Kiter killed in New Zealand

[gibsonandpickett]

A kiter has been killed in Tauraunga New Zealand at fergusson park. Not sure on details. Person launched his kite. All was good. he did little boost to see how much power he had and a gust got him and thew him into car park throwing him onto a post. Area is know for gusty conditions. sad day.

[Toby]

Really sad to hear this.

My condolences.

We recently discussed what to do when getting lofted.
We all have to be prepared for it.
You just need to fly it with the kite above you...any steering will accelerate you and you slam into obstacles.
Fly it like a paraglider...your only chance.

RIP

[andylc]

But surely the opposite to avoid it in the first place? We all know you can control your power a lot more on the water than on the land, so perhaps a lesson to keep your kite low and in control until you’re on the water, and leave the boosting until then.

[slowboat]

Really sad to hear this.

My condolences.

We recently discussed what to do when getting lofted.
We all have to be prepared for it.
You just need to fly it with the kite above you...any steering will accelerate you and you slam into obstacles.
Fly it like a paraglider...your only chance.

RIP

Tragic.

Isn't the more important point discussing ways to avoid being lofted rather than what to do when lofted? Keep kite low and get off the beach. Don't do little jumps on the ground.

[slowboat]

I posted simultaneously with andylc. Looks like we are in agreement.

[Clew In]

of course it is.
This has also been discussed.

But you will always have a chance of getting lofted, then you should know what to do.

It is like activating the quick release...you should always try everything to not use it...but things happen...you should know how to use it!

[or6]

Condolences.

Deleted the rest of my post. Don't feel comfortable discussing something over somebody's fatal accident.

[purdyd]

No what Toby is saying is if you DO get lofted, just keep it above you and don't try to steer it.

15 or more years ago it was frequent to have kites just fall out of the sky if you flew them overhead. Now they all seem especially steady when straight overhead.

I see people do the little jump on the beach all the time to test the wind. I usually don't like it to see it when I know it is a bit gusty.

Sorry to hear about the accident.

[plummet]

A sad day indeed. My heart goes out to the family and friends.

https://www.sunlive.co.nz/news/197982-k ... yrILRTc3fs

These accidents always follow a similar trend. Kiter selects a kite that is too big for the conditions and his/her skill level and then gets lofted or dragged into an object.


Yes kite low is a must when practical. But most importantly dont use a kite that will loft you with the biggest gust of the day. If you do that you will never be lofted!


If you do get lofted then my advice differs slightly than Toby's.
Don't fly the kite like you would on a normal jump. That will get you extra height and also land you fast.
You need to fly the kite for the least lift and slowest landing.

Let the bar out immediately. This will reduce lift.
If your going left, fly the kite right so you slow down,
If you are being lofted towards and object assess if you can actively fly the kite to miss the object.

When coming in for the landing you need to fly the kite to get a soft/slow as possible landing. That will be kite dependant.
But typically it will be a well time redirect with bar in just before landing.

[Hugh2]

plummet, agree with everything except the last sentence. The redirect only works well on water where you land with the board pointed downwind and with some speed. Speed is not what you want landing on land, instead, having let the bar out to reduce lift, as you come down, at the last moment, about 5-10 feet off the ground, pull the bar all the way in to give a little lift and stall the kite, just as you would landing a parachute.