Well, since i have no wind\only light wind season & im kinda stuck on Boracay... and sinca iu cant anyhow progress on AirStyle (which i start to do on Feb 2013)...
So all i can do is to work & to read "theory" about kites (+sometimes test some huge demo kites here rarely).
A lot of people discuss WHICH kite(s) is good or bad for AirStyle.
But ive decide to try to understand the laws, aerodinamic facts & "gliding logic" behind those talks.
Because (mostly) kites arent good or bad for AirStyle because of their weight\manufacturer\color\lines material. I believe that the grounbase here is the kite shape.
Sorry if its will sounds too "newbish" for some people here, but (at least for me its was a new small step in the global understanding of kiting: The "Aspect Ratio" of the kites and the "High\Low Aspect".
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But, im not as good writes as some people, so i just Copy&Past the ariginal article about those things. The original text is here: http://www.4kiteboarding.com/unasratosepr.html
And i really like hos "short" but very informative the guys wrote down everything there. After reading of that text i did finnaly "summarize" everything in my own hed.... everything that ive testes, tryed, FEELed on my kites & demo kites before (because some of them was High Aspect kites... and Some of them was "LA" (Low Aspect).
So, i hope someone will find its interesting to read. Now i have more or less clear idea whyu Zephyr, Dyno & Turbine is good for AirStyle. No i can drop the facts other than just "they are big, slow & that is what makes them good".
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Aspect ratio refers to the lift vs. drag of the kite. It is a measurement of the wingspan of the kite compared to the chord line(leading edge to trailing edge). Think of a moderate aspect ratio kite as slightly oval shaped and then a high aspect ratio kite a bit more rectangular in shape.
The trend has been to increase the aspect ratios of every kite offered across the board. Only a few years ago, we were flying 3.5 aspect ratio kites, where now we have 5.0 and higher aspect ratio kites!
In reality there are pros and cons to both high and low aspect ratio kites.
PROS for moderate aspect ratio kiteboarding kites:
The kite will not fly as far into the wind so the effective "edge of the window" is more in front of you. This creates a VERY steady constant pull from the kite and is often defined as "stable" What "stable" really means is the kite sits on the edge of the window without a tendancy to overfly the wind window, it is very predictable and can be managed easiest by a beginner.
Also, this makes it much easier to water relaunch from the water.
Also, it has more power in lighter winds for its size since it flys more downwind of the pilot.
More affordable.
Cons of a moderate aspect ratio kiteboarding kite:
The kiteboarding kite can produce more pressure on the bar, which is usually good for heavier stronger riders as they prefer the constant feedback. Lighter pilots without the weight have to work harder with this kite and can be fatigued easier without the weight for a ballast.
Jumps tend to pull you downwind rather than upward higher loftier jumps. The kite will provide more of a yank downwind rather than a upward lift straight up.
PROS of a high aspect ratio kiteboarding kite:
A high aspect ratio kiteboarding kite will fly far into the wind so the effective "edge of the window" is further upwind. This makes it easier to drive yourself upwind without having to edge so much with the board, typically this is more desirable with lighter pilots who have to work harder to edge the board..
It can also produce higher jumps as the kite is further upwind when you send it. It can also provide longer loft time during a jump.
Also, this makes the kite have lighter bar pressure.
Also, it slightly more manageable on the upper limit of its wind range than the Element as you can send the kite further upwind and thus reducing the kites power.
Cons of a high aspect ratio kiteboarding kite:
A high aspect ratio kiteboarding kite has less feedback(bar pressure), which is usually good for heavier stronger riders as they prefer the constant feedback. Because the kiteboarding kite can fly so far upwind it can create a varying amount of power, as you receive power from the kite, you edge the board more, thus forcing the kite further upwind, thus reducing the power of the kite and losing power, you then begin to sink on your board and have to move the kite up and down to create more power. This varying amount of power is what I refer to as "micro managing" the kite. Simply put, you will "fly" a higher aspect ratio kite more that a moderate aspect ratio kite that likes to just be "parked".
Harder to water relaunch.
More expensive.
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Imba