General Kiting

Tips on launching a flexifoil stacker anyone? I'm tending to lay it at an angle to the wind so it's nearly at 45 degrees then wander back to the lines, pull it level and face on to the wind and then jiggle it and try and get just a little air under it THEN give it a big tug and up she goes. sometimes it's hard to get the air under it, it seems to want to 'stick' to the ground and I end up dragging it across the ground....like I shouldn't. There must be an easier way......

Yeh if the wind isn't howling it's tough to launch. I made up a 5mm diameter wire with a loop in the end to protect the kite ( like a number 9 but with a straight back). It's about 900mm long so it fits in the kite bag.
Poke it in the ground so it is angled at 45 degrees towards you at the top and tie the kite bag over it at ground level. This is so no one walks into it. Now as you walk backwards the kite will slide up the stake and bow the spar in the middle. This will get you some lift and your off.
A tomato stake or anything like that would also work.
Keep smilin'

A tin of Beans
I have found that I lay the kite trailing edge forward and put a couple of weights (like a tin of baked beans) on the TE to hold it down. Then I walk back to the handles and wait until enough wind is present give a good tug - if sucessful, the time just roll off as the kite ascends.

BobM

So Chook, your using a launching ramp? I have tried propping up the kite bag and using that which worked a treat - when it stayed in place - usually dragging the kite up it knocked it over and I was back to square one. But I hadn't thought of using a 'stake' in the ground - that should work really well, I'll definitely give that a go.

Bob, your launching the same as a normal power kite? On it's back with trailing edge towards you and weighted down? I'm pretty sure I've tried that and just ended up pulling the kite along the ground towards me.

Thanks guys

John

Thats it, a sort of ramp and it works well when there isn't quite enough wind to launch but still enough to have fun. I was frustrated when the airfoil would inflate but not rise off the ground and there was the risk of puncturing the sail while walking backwards.
I can't take the credit for this idea as on another forum they recomended a long wooden dowel. I just fine tuned it, to suit me.
I like the beans idea too!! Eat them and generate enought breeze to launch.
I went to the trouble of filling a plastic 2ltr milk bottle with sand to put on the trailing edge of my parachute style kites and never thought of using a tin. nice idea.
More useful info here. http://www.cobrakite.com/flextune.html

More useful info here. http://www.cobrakite.com/flextune.html

That's a handy site to know, thanks Chook. The 6 footers certainly need some decent wind to hit their straps. I've still got a 1982 flexifoil catalogue - always wanted one but didn't get one until quite recently. Interestingly the stacker 6 is about $30 cheaper now than it was in 1982 !!! Shame it's not the same with petrol! Visited Esperance a couple of years ago - could never get over the color of the ocean, just beautiful beaches!!

Cheers

You are very right about needing a strong breeze. When the winds too strong to stand on one leg, they really crank. I have an 8 footer I bought a while ago and it gives you a workout. They fly like missiles but can't do much in the way of tricks other than toppling over the leading edge. They are great trainers and are hard to bust. Real good fun when it's too windy to safely fly anything else.
"Kaos" was very kind and sent me a 6' and 4' flexifoil for the kids, or anyone who wants a go, to fly while I'm on the beach and since they have arrived the wind has disappeared.
(Very much appreciated Kevin).
Either feast of famine with the wind this time of the year.
The beaches around Esperance are first class and no one believes me when I send a postcard of Hellfire Bay in Cape Le Grande National Park. The water is bright aqua and white squeaky sand. Been voted the best beaches in Auzzie list 3 years in a row now.
Check out the location on "google earth" 34*00'12.56'S 122*10'02.62'E and have a look at the photos there.
I'm lucky enough to live here. 33*51'39.89'S 121*51'33.60'E That is the "Chook house". "Wolfie" you can see the Pink Lake to the west I told you about.
Cheers Guys

Should have had the video running........

Thought to myself, 'what have I got that would make a good launching ramp....aha! I've got arrows!! remove the fletching, field point into the ground, 45 degrees pointing back at me, perfect. First launch, up and over she goes and then sucks itself straight back on the ground..... try again...same result...move around a bit, launch again up she goes but only floating - no tension on the lines so back I go frantically running backwards.....straight into then over the fence and flat on my back. The stacker floats to earth..... I'm very pleased I don't use barb wire on my fences! Managed to straighten up the fence a bit.... duh!

Nice mental image there.

Lucky it wasn't an electric fence.

You keep smilin'