Dead Launch - Dead Kite
Tel
Got home today and it was such a nice evening I decided to practice a
bit with my 3D. Teensy bit of wind so a bit of galloping around was
called for. Now I'm new to this stuff with no wind kites and I decided
after the number of times it hit the deck that I needed to get it
together with dead launches. I've read about this here so had the idea
(or so I thought).
Two quick tugs from slack lines, right.
It digs in on the first tug but then bounces back letting a bit of air
in under the nose. Is this the idea? Second tug if timed right should
then lift it. Does it get easier with longer lines?
I would like to learn this one but don't want to wreck my kite in the
process. So I'd appreciate any suggestions if I'm doing it wrong.
Keep it up
The Lawnmower Man
Jean Lemire
You are doing it right. One small tug to rock the kite and lift the nose.
A second one sometime to help amplify the movement and then backing off when
the nose is just about to stop rising. Good timing is required here.
Dont yank too hard on the lines if you dont want to break anything. The
tugs need to be quick but not too ample and not too strong.
With some kites this trick dont work. The soil type has also a role to
play. Hard packed snow or sand, ice and short grass are good surfaces.
Long grass and soft sand are not too good.
Wind or no wind, fly for fun :-)
Jean (Johnny) Lemire of team S.T.A.F.F. from Montreal, Canada.
yikeskites.com
only a teensy bit of wind. If there is no wind to lift the kite, it's not
going to go over very easily. A dead launch works better when there is more
wind. This is not to say that you can't dead launch the 3-D with no wind,
it's just easier.
Keep Looking Up!
Mike Reagan
yikes...@hvi.net
http://www.yikeskites.com
"Someday we will all have perfect wings."
Tel wrote in message <37027EE7...@swipnet.se>...
James Hodson
I own 2 kites: a Fanatic and a 3D, both of which are supposed to be
dead-launchable. The Fanatic dead launches exactly in the way you describe;
the 3D, IMO, doesn't. As someone else said, you need a bit of wind to get
the nose up after the first tug.
There isn't usually much wind around when 3Ding. Also, I don't really like
trying to dead launch the 3D as it seems so fragile. Yes... I know the
frame is meant to be unbreakable but... When I fist got the kite I did try
to dead launch it and usually ended up pulling the stand-offs way out of
position, resulting in my having to walk to the kite anyway.
As I usually fly the 3D on 10 feet of line, it's not too much hard work to
walk a few paces and lift the kite's nose up manually. Even using 30 feet
lines it's only a short "stroll of contemplation".
Anyway, if the kite does fall nose down, just walk to it, pick it up, and
perform some spectacular throwing launch. Pretend you crashed on purpose.
If you will persist in dead launching the 3D just make sure that your tugs
are not too long. What you need is a short, sharp tug followed by a pause
whilst the nose comes off the ground (or not). When the nose is off the
ground give another short, sharp tug to launch the kite. Timing is the key.
Mowing the grass is not permitted - NO! :-)
Regards & good luck
James
"Watch the kite, not where you're going!"
(RB 29/8/98)
Walt
>Hi Tel
>I own 2 kites: a Fanatic and a 3D, both of which are supposed to be
>dead-launchable. The Fanatic dead launches exactly in the way you describe;
>the 3D, IMO, doesn't. As someone else said, you need a bit of wind to get
>the nose up after the first tug.
Hmm... perhaps practice? I can dead launch my 3d pretty easily, on short or
long lines. Dead launch is a wierd thing. Once you understand how it feels
you can apply it to alot of things. There are alot of kites that will do it,
even if they are not reported to. I've done it on the matchbox and diablo for
instance. I have no idea why the diablo works since it's le's are pretty str8
and it has a tail to speak of, but it works if you've got like 10+ mph. In
anycase, it's easier in more wind, since you dont have to bounce the nose quite
as high to get enough wind under it.
>There isn't usually much wind around when 3Ding. Also, I don't really like
>trying to dead launch the 3D as it seems so fragile. Yes... I know the
>frame is meant to be unbreakable but... When I fist got the kite I did try
>to dead launch it and usually ended up pulling the stand-offs way out of
>position, resulting in my having to walk to the kite anyway.
The 3d is pretty tough. The only problem I had was the nose wearing through but
that was my fault for flying over asphalt. The standoffs move :(. You can
correct for that by adding some kind of stop.
>As I usually fly the 3D on 10 feet of line, it's not too much hard work to
>walk a few paces and lift the kite's nose up manually. Even using 30 feet
>lines it's only a short "stroll of contemplation".
If you're on short lines, you can cheat. If your lines are 10 feet, you should
definitly be able to do this. Put your hands over your head and tug from there. The angle of the line and the tug will pop the nose of the kite off the ground
and let you pull it so air gets underneath.
Walt
Peace and Good Winds. (or no wind if you wanna fly indoor)
--
==============================================================================
Walter J Park Network Analyst
wp...@staff.uiuc.edu Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations
Rm#113 PH# 217.244.4097 http://www.ilir.uiuc.edu
Kitehead
2-5MPH). With these "long" lines, unless there is really good ground wind
helping, dead launching, especially on grass, can be more trouble than it's
worth. With lines 20' and shorter I just lift my arms and away we go, wind
or no wind. I've scrubbed right through the rubber endcaps used to hold the
standoffs while parking lot flying. I'm considering using the slightly
heavier leading edge connectors, they won't slide around so much and
shouldn't wear so quick.
Allen
----------
In article <37027EE7...@swipnet.se>, Tel <Terence...@swipnet.se>
wrote:
Tel
The easiest seems to be the hands over the head variety. I'm opting for that
one as it will spare the kite, although I have managed the dead launch a few
times.
Perhaps I'll save "The Mole" for something a little more robust.
No more Lawn-mower Man
Tel
James Hodson
>Thank you all for the tips.
>The easiest seems to be the hands over the head variety. I'm opting for that
>one as it will spare the kite, although I have managed the dead launch a few
>times.
Hi Tel & everyone
I was flying my 3D today and can confirm that the "arms over the head dead
launch" does work even on longish grass, but not always first time. I was
flying on roughly 30 foot lines and the wind was approx. 3mph.
It seems that the extended arm position gives the kite that little bit of
coaxing that it needs to help it on its way. (Feels funny, though.)
>No more Lawn-mower Man
EXCELLENT!!!
Regards
David Lindgren
James Hodson <bu...@pavilion.co.uk> wrote:
>
>As I usually fly the 3D on 10 feet of line, it's not too much hard work to
>walk a few paces and lift the kite's nose up manually. Even using 30 feet
>lines it's only a short "stroll of contemplation".
Well, if you are only flying on 10 feet of line, raise both arms as
high above your head as you can. Assuming your hands are nearly 8
feet above the ground now, with 10 foot lines, the face of the kite
will now be at about a 50 degree angle to the floor. There is now
plenty of the face available to the air and all you need to do is to
run backwards and bring your hands down to your sides --- the kite
will now take off. NOTE: this does not work with long lines (for the
majority of kites). I rarely walk the last ten feet to any of my
kites when they fall on their face (unless they broke)...
HTH
Dave