So I just got back from an amazing kiting session. Winds were 15 gusting to 25 here in Hinckley, Ohio, and I know that is a little strong for my Blaze II, but I take every flying opportunity I can get.
Anyways, I was just wondering as to whether I have my kite set up the right way. I have already adjusted the knots on the power attachment points 5cm above the factory ones, like everyone suggested. As I am flying, the kite is not responding the way a de-power kite should fly. Right now, when I am pulling the bar closest to the harness, it is basically pulling the brakes, and the kite will sink out of the sky. When I let the bar all the way out, I am producing all my power. I recently saw a video on Youtube about a guy who also had a Blaze II with a similar problem. He was calling it a "reverse" de-power kite. I know that this, and my setup is wrong so I'm wondering how to fix it. I have read that all I need to do is increase the lengths of my brake lines so that adjusting the bar will change the angle of attack on the kite and not so much the brake lines. I am also wondering how you stop this kite or activate the brakes if it is setup this way. Right now I am flying static with the Blaze II, and didn't have much of an issue with my current setup of the kite. I spent most of my time today on my rear end sliding around in the snow. When I wanted the most power, I let the bar out a little more, and when the wind got too strong and I got less comfortable, I brought the bar in and the kite practically sank right out of the sky. At the same time, there were a few times where I was lifted right up in the air as I was sitting on the ground when I let the bar out. :wee::wee::wee: This is actually quite impressive as I currently stand at 6'6" and 260 lbs. It was a great session, but I want to know how to setup the kite in a true de-power fashion. If any of you could give any of advice, I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks in advance.

Erik

I had the same question for awhile man. I have the exact same kite (blue though ). After adjusting mine after a few sessions it was flying quite fast. I was told that depower isn't meant for static, if you are flying static it will perform backwards. Depower is meant for when you are moving, and this i have experienced for myself! If you are moving along on your board, or something and pull the bar in it's like TURBO! . It's amazing.

I would also check on your brakes make sure they aren't too loose

Okay, so if i let out my brake lines a little bit it will fix the problem? If I would ride a board with the setup now, pulling the bar in will still pull the brake lines and the kite will sink and fall out of the sky. I guess for now in my static flying the current setup will be fine then. Glad to hear I'm not the only one having this problem. Thanks for the quick response f0rgiv3n

Erik

First off, I've not flown a Blaze II. But the throw length on a bar, the bar length, and the range on a trim strap need to be matched to a kite - having too much throw and trim strap range on a small depower kite may make you go from a luff (front stall at low angle of attack) to a full backstall (kite is braked and even flies backwards) too easily.

Some kites that claim to be depower just aren't really designed for smooth power-depower progression, and especially if married with the wrong bar set-up, may act more bang on/bang off.

That said, sounds like you might try pulling in the trim strap a bit more to prevent the kite from backstalling too quickly. This will likely make it more finicky at the edge of the window, as it will be able to fly at an even lower angle of attack there (fly a bit further forward in the window) and possibly overfly the window more. But it will pull less if 'parked' at the edge of the window.

The thing is, when you 'depower' a kite, and reduce its angle of attack (and usually its camber), the kite speeds up due to reduced drag until it reaches equilibrium. This short-term increase in speed causes a temporary increase in force on the lines (and an increase in power).

The kite will definitely behave differently when you are moving than flying static. Adding your speed to the kite affects the speed and direction of the 'apparent wind' (the wind the kite sees).

krumly