Electricity Static Shock

[prielzano]

has any one feeled electricity static shock from the bar while surfing?

[brikyb]

I'm trying to remember my physics shit right now but I just can't imagine how the kite/bar/lines could generate any sort of charge large enough to do that. Were you in a lightning storm?

Really I don't think this is really any sort of issue, unless you want to get into the possibility of lightning strike and the dangers associated with that. What are you really wanting to know?

[kenny la kenelle]

actually after more than 15 years kiting with stunt kites and power kites I saw this happening 2 weeks ago. We were on a beach to test a prototype (won't tell you the brand... but it will be a very good kite). It was pretty cloudy and we had a bit of rain but no lightning storm in sight... 4 of us tried the kite and the last one who was jumping on the beach with it came back to us asking us to pull the safety as he couldn't touch the bar without receiving an electric shock... I'll try to explain with my poor english but we could ear some kind of mobile phone vibrating (when you don't want it to ring) but very loud... All this due to static electricity... I never experienced this before and it was for sure very impressive... Never felt it myself but the guy holding the kite was sure afraid 'cos he couldn't touch the bar and pull the safety of the kite. We had to pull on one line to make it drop of the sky...

totally true story! I swear!

[kenny la kenelle]

detail: we didn't go on the water, we always stayed on the beach...

[wakeboy]

i had this happen to me 2 months ago, i was wave surfing and the weather was cloudy and going to start raining, i did a jump and as i landed got a jolt down my left arm and left leg.... i kept going for a few momnets then did another jump got another jolt...so called it a day.

There was another guy out who also got a jolt as well, however there was no thunder storm or anything, but we both stayed on the beach until teh cloud had passed a bit....

it was quite a kick down my left side but only when jumping and landing....so not sure really what was exactly causing it.... the air was not dry....it was humid and temp was 20 degrees....

[KingAstra]

imagine that on the water

[wakeboy]

when i said wave surfing i was with a kite....

[phasenoise]

I'm no expert on this,but I know airplanes generate static electricity when flying, so they have to find a way to bleed it from the airframe.
Anyway, I guess if it happens on aircraft it can happen on kites as well IF there is enough excess static charge in the air.

[Vito]

This also hapened a few weeks ago to some friends during a very cloudy day, but also without lightnings.
They get the shock at the bar with every jump. No problem when being on the water but as soon they jump a litle, they get punished.
VITO.-

[wake kiter rhys]

yeah its happened to me twice... only when your out on a cloudy/stormy and windy day...

every jump we did on land you got a static jolt thru your whole body... or if you timed it rite, you could jump and tap your brother sittin on the beach while your mid air, then he gets the jolt !!!!! hehehehehe

heard someone saying it was the vibration in the lines and the sweeping motion of the kite as you send it...