Power Kite Forum

beamer behaviour

Alexwilson - 3-5-2009 at 02:01 PM

Been out today with the beamer 4m and it kept collapsing in on it self even when it was near the middle of the window, the wind was pretty gusty, on and off aswell so i just put it down to that, but is there any other reason why it might keep collapsing? also a few times when i flew it up to zenith it kept moving and went straight over my head untill it collapsed, is this down to bad wind aswell?

lastly, theres quite a few occasions where i can feel the kite trying to lifting us in the air, but up to now ive resisted jumping, would it be safe to jump with this kite ? ( obviously in decent consitent winds )
cheers

csa_deadon - 3-5-2009 at 02:55 PM

Try adjusting your brake lines in a bit. I always go in one inch increments. As far as jumping with the beamer goes.
Jumping with any kite is inherently risky. You need to have the proper safety equipment, helmet, some will say impact shorts ie, hillbilly shorts, some form of upper body protection (661 suit or a speed jacket with built in hard points.

You need to master crawling, walking, and then running before you move on to hurdles (sorry for the metaphor)
Don't be in a hurry to make that first jump. Learn what your kite is capable of. Learn the flight characteristics of the kite. You do this, and wear the proper safety gear and you will have a lifetime relationship with the beamer, and not some summer fling. (again with the metaphors, jeez man!)

Stay safe

Alexwilson - 3-5-2009 at 03:11 PM

when you say take the brakes in abit, which way is in lol
theres 5 knots on the brake line, at the minute ive got it on the middle one, have i to move it closer to the bridle lines?
and with the flying, when will i know ive "mastered the control" , been getting draged all over the place today ( in a good way ) am i suposed to be able to fly it without getting ragged about

dgkid78 - 3-5-2009 at 03:52 PM

whats the fun though if your not getting dragged around? its a traction kite . but if you want to just mess around with her doin little stunts try a day with lighter winds. ;-)

kitedemon - 3-5-2009 at 05:04 PM

As I recall I had the same trouble with my beamer. Check the bridles line CAREFULLY I found that one (a single line) sometimes would get caught on a knot near the line attachment and that caused a similar problem. I thought they had the fixed on the later ones but you never know. I ended up taping the culprit. Hope this helps!
Alex

acampbell - 4-5-2009 at 06:23 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Alexwilson
when you say take the brakes in abit, which way is in lol
theres 5 knots on the brake line, at the minute ive got it on the middle one, have i to move it closer to the bridle lines?


yes, put the attachment up closer to the kite for tighter ("in").
Generally the lighter the wind, the looser the brakes and vice versa. It the kite is sluggish and the bottom skin puckers, then they are too tight.

It is normal for them to sag or arc back away from the kite a bit as their weight and drag create some tension.

It is also normal in some conditions to have to tap the brakes at the zenith to keep it from over-flying and luffing, or just steer the kite away from directly overhead, off to the side.

Quote:

and with the flying, when will i know ive "mastered the control" , been getting draged all over the place today ( in a good way ) am i suposed to be able to fly it without getting ragged about


You are on the way to mastering control when you can predict when the kite will drag you and direct it to do so.

Be careful about jumping with that kite and do not go for big air. Depending on your weight, a 4m can drop you as fast or faster than it lifts you. You need 5m or more for softer landings and even then you need the skills plus an appreciation for the risk.

Have fun!

DonaldLL - 4-5-2009 at 08:46 AM

Asking csa_deadon or anyone else in the know - I am curious about this. I have a 4m Beamer but I do not have the same problem; I am new at this and just want to understand.

If the kite is "collapsing in on it self even when it was near the middle of the window", would that mean that the breaks are too tight already and need to be loosened or let out rather than tightened and taken in? PLease explain...

Thx

acampbell - 4-5-2009 at 09:05 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Alexwilson
Been out today with the beamer 4m and it kept collapsing in on it self even when it was near the middle of the window, the wind was pretty gusty, on and off aswell so i just put it down to that, but is there any other reason why it might keep collapsing? also a few times when i flew it up to zenith it kept moving and went straight over my head untill it collapsed, is this down to bad wind aswell?


Light, lumpy wind can cause this. The trick is to keep the kite moving so that it creates its own apparent wind. This can be enough to get you through any "dead spots".

DonaldLL - 4-5-2009 at 09:48 AM

OK... I got it. As soon as you describe this I see a couple of images in my mind of this exact same thing during our inaugural weekend.

awindofchange - 4-5-2009 at 11:15 AM

Ram-air foils such as the Beamer and others rely on the wind pressure to keep the kite inflated. If you are in nasty - gusty conditions, the pressure will be changing constantly. The pressure is also changed as you rotate your handles to adjust the angle of attack of the kite for forward flight or stalling. Combine both of these things together and you can get some pretty inconsistent and unpredictable things to happen. The collapsing of the kite can be a cause of one or both of these things happening together. The same can be said for the kite overflying at zenith. If you are coaxing the kite to get up to zenith and then a gust hits right when the kite gets there, it will overshoot zenith and probably collapse as the gust passes and the kite luffs back down.

If you find that you are in these nasty - gusty winds then you need to be careful when you fly, especially if you happen to be flying a larger sized kite. The only way to fix this it to relocate to another area that will have steadier winds. It is surprising but sometimes, moving 200 yards in one direction or another can change the winds you are flying in. Buildings, trees, fences, hills, etc... will all effect the wind and the way it blows. Flying behind or even in front of these things will change the way your kite will react and usually cause some frustrating winds. General rule of thumb for wind shadows is 7 times - meaning that you will need to be 7 times the height of the obstacle long before the wind starts flowing smoothly again. So if a building is 100 feet high, you will need to be a minimum of 700 feet away from it to start getting smoother winds.

As for adjusting your brakes, what I do is set the kite heavy (attachment point closest to the kite) then try to launch. What will normally happen is that the kite will lift off at launch and then stall, then fall back down to the ground as if it has a bunch of weight attached to it. If this happens then move the brake line attachment point one knot away from the kite (closer to the pilot) and try again. Keep doing this until the kite launches easily and you have good solid forward drive (wind permitting of cousre) AND you can pull the brake lines easily with your wrists and stall the kite. If you pull the lines and the kite stalls and also starts to back up then you may still be to tight on the brake lines. Adjust and try again. I prefer to have it so that I can stall the kite easily and comfortably with my wrists (don't have to crank on it hard) and if I really crank on the brakes the kite will reverse and land. If you can't stall the kite or if it is to hard to land, you may want to move the attachment point closer to the kite and tighten up the brake lines.

As said above, your brake lines (bottom lines on your handles) should be sagging during normal flight. As always, if the kite is behaving screwy then check your lines and bridles to make sure they aren't hanging up anywhere.

Hope the above helps you out.