OAP

Well, after some frantic FaceBook dead-of-night messaging between myself, Wayne D and Patrick T, I seem to have found the answer to the problem. Patrick described how to increase the dihedral by some microsurgery, which in turn made the spreader stand more proud of the sail. With a bit of tweaking now I think I can get this little bird to fly pretty – already it's performing much better than it did. Thanks everyone. Martyn

Thanks, Wayne. But I've done that. They lie perfectly in line and equal one side to the other. I've pm-ed Patrick Tan and am hoping he responds. We shall see.

No, nor am I. If I knew, then I imagine I'd be able to think of a way to straighten it. And it seems to change the whole aerodynamic profile of the kite – which is probably why it just doesn't want to fly. My short lead (the z-line), is about 1", but if i shorten it to 7/8" by winding a turn around the spreader, it overtensions the cover.

Well, that gave me a good laugh first thing in the morning! Thank you for the suggestion

Mine echoes all of those measurements. Also, the spreader is exactly 9" long tip to tip – must be the camera angle. The z-line is exactly 1" long, but somehow the spreader lays back so that it sits only about 11/16ths above the spine. Patrick had marked the bridle, and I measure this at 50 degrees. In the video we found, he says set it between 45 and 50 deg. Mine is #2332, so substantially junior to yours.

In the landscape picture, it looks as if something is awry with the leading edge. In fact, the channel was rumpled. I've straightened it out now, since taking the photo, but it makes no difference to the rigging or the flight.

OK, here are some different views. You should be able to make out the bridle angle, the attachment of the "sockets" for the spreader, and the angle that the spreader adopts relative to the cover. Martyn (Wayne, I will also post these on FB Messenger as you suggest.)

Ah, you're picking up on my English idioms! :)

Hi Mark. Thanks. I’ve looked,and there are lots, you’re right. Nothing close up, though, and particularly nothing with a side view so that I can see the rake (if any) of the spreader. The spreader on mine leans way back towards the tail, but I suspect it should be more or less perpendicular to the cover. I’ll try to upload a side-on snapshot later; see what you think. But one of the images led me to YouTube video by the maker showing how to assemble the little kite, and I seem to have that about right. This is probably the video that you refer to, ACrop. I found it useful in that it confirms I’m doing something right, at least. Wayne, when you say the bridle goes outside the spreader, do you mean that the triangle enclosed by the three attachment points (tow point and two on the spine) does not contain the spreader? If yes, then I’m ok there. I have moved the tow point (I’ve tried most things I can try), but its now back at about 45-50 degrees. That’s a good idea about a heavier trace at the start of the line. At the moment I’m using 10lb Spectra, but I could easily strip in a yard or so of Horvath’s stuff. I’ll try that. Thanks all ... Martyn

I decided to have another bash at getting my iFilte to fly. It’s a vented iFlite 1. But no luck. I’ve tried it indoors, outdoors with no wind, and outdoors in a very light breeze. But whatever I try, it sheers away to one side and then plunges to the ground. The rigging looks somehow wrong. The spreader seems to lay back too far. Maybe I’ve got it set up wrong? Trouble is, I can’t find any reference online to show me how it should look, and how I should be flying it. Its probably me! But I can fly my Hybrid, my Doug Stout Hawk and my home-made Rogallos, no problem. Any advice for me?

Thanks to each and all who have replied. I'm away at the moment, with very patchy access to the Internet, so I can't check the resources that have been most recently mentioned. However, on the face of it it looks as if – even though I might have to collect from a few suppliers – I should be able to stock up on replacements for the bits I need. So thank you again. In the meantime, I've brought away with me a new toy, a baby vented iFlite from Karl Longbottom. What a lovely little glider this is! Held on thread from my other half's sewing box, it dances and curtsies in the slightest of breezes.

Thanks, Mike. I'll take a look.

Thanks. These look promising, at least Highwayman does (though they don't have everything I want) and so does Hengist, who don't list parts but give a phone number. Go Kites seems to have closed its website down, sadly. Anyway, I'll give Hengist a ring tomorrow and see what they've got. Martyn

While it seems that most contributors here live in North America, I've noticed that there are some international locations too. So I hope someone can help. I'm trying to find a source of small hardware - connectors, nocks, apas, jacos etc. - here in the UK. I could buy any amount of the stuff from the Kite Shoppe in the USA, or from the Drachenshop in Germany. Both of these stock just what I need. But shipping costs are enormous. In fact shipping from Germany would cost almost four times as much as the actual value of the shipment; and I'd have to pay import duty and a "handling fee" for a tiny package from across the Atlantic. I've found a couple of UK stockists, but they have a very small range, and more important, they don't keep anything that will fit my 2mm carbon tubes. Any thoughts, please? Martyn

Really nice to get such a welcome – thank you! However, there's very little of interest for me to put here as an introduction. As my username suggests, I'm a pensioner, living in the southern UK. Most of my life, I've been an editor, largely in medical publishing, and unfortunately that's made me a bit of a bighead, something I try very hard to repress. Not always successfully. I've made my own kites for many years, usually on the spur of the moment. Some have come from Peter Powell's book of plans, others are out of my own head. Some have been successful, others a flop – literally. But all have been satisfying, because I've always learned something new. At the moment I'm waiting for some line in order to fly a Horvath Hybrid 130 that came my way last month. I'm also building an MBK delta, adapting it to be a bit stronger. And I hope in the spring to have a vented iFlite. Good to be here ... Martyn