Kite losing shape turning into a sheet

hi all my kite is airrush wave 12m 2015 with a long bridle.conditions were from 12 to 25knts gusty.what happened was wind picked up suddenly and strong turning my kite to look like a sheet in sky a brought it down on water and it went back to normal shape I then kited again for 10 mins then did it again by then I was over it dropped it reeled it in.it felt fairly well inflated checked it next day for leaks it fine any ideas out why this happened?im not really a kook kiteing for a few years!

I don't know of that model in particular, but I suspect the leading edge is quite narrow compared to other kites?

According to this (I know it's from 2014, but has much changed?) review ...

"With such a narrow leading edge, it's important to pump the kite to the max pressure so the leading edge will hold its shape through turbulent gusts. With lots of pressure,"

kitesurfingmag.com/2014-airush-wave-review/

So I would guess you're not pumping it hard enough.

Do the wing test: Pump as hard as you think possible (read the manual!) and test the wing tip by trying to bend it under your arms. If it bends too easily then it certainly needs more air. The leading edge should be rock solid, and being a thinner bladder, it should take more PSI (maybe over 10 PSI). Again don't quote me here. Check your manual.

Nice. Perfect forum post and responses. Constructive, not abusive. Hard to find these days.

I agree with the guys above. I had the Ozone Sport II kites many years ago (actually still in the shed.) they had reduced diameter leading edge. Had to pump super hard. I have had a slow leak many times in my kites over the years but the one that was affected most was the reduced diameter leading edge kite.

My suggestion is to ensure there is no leak and pump hard.

Yes, here the same problem with a 2014 Airush wave.

We believe a overpressure above the leading edge, when the kite is totally de-powered.

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Adam'KiteRepair said..
definitely a good idea checking over your LE on older kites when planning to pump up super hard. they go bang easy if there are any defects.

It's basic physics really. PSI stands for Pounds per Square Inch. The narrower the bladder, the more pressure it needs to hold its shape. Think of road bike tyres that can take 120psi !! And they're about 23mm wide. But the elixer is the tyre itself, which holds it all in there. In kites it should be no different.

Note to manufacturers: please strenghen the leading edge tube itself if you're going to narrow down the LE bladder. I don't know the figures but for every 6psi there is around 400grams of weight per square centimeter. Multiply that across a 10m bladder, it equates to about 400 kilograms of pressure that the leading edge has to hold!

That stitch work and more importantly, the cloth material and any buffering panels - had better be bloody good!

That's why I personally like the old NAISH Helix or Cult kites. They're "sigma" shape allows less contact with the ground/sand, hence less chances of sharp things pricking the bladder.

simple buy a 5 line kite, i can fold any 4 line kite in solid winds, its the first thing i check out when trialing a kite,

As there wasn't enough wind into the kite
I took my 9 Vegas out into mid 30s with gusts up to 40
insane how it held together
my 4 line kites I've owned or any I've trialed don't have that stability like a loaded 5 line kite

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kball said..

SonnyRider said..
I've never experienced that on my 2013 12 & 9m Wave, 2015 7m Wave kites. I weigh 95kgs(ish)

I have experienced it on a 8m 2012 Varial X, when I had pulled in all the depower on the cleat. The kite had tipped so far forward, the wind got on top of the canopy. Not a nice experience. It was blowing high 30's into 40's

I've flown my 9 in similar winds and my 7 in more than that (40+). No problems. I love the 7

I always pump up as hard as I can, i.e. can I fold the LE when it's hard to pump any more in. If not, then it's hard enough.

I also have an electric pump, that is set to 8psi and I don't have issues when it's pumped by that.

Have you checked your line lengths? They could contribute to some issues with them. Are you using the Airush bar?

I'm having the same problem on my 2013 12m naish park. Put it up on Sunday when it was blowing 25knots and it looked extremely wrong. The leading edge was flattening out at the wing tips and it looked like a birds wings flapping.

i had rigged it with the rear lines on the longest setting and had deponer on fully so maybe that was the same issue you described Sonny?

i know the canopy is stretched also so maybe that is contributing but it seemed pretty drastic for just a stretched canopy. I had pumped it pretty hard too. Would love to get to the bottom of it as it was not safe to fly.

From what I remember (it was a few yrs ago) the kite seemed to flatten in the centre of the canopy, then the wind got 'on top' of that and pushed it down. It then started jelly fishing in the gusts. Thankfully my GF saw what was happening and came over so I could land the kite. That experience wasn't because of stretched canopy.