Very clear! What is the best way to go about it when landing after everyone has left the spot because they were too sad to see me fly my flysurfer kite in the lowest wind possible?
Great in light winds. Here are my pro tips (10+ years foil experience) 1. Do not self launch directly upwind in 15+knots. Please do a more realistic video. 2. Do not lift the kite up as shown, to pre-fill, as the bridles could tangle. 3. Lift the more upwind intake valve into the wind a little bit to let wind in and fill down into the kite, but do not lift the wing tip up! 4. Shake the kite a little to "push" wind more into the down-wind wingtip. 5. It's ok for the upwind wingtip to be partially or not inflated. That happens after launch.
I got a little confused here. The explanation makes perfect sense, still it stands in contradiction to my Speed 5 manual. While the video subtitle says "walk into the wind" (and the guy does that), in the manual it says "position the Kite 15-30° downwind of you when you tension the lines, walk DOWNWIND as the kite inflates" (and that's also what the video voice comment suggests). So Flysurfer Pros, which way works better for you?
Here we pre inflate the kite as much as possible. No pre inflation with the kite 15-30degrees more to the powerzone needed. Preinflation is better as the kite is more defined at take off already. If you do it well, it can come up even without the wingtipp folded in.
Sorry Pedro, that is bullshit, ok over 30 knots it becomes tricky, and you need skills, but all winds below that, with proper technique and laying sand/heavy object on the leading edge side near the tip, everyone can launch safe and good.
I said "land", launching is ok in almost any wind. But landing WITHOUT assistance in more then 15 knots you will have a flapping foil in the air twisting itself 1 million tips until you are able to grab it after pulling all the flag line.
Hi Pedro, sorry I overread to soon, my apology. Self landing with any kite is tricky and needs skills. When doing it with our foilkites it is also no problem, put the kite on the side of the window where the FLS-safety line is attached to the front line (most of the time on the right side). Then put the kite as low to the ground as possible, and release the safety. The kite will now flag out down-wind and come down slowly. Now walk along the safetyline towards the kite and secure it. With this technique the chance on knots/etc are minimal.
Thats the theory, but it doesnt work like that in medium to strong wind. Even if you put the kite the lowest possible at the edge of the window and then flag it, it will drift to the center of the window and most likely will also go up in the air (because the beach its not completly flat so it gets updraft winds). Then pressure in the flag line is very big that will almost cut your hands if you try to normaly pull it. Ive seen no one doing this at a successfull rate, its always a gamble, it can go ok or it can go completly wrong.
True, that is also why we always recommend to land with a helper, just like with any other kite, that is always the safest and most secure way. An other option is to do above mentioned technique in the water.
Very clear! What is the best way to go about it when landing after everyone has left the spot because they were too sad to see me fly my flysurfer kite in the lowest wind possible?
Great in light winds. Here are my pro tips (10+ years foil experience) 1. Do not self launch directly upwind in 15+knots. Please do a more realistic video. 2. Do not lift the kite up as shown, to pre-fill, as the bridles could tangle. 3. Lift the more upwind intake valve into the wind a little bit to let wind in and fill down into the kite, but do not lift the wing tip up! 4. Shake the kite a little to "push" wind more into the down-wind wingtip. 5. It's ok for the upwind wingtip to be partially or not inflated. That happens after launch.
Nice Tutorial.
Thank you
And self landing? Tks🙏
I got a little confused here. The explanation makes perfect sense, still it stands in contradiction to my Speed 5 manual. While the video subtitle says "walk into the wind" (and the guy does that), in the manual it says "position the Kite 15-30° downwind of you when you tension the lines, walk DOWNWIND as the kite inflates" (and that's also what the video voice comment suggests). So Flysurfer Pros, which way works better for you?
Here we pre inflate the kite as much as possible. No pre inflation with the kite 15-30degrees more to the powerzone needed.
Preinflation is better as the kite is more defined at take off already. If you do it well, it can come up even without the wingtipp folded in.
Now land without assistant in 15+ knots of wind = nightmare
Sorry Pedro, that is bullshit, ok over 30 knots it becomes tricky, and you need skills, but all winds below that, with proper technique and laying sand/heavy object on the leading edge side near the tip, everyone can launch safe and good.
I said "land", launching is ok in almost any wind. But landing WITHOUT assistance in more then 15 knots you will have a flapping foil in the air twisting itself 1 million tips until you are able to grab it after pulling all the flag line.
Hi Pedro, sorry I overread to soon, my apology. Self landing with any kite is tricky and needs skills. When doing it with our foilkites it is also no problem, put the kite on the side of the window where the FLS-safety line is attached to the front line (most of the time on the right side). Then put the kite as low to the ground as possible, and release the safety. The kite will now flag out down-wind and come down slowly. Now walk along the safetyline towards the kite and secure it. With this technique the chance on knots/etc are minimal.
Thats the theory, but it doesnt work like that in medium to strong wind. Even if you put the kite the lowest possible at the edge of the window and then flag it, it will drift to the center of the window and most likely will also go up in the air (because the beach its not completly flat so it gets updraft winds). Then pressure in the flag line is very big that will almost cut your hands if you try to normaly pull it. Ive seen no one doing this at a successfull rate, its always a gamble, it can go ok or it can go completly wrong.
True, that is also why we always recommend to land with a helper, just like with any other kite, that is always the safest and most secure way. An other option is to do above mentioned technique in the water.