New Tech Kites

Christian · Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 7:10 pm Post subject: The snap stall

This is where i need help.
can someone explain this one to me please?
I whip one line and then the other and then i give slack.
but no snap stall
thanks

ken · Kite Enthusiast Joined: 17 May 2005 Posts: 21

What does it do??
_________________
ken
www.flkites.com

Christian · Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 9:32 pm Post subject:

hmm, well sometimes it turns a little bit, or just flops around, lol

Dodd · High Flier Joined: 13 May 2005 Posts: 186

Hi Christian.

The first thing I need to know is, are you training with a DVD or just trying this on your own?

The reason i ask, because in the Flight School DVD, the snap stall is pretty well explained, but you need to remember these key element.

The kite must stall, stop.

So how do you do that?

1. Easier to stall in less wind, so try stalling closer to the wind windows edge.
2. Back up in the DVD and practice the Spin stall first, this will help you with your body movement, you need to move in towards the kite to reduce the wind pressure on the sail of the kite.
3. The snap stall is a direct decendent of the punch turn Square, are you practicing precision, are you practicing the Punch Turn square?
4. ONce you know the PTS, the spin stall, and everything that came before the Snap stall lesson, then its time to begin to learn the proper and fairly easy method for the snap stall.

1. Fly a vertical line from one side of the window to the other about 15' up from the ground. Do a couple of passes and really try to feel where the pressure begins to let up as you approach the windows edge.
2. a quick pull on the up wing would normally cause the kite just to turn up but you are going to also add directly after that quick pull, a punch on the lower wing
3. A good tip is to take a step or two towards the kite a second before you begin the hand movements to help ease the pressure on the sail.
4. you have pulled the up wing, pushed the down wing, stepped into the kite, now you must return both hands to the neutral position and time that with the wings of the kite becomming parrallel to the ground, all at the same time.

So if you are not getting the stall and you are doing everything as I wrote here and explain in the video, try this

1. Start closer to the edge of the wind window
2. use more aggressive hand and arm movements
3. use more aggressive body movements
4. go back to Flight School DVD
5. post again, we will all try to help you!

Best wishes
Dodd

Christian · Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 7:44 am Post subject:

Thanks Dodd.
thats what I wanted, was someone to lay it out to me.
I do need to back up in the flight school video, the only tricks i can do at the moment is a turtle, lazy susan, and when im lucky i can, backflip the kite, rotate a half LS and pull it into a fade.Then i just look at it cause i dont know where to go from a fade.
I do however need to go to the more basic tricks. I did try them but after a few failures i usually move on for a while.
I appreciate the instructional here and ill also go to the dvd again.
Gonna get this down yet!
thanks again

ken · Kite Enthusiast Joined: 17 May 2005 Posts: 21

I also found, and maybe it was just me, but when I first learned the snap stall if I adjusted the bridel for low wind conditions, ie forward, the stall came a lot easier. The kite seems to have a lot less oversteer when you make that adjustment. After learning it that way, and going back to the video numerous times, I was then able to pull it off with other bridel adjustments as well. But like I said, it could have just been me.
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ken
www.flkites.com

rocoto · Wind Seeker Joined: 18 May 2005 Posts: 8

Christian,

I am a newbie (not yet two months flying) and learned to do the stall mostly from Dodd's DVD, although his video "Flight School III "Tricks"" was the clincher for me, with Dodd showing the actual hand movements using a stationary kite.

The key for me was to, much as Dodd has already explained, start with the very first technique and to NOT proceed until I had learned and demonstrated that single technique (I fly alone here and there's nobody around to show me how, so my demonstrations are self-tests to myself). It sounds boring and tedious, but the old adage applies "Pay me now, or pay me later", and later is much, much more expensive, including insurmountable frustration.

My request to Dodd: Can you add some "instructional" video clips for us newbies?
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Richard