C-kites and slack time

[adamrod]

So, this is a question to all the (wanna be) kite designers out there.

Why do almost all the hardcore freestyle guys ride C kites? I used to think it was a force of habit. They learned on those kites and stuck with them because that's what they are used to.

All the C-kite guys claim that c-kites are best for creating slack in the lines after popping in order to pass the bar. However, it seems to me that once you unhook, the depower benefits of a hybrid/bow/sle disappear and all kites are pretty much the same.

Clearly I'm missing something here, so, if you could, please tell me from an aerodynamic point of view, WHY c kites allow you to create more slack in the lines for handlepasses?

I'll likely be switching to a more C-style kite this spring (hifi comps...assuming I like them), but I'd like to know why this kite will make passes easier, and not have it all be in my head. (especially given that I'll be giving up a lot of things if I switch from the havoc....depower, 4 line simplicity, easier relaunch)

[windhorny]

cant you just be happy that you are doing them?

[adamrod]

no yuri...I'm never satisfied. plus, i want to know if the hype is true. :)

[windhorny]

i think it's stil mainly because the C kites produce smoother power in the loops. but i am not an aerodynamastaticticisioner.

[adamrod]

yeah, my question doesn't involve loops...i'm saying, if I unhook, edge and pop. "the c-kite crowd" will claim that the lines will slack more so than if I did exactly the same on a blow/sle kite. i want to know WHY.

[ramsey]

Don't believe the hype. kiter not the kite.

[knyfe]

Don't believe the hype. kiter not the kite.

that's accurately my line of argument and thats why I got stuck with my old Cs.

Funny to see the same arguments running against each other.
G

Well I have one exception, the waves - and I am a crappy wave rider.

[S I LOCAL]

I think line placement, shape, and the fact that C's are as aerodynamic as a brick make them slower to recover after loading and pop. Dangles excluded. Still riding C's after a decade! :)

[adamrod]

ha ha, ok, i've never heard the "bad aerodynamics = good freestyle" argument, but it does make sense sortof. Perhaps, because the C is a less solid shape and not supported by bridles, after you load and pop, it jellyfishes a bit and takes longer to regain good flow over the airfoil?

I'd really love to hear from a designer, so if any of you knows one, or is one, let me know!

I'm like Ramsey, I tend to not believe the hype, but I will believe it if I can be convinced by a good physics lesson.

[windhorny]

to be like ramsey you have to really like sandwhiches.....


do you like sandwhiches adam?