Safety

Safety flier (PDF):  Kiting-Flying Safety

The two fundamental hazards

Inherent to the sport of dual-line kite flying are two fundamental hazards. The closer to the power zone, and the stronger the wind, the greater these two hazards:

• A dual-line kite can strike with high force and inflict bodily injury and property damage.

• Bridle lines and flying lines can lacerate and otherwise injure people, can cut through the flying lines of other kites, can damage other kites, and can cause damage to other property.

Safety is the FLYER'S responsibility

Dual-line kites can be dangerous and harmful if misused. It is your responsibility to take all precautions necessary to:

• Prevent danger and harm to others, and to others' property.

• Prevent danger and harm to yourself, and to your own flying lines and kite.

For OTHERS' safety

• Never fly your kite and lines near or above people.

• Never fly your kite and lines near or above anyone's property that could possibly be damaged by your kite and lines, including other flyers' kites and lines.

• As you fly, don't wander sideways or downwind. Otherwise your flight envelope could encroach upon bystanders, other flyers, and the flight envelopes of other flying kites. If that happens, your kite and lines could hit and injure people and damage other kites and lines. Stay near your groundstake/windwand as you fly.

• Fly far enough upwind and to the side of other people and any damageable property, including other flyers and their kites and lines, so that if your kite releases due to flying line or bridle breakage, or due an emergency release during sudden excessively-strong pull, then your kite/lines/handles will not cause any injury or damage.

• While flying, if bystanders or flyers encroach upon or into your kite's flight envelope and thereby endanger themselves, diplomatically prevent them from doing so with friendly and educational safety warnings. If they refuse to not endanger themselves (this happens), either move to give them safety or quit flying and leave.

• Never fly near or over vehicle traffic. In addition to causing direct injury or damage, the distraction could cause accidents.

• When you land or crash hard, do not startle bystanders who do not see the kite diving or who do not expect the loud impact noise. Their startle-response could cause harm to themselves.

For YOUR safety

• Avoid strong and gusty winds that could cause excessive pull.

• Use all other means necessary -- such as adding a pair of tails, reducing the bridle setting, and flying a smaller WindDance -- to limit pull to safe levels.

• Use safe control handles. AVOID wrist-strap handles of any kind, even the wide and/or padded ones. The sport has known of the safety problems since at least the early 1980s: 1) Wrist-straps could snag on your hands and delay or prevent an emergency release. 2) Wrist-straps pull unnaturally on the backs and sides of your hands and/or wrists and squeeze them, even when used the 'correct' or 'safe' way. That unnatural pressure and squeezing can be uncomfortable, painful, and injurious in various ways to your hands and wrists. 3) Wrist-straps provide relatively poor feel and control of your kite due to A) the discomfort and pain, and B) because the backs and sides of your hands and wrists, which is where you 'hold' them, have poor sense of touch and control compared to the ultra-sensitive palm side of your hands and fingers, which is where you hold regular handles. What other sports use wrist-strap handles? They're even disappearing from dog leashes! Imagine yourself water-skiing with them! DO USE rigid handles that must be gripped in the normal and natural way. Choose handles which cause the least strain on your wrists when performing vigorous arm-down-and-back pull-turns, and which also provide the most comfort, nicest feel, and best control. We sell handles that are superb in all these respects.

• Never use a flying harness. During a sudden excessively-strong gust, the emergency safety release may not release quickly enough: 1) to prevent you from being yanked off your feet and dragged across the ground, or 2) to prevent you from being lifted off the ground where the safety release could then release you from dangerous height.

• Never touch or grasp a flying line or bridle line of a kite that is flying or about to fly, especially in strong winds. A line could seriously cut you.

• If a flying line breaks, it could snap back into your face. Wear glasses that will protect your eyes.

• Never attach any kind of hardware, such as metal swivels or connectors, to either end of your flying lines. If something breaks at the kite, the metal fitting there could snap back into your face. If a line breaks, a swivel installed near the handle could snap back and cut your hand.

• Before flying, be sure the terrain, ground surface, and your footwear will provide secure and safe footing. Avoid uneven ground that could sprain feet and ankles or cause you to fall.

• Fly far enough downwind and to the side of other flyers so that you and your airgear cannot possibly be endangered or harmed by their kites and lines, even if their kites release due to line breakage or if the flyers let go of their handles.

• As you fly, don't wander upwind or to the sides. Otherwise you could walk into the flight envelopes of other kites and get hit and lacerated, and your kite and lines could get damaged as well. Many flyers -- beginners especially -- walk backwards as they fly without looking where they are going, sometimes hundreds of feet from where they stood at launch, and directly into danger. Stay near your groundstake/windwand as you fly.

• While flying, if other flyers encroach from upwind or the side and threaten you and/or your airgear with their flying kites and lines, diplomatically prevent them from doing so with friendly and educational requests for safety. If they refuse to not endanger you and/or your airgear (this happens), either move to safety or stop flying and leave.

For OTHERS' & YOUR safety

• Always prevent your kite from accidentally launching or relaunching by itself, especially in strong winds.

• Never fly near electrical lines.

• Never fly near low-flying aircraft. Aircraft flying into long and strong lines can lift the flyer high off the ground. It also can cause light aircraft to crash.

• Never fly in lightning conditions.

• Never fly in conditions of poor visibility.

• Never fly while impaired by alcohol, drugs, illness, or injury.

• When others fly your kite -- children especially -- be certain they have the necessary kite performance-tuning, wind conditions, flying-site conditions, footwear, eyewear, knowledge, strength, skill, and supervision to fly with complete safety.

• Take all other precautions as necessary to prevent danger and harm to others and others' property, and to prevent danger and harm to yourself and your own property.

WindDance dual-line parafoil stunt kites/sport kites are developed, sold, and backed by Seattle AirGear.
WindDance, WindDancing, Seattle AirGear, and AirGear are trademarks of Seattle AirGear.
Copyright © 1995-2017 Seattle AirGear.
This page last revised Sep-1-1997