Big Easy

Thanks John, I am glad to be here. As a matter of fact, I am glad to be anywhere I have been away for too long. Back when I started my kiting career, my two sons were young. When I began to realize how expensive kids are, I decided that I need a "real" job. Now that the boys are grown, I'm back...maybe...if I can just remember how to fly a kite :confused!: M.E. Regards Ray

LOL, broke the left upper bridle last time out on my MEFM. Anyone in the know, knows thats a REAL cow. (Clam Shell Fittings.) Dean please help me out here with an interpretation (REAL cow?). All you need is an aluminum rivet and a pair of pliers and some bridle material to fix it. If you can't find that let me know. I'll look around. Worst case scenario...get a hot knife, cut some pockets in the leading edge and install traditional spreader connectors. Back to your original question. From a business perspective, it doesn't make a lot of sense to attempt build a kite that does it all, when it is much more profitable to sell 4 different kites. I don't mean to disparage anyone with a profit motive. I am a dyed in the wool capitalist...maybe not the sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to running a kite manufacturing business. Example - I patented the clam shell fittings and let the turbo bridle (infinity bridle) become public domain. I have a bunch of stuff that I am putting together that I will be offering for sale. Kites, sails etc. Maybe I can raise enough capital to buy a new sewing machine Most Excellent Regards, Ray

Hey thanks Dean, I far as I'm concerned, you are singing to the choir. Maybe these days you may even be singing a solo ;-) I've got some new ideas. Anybody have a sewing machine for sale? Katrina took mine away. Most Excellent Regards, Ray Bordelon

Hi All, My first post on this forum. FWIW, kite/bridle design is always going to be active even if it's just a simple three point bridle. What complicates the issue of bridle design is that a stunt kite is constantly changing the angle of attack. For every change in forward speed and every change of altitude the angle of the apparent wind changes even if the wind speed is constant. When the angle of attack changes, so does the center of effort exerted on the sail. If all things were constant, wind speed, forward speed and altitude then the center of effort will not change position. Then you could design a tripod bridle with the tow points directly over the center of effort on each wing then everything would be cool. On most kites, as the angle of attack increases the C of E move inboard. If it is enough to cause the spine to be deflected back or the lower spreaders to bow back then the tow points are going to dynamically move inboard as equilibrium will try to be established. I've never experimented with a cross active bridle, but i would imagine that if it not done correctly for your particular kite then when the tow points move inboard the cross bridleing would be rendered useless as it would go slack. All of this is just to say, I thinks that bridles need to be designed for each particular kite. So experiment with different angles and lengths 'til you get it right. When I first experimented with bridles about 1988 (yes, I am old school) I flew my test kite with a bridle that was 100' long. With five lines running to my handles I could learn the dynamics of a flying stunt kite by making minute adjustments right at the handles. Very impractical, but I learned a lot. In another test I attached a carbon rod between the tow points in order to fix them in place. Sloppy, but I learned something again. Kite design is always going to be a compromise because off the dynamics involved. The perfect kite would work in synergy with it's bridle so that for every change in angle of attack, the bridle configuration would change in a way that would optimize the kites performance at that particular moment. Most Excellent Regards, Ray