Different Bar Widths - Explained

[ap888]

This thread is It’s all personal preference tiny bar-small bar- big bar Let’s go kiting and all get along and enjoy life

[Matteo V]

I am surprised only differential in bar pull on one rear line is compared for different bars. When turning the bar powers one side and de-powers the other. Both are important.

For a kite not turning:
1. Sheet out fully = depowered

2. Sheet in to the point on bar throw for maximum possible power = fully powered, ideal AOA for greatest power

3. Sheet in more than #2, and you lose power as the airflow becomes unattached to the upper surface = stall

For a kite turning:
All depower kites have a partially stable center section resistant to warping due to the center lines not changing length. High Y vs low Y can change the suseptabity of the center section of the canopy to warp when the bar is turned. But the entire canopy still exhibits some warp when the bar is turned. This warping not only induces stall on one side of the kite (at low enough wind speed, or high enough AOA/turn rate), but also produces a "sideways" attached flow due to the warp of the canopy. Thus the foil section, with respect to the line of air flow, changes too when the canopy warps.

1. When neither side of a turning bar is pulled far enough to induce stall, the entire kite continues to fly forward in the turn

2. When only one side of a turning bar is pulled far enough to induce stall on that side of the kite, the stalled side stops (or moves forward slower) compared to the side of the kite with more attached flow

3. When both sides of the kite are stalled by both sides of a turned bar being below the stall point, the kite will "pinwheel" almost in place, but will fall slowly back in the wind window while spinning

For the fastest redirect and/or positioning of a kite in all wind speeds, access to all 3 turning methods is essential. However, it is easier for an "average" kiter to only worry about one method - especially if that kiter only has had experience with inflatables.