Power Kite Forum - nasa delta para-wing kite

nasa delta para-wing kite

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sadsack - 22-12-2014 at 04:06 PM

Nice kite, I build 3 of then, one was 8 feet wide.
here is another fun kite

http://2e5.com/kite/npwc/

EDIT:
here something you may want to read.

http://www.australian-hang-gliding-history.com/patents/nasa-...

Randy - 22-12-2014 at 06:33 PM

@Renny - that's some heavy reading! I've looked at the NWPC kite, but seems like the design is still evolving. I'd love to see the picture of your 8ft wingspan model.

I noticed a lot of flutter in the wing segment next to the brake lines when they are under tension. Do you notice that? Perhaps my brake adjustment is a bit off.

Here's my video du jour.

sadsack - 23-12-2014 at 09:05 AM

LOL very nice, it is so hard for me to get photo, I never can find anybody to take them. How did you take your movie, do you have a camera that is on your head?

Randy - 23-12-2014 at 09:17 AM

Yes - I wear a GoPro helmet mount. I have a really small camcorder which I just put on the ground sometimes, or mount on a tripod. My daughter can be persuaded to do camera duty once in a while.

sadsack - 23-12-2014 at 02:12 PM

Here some photos of my 4 feet by 8 foot delta single skin kite, they are not real good. then their a photo of the first on I made on the table. It was 3 feet by 6 feet.

delta 1.JPG - 2kB

Randy - 23-12-2014 at 02:17 PM

Thanks. That's interesting.

sadsack - 24-12-2014 at 01:23 PM

I should have had black kite done by now, but been doing other thing. I went back to the beach yesterday and flew some more. Yesterday was a great day. Going to get back to the black kite on Fri. Hope to have it done next week and flying. We may get some snow and I want to use it for some kite skiing. :borg:

sadsack - 26-12-2014 at 12:16 PM

See Randy I was thinking of you, and said to myself ,self you fly that single skin delta experimental kite. So I did. I could not find the big one. Last summer I gave the boys club a pile of kites. The big red delta must been in that pile. So here is the 6 foot one, same as above, but beet photos.

Well did not work on black kite yet today, been flying. I know I want the black kite to ski with, but there is no snow yet. here some photos(much better) of
my experimental kite, the 4 line delta.

This kite is fast and very fun to fly.

If you just move any of the lines just a bit it jumps to the command.

Next week I will be busy on the black kite, You can't blame me for flying and not building.
Bad renny :evil:

bigE123 - 29-12-2014 at 04:59 AM

Quote:

bigE123, I am making the line set and handles for the black kite. I have some 200 pounds spectra line for the top control lines. I should be able to use 100 or 75 pounds for the brakes or less.
What do you thing? That spectra line cost alot. I would like to use something that is cheaper for the brakes.
renny:alien:

Hi Sadsack, for all my builds I use cascade bridling, the primaries I use 60daN (60kg / 132lbs) line and 35daN (35kg / 77lbs) for the secondaries. If I was building direct bridling then 35daN line for all the lines. I'm quoting this from memory, for the NPW 9 it has 4 brake bridle lines so the load it could handle on the brakes alone would be 140 kg ( 4 x 35kg) each side. Now think about your flying line line strength, as you are thinking of 200lbs for the power line I'd still go heavier than 100 or 75lbs, this will give some lea way if you are fully powered up and drop the handles and the killers kick in on the brake lines there is still a lot of power before the kite back stalls. Just my thoughts which have stood up to lots of conditions without any problems, I always err on the slightly heavier side of line but not line which goes above the collective load of the bridles.

Sorry about the mixture of units but I work in Kg as that's what all the European stuff is quoted in.

bigE123 - 29-12-2014 at 05:02 AM

As for my build..... it's taken a back seat due to something called Christmas! Now have 68 bridles made up and 46 to go, decided to go the whole hog this time with the lines, all ends sleeved with a loop for connecting together meaning no knots! I'll post some pics before I connect up to the kite.

sadsack - 29-12-2014 at 07:50 AM

I hope you had a nice and fun Christmas, kite(my dog) and I hade a very nice one. the weather was very warm for this time of the year, we flew on the beach. I used 250 pounds line on all 4 of them. The black kite is 1/3 bigger that the Golden girl. I think it will pull pretty good.

