bridle for UFO

[Mitch]

I wanted to buy a Rev UFO (Ultimate Fun Object...Sedgewick's round flight toy) but I wanted to try it first. I read that you could play it like a yo-yo, fly it quad-line and so on. I wanted to try it single line, so I built a half-sized model with a 3/32" rod I took out of an old EO6, and newspaper. It's 20 inches wide and the center vent is about 1/3 of the diameter. It glides GREAT, but I can't figure out how to bridle it for single line flight. I put lines on at 10,2 and 6 on the face of the clock (it is a conveniently 12 point shape). Bridle lines were 1.5x the diameter. I fiddled with the length of the bottom line quite a bit to try to get a good angle of attack, but it just seemed to want to lay flat. Do I string a line across the face of the circle, fly it from one rim? I can't find a picture on the web or instructions for single line, although I have seen a quad vid or two. Anybody got one? or experience with a similar design?

[John Barresi]

I like the sliding bridle, gives an extra dimension of flier input.

No pics, sorry.

[windofchange]

Attach a line permanently to the 12:00 and 6:00 position of the frame - stretched flat across the bottom of the sail. Then attach a clip to a single line and clip it to the fastened line on the kite so that it can slide back and forth without snagging. The flying line will slide from 12:00 to 6:00 as needed allowing you to do yo-yo (out and backs), spins, etc... When the wind blows the kite will hang off the front of the kite and float in the air. Although you can fly it somewhat in stronger winds, it is most fun in zero winds. I have some UFO's here in stock. If you need a picture I may be able to snag one for you.

Super fun kite though. I also like the sliding line-through-the-flying-rod feature of the UFO. It allows for much better control and less tangles/snags.

[Mitch]

I like the sliding bridle, gives an extra dimension of flier input.

No pics, sorry.

Thanks, John. I see them using the sliding bridle to toss and glide the kite. I'll give it a try. If I can use the same configuration to fly it as a deep sky one line kite (perhaps with a tail like a round version of Charlie Brown's Eddie kite) I'll send pics so you'll have it in the archive. I think this kite is under-appreciated for it's versatility.

Thanks again. (and wish me luck for the Vented B drawing).

Mitch

[John Barresi]

Good luck Mitch.

Lee Sedgwick also quadlines his YFO (original name for the UFO), makes for some more interesting play.

[Mitch]

Good luck Mitch.

Lee Sedgwick also quadlines his YFO (original name for the UFO), makes for some more interesting play.

I'll give it a try, thanks. As an aside, if I buy something on line and link through your site ( a YFO for example), does the magazine get credit, or a cut or something. As a loyal Kitelife fan, I buy a fair amount of kite stuff on line and if it helps the cause...

Mitch

[Mitch]

Attach a line permanently to the 12:00 and 6:00 position of the frame - stretched flat across the bottom of the sail. Then attach a clip to a single line and clip it to the fastened line on the kite so that it can slide back and forth without snagging. The flying line will slide from 12:00 to 6:00 as needed allowing you to do yo-yo (out and backs), spins, etc... When the wind blows the kite will hang off the front of the kite and float in the air. Although you can fly it somewhat in stronger winds, it is most fun in zero winds. I have some UFO's here in stock. If you need a picture I may be able to snag one for you.

Super fun kite though. I also like the sliding line-through-the-flying-rod feature of the UFO. It allows for much better control and less tangles/snags.

Kent, useful advice as usual. I've strung my little model up as you suggest and I'll take it out tomorrow. If it works out, I'll want a real one, no doubt. Newsprint lasts just so long.

(P.S. you recently sent me some carbon rods, ferrules and end caps so I could retool my Vertical Visuals Roller kite. Worked just as you predicted. Also, Daelyn was able to find me the yellow Wala I wanted. Tell her for me she's a peach, no yellow pun intended. As long as this is a single line forum, I'll add that between the Wala for low wind and indoor, and the Roller as a slow-motion fighter kite, I am regularly seduced away from my quad addiction and back to my one-line roots.)

Mitch

[Mitch]

Attach a line permanently to the 12:00 and 6:00 position of the frame - stretched flat across the bottom of the sail. Then attach a clip to a single line and clip it to the fastened line on the kite so that it can slide back and forth without snagging. The flying line will slide from 12:00 to 6:00 as needed allowing you to do yo-yo (out and backs), spins, etc... When the wind blows the kite will hang off the front of the kite and float in the air. Although you can fly it somewhat in stronger winds, it is most fun in zero winds. I have some UFO's here in stock. If you need a picture I may be able to snag one for you.

Super fun kite though. I also like the sliding line-through-the-flying-rod feature of the UFO. It allows for much better control and less tangles/snags.

Did you say you might have a link or pics about the UFO? I've scoured the internet looking for vids of the UFO. I have some sales pictures of the kite, a couple of blurry pics of kids and a 30 second video of Lee himself doing some over the shoulder rolls with this thing. But nothing on how one plays with it like a yo-yo. Got links? There is some pics and a video on the UFO in quad line. I'm interested in that, of course, but that's for another forum.

Thanks

Mitch

[John Barresi]

There's one subscriber video of Lee flying a killer UFO routine indoors (one line) at the 2007 Great Lakes Festival.

http://kitelife.com/forum/index.php?app=downloads&showfile=270

[Mitch]

There's one subscriber video of Lee flying a killer UFO routine indoors (one line) at the 2007 Great Lakes Festival.

http://kitelife.com/...ds&showfile=270

WOW. That was fast! Also wow about his performance! It does look like fun. I suspect part of the trick must be in tossing out and taking in the line through the flying rod. I'm eager to give it a try. Thanks.

Incidentally, I'm and emergency doctor and I work a night shift. But what the heck are you doing up at this hour?! The eternal energy of the entrepreneur, I suppose.

Mitch

[John Barresi]

Incidentally, I'm and emergency doctor and I work a night shift. But what the heck are you doing up at this hour?! The eternal energy of the entrepreneur, I suppose.

Bingo.

[Baloo]

Incidentally, I'm and emergency doctor and I work a night shift. But what the heck are you doing up at this hour?! The eternal energy of the entrepreneur, I suppose.

Bingo.

So you play Bingo at Night then John, I often wondered why you were on so late, and often so early.

[Mitch]

It was just as you suggested. The sliding bridle worked for casting my little model UFO out and back, and at one end, it serves as a tether for single line flight. In any but the slightest wind, my small version needs a tail, but it flies remarkably well. Time to buy a real one. My newsprint test version is in tatters.

Now I want to try it in Quad mode. I've seen a few stills pics of Lee doing flying a UFO on short lines. You seemed to have some vids at your fingertips, JB. Got any of somebody flying the UFO on 4 lines? I saw that Lee made special handles for this. Do you know if that the only way to make it work as a quad? I wonder if I couldn't just use my 15 inch rev handles. The ones he made are symmetrical for forward and breaks and sharply angled (see attached). Any insight?

Thanks for your help. This forum and the Rev one is what really got me back into flying and got me started with Quads. Great resource.

Mitch