What about a life vest ?

[reyrivera]

Yeah, sometimes people get too excited when the wind blows strong, sometimes reason go out the window, me included.

I was in Alameda that day fully powered on my 5 meter, I'm 190 lbs. I can't imagine folks riding on 9 meters, must be super powered and getting tea bagged. I had to help persuade a local beginner not to fly his 15 meter bow kite.

[loserdavies]

It was the same at 3rd ave on Sunday. I came in on my 7.5 and was asked how it was. I stated I could easily ride my 5.5 and they looked at me like I was nuts. I weigh 180. Lots of mishaps in the launch area as well. I used to think it was a macho thing to ride in that kind of wind. I have a family with two little kids. I have re-thought that theory. Even on small kites the wind has a lot of power over 30mph. The week before I was in Punta San Carlos with a few people from Tahoe. Unfortunately they will come back to hear about this. RIP Scott.

[eteamer]

As a complete and utter kiting newbie going through lessons but as pretty experienced wind person it seems like there might be some knowledge about meteorology that is sometimes missing in the learning process. Everyone knows that that wind power is a cube increase of velocity right ? And that the 10 MPH difference between 35MPH and 25MPH is not just 40% ?

35 MPH vs 25MPH = 40% increase in speed

25*25*25 = 15265
35*35*35 = 42875

42875 vs 15265 = 174% increase in power

So if you normally go out on a 9M in 25MPH and want to go out in 35MPH maybe you should be on a kite half that size to deal with the greater than doubled power?

It's kind of funny when you think about kite quivers. They are pretty linear usually something like 8, 10, 12, when it probably makes more sense to have really small, regular, and really big.

[Bulldog]

On Sunday around 4:45 thirty miles or so north of OB, I was lifted off the water on my 5M kite by a gust that had to have been over 45 mph.

When I read about the accident, I visualized being OPed on a 9M kite, maching towards a wave, hitting the lip just as one of those gusts hit my kite. I visualized myself getting launched, totally out of control, spinning, and then slamming full force into a wave on the way down. Kite falls in the water, wave throws me -- already unconscious -- through the lines, game over.

It's true that even a small kite can be dangerous in high winds, but a too-big kite is worse. I can't tell you how many times I've told people it was too windy for their 12 or 10M when I'm on my 5M. Lately I've been trying group interventions, like saying "you don't know me, I understand. Who do you know? Let's ask him what he thinks", etc.

[Greg]

rado1968-
Bro I REALLY FEEL for YOU and your loss, I'm so sorry!

What Scott did was LIVE, he really wanted to live, THAT IS WHY HE WAS THERE! WE ALL are just THE SAME! We kite because it fills us up!! Nothing WRONG with that!!!! We will have trouble, WE WILL LOOSE FRIENDS, this is the very NATURE OF LIVING LARGE--
When you really LOVE something there is no other choice..

So don't second guess yourself, the day turned bad, it just as well may have gotten better and everyone might have had the time of there life.

Be GOOD to yourself!
Scott would want that,
Greg

[Bulldog]

Kite sizes are in square meters, so the increases are not linear. A 5 meter kiter is 25 meters worth of surface area; a 9M is 81 square meters, at least in theory.

Obviously the shape, the bridles, the angle of attach, etc. are all mitigating factors. Someone can say "my 7 has the same amount of power than your 5" or something like that and be right. But if one kiter is overpowered on a 5 or a 7 and another (same size kiter) is going out on a 9 or 11... that kite is at least two times too much kite.

[jrg]

A 5 meter kiter is 25 meters

No, pretty sure a 5m kite has a surface area of 5 square meters.

[OliverG]

Kite sizes are in square meters, so the increases are not linear. A 5 meter kiter is 25 meters worth of surface area; a 9M is 81 square meters, at least in theory.

Am I missing something? Stating that a 5m or 9m kite are 25 and 81 sq. meters of surface area is 5m squared and 9m squared, respectively, which would make for very big kites. 81 sq. meters is roughly 872 square feet, which you can visualize by drawing out a rectangle with approximate dimensions of 20 feet x 43.5 feet. A 5m kite which you state as being 25 sq. meters is about 270 sq. feet, which would be roughly 10 feet x 27 feet, which you could see a 25m Gaastra Phoenix being something like that, but a 5m kite?

The kite sizes are already listed is sq. meters, and even if they weren't, it seems you are squaring the numbers instead of multiplying times 3 to list sq. meters.

[reyrivera]

Probably just a mistake in a math problem.

One possible dimension

5 square meter = 2.5 meter long by 2 meter wide

1 meter = 3 feet

15 square feet = 7.5 feet long by 6 feet wide

[kitedavis]

Just talking about the difference between 5 square meters (5m by 1m) and 5 meters square (5m by 5m).

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