ok guys i'm gonna rattle your cages for more info....AoA settings and how they affect kite handling/power:

Explain the different adjustments and how they affect the kite.....[i thought i had a general understanding of this till yesterday when i was flying in 10/15 mph winds]

I don't have much experience with fixed bridles, so here is my take for depower:

high angles of attack mean backstalls in low wind, a low AOA is better when riding in lower winds. (If your riding depower, this is why it helps to get the kite to zenith by pulling the middle power lines, it lessens the aoa)

Low aoa means more speed, but less pull. Increasing aoa increases "induced" drag, slowing the kite, but also increases its lift output.

high aoa usually means better turning speed because the kite is closer to a stall than not, and will become less stable (therefore turning more). It also increases turning speed due to tighter tension on the brake lines.

If you are flying in good speeds, but gusty conditions, having a slightly higher angle of attack will prevent more zenith and "edge of the window" stalls.

Thats about all I can think of regarding that....... Im sure others have more

closer knot to the kite = higher kite speed and less lift (sometimes less power)
Furthest knot to the kite = slower kite speed and more lift (sometimes more power)

another way to look at is that most kites prefer lower AoA in lower winds, as said above they will backstall less as well as get off the ground earlier.

as you add wind speed you can add AoA. yes this results in a cumulative effect where the power of the kite can ramp up pretty quick as a result of the added AoA on top of the added windspeed. your turns will be quicker and more powered up on most kites, but your wind window will decrease in size and you kite will go slower through the power with more grunt / lift depending on how high / low it is in the wind window and how it lies on the lift / pull balance.

as you approach the top of your wind speed comfort zone on your kite, you'll want to scrub off the added AoA to lose the lift and pull. in high winds turning speed will no longer be an issue. you'll end up with something fast and possibly a bit twitchy.

if the winds are getting gustier as you add windspeed (more often this happens than not) then sooner or later you'll need to change down a size.

I generally prefer low aoa and rely on the fact that the kite is moving fast to help make turns easier. I know that with my cent, the aoa setting was only off a little. Combined with brakes that were a little tight, it would barely get off the ground and would stall if you looked at it funny. I guess a lot of it would depend on the type of kite. In my case, the original centuries don't have many leading edge vents so the faster it moves the better it flies.

your kite manual will also show you what settings are for what wind conditions as well as how the kite will perform.

the guys above have explained this pretty well what AOA adjustments do.

*i still may be confused, hopefully not...
at first i was backasswards thinking about AoA and low wind.
i thought one should increase kite's AoA to "capture" more of the available wind.
i was proven wrong when, in low wind, i set 7m Blurr's AoA to highest setting and pretty much ended the session until i lowered AoA back down.
it was explained to me that with less AoA, a kite can produce plenty of power because the kite is able to fly faster through the window and therefor has added pull from apparent(self generated) wind.
from that explaination i figure a kite requires higher wind to allow for higher AoA attack in order to counter back stalling and increased drag affects.
i guess that is also the reason why we 'sine', or 'worS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-, the kite when there isn't enough wind for "parS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-n ride" fun.
some 'sine' the kite, in good winds, for even more (apparent) added power.
*i've found with depower kites the kite turns quicker with bar pulled in. i reason the quicker turning is due, more so, to the fact that pulling in the bar takes slack out of the trailing edge lines. i'm not sure how much AoA settings affects turning speed more/less than brake line length.

*it was mentioned to me so I pass it on....not all kites' adjustable AoA bridles are set/adjusted the same.
some raise/lower leading edge (LE) in order to increase/decrease AoA
and some raise/lower trailing edge (TE) in order to increase/decrease AoA.

Quote:

Originally posted by revpaul *i still may be confused, hopefully not... at first i was backasswards thinking about AoA and low wind. i thought one should increase kite's AoA to "capture" more of the available wind. i was proven wrong when, in low wind, i set 7m Blurr's AoA to highest setting and pretty much ended the session until i lowered AoA back down. it was explained to me that with less AoA, a kite can produce plenty of power because the kite is able to fly faster through the window and therefor has added pull from apparent(self generated) wind. from that explaination i figure a kite requires higher wind to allow for higher AoA attack in order to counter back stalling and increased drag affects. i guess that is also the reason why we 'sine', or 'worS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-, the kite when there isn't enough wind for "parS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-n ride" fun. some 'sine' the kite, in good winds, for even more (apparent) added power. *i've found with depower kites the kite turns quicker with bar pulled in. i reason the quicker turning is due, more so, to the fact that pulling in the bar takes slack out of the trailing edge lines. i'm not sure how much AoA settings affects turning speed more/less than brake line length. *it was mentioned to me so I pass it on....not all kites' adjustable AoA bridles are set/adjusted the same. some raise/lower leading edge (LE) in order to increase/decrease AoA and some raise/lower trailing edge (TE) in order to increase/decrease AoA.

some are A and B Lines and some are A and C Lines.