Can't wait to see some photos.
renny

Randy - 29-12-2014 at 10:09 AM

Back at it today - did a 1200 mile round trip to visit family over the last 4 days. My new project is a 2 meter NPW 21, trying to sew the whole thing this time.

soliver - 29-12-2014 at 11:58 AM

Good luck buddy! can't wait to see the results.

sadsack - 29-12-2014 at 12:51 PM

Hey,Randy that is great, what part of the US do you live in?
Any place close to Michigan?:alien:
:karate: :lol:

:puzzled:

Randy - 29-12-2014 at 02:50 PM

I live in the Atlanta, GA area. Just visited Indiana though (not too far from Michigan).

Progress on the NPW 21 is plodding - my sewing machine (acquired from Goodwill) jams a lot. I am learning how to unjam it.:D

I have got half a wing complete. If this goes well, I now have some real ripstop which I'll put to use on the next project.

sadsack - 29-12-2014 at 05:08 PM

I just live 25 mile north of the Ind. and Mich. state line

Randy - 3-1-2015 at 11:42 AM

Here is my 2.0 m NPW 21 first flights youtube. This was a lot more work and time consuming than my other kites, but mainly due to sewing machine problems - frequent jams, whatever. But it ended up being sewn instead of taped.

There was mist and rain while I was flying it today, so that may have impacted things. I also found that it flies quite differently from the other NPWs. As @rectifer mentioned in another thread - it seems to work better w/o the constant brake bias - took me a while to figure that out. (I thought I had goofed on the bridles, but they seem correct). Used the German webpage plans.
http://home.kpn.nl/walter.van.iterson/npw21/

Wind was 5-10 or so. It does seem to have a lot of pull - as soon as there is enough wind to fly it wants to grab you! Hoping for a nice day to compare to my NPW 9 1.8 m. It actually flew a bit better than the video might suggest since I had to edit out a lot of the footage when it was out of view.

bigE123 - 3-1-2015 at 12:12 PM

It's finally finished!!! Now need the rain to stop

to hook up the lines and give it a test flight.

For this build I decided to go the whole hog with the bridles, no stopper and slip knots for the cascade, I sleeved all the lines where they connect together:
Starting with making a loop then measuring, cutting and numbering the line:

The C/D bridles are three C's, three D's to one primary:

The primary loop is passed over the secondary loops and the free end passed through:

Then the secondary loops are twisted, the free end passed through and all pulled tight:

Do until all 114 lines are connected then add to kite :D

bobalooie57 - 3-1-2015 at 12:16 PM

Good job, Randy. Flies well!

bigE, nice so far, can't wait to see it in the air!

bigE123 - 3-1-2015 at 12:33 PM

Well done Randy welcome to the NPW21 world!! :D Yes they do need slightly less brake tension as the nose holds up much better than the other NPWs.... Good job!

Randy - 3-1-2015 at 03:37 PM

Thanks for the kind comments. I did notice the nose was pretty solid and the wind window seemed wider than the 9b and the pull was even until you were at the edge of the window.

Aside the from sewing problems, I like this design since it has less bridles than the NPW 9, and is pretty straightforward in terms of construction. I'm thinking of a 2.5 meter ripstop version once I get a better sewing machine, since I've got some fabric now.

bigE123 - I saw reference in another thread or forum to a spreadsheet you made for the NPW21. I tried to download it, but for some reason was not successful. Is there anyway I can get it?

sadsack - 4-1-2015 at 09:41 AM

go here randy

http://users.telenet.be/claeskites/page13%20NPW21.htm

bigE123 - 5-1-2015 at 08:04 AM

First Flight!
Ready for take-off:

Another hold the handles in one hand and grab a photo with the other:

