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360 lesson by Cramayailes

The basic figure of the indoor school: flying in circles while walking back, the kite upright. The video shows how to use walking speed, compensation and tilt to manage altitude.

From the series 360. Transcript and translation by QuadKites.org.

360 lesson by Cramayailes

Key takeaways from this video

  • To climb without touching compensation or brake, just move back faster; slowing down brings the kite back down.
  • At a constant backward speed, adding more compensation also makes the kite climb.
  • If the backward speed is too close to the stall, compensation is no longer enough: tilting the kite slanted increases lift and lets you climb with very little backward movement.
  • Practice both rotation directions to memorize the movement in your muscles.

Transcript

  1. Taking off into a 360 from a support

    0:00

    So we are going to start a 360. For the takeoff, we rest the kite on the ground, here against a table, but it could be a wall.

    We step back to tighten the lines. I check that the handles are not turned around and that there is no twist.

    A few steps back, a push to take off, rotation. The kite goes to the left and the kiter must move back thinking of going to the right.

  2. Keeping the leading edge vertical

    0:54

    Slight brake adjustments keep the kite flying with the leading edge nicely vertical.

    Practice playing with the brakes to really feel this balance.

  3. The slanted 360: more lift, less backward movement

    1:12

    Slanted flight maximizes lift and limits the backward movement needed. It is the revo’s natural position when you start trying to fly a 360.

  4. Practicing both rotation directions

    1:24

    You have to practice both rotation directions, to learn the movement well and memorize the position of the arms in your muscles.

  5. The balance between backward speed, compensation and brake

    1:53

    A 360 is a balance between backward speed, compensation and the amount of brake.

  6. Aiming at an imaginary reference

    2:11

    Keep the kite on a straight trajectory as much as possible, by fixing the Revolution logo and making an effort to keep it on an imaginary target, straight in front of your eyes.

  7. Climbing by moving back faster

    2:43

    We are going to practice making the kite climb by breaking the balance, simply by increasing the backward speed. We will not change the compensation or the amount of brake, only move back faster.

    Here we reach a balance with a constant speed. We just accelerate, and the kite climbs automatically. We slow down, the kite comes down.

  8. Climbing with compensation

    3:43

    You can also increase the kite’s altitude by playing with compensation. So, still moving back at the same speed, giving more compensation, the kite should climb.

  9. Climbing by tilting the kite slanted

    4:13

    If the backward speed is really too low, too close to the stall speed, increasing compensation is not enough. To increase lift, you can then tilt the kite slanted, leading edge slanted. By increasing lift, you are thus able to make the kite climb with a very low backward speed.

  10. The three techniques to master

    5:00

    These three techniques for making the kite climb — increasing backward speed, compensation, increasing lift by putting the kite slanted — must be mastered to secure the 360 flight and to be able to keep it up for long periods.

Keep going

In the series 360: the basic figure of the Revolution Indoor

  1. 360 lesson — you are here

Elsewhere on the site

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