High wind woes

[mystainedskin]

So as I progress in this journey... I find myself struggling for control in higher winds, regardless of the type and size of the sail. Granted my footwork is not the best. I also tend to break the cardinal rule of trailing edge flutter....always have headphones on and never really noticed until recently. Working on that now

What do you do?

I run a lot of brake already... I was possibly considering a different size handle, but figured I would get some feedback on the methods used before jumping to my first thought of a remedy.

[SHBKF]

I just recently found out that flutter was something I needed to work on. My gusty conditions probably make it unavoidable for me at my level of skill. I have smoothed out some. Until I get to fly in some real ideal wind I will continue to expect some from time to time. I got to fly with a skilled Rev pilot for the first time two weeks ago & he obviously had no problems but did complain about a bit of flutter flying the SB 2-4 in strong gusts as he was dragged down wind a bit. He showed me how to move down on the grips & smooth things out. One thing that's certain is that I am about to get some great advice as KiteLife comments below. "Thanks, I really needed that."

[West Australian]

I find that just being a bit smoother on the controls reduces the flutter.

Let the kite take your inputs in while maintaining sail pressure

[Wayne Dowler]

One of the things we encounter is that we use way more input than what is needed! My indoor time has really shown me how to wait at times and let the kite work before giving it any more commands!

Learn to slow down and let the kite breathe, while you do too!

[West Australian]

Wise Words there Wayne

[SparkieRob]

I used to have a huge amount if this but only with my SUL. I found that I didn't have enough brake and I was trying to "overdrive" the kite. Now I use a combination of moderate amount of drive and whump the sail. "5 miles per hour" as John puts it. I find that my lines are a bit straighter as a result too.

[quaa714]

Loosen up on your handles and let them sit more in the fingers than the palms of your hands. Then use your fingertips for your control inputs........and by all means, remember to breathe!

[bbailey49]

I've found, as I've gotten some experience, that I can feel the flutter in my fingers, rather than having to hear it. I think I've moved toward the grip described by quaa714. You can't "feel" with your palms, you have to use your fingertips.

[Wayne Dowler]

Agreed on the "grip" idea!! Again, I'll use indoor to explain! There's a saying- "if you aren't losing a handle now and then, well, you're holding them too firmly"!! Maintain a light grip pressure, you're not choking them out!!

My handle foam fits right in the crook formed by my fingers, I don't hold them in my palms anymore!! It's become more of a finger control over a hand control! More finesse!

[mystainedskin]

I do have a pretty loose grip at times and have video proof of dropping the handles....lol. The flutter comes fro me just over roataing the handle. I have felt it...but with music pumping never really noticed how bad. It's a concious thing now...just jave to make the effort. My forefinger rides on or semi on the handle foam in strong wind situations. I may try some more brake ny moving my bottoms in a bit...tops are "way out " now. I am a rookie and learning is good. Control on the "buttah" zone is good for me ....just struggle in the stronger stuff.... Thanks for all the help...keep it coming.

[Paul LaMasters]

Some secrets of control to investigate,.... MORE down tuning for very high wind. You don't need any energy to fly, the darn thing zooms away almost instantly, all by itself. So take all the forward thrust away. Instead of preaching about "get the sail square to the wind" (low wind), you actually want the sail angled away, so far that the air pressure almost always bleeds off of the leading edge, unless you consciously move your hands and feet to make it go forward.

Another thing you can do is wrap some mylar ribbon thru/into your bridle legs (to disrupt that too smooth excessive airflow). Turbulence, drag, bleeding off angles, thicker lines (try 140 or 150#), longer line sets (drag a set of 150' lines and see how that impacts your flight!), go to a heavier frame, even "wetting" the sail with water (Lam's trick) to add weight (this works only with nylon sail construction).

Go to shorter handles, no shorter than you'd normally use. With the french bridle, I'd remove the 2 "restrictor legs" so the frame/bridle wiggle/slop relationship is back.

Flying in high wind is just like anything else, with more experience you'll have the right tools and experience to make it enjoyable. Nobody will be watching you, but you're still in the zone.

Totally out-of-control wind? (when the porta-poties blow over & the coast guard won't leave harbor)

Time for a stack of mini-revs!

[mystainedskin]

Thanks for all the suggestions..I originally was thinking of a smaller handle to reduce my inputs in the strong stuff. I have taken the advice and backed my grip down my regular sized everyday handles. This helped a good bit, but will take some getting used too...not a real comfortable position for me. I think next try... I will set up 2 sets of lines and handles for immediate swap and side by side comparison. I tried multiple sized handles in the beginning when my skills were not as good as now..but it was just more stuff to carry on everyday sessions and more stuff to try and get used to.... maybe it is just time to try it again As far as hand position...this is constantly changing for me...I started paying attention with these issues. I have heard it described here before...depending on desired movement ...the handle grip goes up and down in the arches of my fingers , to sometimes a full grip with thumbs up top.

[Paul LaMasters]

Comfort is the most important thing, grip where you want to, delicate and wiggly, or firmly grasped,.... Only your preferences matter! We all know folks with excellent control, who each get there a different route, thumbs on top, no thumbs at all, long or short throws. Some set-ups feel great and some squirrelly, doesn't mean a thing. Do what feels right, as long as eventually you own your hover also.