Apart from having to set the brake line tension it flew well and pulled like a train, turns much quicker than the 10m but that's to be expected.
It does not turn as well as my NPWs, by that I mean they turn fast and pretty much on their axis, the hammer needs a bit more space and seems to rotate around it's wing tip, that said it generates much more power in a turn, (ground was muddy and scudding in wellies was the only way to hold the power). When it gets drier I'll put it up against my 6m and 8m NPWs. From the feel of the first flight I reckon this 6m is knocking out the same power as my 8m NPW but only time will tell.

soliver - 5-1-2015 at 08:11 AM

What's the official size BigE... looks awesome by the way!

bigE123 - 5-1-2015 at 09:53 AM

:D Cheers the official size is:
Flat area 7.19m2 with a projected area of 5.95m2

Randy - 5-1-2015 at 10:20 AM

That is a really impressive kite for sure. Excellent work!!

sadsack - 5-1-2015 at 10:24 AM

Hey, that is nice, the power sound great. By spring I will be ready to make me one.
Job well done.
renny

bigE123 - 5-1-2015 at 10:34 AM

For this one I changed the wing tip shape, not sure if it's that apparent, but compared to my avatar the tips on this one have a squarer profile, this was to help keep the tips inflated. From the first short flight it does seem better but it still needs the brake bridles on the tips shortening a little like I did previously. When the wind drops and the brakes are completely released the centre 7 panels stay fully inflated but the wing tips start to collapse inwards (power drops off, but I don't like it loosing shape), for that reason I'm going to add the infamous "Z" bridle as I found just a touch of brake tension made them spring back out.

bigE123 - 5-1-2015 at 10:38 AM

Renny, drop me pm when you're ready and I'll give you the parameters I used, there are a lot of parameters to play around with and I was looking to do a build that would generate more power than lift!

sadsack - 5-1-2015 at 01:17 PM

That is a great looking sail. I just order a camera, one like
Randy has, so I can stick it to my forehead and take movies with it. :lol:

Randy - 5-1-2015 at 03:38 PM

Speaking of which, today was much nicer day, and I got much better looking footage of the NPW 21 with shorter lines and the new camera (not GoPro used in the first vid, which makes everything appear very far away.) The first half is the new footage, the second half is the same as the other day. This gives a much better view of the kite itself.

sadsack - 5-1-2015 at 05:13 PM

Your NPW 21 looks good and fly good. You can't ask for more that that. We got about 2" of snow, forecast a nother 3 to 4". I maybe on my skis soon. wind chill is -20 F right now. cold cold cold:bird:

Randy - 5-1-2015 at 05:26 PM

I love cold and miserable weather - it keeps people away from my flying/boarding spots.

sadsack - 6-1-2015 at 05:55 AM

I should have my new camera (one like you have) in about a week. Just in time for black kite.
It is done, all I have to do now is the bridle. As best as I can do it It come out to about 6.2M2.
A big kite. Joann have 75% of there ripstop with coupons. I am going pick up about 20 yards today. This is the last day for the sale. bigE123 where are you at? If you are close to Michigan
I would like to see your new kite in person. When the weather gets better Kite and I want to do some tripping. :cool:

bigE123 - 6-1-2015 at 08:12 AM

Sadly Renny I'm on the far side of the pond in the UK. Good luck with the stealth kite.

sadsack - 6-1-2015 at 11:31 AM

I should have know with that union jack on NPW of your. You know in the 70st I spend alot of time in your part of the world. I worked for the govt. then and was all over the place. I am all ready looking to see what I need to build a 21. I think I am going start with a 10 foot High or 308.4CM. that should pull alone the beach in the sand. Who knows, I may get a wild hair up my you know what and come over to see you.
renny:D

bigE123 - 7-1-2015 at 02:32 AM

10ft!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my word 16m2 you'll be able to pull the beach over with you :D My big NASA is a NPW21 with an A of 260cm and I% of A set at 70%. It flies from @ 2mph of wind and by @ 6mph is starting to pull like a train. Unless you use a buggy at that size you may never use it, that was one reason I tried a de-power system on mine to make it more usable in a slightly wider wind range.

