povlhp Posted January 2, 2015 Report Share Posted January 2, 2015 Hi, Kid has a nice Mickey Mouse SLK. Small, and long plastic tail. Classic diamond shape. In 3 m/s it is fun to fly, you need to walk to make it go up and it will go down slowly. Tried in 4-5 m/s wind. Easy launch, goes up quickly, but starts to turn left CCW. Giving line slack and it will recover heading. How can I tune it to stay more straight in the air? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbailey49 Posted January 2, 2015 Report Share Posted January 2, 2015 Can you show us a picture of the kite, especially how the flying lines attach? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Barresi Posted January 2, 2015 Report Share Posted January 2, 2015 A clear shot of the bridle/harness (if it has one) while extended "in flight" may be useful too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbailey49 Posted January 3, 2015 Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 A clear shot of the bridle/harness (if it has one) while extended "in flight" may be useful too. That's what I was trying to say 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
povlhp Posted January 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 Lost one of the rods for now. But it is a simple diamond, 2 lines on the vertical rod, one above the cross, another almost at the bottom. Going through hole with metal ring in ripstop fabric. I am interested in this more generally. Since their is no bridle to trim, what is the problem ? It is turning left (Counter clockwise). I guess that means the the right side is faster than the left. Can I add a streamer on the right side to slow it down slightly ? Is the faster site generating more or less lift than the slower (maybe rod bend more, giving deeper wing profile) ? It is a cheap kite son got as a gift, so it is important for me to understand the nature of the problem, more than this specific kite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Barresi Posted January 3, 2015 Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 Cheap kite - that may be the issue right there. Sadly, many of the <$10 kites produced are not designed or manufactured well. First place I'd check is sail symmetry, are all measurements balanced? Also, a photo really would help because again, design is so important... Proportions, attachment placement, etc are all very real factors, and may be built in at the factory. My 2 cents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Barresi Posted January 3, 2015 Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 You can also experiment with the amount of dihedral (bow) in the cross spreader to create more "keel" and emphasize the spine (relates to tracking), then go on to tail experiments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbailey49 Posted January 3, 2015 Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 Most important to make sure that the kite is symmetric. If there is more width on one side of the center spar than the other, it will not fly straight. If one cross piece is more flexible than the other, it will not fly straight. I doubt that adding a streamer to the right side would help, but it would be worth experimenting. Like JB said, cheap kites fly cheap. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makatakam Posted January 3, 2015 Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 If you move the vertical spar to the left it creates more wing area on the right side. The kite will turn to the side that has more wing area. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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