I wonder... Kites have evolved so much... Now a question for engineers and kite designers:
What is the tecnical impossibility that prevents LEI kites to Auto-Zenith once you let go of the bar?
It is so much easier to walk on the beach and so much safer in the water...
peter lynn kites autozenith for the same reason single line kites autozenith, gravity pulls at the kite tilting it so it gains lift and autocorrects. I think but am not sure that this is harder to do in LEI kites because the center of gravity is way up in front, thanks to the tube. There should be a way to build a kite that will autocorrect, but really there's not much demand for this feature. So you don't want to sacrifice turning speed, lift or responsiveness just to make a kite autozenith. on a foil you dont really have to sacrifice anything to add autozenith to a kite.
yeah a guy died in nz a few years back with an autozenithing arc. knocked himself out and lofted him. for 2km teabagging him on the ground until the kite got stuck in trees. to be fair he was flying a 15m in 30 knots so. the main stupidity was flying a overpowered kite
that said a more stable at the edge of the window lei would be nice.
My call is that its the huge depower. let the bar out at the aoa adjusts back too much and the kite tilts and falls out of the sky. foils typically have less depower and they will sit at the edge of the wind alot longer without input.
Troll or not I was wandering if there is a tecnical impossibility to make an LEI kite that has a tendency to go up towards 12 o clock, instead of falling from the sky as you let go of the bar.
Companies are trying all sorts of things, even strutless...
In certain tight beaches with sideshore winds, low wind, walking upwind, yes, it is more confortable to walk with the kite at 11 or so for a while.
And here as in every comunity there are lots of nice fellas and a few jackasses.
and its true, it is extremely difficult to fly the kites we have up to 12 oclock area. there is almost no way a person can fly a kite around up there without extreme skill, effort and concentration. if only our kites could be flown more easily up to above our heads. ....... there must be a way.
also interested in kite design attributes. would like to know how kites are made to do "auto zenith" etc. sort of. im not gonna bash any comments regarding that at least.
This guy developed a kite that would auto-stabilise at about 30 degrees so that it and the self-stabilising foil he also developed could kitesurf without a kiter.
I'm sure he could adjust it to make it auto-stabilise overhead - should be easier than what he already did.
Its not an LEI, but I suppose gravity can be used to stabilise an LEI in a similar way - effectively making the bar tend to stay at horizontal should do it..
apart from the question WHY you would want autozenith, may be this dangerous modification could do the trick:
attach lines a little left and a little right from the center of the bar. Then attach the other ends to the side rings of your harness. Some tweeking is needed of course.
As the kite tends to go left, steering input to the right is generated, and vice versa.
Probably this results in a runaway system, but hey.
Any volunteers?