Quote: Originally posted by bigE123

Finally finished, leaders fitted and packed ready for it's first test flight, and the weather is? NO WIND!!

Really impressive

Not a NPW, but this is sort of the thread we've been using for our latest projects. This is a hybrid kite - a blend of single skin and foil, but not really either one of them. My first attempt at this type of kite. Used my old standby plastic tarp and I'm pretty happy with the way it flies. Minimal bridles, but for me the sewing was complex. I do think it has wind window as good as if not better than my best NPW's. Only 1.0 M - I'm going to make the next one out of ripstop and probably 2-3 M.

Quote: Originally posted by Randy

Not a NPW, but this is sort of the thread we've been using for our latest projects. This is a hybrid kite - a blend of single skin and foil, but not really either one of them. My first attempt at this type of kite. Used my old standby plastic tarp and I'm pretty happy with the way it flies. Minimal bridles, but for me the sewing was complex. I do think it has wind window as good as if not better than my best NPW's. Only 1.0 M - I'm going to make the next one out of ripstop and probably 2-3 M.

Wow Randy, that is one cool kite. Sort of a single skin arc of sorts. Nice.

That's fantastic Randy. It looks like the shape really allows it to be an agile stable flier. I'm very interested in this latest build. Keep up the good work.

Impressive.

I need to see a close up of design.

The materials stiffness may be a great pairing w/ minimal bridals... ?...seem to hold shape fairly well.

That looks epic! Really arc like.Nice find and build. I'm not surprised it was a little tricky to sew at 1m, a bigger one would be very interesting especially in ripstop

That's awesome Randy!

Nice kite Randy!
Is that Bill R's Maeko design? Is the extra time sewing is made up with less time making bridals? I'm curious about how these would work with a buggy. I guess you would need about twice the area of an NPW to get equal power. Did you try to use a bar like Bill has on his website? Does this need a little more wind than an NPW because of the extra fabric?

Thanks for the comments guys!

I do plan to build another, bigger model from ripstop - probably my next project. As for use as a buggy engine - I don't know. I don't have a buggy. I do think it probably would work for a longboard, or ATB. I hope to bring the next iteration or two to JIBE next month.

@bengineer - It is Bill R's Maeko design on 2e5.com. It probably takes about as long to build as an NPW. I was not very efficient at sewing the "bumps" so that is a factor, while I have gotten fairly efficient at doing bridles. A bigger model would probably be a lot easier to sew. I could probably also see the sewing lines through light color ripstop while my tarp is opaque so that made the sewing harder. The wing itself is quite simple compared to most NPWs. You also don't have the NPW nose, but of course, it has some wrinkles of its own that are a bit tricky.

I used 4 line handles and but I think I will be able to fly it two line as well. I generally find it easier to sort a new kite out with 4 line. I don't know if it needs more wind than an NPW, but I have been surprised at how little wind it needs to fly. The kite weighs 4 oz, a bit more than my ripstop NPWs, probably due to the material.

Wow! I'm stunned by the ingenuity and skills possessed by members of this board! That kite is awesome!

Congrats!

Randy, I finally finished making another set of handles. Today is looking like a randy 1.5 single keel day with gusts in the 40's. I'm headed out now. Hopefully conditions are what they say. It's been awhile since I've flown that one.

Sean - did that big wind day pan out? Have been out at OBX and looking forward to JIBE. Used a 1.3 M at OBX with my longboard - it was epic windy.

Finished a ripstop version of the Maeko. Light winds but it flies great. What's amazing is how it can "hover" then take off just like that. Wind window does seem better than a my 1.2 M NPW 9b, but the NPW's do pull quite a bit better. Still, a bigger version would probably be pretty powerful.

Randy that is REALLY cool... Can't wait to see it at JIBE!.. Gimme a test run please :D

For sure Spencer - can't wait till it gets started.

I finally finished this video showing the development process of the kite I worked on with Bill R. of 2e5.com over the fall and winter. The goal was to design a single skin kite without using any bridles or spars that would be fairly simple to build and have some usefulness for traction purposes. Sorry if this is too long, but it was a long project - and there is not much wind this time of year so probably most of us have some time on our hands that would be better spent on kite sports.

