3-Skewer Kite Posts

These two kites were an experiment in using three bamboo skewers end to end instead of just two. Both designs flew very well and were exceptional in very light to light winds.

These 3-Skewer kite posts once appeared in the site blog page, although that page is no longer present. Just scroll down and stop at any heading that appeals, below :-)

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3-Skewer A-Frame Kite

3-Skewer A-Frame Torture Test

Although the winds were gusting to quite fresh strengths, I decided to pull out the A-frame kite anyway, to do a final check of its behavior when pushed to the limit.

3-Skewer A-Frame Soars in the Sun

A rare sunny day with moderate winds provided another opportunity to get out with the 3-Skewer A-Frame again. I was hoping for some fresh-strength breeze to really push the kite hard and give an opportunity to trim it properly.

First, I let the kite out at about 30 degrees of line angle. For fun, I let the line out just fast enough to hold the kite at around 30 degrees—all the way out to 60 meters (200 feet) of line. Then, I stopped and the A-Frame rose to around 45 degrees.

The stronger gusts kept bending the kite and pushing it down to lower line angles, so I brought it back down by anchoring the line and walking out with the line slipping through one hand. The towing point was easily shifted forward by a centimeter or so (half inch) by sliding the Prusik knot and then locking it again in the new position.

This time, the kite was much more comfortable and rose right up to 60 or 70 degrees—even after letting out another 60 meters (200 feet) of line!

For 15 minutes or so I just enjoyed seeing the 3-Skewer A-Frame flying steadily at high altitude, the loop tail rippling just slightly in the breeze. The orange plastic was brightly illuminated by the late afternoon sun from behind. There was no sign of leaning, strangely, despite the good moderate airflow at that height. Perhaps unwinding the tail to its original state had made quite a difference. I couldn't complain!

On the ground, the wind meter recorded an average strength of 5 kph and a maximum gust of 14 kph. Toward the end of the flight, the fresh gusts had died down quite a bit. As a result, the kite hung lower from time to time during lulls. 

3-Skewer A-Frame Over the Street

I got a bit daring just before sundown last night by letting the 3-Skewer A-Frame right out to 60 meters (200 feet) from our side lawn. There it was, hanging over the street in the dusk, floating about in the cool light breeze. There were no power lines anywhere close, I should add.

Well, wouldn't you know it, the breeze freshened a bit more, and the kite started the dreaded lean-to-the-right... (Yet more trimming tape was required on the other wingtip, evidently.)

After a few tense minutes of winding in at every hint of a lull, the kite finally came safely over our property, then over our roof, then into my hand. Phew! All's well that ends well.

Slope-Soaring the Roof at Sunset

Yes, it's another one of those backyard kite-flying reports! Just on impulse, less than half an hour before sunset, I went out to the side lawn with the 3-Skewer A-Frame kite hooked up to our 20-pound line. A light breeze was rustling the tops of the bushes and small trees. Just occasionally, a small puff would find its way through the yard lower down, despite the solid fences and walls on all sides.

A few tries were required but eventually the A-Frame kite popped up above gutter level and caught enough breeze to continue up.

What followed was a flight which required constant attention but was pleasant enough anyway—fun, even! The main obstacle was the TV antenna, which could be avoided by moving the tether-point (me) side to side across the lawn. Also, when it was clear that the wind strength was not going to overpower the kite, I let some more line out so the kite was just a lot higher than the antenna.

The wind was gusty as usual, so the kite often found itself floating just over the tiles during lulls. This was a little tricky, since the air was generally slower down there anyway. A hasty pull-in to climb back to faster air was often required. The exception was when I was able to position the kite right in the slope-lift region of the roof. The direction of the roof's ridge line wasn't ideal, but it seemed enough to give the kite a bit of a boost.

As the sun sank further, the wind died down, and it became impossible to keep the bright-orange A-frame up there. Soon, it had to be pulled all the way in to a hand catch over the lawn. Carrying it back to the shed, I noticed the sky turning to the intense pinks and reds of an Adelaide summer sunset. 

Perfect Weather Ruins Experiment

Let me clarify a bit... It seemed the breeze outside might have been gusting just enough to push the 3-Skewer A-Frame kite close to its limits. This was good since I wanted to try something.

The A-Frame has a rather short upper bridle-loop so I had initially ignored the possibility of trimming the kite straight with the upper sliding knot. But today I thought why not at least give it a try. If the amount of adjustment available proves to be enough, there would be no need for that ugly tail-let out on the tip!

To cut a full flying session short, the wind speed proved to be just perfect for the kite today. The darned thing flew straight as a die even without the tail-let in place! It was a perfectly pleasant flight on 60 meters (200 feet) of 20-pound Dacron. The A-Frame kite did loop a few times, but that had more to do with the loop tail being a bit rolled up and ineffective than with any lack of trim. In other words, the kite looped in both directions, at random.

Aren had a bit of fun with the original 2-Skewer Diamond, which has been bequeathed to him now.

Just before returning home, the wind meter was held shoulder-high for a couple of minutes; it indicated a 5.8 kph average with gusts to 12.5 kph. That's a perfect kite-flying breeze for light-wind designs!

3-Skewer A-Frame Great in Light Winds

This kite is one of three bonus kite-designs planned for the Making Skewer Kites e-book. As such, the instructions won't be available on the website. As a natural progression up from the 2-skewer designs, these three kites use three bamboo skewers end-to-end as the basic building unit. That's just over twice the sail area of similar 2-Skewer Series kites.

I actually had a couple of sessions with the A-Frame today. The first was on only 30 or 40 meters (100 feet+) of line, in very light air. Despite only making a 45 degree line angle, this flight enabled me to get some good photos and video. The kite flies smoothly on its four-leg bridle, as you would expect, and starts to rock slightly when there is hardly enough air pressure to keep it up.

The horizontal spar flexes noticeably if you tug the line, giving the kite a spongy feel not unlike a delta—but without delta vertical acceleration.

The next session saw the kite rise easily to just under 400 feet, again in very light air. It looked quite photogenic up there, the bright-orange panels illuminated or in shadow from the late-afternoon sun. The black-plastic looped tail hung down almost motionless.

The 20-pound line was just perfect for this lightweight A-frame kite. On this flight, it had a bit of thermal help, boosting it up to high line-angles. At no time was there much tension in the line. It's just a great light-wind kite!

 

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3-Skewer Sled Kite

3-Skewer Sled Trims Nicely

In an earlier outing, moving the bridle knot didn't seem to do much. So today, with breezier conditions, I tried an experiment with a little air-bucket taped to the trailing edge, on one side.

 

 

 

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