How to jump on Sonic? Or any foil?

[kitexpert]

How to jump basics are same, higher line tension results higher jumps. Ability to hold the edge is the most important thing.

Steering inputs for foils should be as strong as possible because their slower reactions. One trick is to sheet in a bit during the final edging to create more tension, then strong turn to upwind and sheeting out fully to help that and to give a possibility to sheet fully in just before getting air.

To keep a foil kite flying it is essential to take most of the pull to the hook of the harness, bar out flying is how to achieve that. If bar isn't sheeted fully out you can't sheet fully in.

In general foil kites need more flying skills to reach full performance, especially race foils are not easy sheet-in-and-go kites like many LEI's.

[downunder]

Cheers guys!

Looks like we have ppl with a different stance on this

The bar has equal lines, that's not the problem. I'm not sure about the huge throw tho, as kitexpert says, the 9m is a small kite which I'll use for HF.

Maybe, just maybe the yellow pulley lines on the kite are wrong length, since replaced who knows when. As I understand they do change length with time. I'll double check this.

From my short experience this Sonic is beautiful to fly. The bar input is decent, it's quite fast since only 9m. Loops faster than Edge 11m v7. Sure, not powered loops and done on the wind edge, still says a lot about the kite speed.

On the TT upwind front I'm a bit puzzled, maybe with a HF it will show its full performance. Again, that might be me choking the kite even with little sheeting.

With sheeting, the kite will go backwards hence the only option is to trim till it stops. I guess it's a constant operation with this and need to adapt.



D.

[Tone]

I have flown foil kites since day one and have a sonic 15 at the moment (had it for 3 years now)

For sure when the kite is above you in 15 knots, you pull the bar in all the way and the kite should hint at backstalling, if it backstalls in 15 knots with the bar in then you need to pull in a tiny bit of depower.

When jumping, for a better glide, I push the bar out about 5-10cm depending on wind strength at the peak of my jump or very near it, this lets the kite fly more and you will stay in the air a lot longer.

OP sounds like your front lines have stretched or it needs a mixer test, both are easy to fix with a few mins of your time and the correct understanding. You have a weapon of a kite which will get you boosting super high when set up right and flown right

[Kamikuza]

Very easy to choke a foil from the bar, gets easier when the kites get smaller. 12m is almost unrideable for me on a TT

With the board, hold your line and flick the tail, don't dig the edge in like an unhooked pop.

As for the kite, let it fly. You don't want to sheet in hard and stall it (especially on a 9) so sheet in gently till you feel bar pressure. Easier to trim the bar until you're not choking it.

Otherwise, jump how you like, send the kite where you like. Just allow the correct amount of time for a redirect, and be aware that sheeting out speeds the kite up (means more pull than an LEI) and on a redirect, you're probably going to get a bit of secondary lift, so be prepared for the "foil float" just before touch down.

Personally, I found the Sonic 2 18 harder to jump than the v1. Got a v2 15m coming (eventually -- dickhead courier service) so that should be interesting too.

[downunder]

Excellent replays guys, thanks!

God, you're riding monsters. That's the problem in Perth, if is on, its fully on....

Cheers

[kitejumping]

If you're taller or have long arms, a trick I used to use with my sonic fr 18 is to increase the throw of the bar, I also keep it so fully pulled in stalls the kite, can be helpful when snowkiting in gusty conditions to be able to stall it a little bit when needed to get it away from the edge of the window so a snownado doesn't collapse it. As everyone has mentioned, keep the bar out, build up a ton of speed, then with the bar still out redirect it above you and really let it accelerate up, when you edge upwind and pop and pull the bar in (you should become very familiar with how far in you can pull it before it stalls flying it normally before jumping), it should rip you into the air. Also, steering with the bar out you may have to exaggerate your steering to get it to really move fast with the bigger sizes. Lightwind It's a constant balance between less power and getting the kite moving fast, then more power as you pull in the bar to get moving (but the kite slows down) until you're moving fast enough to create apparent wind where you can park and ride.

[Kamikuza]

If I don't have to self-land, then 15m in 20 plus is a serious hoot.