robinsonpr - 7-1-2015 at 02:41 AM

bigE - I didn't happen to bump into you a few months back here in the UK did I? I was flying at my local field in Stevenage and there was a guy with a personally made kite similar to your avatar. He wasn't from the area, he was passing through and saw the field. He was flying it on a bar with a harness though.

bigE123 - 7-1-2015 at 03:59 AM

:D yes that was me having a nightmare moment! I was worried it was going to lift me away and it flew like a bag of poo,
That was the first outing / test with the de-power fitted and a bar..... I knew I should not have gone out in public :D It's sorted now, hence the second build.

I didn't mutter too much as mine looked like a badly pegged out sheet on a line and you were happily flying your foil around.

PS how is the boarding going?

robinsonpr - 7-1-2015 at 04:16 AM

Wow I can't believe that was you!!!

I think I was having my first attempts at landboarding on my 3m Twister! I've made a little progress with the boarding. Emphasis on little. I quickly realised I needed a bigger kite as I was struggling to get enough power with that 3m. Since getting the 6m Peak I've managed a few sessions of tacking back and forth, but the conditions in that field are gusty which hasn't helped my cause. More often than not I go down there and have the kite invert a few times in the gusty wind, get dragged a few times, end up with bridle mess due to the inversions, then go home and try and work out how to get the kite the right way out again.

When I saw you that was the first time I've seen a "home made" kite in the flesh, and I couldn't even begin to comprehend how one would make a kite of that size! I really want to try building a kite one day, an NPW I guess. But is it achievable by a total novice with no experience whatsoever?

bigE123 - 7-1-2015 at 05:06 AM

An NPW is an ideal kite to build even for a novice, if you can get your hands on a sewing machine your on your way, you don't even need an expensive one, I've used a £40 machine which did the job.
For an NPW the most you have to master is a rolled seam, the rest is down to being methodical and patient, mark, check, check again, cut. I'm down there fairly often during the week if you wanted to meet-up sometime and have a look / fly one of my NPWs. Having seen one in the "flesh" you will be able to relate more to what is needed to make one.

bigE123 - 7-1-2015 at 05:15 AM

As for that field.. yes it has a strange effect on the wind, in the middle of a town, tree lined down two sides and open at each end, it's not very clean, it's my lunchtime place where I can jump out of the car throw a kite up, have a fly and out again. Takes a bit of concentration at times as the wind does suddenly drop swirl and pick up with a gust.

bigE123 - 7-1-2015 at 05:20 AM

Whoa it's just sunk in you have a 6m Peak, there is a god! Would you be up for a side by side flight with the Peak and my 6m? Obviously when it's not blowing a gale and muddy.

robinsonpr - 7-1-2015 at 05:42 AM

I wouldn't mind a go on an NPW! I've been reading the other threads on here about the guys buying Nasa Star quivers, be interested to try that type of kite!!

And Yes you're more than welcome to compare with my Peak. That field is also my lunchtime place, I get over there whenever there's a bit of wind. I probably try to fly even in really rubbish conditions when it's not worth trying, but I guess that's all part of the addiction. I've even been over there last week in the mud. Just got an old set of clothes in the car (hidden from my wife, she thinks I'm mad!) and they are caked in mud.

I'd love to make a kite from scratch. What would you recommend for starters? A small NPW? How many hours would you estimate it would take a total newb to make a small one?

Cheers,
Paul

bigE123 - 7-1-2015 at 06:29 AM

As silly as this may seem there is not a huge difference in time with respect to the size, but the bigger you go the more material you have to contend with, I'd go for a 3m as it's not too big but is big enough to use in higher wind, looking at the forecast it's @16mph tomorrow and I'm looking to be down there, I'll throw my 3m in the car. Send me a U2U if you want a go.

As for how long for a first build.. maybe 20hrs ish start to finish. It's difficult to estimate as you will be doing everything for the first time, that's the beauty of building your own you can go at your own pace, the difficulty is trying not to rush it (or like me a real obsession kicks in and I have to keep going!). Once the material is marked out and cut you can pick up and put down as and when you have time.

