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How long does it take you to launch a foil kite?

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Kamikuza
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Re: How long does it take you to launch a foil kite?

Postby Kamikuza » Sat Oct 17, 2015 3:56 am

plummet wrote:
I don't see the point in pre-inflating. Just hold some bar pressure on and the kite inflates quickly in the air.
Might be fine most of the time, and when you have the space, but it adds to the control you have right off the ground. I've watched all the new FSer users who don't pre-inflate and the Chrono users who can't, and the odds of collapses, windmills, drifts across the window, tip tangles and bow ties, and general aborted launches increases exponentially.

I don't like how all the load of the un-inflated kite, sail in the wind, goes only on a few connection points... can't be good for the canopy. I know flapping around is a bad idea too, especially on the even higher AR kites with tips that like to tangle.

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Re: How long does it take you to launch a foil kite?

Postby fun2kite » Sat Oct 17, 2015 4:41 am

awesome ! Thank you for the video.
You bring it down from 12 in it. And your kite does not seem to generate that much power.
Sonic comes down much more powerful (at least in my case). But I don't have a breaking line like yours, I just yank on the balls attached to the steering lines. maybe I can control it better if I have a breaking line like yours.

plummet wrote:OK. I cobled together a chrono launch and land. Here it is.

I don't see the point in pre-inflating. Just hold some bar pressure on and the kite inflates quickly in the air.


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Re: How long does it take you to launch a foil kite?

Postby Adventure Logs » Sat Oct 17, 2015 5:00 am

fun2kite wrote:awesome ! Thank you for the video.
You bring it down from 12 in it. And your kite does not seem to generate that much power.
Sonic comes down much more powerful (at least in my case). But I don't have a breaking line like yours, I just yank on the balls attached to the steering lines. maybe I can control it better if I have a breaking line like yours.

plummet wrote:OK. I cobled together a chrono launch and land. Here it is.

I don't see the point in pre-inflating. Just hold some bar pressure on and the kite inflates quickly in the air.

The sonic definitely has more power backstalling then the Chrono 1. I use to be all about the back strap but honestly with my new Sonic and FS's new leash, the balls are just as good. I would rather have the balls than just the strap.

=Jason-

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Re: How long does it take you to launch a foil kite?

Postby plummet » Sat Oct 17, 2015 6:00 am

It would be easy to fit a strap to the FS bar and have balls and strap at the same time.

To be honest I have the kite at 45 for landing in high winds. This particular day is behind the surf club building in 12-15 knots. The 12 chrono is not super powered in those winds. Once I get below the wind line of the building there's less power.

If I was landing it 18-20 knots I'd be rolling from 45 deg.

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Re: How long does it take you to launch a foil kite?

Postby Kamikuza » Sun Oct 18, 2015 4:36 am

plummet wrote:It would be easy to fit a strap to the FS bar and have balls and strap at the same time.
I'd rather be banned for saying "cockpunch".

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Re: How long does it take you to launch a foil kite?

Postby Kamikuza » Sun Oct 18, 2015 4:42 am

The aerospace engineers can correct this, but when you backstall the kite you create a bubble of turbulent air around it and lose flow over the wing; lift is lost. You can, with little practice, keep the kite backstalled in the bubble and gently back it down to the ground without too much pull. If you do it fast, the kite just pulls harder. Finesse, again, is the key.

Once it's on the ground, you should be able to loop the rear lines (in their pulled back state) over an anchor and just leave the kite parked on the ground, a la the strap. I also secure the CL too, to avoid too much slack in the center lines and the kite getting wind under the TE and flying up.

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Re: How long does it take you to launch a foil kite?

Postby Flyfish » Sun Oct 18, 2015 6:16 am

it takes me maybe 3 minutes tops. i launce and land identical as Plummet. but on launch, i sand the whole trailing edge of the kite as i unroll it. then unwind the lines, put a touch of tension on them to create a ""wall" as in paragliding. then i hot launch straight down wind with zero preinflation. if you are at all familiar with paragliding, i'm launching just the same. when i create my wall, im checking the lines and bridles. i launch in all types of wind straight down wind and never feel like it's dangerous.
as far as landing, i sewed landing straps on all of my bars just using the balls to hold the straps. then i just back stall the kite usually straight down from 12:00. hook the strap to a log and run to secure the kite. like Kami says, back stall with confidence and practice and its never an issue.
two tips with the back stall:
1 do it hard and fast, then fall to you butt as the kite stallls down fast and with some power. or,
2 start the stall hard and fast, but then start walking towards the kite and ease it down.
but this takes more practice or it could go wrong. tip one will work though, just keep comitting to the stall no matter what.


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