RobB Posted August 28, 2014 Report Share Posted August 28, 2014 The late summer has marked the return of good winds here, I've actually been able to get some standard kites flying recently. There are two standard kites in my bag that get the most flying, both from Skyburner. The Widow Maker is more forgiving to fly, but the Solus has a little more radical feel to it. I've been working on the Solus for a little over a year now, and finally getting used to it. Here's what was flying last weekend while the wind was still up... 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makatakam Posted August 28, 2014 Report Share Posted August 28, 2014 Nice kite, nice flying! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etully Posted August 28, 2014 Report Share Posted August 28, 2014 Nice flying. I like your 540's. This is a trick I have some trouble with on this kite, especially at low altitudes. The depth of the sail and size of the kite really make the wingtips hang low in a flare, making the 540 a tip wrap trap. Loving my Solus anyway. Sweeeet kite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobB Posted August 29, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2014 Nice kite, nice flying! Nice flying. I like your 540's. This is a trick I have some trouble with on this kite, especially at low altitudes. The depth of the sail and size of the kite really make the wingtips hang low in a flare, making the 540 a tip wrap trap. Loving my Solus anyway. Sweeeet kite. Thank you both. I wasn't really sure I chose the right colors until I saw the kite in person. I was relieved... who would believe that the kite's actually green ? The secret to 540s is to keep walking towards the kite while it's rotating. You'll notice that a lot of the time I remember to walk forward only after initiating the trick, and it makes it look awkward. Timing is everything, still working on mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobB Posted August 31, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2014 This is the other half of my recent Skyburner Obsession... The Widow Maker Spider. I have flown the standard WidowMaker for a while, but just recently got the Spider. The biggest difference is that the Spider has a Turbo bridle instead of the standard 3 point bridle. It makes for a totally different flying experience, and I'm still getting used to that. Change the bridle, or just get used to it ? hmmmm..... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianS Posted September 1, 2014 Report Share Posted September 1, 2014 Thanks for posting the videos, Rob! I always enjoy watching you fly. I think that the turbo bridle is now standard-issue equipment on all Widowmakers. Both my Std. and UL came with turbo bridles and that's what's stated in the description on the Skyburner website. (The Kites and Fun Things website still says it's a 3-point bridle, but I'm guessing the description just hasn't been updated.) I'm really curious to hear about the differences in flight characteristics that you're noticing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobB Posted September 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2014 Thanks, Brian. This was one of my after-work sessions. Sometimes an after-work fly is better than a cold beer when I get home... My red/white WidowMaker is about 5 years old. It has the 3 point bridle. I don't know when they changed it, or why. For me, the 3 point is a lot more agreeable. It is very stable & predictable, when you give it an input, it just does what you want. The Turbo bridle has no noticeable improvements, and makes it tougher to roll the kite up, or to initiate a backspin. It also caused a bit of oversteer from what I can tell. Once again... it is just something to get used to... heck, it took me months to get used to the Solus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianS Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 OK, that's interesting to hear. Since I've only ever flown a WM with the turbo bridle I don't have any basis for comparison. There are lots of folks around here with Widowmakers, so I'll keep my eyes open for a 3-pt bridle version and hopefully get a test flight. It sounds like the slack-line stuff is where you notice the most difference. Does it seem like precision and tracking are better with one or the other? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobB Posted September 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 I think in the precision department, both WidowMakers are pretty similar. I am more used to the 3 point, it seems to have a simplicity to it that didn't require 'getting used to'. The Turbo bridle isn't as easy to hold a stall or 'hover', but it does seem to like to side slide pretty well. The big difference that I noticed was in the input for a roll-up, the timing is much more critical (you see a botched attempt early in the video), and when you give the input to initiate a backspin, the Turbo bridle is less forgiving of timing, and it makes the backspins look wonky. If you hit it just right, the kite can easily do these tricks. One better than the other ? I don't know, it will take 5 years of flying this kite to make a good judgement. This is only the second time I flew this WM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfish Posted September 3, 2014 Report Share Posted September 3, 2014 Nice videos, Rob. Do you mind telling me what the music is in the Widow Maker one? It's so familiar but I can't figure it out and it's bugging me. Interesting discussion about the WM bridle. Mine also has the Turbo bridle. I had to go look at it because apparently I did not pay enough attention to it before to know. I know my WM is at least 3 years old (I got it secondhand). However, it is also possible that Devin had tweaked the bridle or changed it. I don't know. Hmm...so I remembered that I saw some pics of a spider Widow Maker in John Chilese's gallery so I went looking. Apparently they were around by 2010. https://picasaweb.google.com/chilesej/KiteParty82010#5449525747611214210 I guess this means they probably switched over to the Turbo bridle before or around that time? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianS Posted September 3, 2014 Report Share Posted September 3, 2014 Interesting discussion about the WM bridle. Mine also has the Turbo bridle. I had to go look at it because apparently I did not pay enough attention to it before to know. I know my WM is at least 3 years old (I got it secondhand). However, it is also possible that Devin had tweaked the bridle or changed it. I don't know. That's too funny. I specifically had your kite in mind when I said I was going to keep my eyes open for a WM with a 3-point bridle It seemed like it could be about the same age as Rob's. It wouldn't surprise me a bit to learn that Devin did a retrofit somewhere along the line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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