Great advice Randy, I'll probably try to make one sooner than later... Just have a few other things to do first. I may try to do a 5 later this spring if I can. I've got your number if I need help

looking for a mac friendly NPW calculator... saw the post earlier from sad sack but thats just a calculator app, not a NPW specific calculator.

This looks like a simple NPW5 plan giving you the capability to manually calculate measurements http://freedom2000.free.fr/NPW_plans_eng.html but curious about different plans.

thoughts?

:D It's one thing getting addicted to kites, getting in to building and flying your own lifts it to a whole new level of addiction! I've just spent 4 weeks working away from home, the result? A new 5m2 build, no idea what they must have thought at the hotel as the room was transformed in to a sewing room!


Figures for this one is a 5m2, AR - 4.2, 16 bridles done another 88 to do!

Still keeping my hand in the NPW21 side, tried a new profile out on my 3m but it seemed to suffer in lower wind, looking at the profile I think I reduced the AoA too much, re-calculated the profile with a higher AoA so will report back if it's any better than the original NASA profile.

Wanna try that baby next to my Peak when it's done!?!?!? Howling wind for the next few days in Stevo, nasty top end on the gusts though!

The looks I got as I tried to casually walk back in to work after having a quick blast in your buggy, I was mud splattered every where :D

I think this one will be a better size match to put up against your Peak.

I just found this in my 'other' folder, under messages on my FB page. A photographer had snapped it while I was riding at Southwick in the fall of 2013! She was looking at photo's tagged with Southwick, and came across some of my Southwick photo's and sent me the pic! Riding with power flying my 2.4M NPW5 (HQ).

Quote: Originally posted by soliver

looking for a mac friendly NPW calculator... saw the post earlier from sad sack but thats just a calculator app, not a NPW specific calculator. This looks like a simple NPW5 plan giving you the capability to manually calculate measurements http://freedom2000.free.fr/NPW_plans_eng.html but curious about different plans. thoughts?

A quick look at the results shows the dimensions and bridles are about the same as the other calculators I've seen, including Tom White's. There are quite a few around but I don't know which work on Mac. The Art and Flyworks plan (also on kiteplans.org) is very similar but gives some detail on how to go about building the kite.

This plan is in French (which I can read a little) and it helped me understand how to do the bridles better than the rest - its very simple - just tie a knot. The other plans mainly use cascade bridling, knotless loops, fids and other things that made my eyes glaze over at the time. Some of the plans out there are for people who are already experts.

http://www.kiteplans.org/planos/nasa6/nasa6.html

Agreed Randy, all my NPWs were done using double slipper knots and stopper knots, doesn't look as pretty as the knotless loops but a quick shake soon clears everything. The fid thing on fine bridle lines makes me shiver, for my latest build I'm making knotless loops but sewing them and that adds even more time to the build. Sub 5m I'd go "classic" bridle and the need for knots is only one at each end. I use 30 - 60 daN rated lines and even if you half for a knot is still plenty man enough to do the job.

Ian,

I love your hotel room photo. If my wife ever says "You are addicted to kite making" I can show her this and say "I'm not that bad - I don't build them in hotel rooms."

:D sadly that's in my house, the hotel room didn't have any where to hang it fully opened out. We have beams on the ceiling.... ideal for putting nails in to hang kites and bridle lines! :D

Thanks for the U2U's and the emails Ian,... it looks like the plans you sent in the U2U look exactly the same as the one I posted above. So it's just a matter of doing the math to figure things out if I want to make a different size. I may postpone building something as I'm sure my honey will look at the honey-do list more closely now that I can walk. HOWEVER, I am giving it a little more serious consideration. I'll be in touch, I'm sure.

With the right plans you don't need to do any math, you just plug the height in and it calculates everything else and gives you the resultant area. The only math you need to do is..... how do I get enough honey points to swing in time to build and fly :D

The hardest part of doing your own build is making the first seam, once you do that the rest just get's easier. It's all down to an initial willing to learn and wanting to do it yourself, we are a different breed, like in all walks of life some ppl are happy for others to do the work whilst others do for themselves and get an immense satisfaction from it.

