The Wind Window

Your kite flies in a quarter hemisphere of space called the wind window. This window stretches from directly downwind of you and extends out to 90 degrees either side of the wind, and up over your head to vertical. This area is shown in the diagram below:


The length of the flying lines controls the size of this wind window. The longer the lines, greater the area the kite has to fly in and hence the larger the wind window.

Directly downwind of you is the power zone. This is where the kite is moving fastest and creates the most amount of pull on the lines.

The edges of the wind window are the safe areas with minimum power. When the kite gets to the edge, it stops and sits in a stable way with little power. This can be to the sides or directly above you.  This is the area where the kite pulls least on the lines.

Moving across the window the pull of the kite will vary, from little pull at the edge, increasing steadily to maximum pull directly downwind, before easing off towards the other side of the window.  You can anticipate this and control the power of the kite to perform the desired trick, scud or jump. 

Predicting the pull of the kite at various positions in the wind window, and how it moves thought the window is an essential skill for flying Power / Traction Kites.  This skill can be developed by practicing "flying blind", not looking directly at the kite, just flying by feel alone.  The skill becomes particularly useful when you moving on a Board or Buggy as it allows you to look around while moving and foresee any approaching problems.

Wind speeds

Many kite flyers use wind speed in miles per hour as a gauge, however  you can also use the Beaufort scale.  Beaufort 2 to 4 is ideal for learning, when experienced kiters can fly in up to Beaufort 6-7 using smaller kites

Force  Description    Conditions                                           Wind Speed (mph)

0            Calm                       Smoke rises vertically                                                 0

1            Light air                   Smoke drifts                                                             1-3

2            Light breeze             Leaves rustle; vane moved by wind                              4-7

3            Gentle breeze           Leaves in constant motion; light flag extended             8-12

4            Moderate breeze     Raises dust and loose paper; small branches move     13-18

5            Fresh breeze           Small trees sway; crested wavelets on inland water     19-24

6            Strong gale             Large branches in motion; whistling in power lines        25-31

7            Moderate gale        Whole trees in motion                                                 32-38

8            Gale                       Breaks twigs off trees; impedes walking                      39-46

9            Strong gale             Slight structural damage to buildings                            47-54

10          Whole gale             Large branches broken; some trees uprooted               55-63

11          Storm                     Large trees uprooted                                                  64-72

12          Hurricane               Widespread damage occurs                                             73+

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