Where to Fly?
First pick out a good field or beach to fly at. The bigger and more open the better. Again if you're not sure where you can and can't fly kites please check with your local council or kite school who will be only too happy to let you know. Remember that if there are trees or buildings between you and the wind, the trainer kite will not fly properly. Beware of practicing close to obstacles (trees, roads, lamp-posts etc) as they can all get tangled up with the kite, also avoid practicing close to high buildings as these can create up-drafts and eddies which will adversely effect the performance of the trainer kite. If you think of a river running over rocks, those white bits of swirling water just after the rocks are showing exactly the same effect that obstacles have on the wind, causing it to eddy, swirl and generally do nasty things. The bigger the open space you can find the better. Avoid areas with power lines at all costs. If in doubt consult the section on obstacle effects on wind speed for a recap on things to avoid.
Setting up the Trainer Kite
Take your trainer kite out of its bag and lay the trainer kite on the ground with the bridle lines facing up and the trailing edge facing the wind. Place sand, dirt or any other non sharp and fairly weighty object on the trailing edge so the trainer kite does not blow away, or have an assistant hold the back of the trainer kite with the leading edge facing up into the wind (make sure they do NOT let go). Do not stand or kneel on the kite or secure it with sharp or rough objects (ie. rocks) as you'll likely tear it. Likewise do not secure the trainer kite with overly heavy weights (ie people!) as if the trainer kite is lying on anything sharp it will pierce the kite leaving you finished before you've begun! Starting next to the trainer kite unwind the lines from the bar, walking into the wind, and then go back and walk between them to the trainer kite, separating the outside, or back lines first and then the centre, or front lines (on a 4 line kite, on a 2 line simply seperate the 2 lines...easy!) to make sure there are no knots or twists prior to launch. Untangle the lines as needed. Attach the lines to the kite using a larks head knot (shown ion the diagram above). Go back to the bar and attach your safety leash.
Packing Away Your Trainer Kite
Packing away your kite is exactly the same as setting it up but in reverse. Land your kite and secure it with something heavy and smooth (or something heavy and blunt...like your mate!). Then start wrapping the lines around the handle in a figure 8 motion walking towards the kite as you do it. The more care you take here the easier it will be to unwind the next time you come to fly your kite. If you make sure the lines are wrapped up tight it will make sure they don't fall off the handle whilst in storage and give you a huge headache untangling them next time round. Something to bear in mind is that for the first few weeks of kite flying the lines are the thing that are likely to give you the biggest headache by getting tangled, have patience with them. Take your time and put them away properly and you'll save yourself some real birds nests in your lines the next time you go kiting.
Once you reach the kite un-do the larks head knots and place the lines and handles/bar back in the bag. With the kite fold all the lines of the bridle into the centre of the kite and then take first one wing tip and fold it into the centre then repeat with the second. Keep folding the kite in this manner until is it fairly small then simply roll up and place back in the bag.
Kite Gear Care and Pre Flight Checks
The main things to check on your kite materials are that:
- You have no knots in any of your lines
- You have no tangles or unwanted knots in the bridle
- Your kite and kite materials are in good condition
If you have any knots in your lines or bridle I would recommend you to get them out before you start flying your kite. A knot in the line will reduce the strength of the line at that point by 50%, leading to to greatly increased chance of the line snapping while you are flying. A great little trick for getting knots out of lines is to take and old piece of cloth and wrap it around the section of line with the knot. Then place the cloth containing the line and knot onto a hard surface (an old book works great) take a hammer and start hitting the knot through the cloth. Do this for about 20 seconds then take another 20 seconds to try to pry the knot loose. Repeat this until the knot works itself loose. Note for the first few minutes it will probably look as if nothing is happening, the key here is patience, this does work just give it a bit of time!
Your kite should be in one piece (fairly obviously!) if there are any small rips or tears in the canopy do not fly the kite but either apply a patch (a bit of duct tape will do in the short term) to both sides of the tear or for larger tears take the kite to get repaired. A small tear or hole will very quickly become a big tear if not patched or repaired straight away. Also check that the bridle is firmly attached to the kite at all points. If you see the bridle pulling away from the kite at any point again stop and take the kite to be repaired before flying.
Care of your Kite Gear
The main things to be careful of here are:
- Putting your kite gear away dry and clean
- Avoid areas with sharp rocks or plants when flying your kite
Putting your kite gear away dry and clean is essential to preserving its life span. If you can't pack it away like this at the time (because its raining or the weather doesn't allow) then get out all your kite gear and dry it off at the next posible opportunity. For those of you who are practicing on the beach, sand is the single biggest kite killer of all time. Make sure you get all the sand off your kite gear before packing it away. Or if not possible again do so at the next possible opportunity. Sand will rub against the stitching and the canopy of the kite wearing both out in a very short time. It will also get into the lines and weaken them from within. Flying wet kites (wet foil kites that is, LEI's are designed to deal with the water) is not advisable as it adds to the weight of the kite and puts a lot more strain on the structure of the kite and bridle and can lead to damage to the kite.
Avoiding areas with sharp rocks is fairly obvious but also be aware of plants with sharp branches or thorns. These are often quite difficult to spot but will trash your kite just as quickly.