This page is the first practical level of the Jst-4-Fn standard: basic maneuvers, instructions for practicing them, and two exercises to follow as a group.
Before starting, read the principles and conventions of the standard: prerequisites, gear, leader role, numbering, and call composition.
The kites are in motion. They turn around the center by 90° and continue to fly in the direction indicated by the leader:
Calls from the leader in the animation above: up, left, down, right.
The kites are moving in formation (line, ball, square, grid, etc.). They turn around the center by 90° and continue flying in the direction indicated by the leader:
Tip: the leader should specify the meaning of in / out on first use, e.g. "in 1 right 2 left".
Leader calls: fly, up, in, down, out, up, in, stop in line.
The kites are motionless. They turn around the center 90° in the direction indicated and then hold this position:
Here, the leader uses these calls: face up, face left, face down, face right.
The kites are hovering, for example in a line, ball or square… They turn around the center by 90° in the direction indicated and then maintain this position:
Leader calls: face in, face up, face out, face up.
The kites rotate on the tip indicated by the leader. If the kites were initially motionless, they then maintain their position. If the kites were moving, they then continue in the opposite direction.
List of calls in the animation above: fly, turn up, turn up, turn down, turn down.
The kites are initially in formation (line, ball, square, grid…). They make a half-turn on the tip, which is outward or inward.
Leader calls: turn out, rotate, turn out, rotate, turn in, rotate, turn in.
Calls from the leader: turn out, turn out, turn in, turn in.
Kites go up or down. They turn on the left or right tip. We could call these maneuvers "turn left" and "turn right", but kitefliers sometimes misunderstand that kites must turn to go left or right. Marc and Roelof therefore propose instructions consisting of 3 words:
For example: the kites go up; the leader says "left turn down"; the kites turn on their left tip and go down.
Calls from the leader: fly, left turn down, left turn up, right turn down, right turn up.
The leader can indicate whether the kites are flying forwards or backwards.
The leader can also say "fly" instead of “forward”. The leader may say "to the edges", “to edges”, or "edges" to fly the kites to the edge of the window.
Calls from the leader: forward, stop, reverse, stop.
A 180 is a half-turn around the center of the kite. The direction of rotation is :
Either explained by the leader, for example:180 up: half-turn from the top
180 down: half-turn from the bottom
180 clock / 180 clockwise: clockwise half-turn
180 anticlock / 180 anticlockwise: counter-clockwise half-turn
Or implicit. For example, in horizontal flight, the 180 is made downwards.
Leader calls: fly, 180 down, 180 down, 180 up, 180 up, stop in the middle, 180 clock, 180 anti-clock.
Leader calls in the animation above: fly, 180 down, 180 down, 180 up, 180 up, stop in the middle.
Leader calls in the animation above: fly, 180, 180, 180, 180, stop in the middle.
Kites do a half-turn from the left or from the right.
Calls from the leader: 180 left, 180 left, 180 right, 180 right.
Kites turn inwards or outwards.
Calls from the leader: 180 out, 180 out, 180 in, 180 in.
The kites slide in the direction indicated by the leader. Slides can also be made with the leading edge down.
List of calls in the animation above: slide right, stop, face right, slide up, stop, face up, slide left, stop, face right, slide down, stop.
Kites initially fly in a formation (ball, square, grid, etc.). They slide outwards or inwards.
Leader calls: to the edges, stop, face up, slide in, stop, slide out, stop, slide in, stop in line.
Leader calls: left tip in, slide out, stop, slide in, stop.
During the Follow maneuver, the first kite flies freely: it moves forward, turns, slides, etc. This first kite determines speed and direction. The other kites follow the first kite’s path exactly. Be careful not to “cut” corners, turning at the right moment around the center of the kite or a kite wing tip. The first kite is not always number 1. For example, after a 180, the last kite leads the movement.
The path of the first kite should be simple. It often involves following horizontal figure-8 patterns, doing straight lines, wide rotations, and sometimes slides.
Speed and spacing are essential for this maneuver. They must be as stable as possible. The first kite should not fly fast. Be aware of team-mates following you. This is all the more reason to set more “brake” on your handles.
This maneuver is widely used to warm up at the beginning of a flight and to relax after a series of advanced maneuvers.
This maneuver takes effect as soon as the leader calls. The “Go” command is not necessary.
When the leader calls “Stop”, all kites stop simultaneously. The leader must keep in mind what his next command will be. After giving the “stop” command, wait a little while before stopping your kite.
Leader calls in the animation above: follow, stop.
Calls to the leader in the above animation: follow, stop.
The leader specifies how the landing is to be made. The most common is to land on the 2 tips.
List of calls in the animation above: 2 tip landing.
List of calls in the animation above: tip landing.
Kites land on the outer trailing edge on the side indicated by the leader. Caution: this position can be unstable, depending on the wind.
Calls from the leader: big foot left, big foot right.
The leader may also give different instructions depending on the number of each kite. The most common is to distinguish between even and odd kites. Instead of Odd / Even, the leader can say:
It is also common for the leader to specify an instruction only for odd-numbered kites (e.g. odd face up). In this case, odd-numbered kites must do the opposite (e.g. odd-numbered kites put their leading edge to the left). Teammates must be vigilant about these details. When in doubt, shout "SAY WHAT".
When the team is large (more than 4 people), the kitefliers can count each other before starting to determine their number. The first kiteflier says “1”, the second “2”, the third “1”, the fourth “2”, and so on.
Calls from the leader in the animation above: odd face up, even face down, forward, stop, reverse, stop, in line, face right.
What can you do to train for team flying?
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