This video explains the setup of an inflatable kite, to help beginners with their lessons.
Begin facing downwind. Place the kite on your downwind side.
Unfold the kite, with the leading edge upwind. Now we connect the pump to the kite.
In the middle of the leading edge, you should find some kind of loop, to attach your pump to.
This will stop the kite from blowing away during inflation.
In the centre of the leading edge you should also find the inflate and deflate valves.
In this case, we have a single valve for both. If you have a seperate deflate valve, make
sure this is closed. Now we must clear any sand or dirt from the pump.
If you don't make a habit of this, sand can accumulate inside your kite over time.
Using the pump will clear it. You can wipe or blow away anything that is left.
Now we attach the hose to the inflation valve. It is important to use a light grip, as many
valves are easy to break or stretch. Now you can inflate the kite.
The kite should unroll smoothly, but you must watch carefully for any twists and tangles.
Here you can see there is a fold in the canopy. It is important to remove this
before putting in too much air. You must also check that the bridles, are
on top of the kite, NOT looped around the kite.
Now we can fully inflate the kite. You could use a pressure gauge, on your pump,
to check that you have inflated to the recommended pressure.
You can feel when there is enough air, by gripping the leading edge OR by trying to
bend the leading edge near the wing tip. You can also check by flicking the kite. Lower
pitched means underinflated. Higher pitched means over inflated.
You should check with your instructor or an experienced kiter to make sure you're inflating
to the correct pressure.
Once the kite is inflated, remove the hose and cover the valve.
Then hold the kite with one hand and detach the pump leash.
The kite should float easily in your hand. When you hold a kite by a single point, it
should line up with the wind and not pull much.
To store the kite on the ground, we move towards a wing tip, and flip the kite over.
The middle strut, should be lined up with the wind.
As the wind climbs over the kite, it helps to press the kite into the sand and the kite
should stay in position. In stronger wind, you may need a weight without
sharp edges, such as a sandbag, to hold the kite in position.
Now the kite is inflated, we unroll the lines. Start on the downwind side of the kite.
Make sure all 4 lines unroll together. Unless you don't have a 4-line set up, of course.
Head downwind as you unroll the lines. When all the lines are clear from the bar,
you can walk a little further downwind, to make sure the lines are straight. This will
help a lot with seperating the lines.
Next we need to place the bar on the ground correctly.
Here the bar is orientated in the direction you would hold it when flying your kite. You
can tell because there's usuallly a logo on the front of the bar. You will also see bars
that use the convention of having a red mark on the left when flying the kite.
Before we place the bar, it should be flipped over. You should see on the back of the bar,
some kind of warning sign. Or if your bar has a red side, this will now be on the right
hand side. Some people say Red Rigs Right to help remember.
Next we will seperate the lines. Stand with your feet blocking the steering
lines from the centre lines, Pick the steeering lines up, one in each hand.
Now take one centre line in each hand as well. Your legs are blocking the steering lines,
and your hands are seperating the centre lines. So as you walk upwind, this will remove any
tangles. When you reach the end, spread the 4 lines
out, in order, with plenty of space between each.
On your kite there should be 4 connection points. 2 on the wing tips for the steering
lines. 2 on the inside for the centre lines. You should check that any bridle systems are
not tangled.
Now we have our 4 lines and 4 connection points ready, we can begin connecting.
On one side you should find a loop. On the opposite side, you should find one or more
knots. We will explain the function of the different knots in another section.
To connect, we start with the loop. Take the line immediately before the loop, and push
it through the hole. This makes a self tightening noose, known as a lark's head.
Pass the lark's head over the second knot. Slide the lark's head shut. Now pull tightly
to make sure the lark's head stays in position. The harder you pull the tighter the lark's
head should hold.
Now we connect all of the line. Try to be systematic to avoid mistake. Here we go from
right to left, connecting all lines.
Now the set up is complete. Everything should be laid out as shown here. It is worth checking
over your setup to make sure there are no mistakes.
If your centre lines crossed over, it is usually not a problem, as most kites a swivel on the
centre lines.
You should, however, make sure that your steering lines are not crossed. Go back to the bar
and lift up each steering line. You should not see any other lines or objects hanging
from them.
You might not always have enough room to put your lines directly downwind. You can put
your lines at an angle, as long as the bar ends up some distance downwind of the kite.
The reason we strongly recommend beginners to start with the bar downwind is that the
kite will start upwind of you.
If your kite is upwind it cannot fly or generate power.
To launch, you walk upwind, which gradually moves the kite into the power, until it is
ready to fly.
Whereas if you start with the bar upwind, the kite is aready near the high power zone.
Good luck with you kite lessons.
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