This happened when I was young. My sister and I were flying. The kite started pulling me away. She grabbed on, but it kept pulling us.
Thankfully, there was a picnic table nearby chained to the ground. We steered to the table and wrapped the line around it. Eventually, the wind died down.
Would letting the kite go not break the lift effect?! I was always under the impression that kites relied on being held down by the strings at the exact angle to wind for the lift, moment you let go that is gone, no?
However, like a newspaper blowing around, a kite 30+ feet in the air while windy has the ability to travel quite a long ways before hitting the ground.
Then it might travel a long ways after hitting the ground…
Yeah. We came up with the weirdest shit to do, but it was fun as hell. Kites were popular in my neighborhood and I remember having these big spools and I flew the kite up to the very end.
I had a lightbulb moment and tied the current string to the start of a new roll. Double height!!
As soon as the neighborhood kids found out what I was doing, they all ran home and grabbed their own kite strings. We ended up flying it so high we couldn’t even see it. We probably violated some airspace rule, but we didn’t care. It was summer, school was out and we were invincible.
I remember having a full on panic attack when I let my kite reach the end of one of those large spools one day. I was down to the last 9-10 inches and I had to fight so desperately to save my batman kite.
I did this at the beach in gulf shores a few months ago at 38 with a kite surfing trainer kite (6' instead of 10'/12'+) a day after a hurricane hit Florida so wind speed was 30mph+ with a wake board and a scuba bcd and was dragged down the beach.... so then I tried a inflatable boat from dollar general.... amd was dragged down the beach.
I had a kite with a 1000 foot spool which I thought was the coolest thing. Couldn’t even see the kite hardly. But then the wind picked up and hauling that thing in was like razor wire after a few minutes lol. I think I only did that twice before I learned my lesson lol.
Speaking about razor wire, kite battles are the main kite related activities here in Brazil. You apply a mixture of crushed glass (usually made in house by crushing lightbulbs) and glue to your kite strings. After that you fight to cut the strings of the enemy kites and capture the fallen kites. This is a sport for grown-ups and children alike and taken very seriously by some communities.
Just to give you an idea of how popular this is, there are accessories used by bike riders specifically to avoid decapitation by this kind of kite string (unfortunately happened more than a few times).
Wow! Are those accessories just some flexible neck thing?
I think this became popular various palces, with some trying to make it illegal, but somehow I never thought they'd fly the kites where other people were walking or riding.. silly me. lol
Not only did he do that, but it’s how he caught up enough to grab on to the spool in the first place. Knocked the other kid down on the sliding kids legs which slowed it down a good bit.
This happened when I was young. My sister and I were flying. The kite started pulling me away. She grabbed on, but it kept pulling us.
Thankfully, there was a picnic table nearby chained to the ground. We steered to the table and wrapped the line around it. Eventually, the wind died down.
Would letting the kite go not break the lift effect?! I was always under the impression that kites relied on being held down by the strings at the exact angle to wind for the lift, moment you let go that is gone, no?
You are correct. When you're 12, you don't know that. 🤣
However, like a newspaper blowing around, a kite 30+ feet in the air while windy has the ability to travel quite a long ways before hitting the ground.
Then it might travel a long ways after hitting the ground…
Yeah, that was the 12 year old fear: "I can't lose the kite! Dad will kill me!" (Which he wouldn't have, but I was 12.)
Neither did I now. TIL (at 19)
Haha, that checks out
Don’t wanna lose the kite
Wouldn’t you like to know, weather boy?
Fuck. I miss being a kid.
Good shit.
If this happened to me now I'd be in a hospital, I miss being a kid for a different reason haha
Yeah. We came up with the weirdest shit to do, but it was fun as hell. Kites were popular in my neighborhood and I remember having these big spools and I flew the kite up to the very end.
I had a lightbulb moment and tied the current string to the start of a new roll. Double height!!
As soon as the neighborhood kids found out what I was doing, they all ran home and grabbed their own kite strings. We ended up flying it so high we couldn’t even see it. We probably violated some airspace rule, but we didn’t care. It was summer, school was out and we were invincible.
I remember having a full on panic attack when I let my kite reach the end of one of those large spools one day. I was down to the last 9-10 inches and I had to fight so desperately to save my batman kite.
I did this at the beach in gulf shores a few months ago at 38 with a kite surfing trainer kite (6' instead of 10'/12'+) a day after a hurricane hit Florida so wind speed was 30mph+ with a wake board and a scuba bcd and was dragged down the beach.... so then I tried a inflatable boat from dollar general.... amd was dragged down the beach.
I had a kite with a 1000 foot spool which I thought was the coolest thing. Couldn’t even see the kite hardly. But then the wind picked up and hauling that thing in was like razor wire after a few minutes lol. I think I only did that twice before I learned my lesson lol.
Speaking about razor wire, kite battles are the main kite related activities here in Brazil. You apply a mixture of crushed glass (usually made in house by crushing lightbulbs) and glue to your kite strings. After that you fight to cut the strings of the enemy kites and capture the fallen kites. This is a sport for grown-ups and children alike and taken very seriously by some communities.
Just to give you an idea of how popular this is, there are accessories used by bike riders specifically to avoid decapitation by this kind of kite string (unfortunately happened more than a few times).
Wow! Are those accessories just some flexible neck thing?
I think this became popular various palces, with some trying to make it illegal, but somehow I never thought they'd fly the kites where other people were walking or riding.. silly me. lol
The most popular accessory is an antenna that cuts the wire. Very easy to install.Â
They fly those kites everywhere and every day. Very crazy stuff.
Right? That’s a core memory they’ll be telling their kids.
Top tier camera work btw
Surprisingly steady when you consider the camera man is running across that terrain too.
Well that escalated rapidly. Never ever seen a kite take your clothes off. That’s a damn first for me.
That’s like the car side show of kites. Those videos always end with someone being run over and having no pants.
I definitely don't remember kites being THAT strong 😂
Did that kid in the red shirt elbow the chubby running kid?
Not only did he do that, but it’s how he caught up enough to grab on to the spool in the first place. Knocked the other kid down on the sliding kids legs which slowed it down a good bit.
Oh yeah, you're right... and then lost his pants 😂
Lmao. Completely missed that.
I watched it like 10 times to see if I could catch the elbow and finally noticed the pants part at like # 8.
That kid has A-1 friends. Saved him and the kite he wouldn't let go of.
While getting pantsed in the process...
Core memory saved and shared with the world.
Also, my shorts people need me
That kite is like a drone right there.
Consumer drones aren't that strong... Now an MQ-9...
That a true friend willing to loose his dignity
r/kites