Who to ask for a launch (or not)

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Macster said..
I hate it when you are launching someone anf they go too deep into the wind screwing the poor bastard who picks up the kite.
Nowadays i wont pick up the kite from the beach until im happy with where the kite pilot is standing.

Tell me about it..... If you are flying the kite then it is your responsibility to be in the correct launch postion, not the kite launchers...

I've had a run of guys at my local circus lately who seem to struggle with getting into the correct launching position, even 'experienced' and quite competent kiters.
As launcher/lander I'm generally happy to help anyone (As long as I'm not in the process of setting up my own kite :)). A step or 2 either direction whilst the kiter is getting into position no problem. If you want to stand so close to me whilst I am holding your kite that the lines are slack and the wind makes the kite fold over me, then you really need to have a look at your launch technique. It's not that hard......

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Loftywinds said..
Never, EVER ask a non kiter to touch your kite, EVER!!!

you deserved what you got.

Why?

I've done it several times.

Hold it like this. Don't let go until you see my thumbs up.

Easy peasy.

I've never had a problem with a beach random.

The only times I've had a problem is when I've presumed a kiter knew how to launch another kite...... To my surprise he chucked the kite before the lines where tensioned.....

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Plummet said..

Loftywinds said..
Never, EVER ask a non kiter to touch your kite, EVER!!!

you deserved what you got.

Why?

I've done it several times.

Hold it like this. Don't let go until you see my thumbs up.

Easy peasy.

I've never had a problem with a beach random.

The only times I've had a problem is when I've presumed a kiter knew how to launch another kite...... To my surprise he chucked the kite before the lines where tensioned.....

I'd trust myself self-launching over a beach random any day...

Don't we launch the kite on the water side & the kiter is to the land side> Hence, to avoids\ trees, rolling along the beach, etc, & so the kite drops into the water?....

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surfgrub said..
Don't we launch the kite on the water side & the kiter is to the land side> Hence, to avoids\ trees, rolling along the beach, etc, & so the kite drops into the water?....

This has to be the most overrated launching advice/technique. If you think about it for a few seconds...any piloting error, line tangle, bridle tangle, over-steered kite, back stalling kite, etc. would result in the kite moving towards the beach and possibly end up on the other side of the wind window, where you will typically find other kiters, dunes, bushes, trees, road, etc.

After many years of experience teaching safe launching techniques at different locations and witnessing countless failed launches, I come to the simple conclusion that the safest launching methods is to have the kite held as close as possible to the waters edge and the pilot as far as possible IN the water i.e. at least knee deep, preferably waist deep. I understand this is not always easy and perhaps not always possible but if you think about it is the safest approach as any problems/mistakes wouldn't harm the pilot (standing in the water) and wouldn't harm the kite either or anyone else standing on the beach.

If you think about the situation described by the original poster, if he had asked the assistant to hold his kite over the waters edge and walked out further in the water, the kite could not have tumbled over the land once the lines had tension even if the kite was underpowered and released too early, if would've rolled over the water i.e. no big deal! Knowing the location where it took place I know for a fact he could've easily walked much further out and still be able to stand, so even if the assistant didn't really do a good job, the pilot could've easily taken simple steps to minimize the risk.

Launching and landing safely is all about mitigating the risk. If you take shortcuts and want to do it faster you must be willing to take responsibility and pay the price if something goes wrong. As with many other things in life, the safer approach usually requires more effort and more thinking/organization.

I can't help but notice more and more kiters getting into self-launching, which is great in a way, but is often done on a crowded beach without any regards to safety and who's downwind of them...this creates even more dangerous scenarios where people get taken out by failed self-launches, when they simply could've asked those same people for help in the first place...

As I tell all my students: '' what if something goes wrong'', are you prepared?

Christian

Works both ways I guess, I had a guy ask me to launch his kite with him directly upwind Admittedly there wasn't a great deal of wind but I asked if he was sure about that then moved off to the side anyway and ended up putting it up probably just a few metres down from where I normally would have as he was relentless in his thumbs up gestures. As you can imagine he got a fair old yank downwind but seemed happy enough.In cycling I often say it doesn't matter who's got right of way in the eyes of the law, I look at who's got right of way in the eyes of physics when it's me that will get hurt!

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PommyMike said..
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In cycling I often say it doesn't matter who's got right of way in the eyes of the law, I look at who's got right of way in the eyes of physics when it's me that will get hurt!

And IMO - that is one of the best pieces of common sence I've read in a while - especially while talking cycling.