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Parafoil Kite
Surging in Moderate Gusts
The much tweaked MBK Parafoil kite was ready for yet another test. Arriving at the flying field, I stepped out into plentiful puffs of breeze. The kite's twin central keels had been removed since they caused problems in fresher wind.
MBK ParafoilToday, the MBK Parafoil kite was back to three identical keels at left, center and right.
The
towing point had been shifted further forward too. This was done by
extending the leading edge of all the keels straight down at 90 degrees
to the lower surface of the kite.
There was a lot of smooth mid-level cloud about today, although weak sunlight was still getting through.
The breeze was measured at 7 kph and gusting to 12 kph near the middle of the field. But it was something of a quiet patch. Much fresher gusts could be seen ruffling through tree foliage at various points around the field.
Also,
this location is noteworthy for having a rather sharp wind-gradient at
times. That is, the breeze can jump in strength rather suddenly as the
kite gains height!
The kite was briefly flown with no tail or
drogue but it was clear that today's conditions didn't suit that
approach—even though the kite managed to relaunch itself off the grass
on one occasion! However, there did seem to be much promise of stable
flight in lighter or smoother winds.
On this site, there's more kite-making info than you can poke a stick at :-) Want to know the most convenient way of using it all?
The Big MBK E-book Bundle is a collection of downloads—printable PDF files which provide step-by-step instructions for many kites large and small.
That's every kite in every MBK series.
So, on went a small orange drogue on about 4 m (12 ft.) of line.
For a while, the kite was hand flown on about 30 m (100 ft.) of 50-pound Dacron line. Some of the turbulence up there had sudden effects on the kite. The line tension would go hard for a moment then back right off, causing the parafoil to drop its nose and partially deflate before pressure finally came back on again.
With the winder underfoot, some photos and video were taken. The rough air was not just the result of trees and buildings upwind—not with the kite more than 50 feet off the ground, you wouldn't think. The trees upwind were not very tall at all.
On a whim, another wind reading was done. Now the breeze was 15 kph and gusting to 18 kph. Up higher, there were wind gusts into the high 20s according to nearest weather station.
Eventually, about 75 m (250 ft.) of line was out and I passed the winder around a large tree trunk just three times. That was sufficient to hold the line firm.
Earlier, I had whipped out the spring scales and saw that the line tension was never going over just 2 kilograms. Hence 20-pound line would have been quite acceptable!
With the line secured, some camera work was done from a small rise in the ground, about halfway out to where the plastic-and-tape parafoil kite was hovering.
By now the sun was out with somewhat more intensity. The kite was hovering quite close to the position of the half-moon. Also, by standing near the tree, the flying action was framed by some twigs and leaves. With some cloudy background thrown in, the result was quite a nice little video clip. In particular, as a gust came through, the MBK Parafoil was pushed way higher after almost completely circling the moon.
The drogue did an excellent job of keeping the kite into wind, despite some quite rough air. A slightly smaller drogue would have probably sufficed.
With the kite coming down as I hauled the line in, some pelicans flew over. Well, there was a missed photo opportunity.
Anyway, it was satisfying to see the MBK Parafoil kite flying smoothly with no collapses or excessive wiggling from side to side—"like a bought one" as they say!
Parafoil Kite Gallery
Click or tap on any photo below to start up the gallery viewer:
The video below was taken on another day, down at a beach...
The story or stories above document actual flying experiences. My write-ups are definitely "warts and all" since things don't always go totally as planned. However, half the fun of kiting is anticipating the perfect flight. When it happens, it's magic!
As mentioned earlier, there's more kite-making info here than you can poke a stick at :-)
Want to know the most convenient way of using it all?
The Big MBK E-book Bundle is a collection of downloads—printable PDF files which provide step-by-step instructions for many kites large and small.
That's every kite in every MBK series.
