Next up is angle of attack (abbreviated AoA) - which is the angle the kite makes to the apparent wind.
A simple example is a stationary rider, stood on the beach with the kite flying above him at the zenith. As mentioned before, in this circumstance the apparent wind equals the true wind. If the rider sheets out the bar so that the rear lines are slack, the angle of attack will be close to zero, and the lift generated by the kite will be low.
If the rider sheets the bar in, the rear lines will gain tension, increasing the angle of attack which in turn increases the lift generated by the kite.
As the lines are further shortened, the force will continue to increase up until a point where the kite will stall, or even backstall, where the kite will fall back into the window.
In light winds its quite common that a kite may backstall in a lull, this causes a vicious circle where the kite falls back into the window, increasing the angle of attack further, which further reduces the force generated by the kite. If the rider is quick enough, they can sheet the bar out, hence reducing AoA which will increase lift and allow the kite to recover.
adjustments of AoA needed to account for apparent wind
- sheeting out at high speeds, going upwind
- high jumps
- kiteloops / downloops(uploops)
A simple example is a stationary rider, stood on the beach with the kite flying above him at the zenith. As mentioned before, in this circumstance the apparent wind equals the true wind. If the rider sheets out the bar so that the rear lines are slack, the angle of attack will be close to zero, and the lift generated by the kite will be low.
If the rider sheets the bar in, the rear lines will gain tension, increasing the angle of attack which in turn increases the lift generated by the kite.
As the lines are further shortened, the force will continue to increase up until a point where the kite will stall, or even backstall, where the kite will fall back into the window.
In light winds its quite common that a kite may backstall in a lull, this causes a vicious circle where the kite falls back into the window, increasing the angle of attack further, which further reduces the force generated by the kite. If the rider is quick enough, they can sheet the bar out, hence reducing AoA which will increase lift and allow the kite to recover.
adjustments of AoA needed to account for apparent wind
- sheeting out at high speeds, going upwind
- high jumps
- kiteloops / downloops(uploops)
