Power Kite Forum

Brakes

opie - 22-5-2011 at 12:31 PM

Ok.. So I haven't been getting much flying time, but getting some. I used the same line-set that came with my 3m hornet on my 5m that I got out for the first time today. What I'm having issues with is when I touch the brakes, the kite starts falling and doesn't want to recover. Even if I let off the brakes and give the power lines a couple good tugs. Doesn't matter which kite, both do the same thing.

I am inland right now and wind is rather inconsistent, probably 5-10mph gusting to 15. At times dropping to near calm. Every time I hit the brakes the wind is moving pretty good, so I'm not sure what my issue is.

The reading I have been doing suggests that my brake lines are not correctly adjusted. But I wonder if it could also be wind inconsistency.

Thoughts?

Bladerunner - 22-5-2011 at 12:58 PM

Too bad you don't have a video .

My thinking is your brakes are too tight. Shorten your front lines . Either at the kites or the handles with added knotts.

Your brakes should have an arc in them when your handles are at neutral.

Are you holding your handles right? One finger + thumb above and the rest below your fly line is best to learn. Try and keep the bottoms of your handles slack unless adding brake.

opie - 22-5-2011 at 01:07 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bladerunner
Too bad you don't have a video .

My thinking is your brakes are too tight. Shorten your front lines . Either at the kites or the handles with added knotts.

Your brakes should have an arc in them when your handles are at neutral.

Are you holding your handles right? One finger + thumb above and the rest below your fly line is best to learn. Try and keep the bottoms of your handles slack unless adding brake.


I hold the handles at the top with my index finger and thumb above the line. Brake lines do have arcs when flying, so they are loose.

I know video would help.... What happens is when I just touch the brakes, its like the wind simply dies off. The kite goes limp and looses all lift. Even when I have it near the zenith, its difficult to recover. Usually ends up on the ground. If the wind is strong enough, it will fall for a short while, then fill back up.

I'm not sure if I have unrealistic expectations of how the brakes work. Shouldn't the brake inputs be immediate at the kite? Throw on some brake and the kite slows or starts backing up. Let off the brake and the kite should fill back up and start forward momentum again.

Bladerunner - 22-5-2011 at 02:20 PM

There is your problem. NO, You rarely ever want to completely stall the kite using brake. Never want to deflate and only want it to back down when done. The only time your kite should not be in motion is when it is sitting at the edge.

Try being more subtle and more predictive ? It sounds like you are getting clued into that.

opie - 22-5-2011 at 03:42 PM

Are the brakes that sensitive that even the slightest user input will have such an effect on the kite? Obviously with mine it appears so....

John Holgate - 22-5-2011 at 04:44 PM

Flying in light winds, yeah, a slight touch on the brakes can stall the kite. If the air goes (even partially) out of the kite, you've stalled it. It's no longer the shape it's supposed to be and it's not technically flying. As soon as you see the air going out of the kite, down turn it and use gravity to help force air back into the kite and get it moving again (and hence, flying).

Adding brake is like flaps on an airplane, you create more lift but also more drag. If flying slowly, drag often wins and the result is a stall then spin or crumple!! If you're moving at speed in a buggy - so the kite perceives a lot more wind - adding a bit of brake creates more lift (pull) which will often overcome the drag. The kite will sit back a bit in the window and pull harder.

That may not be entirely technically correct, but that's my understanding of it all. You've got a wing on a string!!

opie - 22-5-2011 at 06:11 PM

Thanks for the explanation John.

Cerebite - 22-5-2011 at 08:04 PM

Another thought for you from personal experience:
The 3 m Hornet [assuming that is what you have since my "starter pack" came with those two kites] comes with the short PL handles and the 5 m uses the longer ones. The outcome of this is that it takes more input/ less finesse to apply the brakes leading to over applying the brakes. You may want to try with the longer handles.

I find that, particularly in light wind, my handles are often nearly horizontal with the brakes way "out in front."

opie - 23-5-2011 at 02:07 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Cerebite
Another thought for you from personal experience:
The 3 m Hornet [assuming that is what you have since my "starter pack" came with those two kites] comes with the short PL handles and the 5 m uses the longer ones. The outcome of this is that it takes more input/ less finesse to apply the brakes leading to over applying the brakes. You may want to try with the longer handles.

I find that, particularly in light wind, my handles are often nearly horizontal with the brakes way "out in front."


Ill have to check that out. I didnt think to see if one set was a different length.

opie - 23-5-2011 at 04:08 PM

Good call on the handles. My 5m handles are longer. Guess Ill see if it makes a difference!!