That's fantastic Randy! Looks like a great kite and good on a bar as well. Really looking forward to flying it next time your up my way.

Thanks Sean. I'll bring the kites next time I'm in Indy - would love to get together again. Maybe over the Holidays.

Well - nothing like a NPW, but what the heck, I'll post this anyway - my first inflatable. Finally got it to fly today. This is a sort of interesting design - it has an airfoil shape, but doesn't use ribs - rather internal lines are used to put a shape into it. Couldn't get it to fly until I used a "pony tail." It does have a lot of pull for its size (1.5m) I am thinking of somehow incorporating the internal line concept into a 2 line foil kite. As usual - since I was not too sure if this thing would ever fly I used the cheap blue tarp construction. Perhaps a proper yellow one next? (PS - couldn't resist poking a little fun at my friend trying to fly a LEI.)

Well, another "Not a NASA" but it is my first foil kite, and this seems like as good of a place as any to post it. (Perhaps foils and other kites should have their own thread - I'll leave that up to others.)

This is a called a Sceptre 1.8, a fairly simple design. The 1.8 M refers to the wingspan in meters. Its area is only .9 Sq. M. It is not a very high performing kite based on my initial flights and comments from another builder. I wanted to take a crack at foils and this seemed like the easiest place to start. I haven't had a lot of wind to fly it in, but it does seem to fly pretty well in gusts. I may change to a cross bridle to see if I can make the canopy a bit more rigid in turns. Building foil this small is a bit of a sewing challenge because the profiles get pretty small. There is a plan for a bigger version (2.0 Sq. M) but not sure if I will build it. The use of black fabric for the ribs may be a bit odd, but I was running out of material.

Great work Randy. I really enjoy following your kite making projects. This is 2 line? I'd like to see it on longer lines. That might smooth out things a bit.

Just noticed the pac man as well. It has an appealing shape to it. It gives you the opportunity to sew up some cool tails now.

Thanks Sean. The Sceptre is a 2 line. I usually use short lines for taking video so it shows up better, but I do plan to use longer lines. The kite is actually pretty stable. When I was shooting the close ups I just put the straps around the stake I had in the ground and it held still enough to get some closeups. I will say though that foils are pretty tough to build as compared to an NPW.

The Pacman was made from tarp since I really wasn't too sure if the thing would fly at all, or that I could build it successfully. It is a pretty strange build because it uses lines instead ribs inside the kite to put a foil shape into it. I like that idea and may try making my own design with that. Once I got the right tail on it, and had some wind it actually flew pretty well. That tail was just thrown together since other tails I had didn't work (including a 30 foot long tube tail.) I liked the way the mouth seems to open and close like the real Pacman. I might build a proper yellow version one of these days. I plan to change the tail to look like a bunch of dots (maybe balls made of foam or something.)

After posting a few "not a NASA" it was about time for me to post a real one. Here is my latest (and biggest ever) 4.2 M NPW-5P. I was fairly surprised I actually got to fly today with almost no wind. I made it with light weight texlon fabric. Note - no power lines were actually touched in the making of this photo.

While I am at it, here are a few photos from yesterday at my favorite lakeside parking lot. This was my 3.2 NPW.

:bigok::bigok:

Hell yeah randy. Those look super cool. Nice work. Thanks for the nudge. I need to get a i out there. We have had spectacular wind that I haven't been utilizing lately.

good job and nice colors on kite.

Thanks guys!

A bit more wind today. Not a lot but enough to get some runs in for an hour or so.

My latest - a Single Keel NPW, but it has two ram air scoops on leading edge to prevent nose collapse. I feel like it flies better than the traditional SK, and approaches some of the twin keel models. Time will tell how it does. It looks like a nasty bug......2.3 Sq. meter - has a lot of pull and flies very nicely. I'll probably try it with my ATB next.

And now for something a bit different. Not a NASA, but things have been slow around here anyway. My current project - a 2.0 M closed cell foil. Wingspan is 2.99 M. Some 84 panels, ribs, etc, about 60 bridles, but I lost count. Flies well, but may need a little more tuning. Won't get to see how it will do on the water for a few months now. Already thinking of building a bigger model.