Prism Nexus frustration

[TonUpTiger]

Hello All,

First time post for me although I've been soaking up the knowledge on offer since I discovered the site a few months ago.

I've been flying a HQ Symphony Beach 2.2 for a little over a year and have been loving being dragged on my butt in high winds, coaxing it around the sky in low winds and just buzzing around in regular wings. There has been very few situation this thing won't fly. So a few months ago I thought I'd try my hand with a framed delta and maybe learn a few tricks and have a another kind of kite to play with. Enter the Prism Nexus and let the frustration begin.

I'll admit I wasn't ready for the manoeuvrability the first time it went up and I ended up nosediving it and splitting the spine. So that got fixed and I've now got a good handle on how to launch it, fly it and land it without burying it in the grass. Yay me.

But the frustration doesn't stop there. I'm having problems getting the kite to fly consistently. I've adjusted the bridle to try and match the wind but the slightest gust sets the leading edges wobbling and bowing. If the wind gets a bit more speed in it the shudder can be felt in the wrist straps and the sail starts flapping and screaming as the kite lurches across the wind window. It is not an elegant sight. 

For example. The other day I was at a local field with a nice wind of about 12mph. I set up the Nexus, gave the lines a tug to launch and the kite was reluctant to rise quickly. Once in the air it started wobbling its leading edges and flapping its sail. Over the course of an hour I kept landing it and adjusting the bridles a bit, then try again but It didn't help much at all. I couldn't tune out the shudder. I know this all sounds like classic symptoms of too much wind but I'm pretty sure it never got above 15mph (the wind was moving tops of trees but not blowing leaves about). So then I decided to pack up the Nexus and get the Symphony out and that flew like a dream, zipping about with no complaints right across the wind window.

I want to like flying framed deltas but so far I'm not having a fun time. Am I expecting too much of the Nexus? Do frame kites have much less tolerance of wind conditions compared to foils? Do I need a better/different kite?

Sorry for the newbie post and thanks in advance for any advise or help.

Wayne

 

[Zuul]

The published numbers for the kite’s wind range are very optimistic.  The 15mph wind you were flying in was at the top of the kites realistic range.  In that wind, you would generally try to keep the kite around the edges of the window.  Shudder while flying through the middle of the window sounds about right.  So, yes, I suppose it is a fair statement that your foil is much more tolerant to a wide variety of winds.  
 

I’m not personally familiar with the nexus, so I don’t think I should offer more advice on what may or may not be wrong.  But some stick kites do handle a wider range than others.  I would go easy on adjusting the bridle too much until you learn the kite’s traits a little better.  If there are other flyers in you area, it would go a long way if you could get together.

[mebeatee]

It sounds as if you may have twiddled with the bridle too much....??? It is a smaller sailed kite as well, and they can be a little squirrelly at times in a good wind. Also measure the bridle itself to be sure it is the same on both sides....something could be amiss.

I would suggest setting the bridle back to it's original setting.....hopefully it will be marked....and start over. Fly without adjusting the bridle to get a feel for the kite, as Zuul also mentioned. Adjusting your flying technique is an acquired and mandatory skill and is better than twiddling with bridle settings unless absolutely necessary. If you have some hard crashes make sure everything is ok on the kite....for instance a standoff may shift, or a connector may move....

You also mentioned your other kite which is way different than the Nexus and they must be flown as such which can sometimes be a factor if not already second nature. 

bt

 

[makatakam]

Everything should be fairly tight on the sail, especially the trailing edge, and tensioned equally on both halves of the sail. If there's any part of the sail that's loose -- think of a flag flapping in the breeze -- then the kite will buzz or flap or shudder or all three depending on wind speed and the part of the wind window it's flying through. Tight sail equals quiet and smooth. Loose sail equals noisy and rough.

[TonUpTiger]

Many thanks for the advice folks, I really appreciate you taking the time.

Any bridle adjustments I've made have been small and methodical and always return to neutral after flight, I learned that from reading these boards 😉 The sail is a little loose in the middle but the trailing edge seems okay. I did notice some play in the upper/lower leading edge connectors so I might try packing them out a little so they are snug.

Anyway, I had the Nexus up again today with a deliberate "that's just how it is", mindset and it felt better. It was still shaking and flapping in a low-ish wind but I just decided to enjoy what I had. I think I'm going to be looking for a frame delta that works better for me in the near future (as well as a smaller, faster foil for higher winds). But until I've done my research the Nexus will keep flying.

Cheers,

Wayne

[T in WI]

I have heard at least one of the TKL boys calling the Nexus their Flappy Kite and he flys it just for the pure fun of that, being Flappy especially in higher winds.

Not much of a dual guy yet so won’t toss any other input than that but, figure out what you want out of a dual and reach out to the folks in here. There’s a lot of great flyers that will help you narrow down your search


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