Date: Sun, 21 Mar 1993 21:43:19 GMT
From: Chris.Alexander@launchpad.unc.edu (Chris Alexander)
Message-ID: <1993Mar21.214319.24297@samba.oit.unc.edu>
Organization: University of North Carolina Extended Bulletin Board Service
Subject: Prism Radian-Opinions?

	Just wondering if anyone's flown the Prism Radian. I'm intrigued
by its wide adjustability and interesting design. However, since I haven't
actually flown the kite, I was hoping one of you rec.kiters who has can
comment about the kite. How well does the adjustment system work? How does
the kite fly in general, what tricks is it good at, etc...

Thanks in advance,
Chris
--
   The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the University of
     North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Campus Office for Information
        Technology, or the Experimental Bulletin Board Service.
           internet:  laUNChpad.unc.edu or 152.2.22.80

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Date: 22 Mar 93 21:58:24 GMT
From: daveb@pogo.wv.tek.com (Dave Butler)
Message-ID: <14586@pogo.wv.tek.com>
Organization: Tektronix, Inc., Wilsonville,  OR.
Subject: Re: Prism Radian-Opinions?

Chris Alexander asks about the Prism Radian:

> 	Just wondering if anyone's flown the Prism Radian. I'm intrigued
> by its wide adjustability and interesting design. However, since I haven't
> actually flown the kite, I was hoping one of you rec.kiters who has can
> comment about the kite. How well does the adjustment system work? How does
> the kite fly in general, what tricks is it good at, etc...

I got mine in December.  It is a very interesting kite.  First, it has a lot
of oversteer (it will easily spin in place).  Also, as it it a wide/short
kite, you can easily pull it of the air in light wind.  Perfect wind for
learning the kite is about 10 mph.  If you try to learn on a much lighter
wind, you will likely feel very clumsy and keep pulling it out of the air (ie:
it was very irritating the first time I flew it in low wind). 

Now as to the adjustment system you ask about.  The system of removable battans
used to tune for the wind speed is excellent for steady wind, but a little
clumsy and irritating for unsteady wind (you're always landing the kite to
take one set out, or put one in).  As to the bridle adjustments, the concept
is simply brilliant.  Usually when I want to tune a kite, I expect to spend
at least a half hour to get it right.  Thus I am less willing to change a
bridle and experiment with odd bridle configurations.  The Radian though has
premeasured knots at the top and bottom of the vertical spine, which hook 
into a clever latch system.  Thus tuning the bridle is a snap (I wish my
other kites were this easy to tune).

As to what it can do, there too the Radian is unique.  By keeping your hands
low, snapping your hands down and quickly throwing them up high, the kite will
pop over on its back, and float.  Another quick jerk and the kite will pop
back over on its belly.  If you do the first movement well enough, the kite 
will do a complete backwards summersault, and will roll up in the lines.  Thus
when you give the kite a strong second jerk it will do a forward summersault
and snap it back into position (I've successfully done a two summersault wrap).

It also does a tremendous helicopter.  You simply get the kite in helicopter
position and drag on the downwind line; The weight of the upwind wing will
keep it in position.  Not only can you drag it sideways, you can almost drag
it backwards. 

It also loves stall spins.  It is incredibly easy to dump air with the
kite, so it is very easy to stop it near motionless in mid air.  In fact it,
it is reasonably easy to slam it into a stall spin, and helicopter back the
way you came (Making yourself look much more proficient than you really are). 

Also, in a reasonably strong wind, you can do a severe push/pull turn and it
will face almost perpendicular to you and spin like a fast propeller.  Caution
though, it is extremely difficult to recover from this spin.

As to disadvantages, there's the fact that you may well feel uncoordinated
for the couple of hours.  I would also point out that you'll have to learn a
new way of doing a leading edge takeoff (it's nothing like a Phantom,
Scorpion, Magnum Opus or anything else I can think of).  Frankly, I still
haven't figured out how to do one (except by purest accident).  Now I know
that they are possible as I saw demos last summer, but I haven't figured out 
how to do it myself. 

All in all, it is a great kite for doing very radical ballet and trick moves
(some like the summersault are not possible on other kites), but not for
precision.  It's major advantage is that it is so different from other kites,
that it will do things other kites cannot, and thus gives delta kiting a whole
new dimension to explore (Not that my wife thinks that I need a new dimension
to explore ;). 
  
				Later,

				Dave Butler

    Science, freedom, beauty, adventure: What more could you ask of life? 
    Aviation combined all the elements I loved...  I began to feel that I 
    lived on a higher plane than the skeptics of the ground; one that was 
    richer because of its very association with the elements of danger they 
    dreaded, because it was freer of the earth to which they were bound.  In 
    flying I tasted the wine of the gods of which they could know nothing... 
				Charles A. Lindbergh Jr.

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