Randy - 7-1-2015 at 07:00 AM

Building my first ripstop parwaing - a bigger single keel (~1.9 m). Orange and yellow. BTW - robinsonpr - the single keel is by far the easiest NASA kite to build and it is a fun two liner to fly. The plans are not very detailed like the NPW5 and NPW9 kites though. You have probably seen the progression of Renny and I in this thread. Good luck.

bigE123 - 7-1-2015 at 07:13 AM

How you finding the sewing Randy? Looks like you got your first seam done :D

robinsonpr - 7-1-2015 at 07:29 AM

I've just been down there. I had my gauge with me and it was blowing around 15mph for the most, lulls to 9mph, gusts up to 24mph. I didn't fancy my chances with the Peak so just put the 3m Twister up, and it was bad enough trying to keep that under control. The ground is really bad now, so slippery I couldn't hold my ground flying static and I didn't fancy scudding in that mess. My board wouldn't move, too boggy. In the end I started getting pulled around and had to dump the handles and pack up. I'm starting to wonder if it's me!!

I should be able to sneak out again tomorrow. Though the wind tomorrow looks like it's westerly, which is probably the worst direction for that field as there is a small wood running all the way along the westerly side. I'll be up for having a look though if it's not raining.

I'm very tempted to pick up a cheap machine and get cracking on a build. What sort of cost would a 3m run at for material, bridle and lines? And do you only fly these babies on handles or do they work just aswell on a bar?

robinsonpr - 7-1-2015 at 07:32 AM

I sing in a Pistols tribute band....I'd love to put my logo on a kite! (http://www.thepistols.co.uk/)

Or maybe do one in Yellow & Pink like the Never Mind The B*ll*cks album cover!! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Never_Mind_the_Bollocks,_Here%2...)

bigE123 - 7-1-2015 at 07:54 AM

@ robinsonpr cost depends on the quality of materials you want to use, if you went for two colours @£30 in material, @£22 for bridle line as a rough estimate. You could save money on bridle line but it's one thing I don't compromise on, if I put the time and effort in to a build I want it to be the best I can make. If you add another £10 for sundry bits' n' pieces you won't be far off.

lasrocas - 7-1-2015 at 07:59 AM

sex pistols
that opens up a world of designs
certainly more options than water melons wouldnt you say E ?

bigE123 - 7-1-2015 at 08:10 AM

Each to their own :D, why go plain when you can have something unique that means something to you and makes a statement.
Go careful tho' on the design a first build needs to be manageable to get the skills sorted out first.

I'll tell you this tho' Lasrocas - If you want another build I'm not searching the internet for water melon ideas again! The images that came up!

Randy - 7-1-2015 at 08:42 AM

Quote: Originally posted by bigE123

How you finding the sewing Randy? Looks like you got your first seam done :D

No - they were just laid on top of each other. I'm finished cutting the fabric, but getting ready to go fly.

sadsack - 7-1-2015 at 08:50 AM

Hey Randy, that is looking good. I am going build me a nother big one. Joann had a sale on ripstop yesterday, I got 15 yards of red.
I am going make a 20 foot delta as soon as I get done with the NPW 21 I want to build. You can make the delta a 4 line kite if you want.

bigE123 is this like a Z bridle you are talking about

http://users.telenet.be/claeskites/page3.htm

I want to put something like this on the black kite.
We are having a blizzard right now wind chill is -20 to -40 below F.
A lot of snow(that is good) and wind 25 to 40 MPH. Any body want to fly!!!!:duh:

I can't see the road from the house, and it is only 80 feet away.

sadsack - 7-1-2015 at 08:52 AM

Go fly, you people that live in the south are so lucky. I want to fly too.

bigE123 - 7-1-2015 at 09:13 AM

@ sadsack no that is a progressive brake, it takes a little setting up, I tried it on my HA and 9b but to be honest it doesn't improve anything apart from making the TE smoother when the brake is applied.

