Prism TENSOR - First Flight; The Wind Window

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safe/ideal for flight not safe for flight

Where to Fly

Your choice of ﬂying ﬁeld is the single most important ingredient for success

with your kite, and most troubles come from picking a spot where the wind is

turbulent and gusty from obstacles in its path. Like whitewater in a river, wind

that ﬂows past trees, buildings and hills becomes gusty and choppy and can

make controlling your kite difﬁcult or dangerous.

The best possible place to ﬂy is a beach or ﬁeld with wind blowing from off the

water

(see Fig. 4.a). If you have such a place available, it’s worth the extra travel

time to get there because you’ll learn to ﬂy in literally a fraction of the time. If

you have to ﬂy inland, look for wide open ﬁelds with no trees, buildings, or hills

for at least a half mile upwind.

Remember, ﬂying safely is YOUR responsibility. Never ﬂy your kite in extreme

conditions or winds that are stronger than its rated range. Never ﬂy your kite

near power lines, storms, roads, railways, people or animals. If you have ANY

doubts about the safety of your ﬂying situation, don’t risk it! One slip, or a broken

line, and you or a bystander could be seriously hurt.

The Wind Window

The ﬂight area of the kite is called the Wind Window. The wind window extends

in a semi-circle from the left to the right side of the pilot. In the middle of the

wind window, known as the Power Zone, the kite will ﬂy fastest and generate

the most pull.

As it reaches the edge of the window it will pull less and come to a stop. The

zenith, directly above the pilot at the top of the wind window, is the best place to

“park” the kite when you want to rest your arms and minimize the pull

(see Fig. 4.b).

In a normal launch, the kite is ﬂown from the ground through the middle of the

wind window up to the zenith. This will result in near maximum pull. For this

reason, it is very important prior to launch to check that the lines are attached

correctly, safety systems are in place, and that the appropriate kite is being

ﬂown given the strength of the wind. Make your ﬁrst ﬂights in very light winds

(less than 10 mph/16kph) until you are familiar with the power and handling of

the kite.

Fig. 4.b: Wind Window

landing area

power zone

zenith

Fig. 4.a: Where to Fly

FIRST FlIGHT