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What is the international signal for "Abort launch"?

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JustAGirl
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Re: What is the international signal for "Abort launch"?

Postby JustAGirl » Sat Jul 14, 2018 11:07 am

Please don’t spread chaos & confusion, edt! Just listen to Toby’s sound & reasonable initial advice:
Thumb up = Launch
Tap head = Bring the damn kite down

WTF more do you need

Why do ppl complicate life 🙄

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Re: What is the international signal for "Abort launch"?

Postby RickI » Sat Jul 14, 2018 11:55 am

I posted these hand signals in 2002 on here, as no one else was really proposing a uniform set of signals at the time. There have been some bad kite accident related to miscommunication so the need was obvious. I borrowed some from diving and common sense.

The clenched fist basically means to hold, and people seem to get it. I then follow with my flat hand extended outward pushing down signaling to put the Kite down. However it’s important to go over the stuff in advance of your session to remove any doubt. Yelling shouldn’t be relied upon alone nor should you use inexperienced non-kiters for help. Past accidents reinforce the reasons why not.

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Re: What is the international signal for "Abort launch"?

Postby dice » Sat Jul 14, 2018 12:19 pm

JustAGirl wrote:
Sat Jul 14, 2018 11:07 am
Please don’t spread chaos & confusion, edt! Just listen to Toby’s sound & reasonable initial advice:
Thumb up = Launch
Tap head = Bring the damn kite down

WTF more do you need

Why do ppl complicate life 🙄
This is actually all you need to know. If there is anything else wrong, there are enough signals with bodylanguage that everyone understands.
Shake no with your head, make an X with your arms, run/walk towards the kite so that the lines slack, pretend to have an elliptic attack ... so many things that everyone in the world will understand no matter where they are from.

Having too many 'standardized' signals, will just make things harder and make it easier to misunderstand.

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Re: What is the international signal for "Abort launch"?

Postby longwhitecloud » Sat Jul 14, 2018 12:38 pm

When you get someone to launch your kite - right up close to them say "whatever happens, absolutely do not let go of my kite unless I say so, hold on tight, thanks!'"

If someone looks a bit sketch I even lie and say it's a new bar and lines and it "should" be ok but not totally sure - that way they hang onto the kite with grim death if it is super windy and none of my friends are around.

To land I find any unhelpfulness is best dealt with by hovering it about 1 " inch above the unhelpful persons head - has never failed me lol generally people are ok though.

Gotta be careful these days as in some places people just self lauch and dont need others and so barely even know how to lauch a kite for someone else.

I personally have never patted my head or know anyone else that does this, we always pointed down stabbing our fingers towards the sand if the person didnt understand that a kite travelling towards their head wanted to be caught - which is hardly ever - but at least then you know the odds on them being a downwind kite catcher is pretty high!.. move onto the next person?.... The head patting is pretty funny, maybe its is good for those with bad eyesight, it reminds be of trying to pat my head and rub my tummy at the same time.

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Re: What is the international signal for "Abort launch"?

Postby RickI » Sat Jul 14, 2018 2:30 pm

After looking at way too many accidents, I disagree. In many other sports signal conventions were adopted long ago. Kiters need to pay attention and adopt some of this common sense stuff to avoid problems.

[quqote=dice post_id=1021233 time=1531567186 user_id=95710]
JustAGirl wrote:
Sat Jul 14, 2018 11:07 am
Please don’t spread chaos & confusion, edt! Just listen to Toby’s sound & reasonable initial advice:
Thumb up = Launch
Tap head = Bring the damn kite down

WTF more do you need

Why do ppl complicate life 🙄
This is actually all you need to know. If there is anything else wrong, there are enough signals with bodylanguage that everyone understands.
Shake no with your head, make an X with your arms, run/walk towards the kite so that the lines slack, pretend to have an elliptic attack ... so many things that everyone in the world will understand no matter where they are from.

Having too many 'standardized' signals, will just make things harder and make it easier to misunderstand.
[/quote]

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Re: What is the international signal for "Abort launch"?

Postby edt » Sat Jul 14, 2018 2:48 pm

I'm not sure what the eventually signal we will use to "abort launch" will be. I do know that right now we are consensus building. If it turns out we can all agree on one signal that would be awesome and maybe it would spread and become a standard. I appreciate all the ideas and no matter what happens if we manage to get a common signal that everyone agrees with for "abort launch" I will use it. I like those signals Rick posted, but there are just too many for me to remember them all! No way. I can remember one . . . maybe two more signals that's about. Give me ten more signals I will definitely forget them.

I would use "abort launch" all the time, so if we can get a signal for that I definitely wouldn't forget it.

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Re: What is the international signal for "Abort launch"?

Postby RickI » Sat Jul 14, 2018 3:01 pm

Our community often lacks good communication internally. To see someone smashed and thrown into the hospital over a bad communication is pretty memorable but only if you know about it. There were several accidents but want to particular motivated me to put together the signals in 2002. It involved a guy in England doing a launch on a narrow beach he yelled to hold but his assistant release the Kite he ended up smashing in the side of a 1 ton truck and breaking a flag mast with his body before hitting a wall. The need is obvious as is our frequent indifference to simple steps for avoidance.

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Re: What is the international signal for "Abort launch"?

Postby grigorib » Sat Jul 14, 2018 3:02 pm

Other thing is - how often do you actually abort launch.
Rarely I show a guy launching the kite an open palm front as "wait" if I need to untwist the lines quick.

But maybe prevention again - what did you not check before walking out so you need to go as far as abort and come back ashore?

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Re: What is the international signal for "Abort launch"?

Postby knotwindy » Sat Jul 14, 2018 3:46 pm

It’s no wonder so many people self launch. Here we say self launching is safer as there’s is only one idiot involved.

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Re: What is the international signal for "Abort launch"?

Postby FLandOBX » Sat Jul 14, 2018 5:58 pm

I'm always amazed how many kiters don't use the thumbs-up for launch. I have seen at least 3-4 kiters just this week who either nod their head, yell "okay" or "let it go", or just stand their waiting for the person holding the kite to decide when to let it go. These are not beginners. They are experienced kiters who either don't know or don't care to use the most basic and most universal hand signal we have. :o


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