As for the thanks.... it's not a problem, I started out with very little help and am only too glad to give advice to anyone starting out. The more ppl that build the bigger the pot of experience and the more we will all gain.

Tell what size you want and I will send all the stuff you need







This is for a 3 foot high 5
let me know
renny

Quote: Originally posted by bigE123

With the right plans you don't need to do any math, you just plug the height in and it calculates everything else and gives you the resultant area. The only math you need to do is..... how do I get enough honey points to swing in time to build and fly :D

I know, which is why I'd like to find a Mac friendly calculator... Hopefully that one you sent me will work.... Maybe I'll start with a 21 after all :D

Honestly guys I got pretty pumped about all this working on sewing up some single line stuff for the kite making class I'm teaching Thursday, but I may not have the time til I get a few things knocked off the honey-do list.

@ Renny, I'm thinking 4m... And I think if I know the A measurement I can figure out the rest pretty easily... I know the plan shows a kite that's rough 2.7m, which might just be fine.

We'll see.

Here you go, this is the same size as golden girl
4M2






This is a very easy and fun kite to make. It as pulled me on snow and skateboard.

Thanks a lot Renny... now someone just dig me out some time.

Spencer if you need the photo that comes with this program let me know.

Quote: Originally posted by bigE123

Well done! Depending on the line you are using the key is keeping a constant tension as you do each line. What I do is as I connect each bridle line to the kite check it against the previous one to make sure the difference is correct. It's better taking the time at that point, rather than when it's in the air and trying to see if there is a uniform tension across the kite. I also mark each line with it's number as I measure it to save any mix-ups. Good luck :D

What's up with the Nasa flag.....

This NASA flag?



Nothing wrong with it, it's a low wind summer kite, fitted with keels and a de-power system. I just had a break from NPWs and ventured in to a new style to see what they are all about. Learnt some new things which lead to upgrading my NPW fleet.

I like the photo, come to the U.S. and you can take photos for me. I never can find anyone to do it.:evil:

One day Renny :D It's not a technique I recommend, I usually test fly in a lower wind to check everything out, once I'm happy I send the kite up ........ then hold both handles in one hand and grab a photo with the other so that I can have a close look at the bridles.

If you just put a smart phone on the ground leaning up against something and fly near it, you can get some pretty good close ups from different angles, though I've not yet tried face on.

Or you could take any old helmet. Drill a small hole in the top. Run a bolt in it from the inside (sized to screw into your camera's tripod mount) and you have a helmet cam. Use short lines and fly. It might work....

You mean like this bigE

Thanks for the tip Randy, I do have a helmet mount for my video camera, but to check all the bridles when it's in-flight I need a good close-up, sorry I had to titter thinking about mounting my digital SLR camera to my lid, I'd need a neck the size of a tree trunk :D

You got it ssayre, when the wind is right and the kite balanced I manage to snap some shots before it turns towards the power zone, then it's oh f@@k :D

I got that go camera and I put it on my helmet and all I got was blue sky and sand. I think their about 3 sec. that the kite was in the photo. I am going to have do like i did when I was parachute jumping, put a sight on my helmet and then get it lined up with the camera.
Thanks Randy:evil:

Here we go, not a NASA but I'm sure the design can be traced back somehow :D

5m2 single skin with 116m of bridling and now it flies!
The third in my "Hammer" series a slightly lower AR of 4.2, first flight yesterday was in far more wind than I would have wanted, @15mph, nearly ripped my arms out and lifted me a couple of inches up trying to find a place to park. Today the wind dropped so went out to try and get the brakes tuned, laid the kite out.... no wind it just sat nose in the wet grass, couple of steps back and up it went, the wind also started to increase, figure of 8s, edge to edge travelled really well, wind still kept increasing to the point the lines were singing with tension and the power zone needed to be avoided. Still needs the brake tension sorting as I need to hold the handles like a NPW but like the others it really packs a punch.

Congrats Ian, that is an awesome looking kite.

beautiful:bird:

Wow... that looks awesome!

WOW!!! That is one great looking kite. Congrats on a job well done!!!