Hey all!!

So I???ve been kiting for a couple of months now. Yet I still sometimes struggle with my launching position. I try to follow the 90 degree rule at all times. Today however I attempted to launch and for some reason I almost had my kite directly down wind. Thankfully the guy launching me just didn???t let go of my kite or things probably would have been a little messy.

Anybody have any tips on how to find the correct location to launch at all times?

It probably doesn???t help that launching scares the **** out of me.

I'm no expert, but am pretty risk averse and these steps work for me;
- check wind direction a couple of times by throwing a bit of seaweed or such into the wind, then work out your angles
- watch someone land or launch, usually will be some activity while you are rigging up, or look at how the kites are flying - this will give you a good idea of how the kite will launch
-double check lines before connecting to the kite, and look again before it launches
- use the least risky launching area and method at your kiting spot. Experienced kiters (and some cowboys) will often launch from a more convenient area, hot launch etc, with a lower margin for error - avoid these as a beginner
- pick an experienced looking person to launch you, preferably with wet kite gear on. Worst launch I ever had was as a raw beginner and from the girlfriend of a kiter - helpful but clueless and managed to release the kite backwards into a horizontal hot launch on a busy beach, how I didn't decapitate someone I still don't know. If it's not practical to self launch, I'll wait for a long time rather than risk help from a novice or passer-by.
-never ever be concerned you are inconveniencing a fellow kite by asking for a launch ( but do your best to not!)
- abort launch if anything doesn't feel right.

Be cautious but not scared!

If someone is holding the kite, I don't tension the lines until I'm where I think I need to launch, otherwise you run the risk of powering the kite up in the wrong place - I guess some chance of the assistant dropping the kite and you in the s**t, but that's unlikely if you choose them well, so my approach is to get in the right position and then tension the lines to fine tune if necessary.

Also it seems safer to me to rig up with lines down wind, easier to see connections are OK, and less consequences if launched early, provided you've left enough space- kite will just slide or drift downwind rather than hot launching.

If you're talking about assisted launch keep walking in the same direction as the leading edge with some tension in the lines until you see the kite stop fluttering and begin to push towards the person holding the kite. If you tell your assistant to let go before this point there is a good chance the kite will fall back and on its trailing edge and do the out of control tumble. As Kam says don't worry about the angles so much as what the kite is doing.

Doing a self launch I always walk a lot further upwind than I think I need to before I pull the kite around for launch. You'll find that once the kite is on it's wingtip it wants to fly into the ground at which point you walk back downwind a few steps so that you don't scuff your leading edge on takeoff. In lighter wind conditions you can play around with the tension on the front lines to assist in take off, i.e. Walk towards the kite a little to help fill the canopy or walk away from the kite to stop it from stalling once in the air.

I'll +1 on get the experienced guy to help.

Experienced kiters will always prefer to help you out than see you dragging down the beach frightening the locals and an experienced kiter probably won't let the kite go until it is ready to go - the kite really will typically push the launcher person into the right spot

Ohh and never choose the random guy/gal to launch you.
I ended up with a big scary drag and my kite in the shrubbery thanks to one of them while I was learning - he literally threw the kite into the air!!!
If in doubt ask the person if they have launched someone before.

+1 for rigging downwind and walking into position with tension in the lines.

Walking around with slack lines waiting for the kite to stop flapping is the number one mistake i see people do, eventually they figure it out but they are usually too far upwind when they decide to tension the lines and nearly knock the launcher over. Walking around till you think you are in position and then tensioning is just a guess, if you started downwind with tension in the lines the kite will be communicating with you the whole time...no more guessing.

I'm not a fan of rigging upwind for beginners as they have little clue of their position in the wind window and they have to walk downwind and then back again, better to start downwind and slowly walk into the right position I think.

Put this on High Definition so you can clearly see the canopy tensioning when she gets to the right position.

SuperPoop said..

I think my problem might be that I'm not keeping tension in my lines as I walk around. Hmmm

Thanks katz.. I'll keep them in mind.

Hey Poop

I think the problem is that you have no idea what you are doing ... at all. The worst thing you can do is have some clown tell you to "... do this and only this in all circumstances ..." and think you have it worked out.

You can, and should be able to, launch your kite safely from any position in the window at any time in any winds.

What you need to do is get yourself to a nice safe beach in underpowered winds and practice self launching and landing until you really understand what is happening. You need to understand how power is generated in the kite and how power is transferred through the lines. Practice, practice, practice until you have it totally wired and really understand what is going on. Literally practice 50-100 self launched and landings. Very gradually increase the wind strength each time until you are getting to powered riding conditions.

Tip one, power is transferred through line tension. If you have no line tension then you have no power. To release line tension 1) push the bar out, 2) walk/run towards the kite.

Tip Two, During assisted launching if you tension the lines with the helper too far downwind you will slam the helper with the kite. If the helper is too far upwind and there is insufficient line tension the kite will fall down and roll over. If you have some line tension then you may be able to loop the kite and fly it out of the situation. You would have practiced that during you launch/landing training.

Tip three, as Di33ta implies, you can break self launching into a two step process. Step one roll the kite over so it is flying itself straight into the ground. Step two, roll the kite up onto the tip and fly it away. Doing this you can avoid any kind of hot launch and you can re-check lines and rigging. If necessary you can re-park the kite or activate the safety with the kite on the ground.

One thing that I find surprising not many people mention is to "check the lines" before you give the thumbs up to let go. Check that they are tangle free, unwrapped over other lines and clear of all debri (sticks, etc). If not, DO NOT LAUNCH. Swipe your neck to mean ABORT and the assistant should re-park the kite but you have to slacken the lines at that point to allow him to do so.

Anyway, in an assisted launch the assistant is simply asked to pick up the kite. If they do it properly, they should lift the kite slightly above the ground on its wing tip. And that's where s/he stays until you give the thumbs up.

Your job is to move up wind until (as mentioned) you see the canopy stop flapping. Keep tension on all lines at *ALL* times. Do not slack them because that means you lose control of the kite. If that happens, the only person "controling" the kite is the assistant, and if they are suddenly holding a 10mt kite facing upwind, believe me they will be blown over by the force of the wind on the kite.

When the kite has stopped flapping, the lines are all clear, the assistant is holding the kite correctly, there are no beach walkers or beach goers inside your wind window or near the kite, and when you have tension on the lines, THEN give the thumbs up and slowly lift the kite by the end of the bar where the foam section is. Do not touch the lines themselves. BUT do not go straight up to 12-oclock. Your kite will most likely want to lift you and you could be lofted. Keep it at 10 or 2 oclock depending on direction of launch. Do not jump on the beach running to your board, as that can also trigger a loft. Just walk to your board and walk yourself with the kite angled to one side out onto the water and make sure you go waist deep (not this knee deep rubbish please). Make sure you have at least 200mts between you and the water's edge.

Sorry I went on too much there.