Hi, I've been hanging around the forum for a while reading all the good stuff on here so thought maybe somebody might have some ideas on this. I picked up a used Blaze 12.5 a while back that has a problem with a collapsing tip on one side only. The bridles are equal side to side as are the holes in the ribs (after I corrected some). I put a depower bridle on it so I can change the AoA and camber but still can't seem to keep it fully inflated when moving. I added some mylar stiffeners to the leading edge of the ribs at the openings on the affected side but have not had a chance to try it yet. Any thoughts would be welcomed.
Thanks,
Bruce

Another pic

so from the factory it hasn't inflated correctly?

Blocked tip cells? Dirt out on that side open?

m

If everything on the outside, bridle lines are the same etc, than you will have to check that the openings through each cell is the same as the other side. I know that Pansh had a few kites that were not allowing the air to get to the tips due to no holes in the outer cells. If all else fails you can use the kite as a car cover when it rains I have a 6m Airlink that I use as a canopy cover at the beach.

so from the factory it hasn't inflated correctly?

I bought it used, the person selling it didn't mention this. I didn't fly it right away after I received it. My mistake I guess.

Blocked tip cells? Dirt out on that side open?

Everything looks clear and this kite has no openings at the tips.

check that the openings through each cell is the same

I did that and had to cut some larger but it didn't seem to help. This kite has rib holes positioned right up to the leading edge which is different from later generations of the same kite. On the later ones the holes start about 20" back from the leading edge so I covered the forward holes on the affected side but it flew about the same.:puzzled:

On the ones that I have dealt with the same problem as yours, I had to open up the wing tip, or should I say the 3 or 4 cells leading to the wing tip, to allow more air in. If you are sure the bridle lines are all uniform in length and placement, than it is an air flow problem.
When the wing tip does not inflate it acts as if the brake is on and the kite wants to turn beyond your control, right? Or is it left?

I've found the thing still flies with some control even with the collapsed leading edge. When on skiis I can put it overhead and get it fully inflated then once moving with some speed the leading edge will be pushed in from the last opening to the tip. The strange thing is that it's only on that side and the kite seems symmetrical in all aspects. Maybe I'll have to do what you suggest and make some more openings on the leading edge.

scrap the Pansh and buy my 4.2m Combat

have you tried the shrimp mod? I thin that is what it was called. It lengthened the tip bridles to allow the kite to fly more flat. maybe this might help?

have you tried flying it only the two main lines and completely disconnect the trailing edge lines? It just seems like a bridle problem to me. A local had the exact problem with a legend. Not sure if he ever got it corrected yet.

my advice ... dunno if there a pansh dealer in your neck of the woods, but i would get it fixed from them.

its hard to tell from the pictures what is wrong. internal cell pics / close up bridle pics might help. looking at your mixer the Right side looks longer than your Left side. could just be the angle of the picture.

dakitez and a few others use to sell pansh if you need to send it for fixing. im not a pansh dealer but we do repairs / fixes here in Canada too.

I talked to Pansh but they wouldn't do anything about it, mostly because I didn't buy directly from them. I thought the kite was coming from a trustworthy seller. I guess this is one of the risks of buying stuff from somebody on the other side of the country. Live and learn. I'll keep playing with it, hopefully figure it out. Thanks for all the help.

If the 2nd picture is correct, this is a depower mod? You might find flying the kite in more wind will help the problem go away, does it get better with more wind?

Yes, I converted it to de-power. I used it last winter with skiis fully powered and found I could sometimes get it fully inflated but the left side leading edge would eventually get pushed down. I've been trying to fix it recently to get ready for winter. I converted back to fixed bridle mode but it still has the same problem. I made up a new de-power bridle so I can easily change the AoA and adjust the camber but had no immediate success.

I found the info re the "shrimpansh" mods on a UK forum. Looks like my problem was a common one with the early releases of the kite. Pansh was exchanging them for some users. This one should have been replaced as well. I guess what I'll do is try the mods, see if that helps.

Would your Rage not perform better in the same winds as your Blaze anyway ?
Did you buy this from someone on the Good traider list on this forum ?

I wish I had enough kite time to fly a less than satisfactory kite. I would be putting my time in to making money for a better kite ? I would love to have the time to tinker. Please let us know what you learn along the way !

Would your Rage not perform better in the same winds as your Blaze anyway ?
No doubt, the Rage is a better kite but for me has a narrow usage range on the snow. If I can get it inflated and flying it's one of the first to fly and is an upwind machine but...with the fixed bridle I can't use it if the snow is heavy and more than a few inches deep because you need to be able to side slip and carve hard on skiis to handle the gusts.
Did you buy this from someone on the Good traider list on this forum ?
Not sure if they are on the list. A friend of mine was dealing with somebody who's active on this forum and this kite came along with some others he was buying. I don't really want to get into it here, this isn't the place.

Time wise, an hour here and there is what I do. I don't have to travel far to spots where I can test fly. I have other kites I can use come winter. It would be nice to fix this thing though so at least someone can use it, it's barely used.

Bladerunner, I believe it was you I bought the F-arc from? Have had fun with it, will fly it again this winter. Caught the arc bug and recently picked up a V2 16m.

I KNEW IT !!!!


MY 1st arc :o

That thing twisted my knee then kicked my butt !!!! and that was on water ! TOO much kite for my kilt coverd :moon: at that point on land . Bow tie HELL for a beginer. It would be a hoot to have kept and to fly now.

Now THERE is a kite worth tinkering with !!!

Enjoy!

You are brave, skirt or no skirt! I wouldn't dream of taking that thing on the water. And I pay very close attention to it when flying on the snow/ice.