Riding on the suicide ring with chickenloop... Don't be scared to release...

[Tone]

Question...

When you're riding with a chickenloop and a safety ring, how do you connect to that ring and is that ring engaged to the chickenloop?

like this


If you do so, when you need to get rid of your kite? what do you do?

Lately I have seen a load of people trying to take their chickenloop off their spreader when in trouble. I don't know why, but it seems that pulling your safety isn't the first thing they do. By unhooking, you're just putting the problem a meter or more away (depending on the leash length) and then you have even less control.

had 2 occasions in the last 3 months when helping people in trouble, I called them to release their kite and they unhooked!! instead of pushing the release.

Anyone else seen this?

Tone

[rynhardt]

I think the more general question is, do people understand their equipment and how to use it.
It's easy to get caught up in the terminology and assume something works a certain way.
I'd rather know that if I connect my leash to something that it's going to have the desired effect, as opposed to figuring out what exactly suicide means.

Generally you can release a kite to a leash that is connected to:
* one front line (QR)
* two front lines (QR)
* a back line (flag out on bar end)

If you use an unhook system like a chicken loop or fireball, you can also let go of the bar with your leash attached to the chicken loop. The kite will then depower as far as the trim is set.

And lastly you can release your leash which then releases the kite completely.

In many cases the leash is always connected to the one front line depower that runs through the QR.
But you do get other setups, i.e. always hooked in (not using chickenloop/fireball), which is my preference.
And I generally run a long depower throw to 2 front lines (no trim system, aka BRM), with the leash not connected until I need it.

Any system is unsafe if you do not know how to use it.