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| CHOOSING THE FLYING AREA FOR A STUNT KITE |
Now for your first flight!
Requirements:
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An area of at least 50m x 100m (55yds x 110yds) wide, which is reasonably smooth and soft enough to absorb some impact. (Not a car park!) |
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Wind of course is an essential requirement. The ideal wind would be steady and in the moderate range. If the wind is not ideal and you experience problems, do not persist for too long - difficult though it may be, rather wait for the right conditions. Try to stay clear of trees and buildings. The turbulence from a tree/building is 20x the height of the obstacle i.e. a tree 5m (16ft) high means you will have to stand at least 100m (110yds) away from the tree to get "clean" wind. |
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A helper of good disposition as you may require someone to blame if all does not go as planned! |
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A hat and sunglasses are useful if the wind is blowing towards the sun. |
The wind window is that space in which your kite will remain airborne, the window is a half hemisphere in front and above the flier, with a radius equal to the length of your flying line.
With your back to the wind, the area directly down wind from you and just above the ground is where you will get the strongest pull, this is known as the power zone. This is also the best place to launch your kite especially in light wind.
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Hot Tip: In strong wind and with larger kites it may be better to launch towards the edge of the window where the initial power surge will be lessened and you reduce the risk of being dragged across the ground. The space directly to your right and left and extending directly over head in an arc is known as the neutral zone.
There are two factors that affect the size of your wind window. The first and most critical is wind speed, if you are flying in a strong wind the window will expand in comparison to a light wind where the window will shrink. The second will be the length of your lines, the longer your lines the greater your wind window will be. Longer lines also make maneuvers less precise.
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