You can hold the kite at the zenith (above your head) for as long as you like but as soon as you’re ready you should start with some basic turns. To begin with, keep the kite high in the wind window and make gentle control movements. This will keep it out of the extreme pull of the power zone while you get used to the handling. The basic turn manoeuvre is similar to a two line kite.

Slow Turning

When the kite is climbing up the middle of the wind window and is nearing the zenith, pull back on the right handle keeping tension on both lines. The kite turns to the right and starts making a wide, full loop in that direction.

By continuing to pull on the right handle the kite will fly a complete circle and climb back up the wind window again, pointing straight up.

Bring your handles back to the neutral position and the kite flies straight up.

Pulling on the left handle will execute a left loop and untwist your flying lines after the right turn.

You will find that as much as you pull with one handle you push with the other because of the angle of your body and this in fact makes a good smooth turn. A pull with one hand ‘stalls’ one side of the kite and the other speeds up around it. Pushing with the opposite one makes a similar but smoother turn by keeping the whole kite moving.

Fast Turning

You can start to make different and even better turns by using the extra control possibilities of the two extra lines.

As you begin a loop, whichever handle is being pulled should be pivoted so that the rear line is pulled as well as the top. Push your thumb away from you and point the top of the handle more towards the kite. The kite will turn faster, even spin on its axis, before resuming full power.

As the kite comes round full circle bring the handles back to the neutral position to resume normal flying.

Manoeuvring

As your flying become more confident you can experiment with more power. Flying alternate left and right loops in a kind of flat figure eight in the centre of the wind window will give the best and most consistent pull as a fixed flyer (as opposed to one moving on a board, buggy etc.) and stop the lines twisting too much.

Four line control means having the ability to stop and reverse the kite, even de-power it if needed. It requires a lot of wrist action and brings the rear lines fully into play. You stop the kite in mid-air by changing the aerodynamics.

• With the kite flying up the middle of the window, leading edge pointing straight up, rotate both handles by pointing your thumbs forward until the kite ‘brakes’.
• Keep pulling on the rear lines and the kite slows to a stop and starts to reverse.
• To resume normal flying, rotate the handles back to the neutral position by bringing your thumbs towards you again and pull on the front lines.

With experience you’ll be able to control the rear lines much better. Fine adjustments of your braking and ‘playing’ the handles a little will enable you to position and hold the kite just where you want it almost anywhere in the window.