This is a Z-bridle:

The kite is on the right, power line is top left, brake is on the bottom left, you will see on the right I have a knotted leader so that I can adjust the brake line tension. From the picture you can see that if the brake line were to be fully released the cross piece would take over and hold some tension on the brake bridles.
If I'd taken the picture the other way round (kite on the left etc.) it would be "Z" shaped.

This is the same Z bridle when the kite is staked down, you can see now the brake line is pulling the brake bridle back to keep it on the ground.

sadsack - 7-1-2015 at 09:20 AM

Well, that look simple, I maybe able to do that.:puzzled:
Thanks

Here is what it looks out my front window.

I would like to try my 1.2M2 NPW 5 in this wind, but it is just to cold fo a old man like me.

sadsack - 7-1-2015 at 09:32 AM

Don't mind my lack of skills at drawing a photo. is this about hot a z bridle works

bigE123 - 7-1-2015 at 09:46 AM

Try this one I've just knocked up, you disconnect your flying lines, add the Z bridle to where the lines were, then reconnect the flying lines to the Z bridle, power line connects to the two lined end of the Z, and the kite brake bridle to the other two lined part of the Z.

The adjustment is on the brake side, the brake tension is quite critical to find the "sweet" spot you will find that the knot will get you close but then moving it closer to the kite will cause back stall and further away will result in nose collapse. Once I'm close I move the knot it's self slightly one way or the other (@0.5cm). When tuning it fly the kite like a foil lines between top two fingers so the brakes are fully released.

sadsack - 7-1-2015 at 09:55 AM

Yes, that is how I had it. Good when the weather get better I will try that. It said you can use the z bridle for a 2 line hook up too. How would that look on your drawing?

bigE123 - 7-1-2015 at 09:58 AM

Just updated it, for two line only you don't use the bottom leg, which would mean a "V" bridle if there is such a thing :D

sadsack - 7-1-2015 at 10:04 AM

I see, I am going to have to make one up.
Thank you so much, that helped.

bigE123 - 7-1-2015 at 10:51 AM

Phew :D No problem, at least you have time to make one up with the weather you have.

sadsack - 7-1-2015 at 11:12 AM

This is going be around for about 3 days

sadsack - 8-1-2015 at 10:58 AM

In this photo of the z bridle it look like one of the ring the bridle is not tied. It looks like is slide back and forth. See photo

Is that the case
renny

bigE123 - 8-1-2015 at 03:21 PM

We're getting some mileage out of this :D what it's showing is two options, the V making a two line kite and the Z option a four line kite. I've just fitted one to my 6m and tested it today. I'll split it down so you can clearly see it.
Manged to get it tuned today, field was so wet I was getting bow waves over my wellies as I studded along :D

robinsonpr - 8-1-2015 at 03:26 PM

Gutted I missed out on that!

sadsack - 8-1-2015 at 03:32 PM

Thanks

Randy - 12-1-2015 at 07:17 PM

The 1.8 m single keel is ready to (try to) fly. Just need wind. Forecast doesn't look good for several days, however. If it flies I will post pictures, or a video. If it doesn't then.....

sadsack - 12-1-2015 at 07:34 PM

Very nice I knew you could sew, I am sure it will fly. I have made many of them and they all flew. Are you going use it as a 2line or 4 line kite?

Randy - 12-1-2015 at 09:13 PM

Its a 2 line, but I could add a 3rd line for a brake. Its the same plan as my earlier tarp/tape version but all fabric. That kite is a really good flyer and has a lot of pull for a 1.45 m kite.

sadsack - 13-1-2015 at 07:59 AM

Can't wait to see it fly:evil:
renny

Randy - 16-1-2015 at 02:42 PM

The 1.8 M single keel flies! A few things to work out on brake tension, but looks good. I got a lot of footage but here are a few pictures.

