Video Request

[Greg Brouelette]

I would love to see a video on how adding or removing weight to a dual line kite affects it's flight characteristics. I've heard that changing the weight will help a kit do Yoyos. But which way? Adding? Subtracting? Placing the weight where?

I just think that would be a great video lesson.

Thanks.

[BrianS]

I don't have a video reference, but here's the Reader's Digest version in a nutshell:

Adding weight (usually to the tail) increases the kite's moment of inertia for pitch rotations. All other things equal, this provides more angular momentum that helps carry the kite through the yoyo. You want to add the weight as close to the ends of the spine as possible, since this gives you the most advantage in moment of inertia for a given amount of weight. (If you were to add the weight at the kite's center of mass, you wouldn't accomplish anything other than making the kite heavier.)

You'll also occasionally see people add weights to the wing tips to increase the moment of inertia for rotation tricks like the Taz Machine.

A little goes a long way. If you add too much tail weight, you'll significantly shift the kite's center of mass and throw everything off balance so that it won't fly quite right. To some extent, you can bring it back closer to the proper balance by also adding some nose weight, but you can end up with a pretty heavy kite by the time you're done. I've occasionally added temporary weights to help work through some trouble spots when learning tricks, but I always end up reverting back to using the stock tail weights provided by the manufacturer to return to the best overall performance for the kite.

[RobB]

Greg, which kite are you looking to add weight to ? It's rare that I add weight to a kite, I just fly them the way they're sent to me. Some kites are really resistant to rolling up, and I have added weight to those kites. I just want my kites to be as light as possible, and hopefully fly easier in lighter winds. That's the theory, at least. I will sacrifice some trick-ability for a little more lower end is what I'm saying.

My flying beach is covered with these nice, smooth rocks. When I want to experiment with different weights, I just tuck a stone in the tail, fly it, try to figure if I want more or less. When I find the right one, I take it home and find more traditional weights to install permanently.

[SparkieRob]

I changed out the tail weight to go lower on my SUL. Other than that, most are stock. I got a weight set for my Sevens to tune to my feel but don't change once I have the feel I'm after. I adjust the bridle for wind strength.

A heavier weight will require a bigger input to rotate. However, once rotating it will go on longer with the inertia.

Which and where are you adding/subtracting the weight from? I put 5 grams in each wing tip of my STD Temptation and that made it a much different kite.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Hadge]

You can easily make some weights with 1" sticky back velcro and lead strip - cut the lead into small pieces approx 5grams, 10 grams and 15grams and sandwich the lead between the velcro. You can then put the weights beneath the velco strip at the end of the spine.

[John Barresi]

Here's the best reference I have at the moment...

http://kitelife.com/kl-archive/issue-44-weight-basics-and-control/

[Greg Brouelette]

here's the Reader's Digest version in a nutshell:

Adding weight (usually to the tail) increases the kite's moment of inertia for pitch rotations. All other things equal, this provides more angular momentum that helps carry the kite through the yoyo. [and other good information].

That explains a lot. I was wondering how making the kite heavier would make it fly better. But the inertia concept makes sense.

Greg, which kite are you looking to add weight to ? It's rare that I add weight to a kite, I just fly them the way they're sent to me. Some kites are really resistant to rolling up, and I have added weight to those kites. I just want my kites to be as light as possible, and hopefully fly easier in lighter winds. That's the theory, at least. I will sacrifice some trick-ability for a little more lower end is what I'm saying.

The Kymera (which I now have to repair) has 2 optional 5 gram weights which I'm going to order from Into The Wind. But I didn't understand why I would add weight to a kite. These answers are making sense to me though.

[RobB]

The Kymera comes with the 'optional' weights all ready installed. They're optional, meaning that you can remove them. (correct me if I'm wrong, JB)

I flew my K kite the way it came out of the bag, barely adjusted the bridle after flying it for a few minutes, and haven't touched it since, just flew. If you're having trouble rolling it up, try giving more slack after you give it the input to roll up. Or, maybe you're flying in wind that's too high to roll up easily ?

[John Barresi]

As it arrives at a store, the Kymera has a weight permanently attached near the t-piece and a weight on the bottom tip of the spine... In a small ziplock inside the sleeve, are two additional weights that can be added to the bottom of the spine.

My own Kymera is set up with all the weights and the bridle setting "nose back" (adjusted at the top spreader fittings).