Basic hovers by KiteLife

Transcript

1. ›

   Principle

   0:00

   In this tutorial, I'm going to talk about the basic hover positions: first facing up, then facing right and facing left, then the diagonals facing upper left, upper right, lower right and lower left. The principle behind every hover is that to maintain altitude, you pull the uppermost edge of the kite enough to create lift and hold position. If you don't pull it enough, depending on the wind, the kite drops; if you pull it too much, it rises.

2. ›

   Upright and sideways hovers

   0:37

   Starting with the upright hover: with the kite in the air, I tension my top lines just enough to create the lift I need. The wind is fluctuating, so I sometimes stroke all four lines to fill the sail again — a small technique for variable wind. The key is pulling the leading edge slightly toward me to create lift. Switching to a right-facing hover, my hands transition too: my left hand comes back toward my hip and my other hand moves out toward the kite, so pulling my left hand back pulls the uppermost wing, the left one, toward me. Facing left, it's the reverse: I pull my right hand, the right wing, back.

3. ›

   Forward, reverse and trim

   1:36

   In any hover position, isolate the components. First, the balance between reverse and forward: oscillate slowly between them until you isolate the middle point, so you can control speed and hold position. Within that, you adjust the trim, the angle of the kite: facing sideways, the top hand adjusts it — you can see that wing flapping a little — and so does the bottom hand, and with skill you'll use a combination of both, whether upright, facing left or facing right. In a sideways hover, rising or lowering isn't a matter of forward or reverse but of sliding: relax the top hand and the kite slides down a little; pull it too much and it rises — all while using the turn controls to keep the trim.

4. ›

   Diagonal hovers

   2:59

   The diagonals expand on these positions. Facing the upper right corner, I'm not only pulling my left wing, the highest, but also carefully tensioning both leading edge lines, because those three lines now represent the highest part of the kite. Facing upper left, my right hand is pulled in and I'm still tensioning the top lines. For the diagonals facing slightly down, I recommend first practicing sideways, then making it just a little crooked: here I pull my right hand back, the highest wing, while tensioning the brake lines, which together with that wing are now the highest part of the kite. Facing the lower right corner, I tension the back lines again, with my left hand, the highest wing, pulled back.

5. ›

   Seven positions

   4:12

   That makes seven basic positions. We'll cover the inverted hover in another tutorial, but these seven are absolutely critical for firm control of your kite. Practice them at various positions across the wind window to see how the angle of the wind affects your lift, and how much you need to compensate in your controls.

6. ›

   Notes

   4:44

   The keys to hovering: the hover is created by pulling the uppermost part of the kite toward you, so the wind hits it first and is sent down across the sail toward the ground, creating enough lift to hold altitude. Break it down: balance forward and reverse, then sliding up, down or sideways depending on the position, then experiment with the trim. In higher winds, you won't need to pull the uppermost edge as much because of the extra pressure and lift; in lighter winds, you'll need to pull more, or step backward to create enough pressure to hold altitude.