging system on his kite, which is a bit of a WTF for me. Jake is in the habit of pulling in a large amount of line quickly with his hands and letting it spool around/near the bar - BAD IDEA!!! (because this method does fail and when the kite takes off again there is a real good chance you'll have a rear line wrapped on a bar end and you are in for some death loops) Jake also does not weight his kite with sand and when he slid it around to get it in a better position, he did not clear his lines. The tether is ridiculously inadequate if it was 20 knots his kite would be gone!
Basically his intentions were good, but what he shot and made public is pretty much dangerous misinformation.

I've used the method shown in the vids I made for several years, refining it from other vids I've seen, other kiters methods, and my own experience. The method has been practiced in 30-35 knots with a 6M and all the way to the other end at 12-15 knots with a 17m and in all of that time I experienced maybe 3-5 times that the kite did not sit down properly due to my poor timing and it rolled over once and then sat down LE into the wind. While it was doing this I was in no danger as I was only connected to the kite by the flagging line and could ditch the kite if I needed to, but the kite has always sat down LE into the wind, just not where I intended it to be.

I definitely recommend and prefer the kite to launch slightly "hot" but basically just in from the edge of the window, this way it pivots up nicely and one small step back is all it takes to make the kite launch and immediately fly to the edge of the window with very little pull.

The key to success is taking the time and effort to practice in light winds until you are nailing it 9.9 out of 10!

Regards

Steve

I posted Jakes video as it was the only video I have seen where someone has mentioned walking downwind again to reduce the pull. Its at about 50 seconds in. I agree the landing looks a little sketchy though. Wasn't trying to suggest it was the gold standard. Its clear from his videos that he only gets light wind (he's like 70kg wet and rides a 14m most of the time)

I seem to remember Christian from Kitebud doing something similar to your videos for self landing. From memory, the only difference was that he walked upwind as he pulled in the safety line.