are there any video's of someone doing this method? I keep meaning to make one but someone always offers to land my kite, but I've got a line and carabiner in my vest pocket to give this a go soon and will film with gopro
Here's two videos from different angles of me landing my Pansh A15 15 meter in 12 to 15 mph winds. I use both methods. I use a sand bag with a rope and a carabiner clip, which attaches to the rear turning line. I also put 1-1/2" pvc stakes into the sand facing into the wind to grab the kites lines once the kite gets pulled down to the beach.
The gopro backpack is something new I tried for the first time. So yes, it looks stupid. But it got the shot, right?
When I got to the beach there was nobody next to me. Totally open beach. 15 minutes after I went in the water this brain surgeon to my right decides to park 30 feet away from me. Some people are pure idiots.
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When I have to land alone in strong wind, I stall it down IN THE WATER. Fly down at the edge, pull both backlines hard. That way excessive pull is annoying but not dangerous (if you start far out enough). After that wind up bar/pack like in a normal self rescue. It's not nice, but I see no other really safe way in STRONG winds.
You should never kite alone, especially not in strong wind. Yes, I do it too sometimes. But it's still a bad idea.
Here's two videos from different angles of me landing my Pansh A15 15 meter in 12 to 15 mph winds.
Nice ! I was thinnking of the same and curious to try , and you made it ! great .
Another alternative I was thinking about (but not necessary when looking at the good result of your video , is having a very strong fix point (so already on the beach like a mast or strong anchored in the ground or a car with rear pulling system installed), then attach a one meter sling with a carabiner at its extremity and catch all the 4 lines iinside the carabiner walk at 90 degree from the wind (on the left side for example) up to half of your line length, then pilot the kite to go down on your side, so pulling left hand, and directly catch the kite with your hands once the kite at your level.
And we should be able to land in a small beach of half the length of the lines ...
I wouldn't mind having a 5th line attached to the kite, attach my landing carabiner to that, and just let go of the bar so the kite tacos from the fifth line on the leading edge. Fully depowered landing. Ozone uses a a rear ride system for their Hyperlinks during snow kiting but they recommend disconnecting it for water riding. I'm not sure why. Maybe it makes the kite unlaunchable in the water. I've also heard, not sure, that letting a ram air kite filled with air, to taco, will make the kite explode along one of the seams because the kite isn't designed to hindenberg that way, while still fully air up.
When I have to land alone in strong wind, I stall it down IN THE WATER. Fly down at the edge, pull both backlines hard. That way excessive pull is annoying but not dangerous (if you start far out enough). After that wind up bar/pack like in a normal self rescue.
Same.
Last edited by Jyoder on Thu Jun 01, 2023 5:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I wouldn't mind having a 5th line attached to the kite, attach my landing carabiner to that, and just let go of the bar so the kite tacos from the fifth line on the leading edge. Fully depowered landing. Ozone uses a a rear ride system for their Hyperlinks during snow kiting but they recommend disconnecting it for water riding. I'm not sure why. Maybe it makes the kite unlaunchable in the water. I've also heard, not sure, that letting a ram air kite filled with air, to taco, will make the kite explode along one of the seams because the kite isn't designed to hindenberg that way, while still fully air up.
with air traped in the kite the "accordeon line" like Ozone re-ride and more recently flysurfer will not work or even damage the kite because kite does not want to fold ... I think this is the reason why.
If you are ready for a 5th line, one idea to investigate could be a 5th line connected to the 3-4 bridles of one side of the kite, at its wing extremity ; kite will then be fully flagged , so excellent safety certainly, however may tangle by its spin up to ground contact ; hoping it will not "disymetrize" the kite during a normal flight ;
... or just simply release the kite as normal on one front line, normally it spins without power up to the ground ; this is what I advise to "beginners" if they have to self launch with strong winds and have to land the kite. some kites stay long "flaging " in the air but without pulling much and will finish on the ground.
One option I like in strong winds : put the kite on the side of the window like if you had an assistant, then when kite just touches the ground:
- either pull on the both rear lines if wind is strong but not too much (here at 2:08 in light wind :
- or release the safety if you not not feel to pull both lines (but traction is far less than starting from the zenith (with kite already touching the ground)
Most of my sites have trees or other obstructions that I can use as a wind shade to easily dump the kite behind in the shadow for self-
But of course you can’t do this in strong shorebreak.
Hmm, yeah, I do this in "lower..mid" wind. Those obstructions create turbulence, I don't like that in stronger winds. I prefer to go home with a wet kite to breaking kite and/or neck
Even better of course is a helper and "regular landing" but that's not always possible...
I kite on lakes, no shore break here. Yeah, that would be a problem for packing the kite...
When I travel and kite on my own, I don't like to mess with a foil kite self landing, launching is a breeze, but landing can be tricky. What I do is get close to the shoreline, slowly bring my kite down to one side, so one tip is almost or is touching the water, then when kite is steady, I pull safety, bit of a pain with the lines, but I always feel safe. From there, I bring kite to the beach, leave bar floating in the sea, then go back out to the bar rather than bringing it to shore, I have an easier and cleaner time organizing the lines in the water. pull the lines out and wrap bar and lines, no sand on bar or lines this way.