Kite Control system

Four line traction kites are controlled in a way quite similar to marionette puppets. The two front lines (attached to the leading edge of the kite) are joined to a single center line with a Y bridle, and the two back lines (attached to the far corners of the trailing edge) attach to the end of a bar. This bar features a center hole, through which the center line is routed. The center line, carrying 95% of the kite pull, is attached to a harness worn by the kite surfer. This attachment is referred to as chicken loop.

This set up allows the surfer to power and steer the kite with just one hand.

With the kite surf industry rapidly evolving from incredibly difficult to use 2-line kites to much safer and more comfortable 4 line systems, the bar and chicken loop design has been slightly neglected as most design effort went into kite and bridle improvements.

The resulting kite control system featured and ergonomically curved bar, padded safety ends and an ultra wide bar opening. The chicken loop featured a safety quick release that was engineered to work under any circumstance.