Pinwheel spin question

[Hedgewarden]

Background: I purchased a NOS (New Old Stock) HQ Rave from [unnamed] auction site. No idea how old it is, but some of the non-essential rubber is self destructing. Kite obviously in original factory folded form - unused.

Finally flew it today in typical (when we have ANY winds) local irregular, shifting, gusty winds. What a hoot! The kite basically wants to fly like a truck. But I took it to the edge of the wind window and, on the FIRST TRY, popped a near perfect axel. This is either my first or second. The previous possible axel, with a Diode, was rather ambiguous. Popped the upper wing, and it fell into a beautiful flat spin. So flat that even though I did not provide the slack I should have, there were no wing wraps. And recovered with a pull.

Further experimenting with the kite produced the subject of this question. On a horizontal pass I gave a strong push turn, expecting the usual tight spin around a wing tip. NO. This kite spins around it's center of gravity! Like a pinwheel. Note: this is a dual, not a quad.

I found I could "pump" the spin to keep it going - hovering almost exactly in place.

I found when I pulled gently to bring it out of the spin, it stalled and gently settled.

WOW - picture this. The kite is streaking horizontally near the ground. Suddenly it stops in an instant, as it spins about it's center like a pinwheel. Then, suddenly it stops spinning and lands beautifully.

I'm pretty sure none of my other (not very expensive kites) could pull off this pinwheel.

My questions are:

1. What other, more modern, kites can do a pinwheel spin?

2. What other, more modern, kites flip into a flat axel spin for us newbies?

3. If I practice axels with this kite, will I learn anything I can use with "normal" kites?

No, I did not repeat the axel today. As I said, the winds were irregular, and I never felt the setup was quite right. And, I was so taken by the pinwheel spin that I played with that until the rains came.

-Howard

[Hedgewarden]

OK, I guess I have to answer my own question

The Silver Fox (my new baby ) also does a tight spin. On closer observation, the center of the spin is not quite the center of gravity of the kite. But it is only 1/4 or 1/3 at most of the way from the center spine to the wing tip.

I just saw the comps at Ocean Shores, and saw no spin like that (except a few I flew waiting for the sound system to be repaired) - wing-tip centered spins are as tight as I saw.

So - since there seems no further interest in this thread - I'll just continue playing with the spin , and watching for someone else doing it.

-Good air,

Howard

[JoneZ]

I'll have to get a video going with my booger. She'll pinwheel like nothing I've seen before. All I have to do is pull a sharp turn and have either hand more than 12-14 inches deep in the turn, and she'll pinwheel.

I've been trying to fix it all this time actually. It messes up my precision turning.

I think my centre of gravity is off.

OK, I guess I have to answer my own question

The Silver Fox (my new baby ) also does a tight spin. On closer observation, the center of the spin is not quite the center of gravity of the kite. But it is only 1/4 or 1/3 at most of the way from the center spine to the wing tip.

I just saw the comps at Ocean Shores, and saw no spin like that (except a few I flew waiting for the sound system to be repaired) - wing-tip centered spins are as tight as I saw.

So - since there seems no further interest in this thread - I'll just continue playing with the spin , and watching for someone else doing it.

-Good air,

Howard