How to Launch & Land your power kite
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 18 окт 2024
- Or more correctly - how I launch & land my fixed bridle power kites in gentle to moderate winds. And how I wind up my lines. There's quite a few different ways to go about this - this is just my way and I've found it works pretty well. I used to lay out the kite first and weigh down the trailing edge but as my kites got bigger, it was much harder to do. Now I wind out the lines and stake the brakes before I unfold the kite which I think is a much safer idea. Most of my flying is with depower kites and the buggy - which I launch the same way except I drop the brake strap behind a buggy wheel instead of using a stake. If it's too windy to launch directly downwind (like I'm doing in the vid) I will lay out the kite end on into the wind and launch 45 degrees off directly upwind - I'll post up a video of that one when I get the appropriate day.
As a fifty something should-know-better-at-my-age newbie I've scouted around youtube and I can't find a better no bullshit beginners guide to getting your bag up/down and carefully packed away. Nice one mate!
Thank you advice kinda worked for me but i have only have a cheapie little kite with round winders, but i aplied basicly the same technec & managed to get it flying - for about a minuet the problem is me keeping it in the air need more practice, but i have only lernt what i know from watching you tube vids so a massive THANK YOU i'll get here one day hahaha i hope :)
Thank you for the video John, I just bought my first power kite today and had a blast flying it. Got so much out of your tips and tricks. Thanks Again.
Jay
That Sock Tip is awesome! I've always struggled in that area of keeping my lines straight near the handles. I cant wait to try the sock tip. Thanks for sharing.
Love this video! Hopen to fly next week with my new Flux 5.0 and now I'm learning how to fly a kite. Thanks man!
Great explanation with a dose of humour! Took out a felxfoil 3.3 my mate gave me today for the first time, haha what a noob! Quite a strong wind and wasn't expecting to have my arms wrenched out the sockets! Will take be taking your great tips ;-)
Great video mate.....lots of really good tips for us beginners. Love the sock idea
I think that they are Quadrafoils. A few years old now. I've never flown one. A couple of the guys I have kited with have them and seem to like them. Don't know if they'd be suitable for a first kite or not. Jump on to Power Kite Forum and ask around - there's a wealth of info there. Someone will know for sure! Best value kite I have seen recently is the Zebra Checka or Z1 (from Libre) really well made, good handling kite.
A great vid! I love the accent! I have a snapshot 1.4 2 line speed kite. I would LOVE a 4 line kite. I am 59 years old and almost 300 pounds, I would love a 3-4 m kite to have fun with. I have been flying kites for most of my life. Now I want to feel the power of a big kite....
Awesome video, thanks. I've got a 5.6m Peter Lynn Twister in the mail. Like all noobs, my friend and I plan on jumping with it. I'm sure I'll be back in about a week to blame you for my broken leg!
I think a 3m would be a good place to start. Should get you moving from somewhere around 12 knots and start becoming a handful towards 20 knots. I've bought Nasa Star 2's from Born-Kite de in Germany (they're a bit different to foils but wonderful no-fuss cruizy kites to fly). I think there is Power Kite Shop in England. I get most of my gear through KitePower and BrisKites in Aus. Go for a PL Hornet, Flexifoil Rage, Zebra Z1 or HQ Beamer. Cheers - John
Yes to the kite cam - do a search on 'Picavet' mounts - works very well with a gopro hanging underneath. GoPro's are pretty hard to kill but I would avoid trying it in gusty conditions. Put the kite up to 50ft or so before attaching the Picavet mount and camera. And that would be the Yamaha V-Max ? Never had the pleasure although I often regret not having my Suzuki GR 650 anymore...
have watched this absolutely loads!
I have experienced something similar. Sometimes, too much brake tension can result in the wind getting underneath the kite and it goes up backwards and starts spinning. Depending on the kite, you may have to juggle the tension between the power lines and brake lines to get it to sit satisfactorily on the ground. Things can go wrong in 30 knots real fast!
@minititan100 Pull left line, kite goes left. Pull right, kite goes right. Doesn't matter if you loop it a couple of time and get twists in the line - you can still steer it. Keep your hands reasonably close together in front of you. With a four line kite, you can pull just a little on the left brake to make the kite turn left - different kites respond a bit differently to brake input. BTW - 4 line power kites are not like 4 line Rev stunt kites that you can fly in any direction.
Nice vid John, great advice, thankyou
Great job dude. Greetings from the SuperKiteDay team UK
thanks for the video!!!!!!