Snapshot 1 (1-16-2015 4-32 PM).png - 97kB

Snapshot 1 (1-16-2015 6-03 PM).png - 145kB

sadsack - 16-1-2015 at 06:32 PM

That looks very good in the air. I got every thing here in a mess. I moving my shop to the basement. I working on my new layout and cutting table. It is 8' by 24'. It will be a while before I get to a point where I can start working again. Can't wait to see the movies.

soliver - 16-1-2015 at 07:18 PM

Good work Randy!... looks good

bigE123 - 17-1-2015 at 02:42 AM

Nice one Randy! I've not seen many of those built, you're now a member of a very select group, well done.

Randy - 17-1-2015 at 08:00 AM

Thanks for the comments. It is certainly the easiest of the NPW's to make, so I suspect its not been that popular due to lower performance compared to the conventional models. But its fun to fly. Here is my video.

ssayre - 17-1-2015 at 09:56 AM

Nice work Randy!

This thread has driven me to madness. The time has come for my daughters beginner sewing machine to come out of retirement for the last 5 years. Will this one work?

I'm going to start small. My first project will be a 10m npw

:spin:

soliver - 17-1-2015 at 10:13 AM

Yes... That is indeed a sewing machine :lol:

They're really quite easy to use Sean. My 9 yr old started lessons at 7 and is a wiz with the thing... Constantly recreating her dolls' wardrobes in a matter of 15 minutes. The trickiest part is usually threadi the bobbin.

Youtube is your friend, utilize it for anything and everything

Hey Randy, next time we get together I'm bringing both buggies, I want to get you into buggying so I'm not the only one in ATL :D

ssayre - 17-1-2015 at 11:02 AM

Thanks Spencer.

Are there any Mac friendly calculators? It seems all of the calculators I have found are in .exe which I can't open on a mac.

sadsack - 17-1-2015 at 01:56 PM

Try here that may work.

http://calcmadeeasy.en.softonic.com/mac

Randy - 17-1-2015 at 03:30 PM

Quote: Originally posted by ssayre

Nice work Randy!

This thread has driven me to madness. The time has come for my daughters beginner sewing machine to come out of retirement for the last 5 years. Will this one work?

I'm going to start small. My first project will be a 10m npw

:spin:

If it can do a straight stitch you can build a NPW. My old machine was a Kenmore from Goodwill. It might make a good boat anchor. Of course, there is always Dollar Tree tarp and duct tape. I'm sure that one will be fine.

One bit of advice. If you are going to sew - get a "cording foot." They cost only a few dollars. Most valuable kite tool since ripstop. Go on you tube and watch a video of how to use it. (I learned the hard way after making my reinforced seams w.o one.)

Go for it! If I can do it, anyone can....

sadsack - 17-1-2015 at 03:46 PM

ha ha ha, I told you that a few weeks ago. Kite are great and fun too.

robinsonpr - 17-1-2015 at 03:48 PM

Hahaha ssayre I am also on the lookout for a cheap sewing machine with the intention of starting off on a 3m NPW.

I wouldn't have even considered building a kite until I discovered the legendary E sometimes works in my home town!

No machine yet though, and my wife will no way sanction a purchase. Going to have to be clever.....

Good luck with your seamstress endeavours, keep us posted!

Randy - 17-1-2015 at 05:09 PM

Quote: Originally posted by robinsonpr

No machine yet though, and my wife will no way sanction a purchase. Going to have to be clever.....

Try this. Tell her friends you want to learn to sew to make kites. They will be so impressed, they will either give you a machine they aren't using, or ask her why she doesn't get you one. (All of my wife's friends are really impressed that I am learning to sew. I don't know why, but I'm rolling with it.)

bigE123 - 18-1-2015 at 02:29 AM

It's a really good way to amass brownie points as well..... oh that looks like it needs fixing, don't worry I'll run it through the sewing machine....kerrrrr ching :D

sadsack - 18-1-2015 at 08:43 AM

Get rid of the wife, I had 3 and they all are gone. I am free at last

sadsack - 18-1-2015 at 02:17 PM

Randy and bigE123 this is the way to go Ha Ha Ha :P

I seen that I about fell over. They are selling it for $60.00.
I have a feeling that you can only go one way with it. How do you get home??? Just wait for the wind to do a 180. :lol:

sadsack - 19-1-2015 at 12:59 PM

I thinking when I get my shop done in the basement, I want to build one of this type of NPW

