Wind window by KiteLife

Transcript

1. ›

   Shape and power

   0:00

   In this tutorial we're going to talk about the wind window, the space in the sky the kite is actually able to travel through. It's shaped roughly like a half circle: a dome over the top and straight across the bottom. The center is where the most power and pressure occur, so you generally launch directly downwind, and as the kite comes up into that power zone it gets the most drive; flying toward the edges, the top and far sides, it gets less power. The reason is that as the kite flies upward, its angle relative to the pilot changes until the wind passes by in parallel instead of creating pressure in the sail.

2. ›

   Demonstration

   0:49

   Going straight up to the top, notice that I'm well under power and reach a maximum point where I can't go any further. Backing down, the pressure increases where the window has the most power, all the way down. On the left side, it's roughly a curve right along the outside, then turning back toward the center where the power is; same on the right, banking around the outside and back in through the power zone.

3. ›

   Flying in orbit

   1:34

   The key point: the closer you get to the edge, the less power you have. So think of your flying as an orbit around the center: as you go out toward the sides, everything is designed to eventually bring you back through the middle instead of getting stuck on the outside.

4. ›

   Dividing the window

   2:00

   I also encourage pilots to divide the wind window. To start, divide it into four: one vertical center line and one horizontal line through the middle give four distinct areas — upper left, upper right, and the two below — each one a space you can play in before coming back to center. From there you can break it down further, which becomes very useful in team flying: with enough pieces, you can treat the window like a grid and always know where you're going.

5. ›

   Working the edges

   3:00

   Last point: when working the outsides, you may want to use some sail loading or light wind techniques to generate drive and get back into the window. As I go toward the edge, my arms go out, then I draw down to make my turn near the edge; as my power decreases, I let my arms out and draw in to create power, especially going up, drawing in and back toward the middle where the power is. That's a simplified introduction to the wind window.