I am searching for my first kite at the moment (for landboard)
@quedecree Four line kites are easier to land and launch than 2 line kites, more fun to fly (IMHO) and you can use them later on as your high wind kite in the buggy/landboard/snow. But the HQ Symphony would be a nice two line stunt kite if that's what you're after.
this is great, thanks a lot for sharing!! this'll save loads of time and effort ::D
@minititan100 I haven't heard of those two kites specifically. I've seen the HQ Symphony which looks like a good 2 line stunt kite. HQ also make the 'Rush' which I believe is a 3 line trainer and has a pretty good reputation. They are an ok place to start (my first foil was a Prism Snapshot) although once I got a 4 line Ozone Imp I hardly flew the Snapshot anymore. If it's a first kite you're looking at I'd go straight to a 2m Peter Lynn Hornet, 2m Ozone Imp or Flow or a 2m HQ Beamer.
Thanks for the kind words! Camera is a GoPro HD on the headband. Have recently got the Hero 2 which is actually a lot better. Have fun with the Sting! Cheers - John
thank you for being so helpful.
@CharlesB6977 Depends a bit on your local conditions/windspeeds and what you eventually want to do - ie: just static fly or landboard or buggy etc. I would start with something in the 2.5-3m range. Ozone flow, Ozone Method, PL Hornet, PL Core, HQ Beamer, Flexifoil Rage, PKD Buster, Zebra Checka or Z1. All quality kites. The Method and PL Core are probably the two fastest with better upwind ability if you're going to end up in the buggy. I'd steer clear of ebay too!!
GREAT video, thanks
Do your local riders glide on that hill? looks awesome
Thanks for the vid. I have a cheap (£50) 2 line stunt kite, does pull me across the park! I want to get into 4 line and hopefully get a buggy. What size kite would you recommend to get a kite buggy rolling? Where do you get your kites from? Thanks alot. Dean.
@minititan100 You can treat the 4 line just like a two line, or you can add a little bit of brake input to speed up the turns. It's not much harder to fly than a two line but you have much better control. ie: in the vid where I accidentally park the kite on it's head, I can just pull both brake lines to reverse it up in the air a bit, flip it over and off we go. Can't do that with a two line. HQ Beamer 3m is a very good kite just be aware it will have a lot of power in 12-15mph winds!
I think Briskites do. Not sure about KitePower but I'd be surprised if they didn't.
Many thanks for the video. It made more sense than the instructions - now if you can suggest how to stop our Aussie cattle Dog from attacking it I'd be grateful 8-))
Cheers! It's a 3m Peter Lynn Hornet.
@icychopstix The color balance might be a bit off - the red PL lines do look a little orange but they are the original lines. I do have two sets of ozone lines that I use on all my other fixed bridles and I have run the hornet on the turbo bar too.
@quedecree what size is your kite mate. and has helped me get my kite upthanks for the vidd
Yes - it's called 'how to side launch a power kite' you bring the kite up sideways at the edge of the window - there's very little power involved. Cheers - John
Thanks!
Thanks for the reply. I will shop around. Do the shops near you in Aus ship to UK? Thanks. Dean.
Thanks for sharing.
Me and my dad brought a power kite a few years ago and I've just found it in the garage I'm 14 and would love to start it. I remember the kite has 4 handles 1 for my dad and one for me would I be able to take the strength myself or would I have to purchase a new one as I have found very cheap ones on web thank you dean :)
Never mind I've just flown it it and I love it I'm starting power kiting and it's a hobby I'm going to stick with:)
@darkhunterso16 I've occasionally static flown on the top but lots of rocks and fences to look out for. One day......
@meyarz Thanks!! It takes a little while to sort it all out. Notice in light winds (in the vid) that I turn the kite down - I'm using gravity to speed up the airflow to keep it inflated....if I tried to turn it up and over it would probably just stall and fold up. With a bit more wind I'd normally turn it up and over. Have fun!
@minititan100 My snapshot is a 1.4m and I think I paid a little under $100 for it. Nice and zippy, stable and packs up into a very small pouch that you can take anywhere. Also have a 1.5m Imp Quattro which was a bit more expensive, more powerful, a bit slower but much easier to land/launch because of the four lines. Stick with HQ, Ozone, Peter Lynn, Flexifoil, Prism, PKD or Zebra - all good quality, respected brands. I'd steer clear of eBay and use a good kite shop or the PKF forum (s/h)
He's kidding about the oven part if you haven't noticed...
John how do I launch my kite.
Stick with a trusted well known brand such as Flexifoil, Peter Lynn, Ozone, HQ, Zebra, PKD and you'll get an excellent kite that will last for years.
do i see a peter lynn hornet with ozone lines?
@CharlesB6977 I paid $336.00 for mine. I'm selling it (without lines or handles) for $180. Getting rid of some of my low aspect kites so I can complete my set of Ozone Methods!
Simply rig up a 20khz sine wave emitting device to the kite and voila, no dog!!! (just kidding). Maybe wrap some lemons in the kite! I have a whippet and a foxy - they just look at me and go 'yawn' and wonder off in search of rabbits....
Cheers
A wacker lol