pmania wrote: ↑Thu Jan 17, 2019 4:30 am
What does a kite need to have to handle gusts really well ? A big/large wind window, so a good low end and high end and those two as far apart as possible ? Or is there more ?
Two main types of "gusts":
1. increase in wind speed with consistent horizontal and vertical direction of wind - Pretty much any modern kites will be controllable in these conditions.
2. increase in power in the kite due to change in window position (without moving) caused by a change in the horizontal or vertical direction of the wind - If the kite is directly above you at 12oclock, and you experience an updraft, the kite suddenly is in a deeper position in the window. As that updraft subsides, or turns into a down draft, the kite suddenly has overflown the new window. Horizontal changes in wind direction are effectively the same if the kite is on the side of the window.
For #2, kites with a tendency to "self-sheet-in" slacking steering lines (tips are swept back and seem to be heavier than leading edge), almost auto adjust to a certain degree of downdraft and self stabilize when overflown. In sudden updrafts, a kite that has good depower, but does not come to far forward in the window when sheeted out, will stay up and recover more quickly since it does not overfly to a point of no return in the wind window. A kite with poor stability (but likely many superior and more advanced capabilities) will "Hindenburg" without just the right inputs from the kiter.
Inland winds are typically "turbulent" with vortices of different shapes, sizes, and horizontal/vertical orientations. So don't think "gust"! Think more along the lines of change in wind direction hitting the kite.