A lot of area for the size of the kite.

ssayre - 19-1-2015 at 01:38 PM

Renny, what do you use and where do you get your bridle line?

sadsack - 19-1-2015 at 05:44 PM

This is what I use, if you make a fid you can make knot less loops.

https://goodwinds.com/line-winders/braided-dacron.html

:lol:

Randy - 19-1-2015 at 08:20 PM

Do they charge much for shipping? That's usually a killer when ordering small quantities of things by mail.

BTW -I've got a fid - can you tell me or give me a link on how to do that?

bigE123 - 20-1-2015 at 02:16 AM

Firstly a big big thank you to Robinsonpr for meeting up yesterday, the first time I've seen a Peak in the flesh. Bright sunny day wind very low just a slight breeze @3mph.
These are only my thoughts and as a test was completely unfair, I'm writing this just out of interest and in no way looking to slate one way or the other as they are two very different kites:

In the blue corner: the Peak I standing at a 6m flat area, de-power.
In the red corner: the Hammer junior standing at 7.2m flat area, fixed bridle.

First impression, how does the Peak get it's aspect ratio figure of 4? Mine has a AR of 4.7 and the two shapes are very different. The builds are also very different, the Peak appears more rectangular and uses partial ribs with very deep wing tips, the hammer has full length ribs all TE to LE which reduce in height to the wing tips.

With the slight breeze the Hammer inflated and stood up ready to fly, was able to take off with a slight backward step, rise up to the zenith and do some loops. The Peak needed some jiggling of the lines to get it to sit up and managed to get airborne with a bit of work and some fluttering.

I can see why the Peak build is different, the Hammer is very labour intensive, the Peak with it's partial ribs would reduce build costs and maybe side step any existing patents.

I'm sure there will be another chance to try them out in better conditions where the de-power will prove it's worth and use, plus a few pics will be in order. I'll throw my board in the car as well so we can see how usable they become in an area that we know is gusty, while there the wind changed by 90degs!

ssayre - 20-1-2015 at 07:40 AM

I don't have a hammer to compare my peak to

but compared to my nasa kites, it turns much slower especially in light wind. The peaks will fly in very little wind but they need some decent wind to start handling well in my opinion.

edit: The peak 1 6m starts to handle better around 8mph+ and starts to produce enough power for traction around 12+. My target wind range for buggy with it is 14-20ish

sadsack - 20-1-2015 at 08:20 AM

Very nice bigE123, Randy, I got 1000 feet 0f 100 pound, 200 pound and 350 pound and I think the shipping was about 25 to 30 dollars.

here are two sites:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwITVYXLwv4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5CZzAo0IxE

EDIT:

here is another site for using a fid

https://www.flickr.com/photos/dave_mitchell/sets/72057594122...

bigE123 - 20-1-2015 at 08:56 AM

:D cheers, like I said the conditions were really unfair for a performance comparison, but still very interesting to see how the two designs looked side-by-side and food for thought ;-)

Randy - 23-1-2015 at 05:44 AM

My latest - only 1 meter. Its a NPW5 - P which has an extra line of bridles parallel to the center bridles on the wings and an extra pair of darts. It is intended to give more rigidity to the kite and widen the wind window. Comparing to my original NPW5 1 M, I do think the nose is less prone to collapse. Now I need to think of a bit of decoration on it, to make it a bit less boring. This is sort of my poor man's stunt kite. 1 M was about as big as I could make it from one yard of ripstop.

soliver - 23-1-2015 at 06:35 AM

Randy, I have to say that I really enjoy watching all of the experimentation you're doing... fun!

bigE123 - 23-1-2015 at 06:45 AM

Nice one Randy, I also tried an extra set of bridles on the wing with my NPW21, I ended up removing them but leaving the brake bridles on.

sadsack - 23-1-2015 at 09:33 AM

Very nice, can't wait untill I can get back to making kites.

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