Understanding all the different types of power kite, can give you a headache.
As a result many people do wind up using the wrong type of kite for their style of kiting.
To help you avoid this, I’m going to explain the fundamentals of some different kite shapes,
and I’m going to look at what choices you could make when you get started in the sport.
The primary difference between kite shapes is the arc of the kite.
You can get kites that are very arced along the leading edge, and have large amounts of
canopy down the sides, near the wing tips.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, you get kites that are flatter along the leading edge.
With minimal canopy down the sides, and the majority of the canopy facing back towards
the rider.
Arced kites are generally called C shaped.
And less arced kites, can be described as flat.
The flatter a kite, the more it needs a bridle.
The bridle holds the wing in its flattened shape.
Without the bridle the kite would start to bulge out in the middle from the force of
the wind.
As well as holding the kite’s shape, a bridle hinges the leading edge.
This allows the kite to pivot and quickly change angle just by moving the bar.
Both flat and C shaped kites can make use of a bridle in this way.
A pure C kite, however, doesn’t need a bridle to provide structure.
It can fly with 2 center lines and 2 steering lines connected on the corners.
So what are the practical differences between flat and C-shaped kites?
We can learn a lot by looking at the forces when you move the bar in and out.
With a flat kite, when you pull in the bar the kite angles away from you.
Because the kite is so flat, the forces across the wing, act away from the rider.
This generates lots of extra pull, simply by pulling in the bar.
Conversely, when you push the bar out, the kite pivots and aligns with the wind.
The aerodynamic forces are hugely reduced, simply by pushing the bar away.
The original C kites were a very different beast.
As you move the bar in or out, it’s only a smaller central section that angles towards
you or away from you.
You get less power from pulling in the bar, and you get less depower by pushing out the
bar.
Basically, a good flat kite gives you far more control over it’s force.
So, you get more depower, more safety, much more wind range.
This also means that flat kites are easier to jump with and provide longer hang-time..
The extra rider facing canopy provides lift at the edge of the window.
A flat kite feels a bit like a glider to jump with.
Whereas a C kite rips you up as it crosses the window, but then it drops you as the kite
reaches low power.
But having large side sections on a kite does have a purpose.
The lateral forces give the kite lateral stability.
Basically, side panels stop a kite from dropping to the side.
Even if all the lines go slack, a good C style kite should drift back into place happily.
So there are huge differences between flat kites and C kites.
It is worth noting that in practice most kites sold are not at the extremes of the C flat
spectrum.
If you built a kite that was completely flat it would be very hard to keep in the air.
Equally, the basic C kite with 4 simple connections is not common either, due to the limited power
control and wind range.
Another important characteristic of a kite is it’s aspect ratio.
Simply put, aspect ratio is a measure of how skinny or stubby a wing is.
High aspect means long and skinny.
Low aspect means short and stubby.
Stubby, low aspect, wings are very easy to rotate.
A compact shape is easier to spin.
Therefore a good low aspect kite should be able to turn on the spot, which also means
it relaunches easily.
A long, skinny kite takes more effort to turn.
We can learn a lot more about the differences between low- and high-aspect-ratio, by looking
at the pull of these kites.
At low angles of attack, the high aspect wing increases pull sharply.
Whereas, the low aspect kite, increases pull a bit more smoothly.
This means high aspect kites can deliver a bit more performance, and more power close
to the edge of the window.
That means they can help you power upwind, and they also glide further after jumps.
In light wind, however, it’s much easier for a high aspect ratio kite to reach the
back stalling point.
With the low aspect ratio kite you have to reach a much higher angle of attack before
you loose power and backstall.
This smoother change in pull and stall resistance makes low aspect kites very forgiving.
During gusts for example, a low aspect kite behaves itself, while the high aspect kite
feels like it’s kicking you in the back.
In summary:
A good low aspect kite should be user friendly – fast turning, fast relaunching and extremely
stable.
A good high aspect kite offers more performance, less drag and more power across the window.
So, kites have different aspect ratios.
And they also have different arcs.
Within this space you find a selection of different kites for different purposes.
If you’re a typical beginner, having just finished lessons, you want a kite that’s
slightly on the flatter side.
This gives great power control at the bar, and plenty of stability.
You also want about a medium aspect ratio.
Since, as a beginner, you want the ease of use and relaunch from low aspect ratio, but
equally you need the upwind performance of high aspect ratio.
If the feeling of flight is your main reason for learning to kite, then you CAN go a bit
higher aspect ratio, and a bit flatter.
This rebel gives more performance and power control, making it a flying machine.
Although it might not feel as easy to use as an evo at first.
But because it has enormous depower, it’s still a sensible type of kite for new kiters
who aim to fly one day.
What would be a bad choice for beginners, however, is to go for a fully arced C kite.
The Vegas C kite is not built for depower or beginners.
On top of that, the Vegas also has a high aspect ratio giving it a bit more brutality.
It’s designed for serious or competitive kiters – who want scary kite loops or fully
powered unhooking.
If you’re new to kiting, but you definitely plan to get into unhooking, then there is
a more user friendly C style kite.
Being a little flatter, and having a bridle for pivot, means the dice gives more power
control and more range.
But it still has the drifting, slacking and unhooking ability of a C kite.
Surprisingly, one of the most forgiving kites is actually quite arced.
The Neo’s chunky corners help it drift while depowered.
These chunky corners combined with a lower aspect ratio means it turns on the spot and
relaunches easily.
Probably the closest thing to a fool proof kite that I’ve ever found.
It’s really hard to make mistakes with it or stall it.
And the bridle pivots the whole kite so rapidly it’s actually a safe option for a first
kite, for someone who mainly wants to use a directional board.
When looking for a kite there are a few common terms that you’re going to hear a lot.
You’ve probably guessed that a kite that sits in the middle of all this is known as
a hybrid.
This hybrid zone is very popular, because many kiters enjoy mixing up their styles of
kiting.
They don’t want to do the same thing every day.
Another term you’ll hear a lot is bow shaped or bow kite.
This is generally used to describe a kite on the flatter side of the spectrum.
However, bow-shape actually means a kite that has a concave trailing edge, that starts to
look a bit like a bow.
As it happens many super flat kites do have swept back wingtips for leverage, so the terms
flat and bow are linked.
But you can get very flat kites that are not bow shaped at all.
So the term bow is not always that informative.
This term delta is generally used to describe a hybrid kite.
Delta kite, however, simply means the canopy is roughly triangular from the rider’s perspective.
It looks vaguely like a greek letter Delta, or a Delta-wing aircraft.
The concept was to start with a C kite, for the lateral stability of the side panels.
But then enlarge the central canopy, since this part gives power control at the bar.
The result is a hybrid of kite properties.
But you can extend the central canopy on a flat kite, or you can extend the central canopy
on a C kite, which means you can get delta shaped canopies that are completely different
from each other, which is why the term delta is sometimes misleading.
I hope this video helps you find your ideal kite, and helps you avoid the wrong one.
I wish this information had been around when I started kiting because I definitely used
the wrong type of kite for my first few seasons at least.
If you have any questions about kite shapes that I haven’t answered feel free to drop
them in the comments below.
Thanks for watching and safe kiting to all of you.