Design Features
Flex-Stop
This is a small fin sewn into the center sleeve with a loop for securing the spreader strut. It is used on high nose angle designs (and the Trooper) to prevent the flexing of relatively long spreaders.
When spreaders flex, kites mush rather than climb in response to control inputs. Also, if allowed to bend, spreaders are liable to snap.
On small kites destined for certain static applications, a flexible fiberglass spreader can nevertheless be useful for un-manned flying in a wide range of winds.
Several of the designs have a double-walled fin that partially inflates in normal flight. It pops open as shown, forming a sort of windsock when the kite's nose drops. This action stops dives.
Being double sided, this fin is also twice as heavy. This lowers the center-of-gravity, which increases stability and allows the use of a lighter center spine.
Also, when inflated, these fins don't force the center spine into a straight line like a normal fin. Instead, the ballooning action allows the center spine to curve, which gives a good handling, stable kite that doesn't loose height when line is let out.
The Shifter fin, an option on Wildcards, is more than simply a chopped-off regular fin. Each is designed with calculated, dedicated adjustment extremes logically set at the fore and aft limits of stability for the particular wing.
As each kite is built, both halves are assembled on top of each other and kept as flat and evenly tensioned as possible. Splices are pinned down and glued individually. The two wing halves are cut as one, then marked for sewing on both sides (again, with the halves equally tensioned). By the time the sewing is finished, the two wing halves should be exactly symmetrical - it only takes a small discrepancy to cause a kite to pull to one side.Even with perfectly symmetrical wing halves, deltas need each and every pair of wing spars to match, or else they still might not fly right! Whenever there's enough breeze to flex the wing spars there'll be more wind force on one wing than on the other, tending to tip the kite over.
©1998-2008 Dan Leigh, 54 Osborne Road, Pontypool, Gwent, Wales, UK NP4 6LX
