Hi All,

I've been out of the buggy for about 5 years now, and just recently gotten back into it, with a new PL Competition XR+ - flying my old trusty C-Quads. 2.2 3.2 and 4.2. I weigh 68 kgs.

Now, as I'm out on a lakebed most of the time, it gets super windy and often feel over-powered with my C-quad 2.2. I've been given some advice to shorten my fly lines to depower the kite a little, to make it more manageable. I'd love to get my 4.2 up in the air more as it's just a beautiful kite to fly.

My thinking is that it reduces the size of the powerzone, thus less power. There must be other forces at hand, just not sure what.

So, my question is: How long? I read that 15m or 12m is an acceptable length. So taking my fly lines down to say, 40ft lines, which is approx 12 meters of line, would be ok?

Who has some advice for me, in regards to line length and keeping your kite more manageable?

Thanks in advance
Sam

(sorry, this post was a fail, mod, pls delete this empty reply)

as the length shortens power falls off due to window size and momentary kite acceleration , but as apparent wind builds it has full kite potential. the timing will be faster with shortened lines kite will zip quickly from on side to the other. it can be unusually fast as speed builds sometimes too fast. alot of ground slams and damage to the rig if not mindful. fast and jerky to some it up.

longer lines slows timing, mostly from the distance for cross window travel is longer . a fraction more power from power stroke length. line drag adds into extreme lengths.

really about the timing and control. once the system is moving all goes back to the kites potential with distance available within the window. only reaction time has changed ...its something you get use to , some find it hard to control if really short esp. in high winds. conditions selection still needs to be about the same for the rig choice. a little more latitude of rig choice and range in light air .
hope it helps

With what Phree said, but with the caveat that windspeed picks up a lot as you get further above the ground. So at some point your potential speed drops with shorter lines even in park and ride mode 'cuz your kite isn't getting the same wind it would get if it were higher in the air.

Maybe not such a big deal on the playa or the coast, but in dirty i nalnd air you sometimes need the height just to get enough wind and cleaner wind.

krumly

I can't believe that the first several times I lookd at this post, I thought your name was All Guns Blazing! har,har! I guess I'm cyslexid!

Yeah, it's amazing how many people abbreviate this to "guns"

Anyway - thanks heaps for the replies, people. The reasons for flying shorter lines if overpowered have now been validated, and seem logical. I'll only be doing this on the lakebed, so inland stuff won't be a problem.

The hanging thought in my mind is, when I go to cut and re-sheath the ends of the line, what length? Is there a guideline, or does it depend on just how over-powered you are, etc.

I'll start by losing say, 10 ft off the lines, and go from there. I'm not sure how long my lines are, I'll have to measure. In the back of my head, I have 50ft, but I'm not certain.

I'll let you know how I go. Thanks again.

Sam

hey dude, i love the nickname lol

Belcome Wack, Mr Buns!

Sam -

When you cut the lines, re-sheath, and re-stitch the loops, do the same for the offcuts. You can extend the lines back to almost full length - just minus the loss from loops. I think Flysurfer supplies their line sets with a couple extensions from the factory so you can tune your length.

krumly

Quote:

Originally posted by krumly Sam - When you cut the lines, re-sheath, and re-stitch the loops, do the same for the offcuts. You can extend the lines back to almost full length - just minus the loss from loops. I think Flysurfer supplies their line sets with a couple extensions from the factory so you can tune your length. krumly

Holy moly, that's a good idea.

Thanks for all the ideas guys, I reckon we can call this case closed, unless anyone else has a stroke of genius they'd like to share.

Sam

Quote:

Originally posted by All Buns Glazing a stroke of genius

Those line joiner things that Flysurfer uses - absolutely brilliant and make changing line lengths a total breeze!