alex85 wrote:E^Ri wrote: So what gives a kite power? It's the apparent wind flowing across the canopy. So when you load a c kite, just like a two line kite, it shoots forward in the wind window. Most of you think that kills the power, but again, power is based on apparent wind speed not necessarily position in the wind window.
Don't you think that the apparent wind flowing across the canopy depends only by the position in the wind window and viceversa?
sort of. when I teach I try to explain that the "power zones" are more like "acceleration zones." The deeper into the window you fly the kite the more it is able to accelerate, thus generating more power. Just think of when a kite is back stalling, it can be in the center of the window but still have no power.
The angle at which the wind is hitting the canopy does depend a little bit on placement in the window, and that will alter how much of the canopy is being engaged. I think I have herd this reffered to as "angle of attack" on this forum. However our ability to trim the kite and sheet in and out can offset this. And again as far as actual pull power, consider the blast of pull you get when the kite is sitting deep in the window and you sheet out a little bit. Even though you sheeted out and the kite moved closer to neutral, you somehow got more pull (momentarily, as the kite then reaches the edge of the window and slows down again only with less angle of attack). When we are throwing a trick it doesn't matter that the kite looses power after the initial burst because we are in the air already and we want slack anyways.
Xerox wrote:I definetely agree with Sam about the unhooked-feeling of Cs and bows.
If you unhook while riding a C, you will nearly have the same amount of power hooked in or unhooked.
It's really easy to get a good pop and slack.
Bow or bridled kites get a energy boost, when you unhook. I often get the feeling of my arms being ripped off on bridled kites.
So now when we talk about the bridle kite's energy boost it has to do with the kite's inability to jump forward while unhooked. It's not that the kite starts to pull harder, it just slows down, sinking farther back in the wind window, making it really hard to hold the same line. Imagine that the kite is a boat and you are edging out as hard as you can aiming at a point. If the boat turns away, even slightly, then it will be much harder to continue riding toward your point. Even though the boat did not speed up. So on a bridle kite, when it starts to pull your arms off all you need to do is let off your edge a little and change your line more down wind before you pop to keep the power the same. Unfortunately as you do this the kite just keeps stalling.
john a wrote:@xsporthk: you can learn raily to blind on any kite - fairly easy trick, easiest surfacepass
@E^Ri: A good explanation. I just read - "c´s don´t mean shit" on the first post heheh
So if you are right would you explain the felt difference in a C vs bow for a lot of riders as C makes the right timing and power in the pop easier and therefore feels like more slack? For the normal mortal
So coming back to my statement that kite design doesn't mean shit. I meant that there are techniques you can use to make any kite do what you want. The reason C kites seem easier to get timing and pop (there fore slack) is because, as Sam said, they continue to fly forward with the same speed and angle of attack when you unhook. There fore you can hold the same line without feeling added tension. Also, when you pop it moves forward, placing the kite closer to your line of trajectory in the air, giving more slack.
However, the same amount of pop and slack can be achieved on a bridle kite. The key is to load and pop as soon as you unhook, so the kite doesn't have time to fall back as much. Your pop also has to be much harder to gain acceleration towards the kite as it will not move forward closer to your line of trajectory, so it takes a lot more core strength. You can trim your bridle kite so that it shoots forward better, but then it is depowered a bit, so you need to ride a bigger kite to get the same burst of power.