Date:	Tue, 2 May 1995 10:14:37 -1000
From:	Colin_Douthwaite@equinox.gen.nz (Colin Douthwaite)
Message-Id: <3o63rd$e8a@southern.co.nz>
Organization: Southern InterNet Services
Subject: Fighter Kite Tuning

Mark Oakden wrote:

> My favourite is a small Indian fighter I made last year using the 
> plans and advice in Phillipe Gallot's book (I really must keep the 
> title and ISBN for this book by my terminal).  I have the bridle 
> on it set a bit further to the nose than he suggests which makes 
> the kite more manageable (but, of course less of course less 
> manouevrable) 


Now that _really_ sends me running to the bathroom to check once 
again which direction water rotates as it leaves the bath 
plughole :-) 

Down here in the southern hemisphere if you set the towpoint on a 
fighter kite bridle nearer to the nose it _increases_ the spin and 
_decreases_ the stability and makes the fighter more difficult to 
control - the reverse of your situation.

I just recently tried Gina Hsiung's advice to increase the spin on 
my Vics Fighter by moving the towpoint further UP towards the nose 
- and the tendency to spin did _increase_ markedly.  

Unfortunately I don't know if Gina lives above, below, or on the 
equator :-)

                                 
Hmmm...now consider a rotating point * on the equator viewed by kite 
fliers who are Up Over and Down Under respectively: 

Mr. North looking south will see the point moving anticlockwise.
Mr. South looking north will see the point move clockwise.

I will leave it to you to consider the towpoint positions on the 
bridles of the respective fighter kites :-) :-)


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  [  Globe by Normand Veilleux, kiteflier by Dr Andrew H.J. Tate  ]



Bye,


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