Date: Mon, 27 Feb 1995 17:09:02 -1000 From: grippin@earth.harvard.edu (Jim Grippin) Message-Id: <3iu44e$89r@earth.usa.net> Organization: Internet Express (800-592-1240 customer service) Subject: radical griffen ? Don't get me wrong, I like my griffen and all. I just can't seem to get it to do any tricks. I can get it to stall in extremely light air and it just flutters to the ground. Obviously I must flatten it out some. I figure that by shortening the (seperate) lines that go toward the tail of the struts (I know they have a name, but it's late) I should be able to turn up the juice. But how much ? Inches, millimeters ? Anybody done this already ? = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Tue, 28 Feb 1995 06:03:30 -1000 From: bwg001@carina.unm.edu (Brian W. Gordon) Message-Id: <3ivhgi$6ba@lynx.unm.edu> Organization: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque Subject: Re: radical griffen ? Jim Grippin (grippin@earth) wrote: : Don't get me wrong, I like my griffen and all. I just can't seem to get : it to do any tricks. I can get it to stall in extremely light air and it : just flutters to the ground. Obviously I must flatten it out some. : I figure that by shortening the (seperate) lines that go toward the tail : of the struts (I know they have a name, but it's late) I should be able : to turn up the juice. But how much ? Inches, millimeters ? : Anybody done this already ? I'm far from an expert "radical" kite flyer but... the Griffin was my first stunt kite (after my Trlby) and I have played around with it lately (after about a year of letting it collect dust). I used to think the kite was dull and incapable of any tricks, then I sharpened my skills on a Tracer for a summer. Wow, whaddya know I can get my Griffin to do tricks. Two things you can do to turn up the juice are: 1) lean the kite back more i.e., drop the clips down on the main bridle 1/4 inch at a time. This will cause the kite to spin faster and snap stall easier, however it will take more wind to get it aloft. 2) Shorten the outhaul bridle line (the line leading from the clip to the lower leading edge). Work in 1/4 inch increments. This should pep things up. My Griffin isn't extremely responsive partly due to it's weight of 12 oz. As for stalls or snap stalls: I found I was able to get my Griffin to snap stall nicely wby flying the kite towards the edge and doing a quick and rapid push turn up then yanking my hand back into place, some times a quick combination push-pull motion worked well. One word of caution: If you have a Griffin with Beman spars, be carefull. I was able to snap stall a few of those Beman 16 Strong (6.3mm) spars into oblivion. I've broken about 8 spars in my Griffin. Sometimes I think those spars will break if you look at them wrong. Keith Kidder = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Thu, 2 Mar 1995 08:30:00 -1000 From: sasaki@netope.harvard.edu (Marty Sasaki) Message-Id: <9503021830.AA11093@netope.harvard.edu> Organization: Harvard University Office of Information Technology Subject: Re: radical griffen ? Dick sent this to me to forward, but I found it of general interest, so... ---------------- Date: Tue, 28 Feb 1995 14:01:17 -0500 (EST) From: Richard Moore Jim, My wife and I fly custom Griffins as Pairs flight. I really didnt change the shape of the sail, BUT I use Skyshark IIIP and an ENTIRELY NEW custom bridle which has let the kite do things it didnt do before. If you want some good firsthand info you might want to cont Mike Dennis. He builds the Griffin sails and he is part of the team "Flight Squadron" headed up by Ron Reich. I'm just new at it and learning, but I do know that the lighter kite does a whole lot better. It weighs in at 9.4 oz, stalss beautiful, turns inside itself (if you want) or tracks a turn right on the wingtip without moving a inch. Camber is also very important in this kite. Make sure you have it. Good winds and tight lines Dick Moore Palm Coast FL = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =