Grandpa Posted August 31, 2006 Report Share Posted August 31, 2006 I was flying last night in 15 - 20mph and control is going to take me awhile. Suddenly the wind died down to about 5mph or less and my 1.5 made a sudden left turn and fell out of the sky. I checked the lines and launched again. It went straight up made a left and fell again. I repeated this several times and I informed my daughter that I meant to do that. I was doing reverse launches and falling out of the sky and she thought that was way cool. Just as suddenly the wind came back to 15 plus mph and I was able to keep it airborne. I guess from the left turns I have one arm shorter than the other or one leg or whatever... must be a birth defect Oh what fun!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penny Lingenfelter Posted August 31, 2006 Report Share Posted August 31, 2006 I see reverse launch, so it must be a quad. Hey Grandpa, It could be that one handle is being pressed down more then the other and the back handle is pulling the bottom tip out of the sky. Sometimes less push is better in lighter wind. Try to hold your hands still when this happens to determine what's wrong. If it's not a small wing wrap, which also happens a lot and is hard to see, then you should be able to look at the handles and see how you directed the kite. Good luck! BB Penny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ant man Posted August 31, 2006 Report Share Posted August 31, 2006 try checking your lines for stretches if there is a stretch one line will be a little longer then the other one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dorsal Posted September 1, 2006 Report Share Posted September 1, 2006 Check the bridle on the kite. I had a knot on the bridle loosen and slide almost 2 inches one time, and the kite flew really goofy until I fixed the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpa Posted September 1, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2006 This sounds like there won't be government checks in my future. I put my hands together so my fingers were touching and it was always left and fall. Do the lines stretch that much?... that often?... I checked them last week and found one pair at least an inch longer. Also not sure where the rubber donut goes. On the leading edge end plugs there are rubber donuts hanging from the bridle line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REVflyer Posted September 1, 2006 Report Share Posted September 1, 2006 force the rubber donut back onto the end-cap, it shouldn't be hangin' on the bridle legs. In fact remove it completely and reinstall with the cap removed from the frame member. The cap is a cushion against which the SLE tube butts, slide it all the way against your bridle and bungie towards the opening or hole. If the kite flies crazy, I'd say to check your flying lines first. Place a stake securely into the ground and put each of your four flying line loops over it. Go back and pull tightly on the handles, do they align perfectly? If not, you know now to make an adjustment. A quick fix is to just use the leaders' adjustments for an afternoon, but eventually you'll want to shorten the longer lines (this is double~easy without sleeving, just tie another overhand knot into the longer line larkshead loop) Your arms may be a different length, but I doubt that is affecting your low wind flying to the extreme described. You've got a bridle problem, if the handles align perfectly on a stake. Again, take a sleel ruler and measure each of the bridle legs. Maybe even write down the dimensions? Someday you'll need a new one, so why not plan for that occasion. Make a bridle board and be done with that variable forever!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpa Posted September 1, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2006 Good tips all... Thank you. What's a bridle board? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Kite Shoppe Posted September 2, 2006 Report Share Posted September 2, 2006 Good tips all... Thank you.What's a bridle board? JD will have my Sea Devil board that Lam made for me, at Seaside. You can see it there if you like. Basically, you put nails in the board, put the loops of the legs of the bridle over the nails, and mark the lengths and knots on the board. This way, the nails hold the lengths of the bridle, and you can pull the bridle material taut, to line up with the marks, to make your knots and lengths consistant. Theresa ps...JD...did you get you new bridles made yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpa Posted September 4, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2006 Well I rechecked line length. The red pair is almost two inches longer than the black pair. The red pair goes to the red pigtails on the top. The black pair to the bottom. I made new pigtails for my handles, with knots every 1.5 inches. I adjusted the line length on the new pigtails installed on the bottom of my handles. Very low wind and adjusting line length didn't help. Of all the things I miss from my youth, I miss my mind the most. I'm sitting here getting things ready for Seaside and I realize I moved the bottom lines closer to the handles. Not only are the top lines two inches longer but I have adjusted the bottom such that the effect is the top pair is almost FOUR inches longer. I couldn't find a smiley for brain fart.......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilh Posted September 4, 2006 Report Share Posted September 4, 2006 Can't you just switch your lines top to bottom and they will now be even with your new pigtails? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penny Lingenfelter Posted September 4, 2006 Report Share Posted September 4, 2006 This is when I'm glad I fly my 1.5's without bridles and use the slide knot on my handles for adjustments. BB Penny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dorsal Posted September 4, 2006 Report Share Posted September 4, 2006 What's a bridle board? A board with a few headless nails, to make all your bridle lines exactly the same length. http://kites.icelands.ca/misc/bridleboard.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ant man Posted September 4, 2006 Report Share Posted September 4, 2006 ive never used a bridle board before ive always tied my own settings and they are close to factory but good enough for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpa Posted September 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2006 Spent the day mowing the lawn and waiting for some wind. Tried to talk Grandma into holding the leaf blower... No sense of humor Don't tell her I said that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ant man Posted September 5, 2006 Report Share Posted September 5, 2006 your secret is safe with me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpa Posted September 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2006 I knew I could trust you man.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_(on-light)110px.png.f871ac6915a5dfb149c2fb26bbaf0493.png)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.