usenet.ins.cwru.edu!agate!doc.ic.ac.uk!uknet!axion!newsserver!slug!cdt Subject: Help!! Parakite bridling ............. Message-ID: <1992Nov24.174659.434@zoo.bt.co.uk> From: cdt@zoo.bt.co.uk (Clive Dennett-Thorpe) Date: 24 Nov 92 17:46:59 GMT Organization: BT Laboratories Yes! the latest creation from the dining room table (the wife's glad she can eat off the table again) is a Parakite!! I found an old copy of a magazine called Amateur Airsport with a one-page description and diagram and couldn't resist the challenge!. It's 2m in diameter, has 8 gores ,is vented and bridled with 8 off 2m shroud lines plus an inner central shroud of 1.84 metres attached to the framing tapes inside the crown of the kite.The circular vent at the top is 10cms in diameter. The suggested configuration says that the 3 front bridles should be attached to one ring and the rear 5 plus the inner to a second ring. The kiteline is attached 10cms up from the 3-shroud ring and there is a 10cm line connecting the two rings. Lastly a small counterweight/payload(I used 500g) is attached to the 5-shroud ring. I tried flying it on an day with a lightwind 6mph perhaps? but with only mild success. It has a nasty habit of spinning hence reducing the opportunity for the canopy to inflate but the annoying thing was that the front of the kite seemed to want to be furthest away from me! Is it bridled backwards?? Any help gratefully received I would particularly like to know what angle the kite should fly at and whether you think the bridling arrangement I describe is plausible. Should I rig it for dual line control?? Have you made a parakite?? Speak to me!!!!!!! Lastly I give a public pat-on-the-back to Ron Moulton's new book which is packed with ideas inspiration and those oh so useful dimensioned drawings and thoroughly recommend it. Look forward hearing your replies !!! Regards Clive "They all fly in the end...!!!" = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Subject: Re: Help!! Parakite bridling ............. Message-ID: <1992Nov25.171357.4743@zoo.bt.co.uk> From: cdt@zoo.bt.co.uk (Clive Dennett-Thorpe) Date: 25 Nov 92 17:13:57 GMT Organization: BT Laboratories Further news!! A longer test flight in a decent breeze (10mph+) resulted in some interesting thoughts/observations/ideas etc. I've rebridled the kite so there are no longer any crossed-shrouds at the joining ring and now use a fruit-juice container filled with water as an adjustable counter-weight(nifty eh!). The greatest thought that occurred to me during the flight/pull was that parachutes are used as drogues to arrest aircraft/dragster speed on limited landing runs... It then dawned on me that it was the counterweight that gives the 'chute a chance to be a kite by pulling it down from the non-lifting 'parallel to the ground' attitude and angling it against the wind. With some more water(should have used beer!) and a reasonable gust it actually rose to 30/40 feet at 45 degrees. I noted the colour of the innermost vertical gore sector and by watching its fate saw that the kite seemed to favour the fore for take-off but was laterally unstable and twirled round until it was arse-about-face at which point it sank to the ground. I looked at one of my references today and noted that an adapted USAF parachute had had 6 of its shrouds tied-off to a 15lb counterweight and judging by the picture it only flew at 45 degrees anyway. Next steps: I'm adding four side-stabiliser panels to prevent the twirling and then a larger juice bottle for more counterweight and then see what happens!! Watch this space!! Regards, Clive P.S. If all else fails it'll make a great teddybear parachute! "They always fly in the end..." = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = cs.utexas.edu!uunet!munnari.oz.au!ariel.ucs.unimelb.EDU.AU!ucsvc.ucs.unimelb.edu.au!lugb!lure.latrobe.edu.au!musjjh Subject: Re: Help!! Parakite bridling ............. Message-ID: <1992Nov27.161847.1@lure.latrobe.edu.au> From: musjjh@lure.latrobe.edu.au Date: Fri, 27 Nov 1992 06:18:47 GMT Organization: VAX Cluster, Computer Centre, La Trobe University In article <1992Nov24.174659.434@zoo.bt.co.uk>, cdt@zoo.bt.co.uk (Clive Dennett-Thorpe) writes: > Yes! the latest creation from the dining room table (the wife's > glad she can eat off the table again) is a Parakite!! > > I found an old copy of a magazine called Amateur Airsport > with a one-page description and diagram and couldn't resist the challenge!. > > It's 2m in diameter, has 8 gores ,is vented and bridled with 8 off > 2m shroud lines plus an inner central shroud of 1.84 metres attached to > the framing tapes inside the crown of the kite.The circular vent at the top > is 10cms in diameter. > > Regards > Clive I seem to recall that a plan for the same kite appeared ino. issue of KiteLines a couple of years ago. In the next issue there was a correction printed to the plan, as apparently one small error in the plan produced a majo disaster in the resulting kit. I'll have a poke through my pile of kite mags and see if I can come up with it. Good Winds Jason Hellwege La Trobe Uni, Melbourne, Oz. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = spool.mu.edu!darwin.sura.net!haven.umd.edu!uunet!munnari.oz.au! ariel.ucs.unimelb.EDU.AU!ucsvc.ucs.unimelb.edu.au!lugb!lure.latrobe.edu.au!musjjh Subject: Re: Help!! Parakite bridling ............. Message-ID: <1992Nov28.221859.1@lure.latrobe.edu.au> From: musjjh@lure.latrobe.edu.au Date: Sat, 28 Nov 1992 12:18:59 GMT Organization: VAX Cluster, Computer Centre, La Trobe University In article <1992Nov27.161847.1@lure.latrobe.edu.au>, musjjh@lure.latrobe.edu.au writes: > In article <1992Nov24.174659.434@zoo.bt.co.uk>, cdt@zoo.bt.co.uk (Clive Dennett-Thorpe) writes: >> Yes! the latest creation from the dining room table (the wife's >> glad she can eat off the table again) is a Parakite!! > > I seem to recall that a plan for the same kite appeared ino. issue of > KiteLines a couple of years ago. In the next issue there was a > correction printed to the plan, as apparently one small error in the > plan produced a majo disaster in the resulting kit. I'll have a poke > through my pile of kite mags and see if I can come up with it. > The issue of KiteLines in question is Summer 1990 (Vol.8 No.1) which has a detailed plan for a "Gale Master" by Joel Scholz. I haven't found the correction yet, but I'll keep looking.... Good Winds Jason Hellwege La Trobe Uni, Melbourne, Oz. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = spool.mu.edu!darwin.sura.net!haven.umd.edu!uunet!munnari.oz.au! ariel.ucs.unimelb.EDU.AU!ucsvc.ucs.unimelb.edu.au!lugb!lure.latrobe.edu.au!musjjh Subject: Re: Help!! Parakite bridling ............. Message-ID: <1992Nov28.221859.1@lure.latrobe.edu.au> From: musjjh@lure.latrobe.edu.au Date: Sat, 28 Nov 1992 12:18:59 GMT Organization: VAX Cluster, Computer Centre, La Trobe University In article <1992Nov27.161847.1@lure.latrobe.edu.au>, musjjh@lure.latrobe.edu.au writes: > In article <1992Nov24.174659.434@zoo.bt.co.uk>, cdt@zoo.bt.co.uk (Clive Dennett-Thorpe) writes: >> Yes! the latest creation from the dining room table (the wife's >> glad she can eat off the table again) is a Parakite!! > > I seem to recall that a plan for the same kite appeared ino. issue of > KiteLines a couple of years ago. In the next issue there was a > correction printed to the plan, as apparently one small error in the > plan produced a majo disaster in the resulting kit. I'll have a poke > through my pile of kite mags and see if I can come up with it. > The issue of KiteLines in question is Summer 1990 (Vol.8 No.1) which has a detailed plan for a "Gale Master" by Joel Scholz. I haven't found the correction yet, but I'll keep looking.... Good Winds Jason Hellwege La Trobe Uni, Melbourne, Oz. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =