Date: Fri, 30 Sep 1994 14:24:34 -1000 From: kevin@hawaii.edu (Kevin Mayeshiro) Message-Id: Organization: University of Hawaii Subject: bridle setting - team vs individual A question for those who fly with a team and as a individual. If you use the same kite for both, do you change the bridle setting on your kite? Heard that move the bridle up when flying team, and some people like to set the kite heavy when flying individual. I can see some of the reasoning behind this. Anyone out there do this with their kites? - Kevin -- - Subject lines are important. Please keep/start a thread when appropriate. - When posting, please keep quoted material to a minimum. rec.kites archive: ftp.hawaii.edu:/pub/rec/kites mirrors: ftp.uni-bremen.de:/pub/kites, ftp.funet.fi:/pub/misc/kites = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Mon, 3 Oct 1994 04:11:34 -1000 From: RODGER@ray.uct.ac.za (Rodger Duffett) Message-Id: Organization: Division of Applied Sciences, Harvard University Subject: Re: bridle setting - team vs individual Hello Everyone Kevin wrote: > kite? Heard that move the bridle up when flying team, and some people > like to set the kite heavy when flying individual. I like to do this - A heavier bridle setting allows for more freedom when flying as an individual but also gives more oversteer. A lighter setting makes the quite track better. The differences in setting are usually fairly small as too light would be too insensitive. Cheerio = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Mon, 3 Oct 1994 07:02:34 -1000 From: sasaki@das.harvard.edu (Marty Sasaki) Message-Id: Organization: Harvard University OIT/NSD Subject: Re: bridle setting - team vs individual In article , kevin@Hawaii.Edu (Kevin Mayeshiro) writes: >A question for those who fly with a team and as a individual. If you >use the same kite for both, do you change the bridle setting on your >kite? Heard that move the bridle up when flying team, and some people >like to set the kite heavy when flying individual. I can see some of >the reasoning behind this. Anyone out there do this with their kites? The way that I handle this is to have two sets of kites. Of course, being a manufacturer means that I can more easily afford to do this. The team kites should stay adjusted where they need to be for speed matching and turning speed matching. Once the kites have been set up, they don't get changed unless all of the team kites are changed. In general I set up my individual kites heavier for more oversteer. Sometimes I set up the team kite with shorter outhauls to make stalling easier and with center bridle higher to bring the speed back. -- Marty Sasaki Harvard University Sasaki Kite Fabrications sasaki@noc.harvard.edu Network Services Division 26 Green Street 617-496-4320 10 Ware Street Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 Cambridge, MA 02138-4002 phone/fax: 617-522-8546 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Mon, 3 Oct 1994 15:25:17 -1000 From: CFWONG@pb1.pacbell.com (CRAIG F. WONG CF) Message-Id: Organization: Division of Applied Sciences, Harvard University Subject: bridle setting - team vs individual FROM: cfwong@pb1.pacbell.com It is really important that team kites get used for team flying only. If you have the opportunity, try to get another kite for individual competition. Really serious teams try to keep their kites matched as closely as possible in terms of bridle settings, and hours on the kite sails itself (i.e. fly them together). Although the new fabrics like ICAREX don't stretch as much as fabrics in the past, I personally believe that kites do show signs of age and can change in flight characteristics. I have also noticed that kites which are virtually identical when new have very different flight characteristics after being flown a lot by different users. I believe that kites experience the same phenomenon as tennis shoes - namely through use, each flyer imparts their own "personality" into the sail or shoe through repetitive wear. That is why some old shoes and kites feel/fly so good! Craig Wong If something DOESN'T go wrong when you least expect it, then something IS wrong !!!!! ...MURPHY'S SEVENTH LAW --------------------------------------------------------- *** Forwarding note from KITESREQ--PB1 09/30/94 21:21 *** From: Kevin Mayeshiro Subject: bridle setting - team vs individual A question for those who fly with a team and as a individual. If you use the same kite for both, do you change the bridle setting on your kite? Heard that move the bridle up when flying team, and some people like to set the kite heavy when flying individual. I can see some of the reasoning behind this. Anyone out there do this with their kites? - Kevin -- - Subject lines are important. Please keep/start a thread when appropriate. - When posting, please keep quoted material to a minimum. rec.kites archive: ftp.hawaii.edu:/pub/rec/kites mirrors: ftp.uni-bremen.de:/pub/kites, ftp.funet.fi:/pub/misc/kites = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Tue, 4 Oct 1994 04:58:11 -1000 From: reich@nosc.mil (Ronald S. Reich) Message-Id: <9410041458.AA01858@cod> Organization: Division of Applied Sciences, Harvard University Subject: Re: bridle setting - team vs individual Date: Sat, 1 Oct 1994 00:24:34 GMT From: kevin@hawaii.edu (Kevin Mayeshiro) Subject: bridle setting - TESTING The FLIGHT SQUADRON uses the refueling maneuver to test for proper tuning of the team kites. Our routines typically demonstrate the numerous variations of the refueling configuration. We know that the tuning of the kites is proper for our objectives when the refueler is able to stand flat footed and maintain the refueled position on the refuelee. We make adjustments in about 1/8 inch increments to achieve the proper settings. It should be noted that all delta kite bridles have what I call a "Sweet Spot." To me that is the setting where the kite flys the fasted and has the performance characteristics that the designer intended for the kite. From that setting, I have found that to move the bridle either up or down will slow the kite down. If the bridle is moved up then the radius of turn will be larger and their will be less pull. If the bridle is moved down then the kite will turn tighter, have more oversteer, hold snap stalls more easilly and also make landing easier. We set the last kite in line at the sweet spot and adjust the others to suit. Usually we move the bridles up to compensate for speed requirements. It should be noted that the Flight Squadron flys at staggered length of about 4 feet. Also, we prefer that the shorter kite fly faster than the rest because we also specialize in differential timing maneuvers such as "Full Pinwheels" or as some people call it, "The Target." The differential speed of the kites also helps when executing the team compulsory "Cascade." Another team stunt made more easilly by the differential speed is "The ARROWHEAD." (see page 125 in my book "KITE Precision.") Fly For Fun, Ron Reich = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =