Forums > Kitesurfing General

Airflow explained...

Reply
Created by shi thouse > 9 months ago, 19 May 2018
shi thouse
WA, 1145 posts
19 May 2018 5:19PM
Thumbs Up

Good visual on how a kite behaves in the air when pulling the bar and releasing.

P.S. Just skip the last minute




Ozone Kites Aus
NSW, 884 posts
Site Sponsor
20 May 2018 8:29AM
Thumbs Up

Good visual explanation, except that the range of AOA adjustment is exaggerated, there are no (Kitesurfing) kites I know of that have that range of adjustment.
Clicked the link, crikey 97Euro for the online course!!! Bit exxy

SaveTheWhales
WA, 1877 posts
20 May 2018 6:04PM
Thumbs Up

That blackstuff on the backstall is when your unconscious from a stalled Megaloop

VRBones
130 posts
20 May 2018 8:13PM
Thumbs Up

Select to expand quote
Ozone Kites Aus said..
Good visual explanation, except that the range of AOA adjustment is exaggerated, there are no (Kitesurfing) kites I know of that have that range of adjustment.



The airflow looks really slow in the video (~1 knot), possibly just to highlight the transition phases. As the windspeed increases, it takes less angle of attack to start separation and cause a stall (generally ~20deg).
It's also worth noting that because the angle of attack is relative to the apparent wind, and that the kite can only swing around in a hemisphere, there are some extreme AoA angles that can be generated in certain circumstances. Imagine a kite directly downwind, but stationary. The wind would be blowing directly underneath the canopy and your AoA would be close to 90 degrees. Even if you let the bar out all the way, your AoA will still be ~70, far beyond the stall angle. Once backstalling starts on a calm day the kite can easily get deep into the wind window where the problem gets worse and worse. The solution is still the same though, let the bar out to attempt to get the kite flying properly. If the bar throw isn't enough, grab the centre lines and pull them toward you to get a bit more AoA reduction.

Ozone Kites Aus
NSW, 884 posts
Site Sponsor
21 May 2018 11:32AM
Thumbs Up

Select to expand quote
VRBones said..

Ozone Kites Aus said..
Good visual explanation, except that the range of AOA adjustment is exaggerated, there are no (Kitesurfing) kites I know of that have that range of adjustment.




The airflow looks really slow in the video (~1 knot), possibly just to highlight the transition phases. As the windspeed increases, it takes less angle of attack to start separation and cause a stall (generally ~20deg).
It's also worth noting that because the angle of attack is relative to the apparent wind, and that the kite can only swing around in a hemisphere, there are some extreme AoA angles that can be generated in certain circumstances. Imagine a kite directly downwind, but stationary. The wind would be blowing directly underneath the canopy and your AoA would be close to 90 degrees. Even if you let the bar out all the way, your AoA will still be ~70, far beyond the stall angle. Once backstalling starts on a calm day the kite can easily get deep into the wind window where the problem gets worse and worse. The solution is still the same though, let the bar out to attempt to get the kite flying properly. If the bar throw isn't enough, grab the centre lines and pull them toward you to get a bit more AoA reduction.


Good point, I had not fully considered all the possibilities especially in relation to apparent wind and crashing, looping, etc.



Subscribe
Reply

Forums > Kitesurfing General


"Airflow explained..." started by shi thouse