Learn to Kite Foil

[Northern Kites Australia]

What is it? The green kite that is

 

On 4/8/2016 at 11:00 PM, Kamikuza said:

Here you are skiplant. This was my tenth session but I've still got hours of slam footage. I think that day I averaged one every 90 seconds 

 

How did you get the footage to stay level? Obviously looks like some software there stabilising the image. Nice work!

[Kamikuza]

3 hours ago, Fernando said:

What is it? The green kite that is

 

How did you get the footage to stay level? Obviously looks like some software there stabilising the image. Nice work!

What green kite? The one in the background? Dunno, maybe a Park or Torch. Why?

Final Cut Pro, key frames, and manually rotating the video.

6 hours ago, Skiplant said:

I know you guys seem to like foil kites. And I read a lot about the use of foil kites with foilboards.

but with the light one strut and no strut lei kites now available are there advantages to foil kites that outweigh the high risk of swimming back when they don't water launch.

this popped up on my feed and it seems more and more companies are adding this to their product list.

If your foil isn't going to relaunch, odds are very good to better that your one strut tube kite won't either. There's pros and cons to each so it comes down to what you are prepared to put up with.

Had to swim in this past Thurday. Pushing the bottom end with the 21 and put the kite onto the water. Naturally, that was on the tack away from the beach, as far out as I was going :-/ did the same thing in same conditions a few days later, but this time I could touch the ground so I could relaunch. . . .

If I'm using even my 15m foil, I wouldn't bet that the tubes I have would relaunch at all. Last time out on the 15, a guy on a 16m Switchblade kept dropping his kite and had to be rescued each time. FWIW!

[Skiplant]

I was in the idea of a kite floating and being able to lay in and self rescue. Verses one that fills with water and you have to pack up and swim.

[Kamikuza]

1 hour ago, Skiplant said:

I was in the idea of a kite floating and being able to lay in and self rescue. Verses one that fills with water and you have to pack up and swim.

Foils kinda fill with water--though they float on the surface if they do--and it doesn't matter until you get to the shore. You're swimming in either way, unless you're happy for the current to push your LEI wherever it'll go.

But foils water relaunch just fine.

 

[SoutherlyBuster]

On 18 May 2016 at 9:53 AM, Skiplant said:

I know you guys seem to like foil kites. And I read a lot about the use of foil kites with foilboards.

but with the light one strut and no strut lei kites now available are there advantages to foil kites that outweigh the high risk of swimming back when they don't water launch.

this popped up on my feed and it seems more and more companies are adding this to their product list.

 

No high risk of foil kites not being able to relaunch, just need the right foil kite. My son and I have been flying foil kites for a number of years, both on flat water and in the surf. We use FlySurfers, rare for them to go for a swim and if they do relaunch is easy.

[Skiplant]

Two messages today.

1st was tracking number for new Zeeko foil.

2nd was job offer I can't refuse. But absolutely friggin miles from any water.

[SoutherlyBuster]

On 30 May 2016 at 9:02 PM, Skiplant said:

Two messages today.

1st was tracking number for new Zeeko foil.

2nd was job offer I can't refuse. But absolutely friggin miles from any water.

No good deed goes unpunished.

So how many km from water? 

[Skiplant]

If I wait for the next 100 year floods, not far.

other than that it's at least 2 days drive or plane. 

So foil stays in Melb for my visits.

That as it may, when you get to unpack your own foil. Does it look like a beautiful work of art just because it's mine? Or is that your brain playing tricks.

[Kamikuza]

Send it to me so I can break it in for you

Zeeko is a good looking but of gear, apart from the vertical stab that makes it look cheap. Which you won't notice when it's in the water so damn my stupid brain LOL

Saw an Alpine Access in the flesh today. Sexy...

[Skiplant]

Sure thing just send the freight monies and a small security deposit say $1450 AUD 

it was that vertical stabiliser that sold me on getting the Zeeko. Being able to tune the yaw effect made sense to me.

[Kamikuza]

I went through a stage with the bikes, fiddling to make things "better", but all I did was waste riding time.

Same with the kites  my Fun Foil has almost zero additional vertical stabilizing, but I still learned on it and have a great time. I think it's unnecessary....or worse, symptomatic of a poor design. 

Cheque's in the mail. I'll PM you my shipping address

[Skiplant]

This is sort of the short version of what I was told.

there is a need to stabilise foils from the yaw effect, and this can be done in a number of ways. Dihedral and Anhedral and or winglets do this. 

This solutions also come with a down side. More stability means less manuverabilty. 

Flat wings give best manuverabilty  and when using G10 to machine from they have to be flat. This also keeps costs down. 

So the simple addition of a vertical stabilising fin allows for both a manuverable foil and a stable foil

when wanting more manuverabilty and less need for higher speed stability. Use a 2.5cm fin. Better top speed stability such as beginning and racing. Use a 4cm fin.

they are simply TT fins so easy to play with if you desire.

the blue and white edition has Anhedral and is a molded wing not G10."

hope that makes sense

[Kamikuza]

I get the theory; I don't think that it's necessary

An- or dihedral is about roll stability.

Wing winglets are about reducing drag primarily; winglets on the stab would add to yaw more.

Longer fuse for pitch stability; but you get some--enough!--yaw and directional stability from it too. The fin is overkill for the application...thanks to the mast, there's no sideslip worry about. Unless there's something else (wrong?) going on with the design

[Skiplant]

Dihedral on planes- more = stable ie: airliner less = more manuverabilty ie: aerobatic planes.

mast provides side slip resistance but is the yaw pivot point so does nothing for or against Yaw.

winglets appeared on long range aircraft to improve efficiency with the theory that it reduced drag at tips. However recent tests have shown that just lengthening the wings the same amount gives same results. But in the real world of congested airports making the wings longer is not a popular idea.

so I believe that winglets on rear wings of foils are in fact vertical stabilisers. Which control yaw effects.

i like the idea of having some simple control of the handling. Rather than locked in yaw control dictated by the racers. Which I don't want to do. 

From my flying background. I also see that another yaw control can be simple parasitic drag. So a poor design in regards to drag inducing shapes, can in fact  reduce yaw effects helping stability. At least until its design terminal velocity is reached.

i still remember an old windsurfing trick to sail back with no fin. You tied you harness to back straps and let it drag in water it provided the directional stability to sail back .not that I did that but I did see my dad use it successfully.

[Kamikuza]

An- or dihedral depends if the aircraft is high- or low-wing  

Winglets good, shape vital. Even some fighters had them, after a fashion. Cost is always a factor.

I think the KFA wing is one of the best designed wings, the Alpine has blended tips too. I'd love to play with wing shapes and designs but without a water tank and proper testing it's pretty subjective.

Long fuse will help too. You'll have to stump up some data to convince me it's necessary  

[SoutherlyBuster]

Winglets will only give yaw stability if they are aft of the centre of gravity. So for wings with no sweep back, winglets give no yaw control. For our foil kites they virtually have no sweep back, so the only yaw control you have is differential drag, ie increased angle of attack on one side causes more drag.

[Kamikuza]

Winglets aren't about yaw control. So those on the stabilizer are misnamed but will provide some tracking stability.

We're talking about boards not kites though

[JJL]

On 28 March 2016 at 9:57 PM, KiteStyle said:

 

 

nigel... I saw the new nacra 15 the other day, small -relatively- cheap cat with foils & a spinnaker. Looked pretty cool. Actually just saw it's 'boat of the year' from someone..

http://www.nacrasailing.com/nacra-15-three-versions-one-platform/

 

 

 

 

Only needs a kite to transform her in a rocket!