Date: Fri, 18 Jun 1993 03:38:18 -1000 From: HELSEL@cvm.msu.edu (Jeanette Helsel) Message-Id: Organization: MSU College of Veterinary Medicine Subject: "Belly Landing" A posting recently mentioned the ability to recover from a belly landing. I currently fly a Spinoff and depending on what I'm practicing, will find my kite, bridle side down, nose facing me on the ground at least once. Is this a belly landing? I've made some unsuccessful attempts at recovering from this, but end up pulling my kite across the ground more than anything else-- something I would rather avoid. Any suggestions as to how to recover from this, other than walking out to the kite? Thanks! p.s. This list has been a great source of information! Thanks to all who contribute! Jeanette Helsel MAIL ID: HELSEL@CVM.MSU.EDU Network Operations Center, VOICE: 517/336-2741 College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University Knowledge is knowing that we cannot know. --Ralph Waldo Emerson = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Fri, 18 Jun 1993 07:38:49 -1000 From: tanaka_be@swam1.enet.dec.com Message-Id: <9306181720.AA11747@enet-gw.pa.dec.com> Organization: Division of Applied Sciences, Harvard University Subject: The Belly Launch Jeanette Helsel writes: >A posting recently mentioned the ability to recover from a belly >landing. I currently fly a Spinoff and depending on what I'm >practicing, will find my kite, bridle side down, nose >facing me on the ground at least once. Is this a belly landing? >I've made some unsuccessful attempts at recovering from this, but >end up pulling my kite across the ground more than anything else-- >something I would rather avoid. Any suggestions as to how to >recover from this, other than walking out to the kite? No. This is not a belly landing. This is the forced march landing. There isn't a way of avoiding walking that I know of. The trick is not to get into this position. If your kite's nose is starting to fall toward you, snap both lines quickly, and immediately put slack into the lines to get it to sit back. To do the belly landing, fly your kite straight down and when it gets close to the ground, snap your lines toward you, and immediately shoot your hands forward and the kite will land on its belly, with its nose away from you... a very similar motion that to the one you use to save the kite from falling down with its nose toward you, except now the kite's inverted. If you'd like to learn this combo, the relaunch is the more difficult part. Remember, the belly landing and belly launch are low wind maneuvers. But once you get the feel for them, I think you'll be surprised at how easy they actually are. To relaunch, try this: 1. The biggest tip is to offset your hands, before you relaunch. Its very similar to the motion used in an edge launch. If your kite is near the left side of the window, set your right hand behind your left, and visa versa for the right side of the window. This is to make sure your kite turns up toward the outside of the window. Once you get the feel of this move, this part isn't critical but it helps a lot in the beginning. 2. Before you pull, make sure your kite is set dead straight away from you and is NOT "skewed" on the ground. While stepping back, pull BOTH hands sort of quickly, but do not snap them. This was what was killing me. When you see it done, the kite looks like its being snapped up, but it actually moves much more quickly than the actual hand motion. Some kites will come up, but will brush the ground with a tip while doing the 180 up. Just about every kite can do this stunt, some better than others, though. My Katana, i.e., which is a very tight turning kite, regularly does this move by backing straight up into the air, and then doing the 180 turn quite high up. Have fun, Jeanette! Bert Tanaka Digital Equipment West Covina, Ca. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Fri, 18 Jun 1993 08:51:58 -1000 From: WVOSS@novell.com (Wes Voss) Message-Id: Organization: Novell, Inc Subject: Re: The Belly Launch In article <9306181720.AA11747@enet-gw.pa.dec.com> tanaka_be@swam1.enet.dec.com writes: >From: tanaka_be@swam1.enet.dec.com >Subject: The Belly Launch >Date: Fri, 18 Jun 1993 17:38:49 GMT >Just about every kite can do this stunt, some better than others, though. My >Katana, i.e., which is a very tight turning kite, regularly does this move >by backing straight up into the air, and then doing the 180 turn quite >high up. Have fun, Jeanette! > Bert Tanaka > Digital Equipment > West Covina, Ca. Bert, you are the second person to mention the abilities of the Katana. Sounds like a winner of a kite. Maybe we need to talk when I look for my next kite, Marty! I appreciate your clear description, Bert.. Watching for a Storm Front Wes -------------------------------------------------- Wes Voss Internet: wvoss@novell.com MHS: WVOSS@NOVELL Standard Disclaimer: Yeah, these are my opinions, and no one else's... You know the rest... -------------------------------------------------- = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Fri, 18 Jun 1993 06:05:48 -1000 From: sasaki@das.harvard.edu (Marty Sasaki) Message-Id: <1993Jun18.160548.19413@das.harvard.edu> Organization: Harvard University Subject: Re: "Belly Landing" In article , HELSEL@cvm.msu.edu (Jeanette Helsel) writes: >A posting recently mentioned the ability to recover from a belly >landing. I currently fly a Spinoff and depending on what I'm >practicing, will find my kite, bridle side down, nose >facing me on the ground at least once. Is this a belly landing? >I've made some unsuccessful attempts at recovering from this, but >end up pulling my kite across the ground more than anything else-- >something I would rather avoid. Any suggestions as to how to >recover from this, other than walking out to the kite? I think that a belly landing is when the kite is bridle side down nose facing away from the flyer. If the nose is facing towards you, then you are left with no alternative but to walk to your kite and set it up and walk back. You can install a device that Bob Childes made popular (at least out here on the East Coast). He calls it a "bone". It's a piece of fiberglass rod that is longer than the distance between the top spreader and the bottom spreader, several inches longer is enough. It is bowed outward and attached to the top and bottom spreader on the face of the kite. The bone keeps the kite from going completely flat on it's belly. There is enough room with the bone to pull the kite into the air... -- Marty Sasaki Harvard University Sasaki Kite Fabrications sasaki@noc.harvard.edu Network Services Division 26 Green Street 617-496-4320 10 Ware Street Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 Cambridge, MA 02138-4002 phone/fax: 617-522-8546 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Fri, 18 Jun 1993 09:31:54 -1000 From: daveb@pogo.wv.tek.com (Dave Butler) Message-Id: <1vt57a$hk6@pogo.wv.tek.com> Organization: Tektronix, Inc., Wilsonville, OR, USA Subject: Re: The Belly Launch The question came up how to belly launch because "someone" mentioned it in a recent post. Since I know I mentioned it, I guess I'd like to respond to the question too. Now I know Bert Tanaka answered the question, but as with several other stunts (eg: stall spins) I am learning that there are multiple ways of doing them. Bert's method is a bit different from the way I do it, and no doubt it has something to do wit the kites we use, and also something to do with regional differences (different techniques tend to be used in different regions, which is one of the reasons why I find this news group so valuable). As before, by "belly launch," I mean a launching a kite which has landed bridle side down and facing away from you. The first time I saw a belly launch was with a Skyburner and modified Stinger, and was in little or no wind. In both cases the kite was directly downwind of the flyer, and when the kite was tugged it went directly up and backwards, and then the flier did a 180 (like Bert and his Katana). And while I could do that particular move on the Skyburner, I couldn't get it to work on either my Phantom or Scorpion (or other kites). For both the Phantom and Scorpion I experimented and found that, in little or no wind, I had to put the kite directly downwind (if there was wind), position one wingtip a little closer than the other, tug both lines and put more tension on the closer wingtip, while backing up. The kite will back up a little and then swing right up on the edge which has more tension on it. With a little practice it became quite easy and I can do it quite consistently. On the other hand that this move does not work with winds which will not let you lay your kite down on its belly. Then I learned another belly launch from another local kiter. Quickly tug both your line so as to rest your kite on a leading edge. If the kite is not directly downwind, make sure the edge that is up, is the one facing the wind. As the wingtip in the air begins to fall again, let it get half way down, tug on the falling wingtip and back up, The wing will then lead the kite into the air (note how close this is to the tip launch described by Marty). This tends to be even easier than the first method I mentioned. Between those three methods mentioned above I can consistently belly launch most stunt kites assuming the wind is 0-6 mph (I mention this because, since I am not a Master flyer, most of the people reading this should have a similar success rate). By the way, one thing to note is that you have to have standoffs (aka: whiskers) to be able to belly launch. Something else to note is that some stunters are really lousy at belly launches (ie: won't do it for any but an expert). For instance I have never seen anyone able to belly launch a Peregrine (a nice responsive little stunt kite, made out west). Later, Dave Butler Science, freedom, beauty, adventure: What more could you ask of life? Aviation combined all the elements I loved... I began to feel that I lived on a higher plane than the skeptics of the ground; one that was richer because of its very association with the elements of danger they dreaded, because it was freer of the earth to which they were bound. In flying I tasted the wine of the gods of which they could know nothing... Charles A. Lindbergh Jr.