Bridles & MEFM
Gene Schroeder
A great and informative article to help us newbys understand the
science/witchcraft/art of bridle adjustments.
and Philippe Lepez answered
>The Turbo bridle:
>I allways have thaugth that the MEFM had a Turbo bridle
My new MEFM definately has "by your description", a Turbo bridle
and to follow the original thread, (was MEFM tuning), I hope you
get a chance to experiment with it and finish that part of your
treatise on bridles.
I have had so little luck tuning it to very low wind that I
usually just pull out the Jaberwocky in frustration. It's all
they claim in 10-12 MPH winds but that also is close to the "as
delivered" bridle conditions. Almost every combination I have
tried has been .NOT. an improvement ... but, I am sure that is a
reflection on the skills of the adjuster and not the kite.
Help is on the way ???
Marty Sasaki
In article <40aubf$b4a$1...@mhafm.production.compuserve.com>, Gene Schroeder <7453...@CompuServe.COM> writes:
|>My new MEFM definately has "by your description", a Turbo bridle
|>and to follow the original thread, (was MEFM tuning), I hope you
|>get a chance to experiment with it and finish that part of your
|>treatise on bridles.
The MEFM should have one line going from the top spreader connector to
the center T fitting. The other line should be attached to this line
and to the lower spreader connector. If your bridle is not attached in
this manner, then someone has been playing with your bridle.
It is not a turbo bridle where one line goes from the top spreader to
the bottom spreader and another line goes from this line to the center
T fitting.
|>I have had so little luck tuning it to very low wind that I
|>usually just pull out the Jaberwocky in frustration. It's all
|>they claim in 10-12 MPH winds but that also is close to the "as
|>delivered" bridle conditions. Almost every combination I have
|>tried has been .NOT. an improvement ... but, I am sure that is a
|>reflection on the skills of the adjuster and not the kite.
Talk to the kite shop that sold you the kite, or possibly to Big Easy
Kites. You should not have any problems flying the MEFM in light
winds. With less than 3 you will have to work, and it will require
some skill to get the kite to do things, but it will fly in very light
wind.
--
Marty Sasaki Harvard University Sasaki Kite Fabrications
sas...@noc.harvard.edu Network Services Division 90 Melrose Street
617-496-4320 10 Ware Street Arlington, MA 02174
Cambridge, MA 02138-4002 phone/fax: 617-646-1925
sri...@umi.com
Schroeder <7453...@CompuServe.COM> writes:
|>My new MEFM definately has "by your description", a Turbo bridle
|>and to follow the original thread, (was MEFM tuning), I hope you
|>get a chance to experiment with it and finish that part of your
|>treatise on bridles.
Marty Wrote:
>The MEFM should have one line going from the top spreader connector to
>the center T fitting. The other line should be attached to this line
>and to the lower spreader connector. If your bridle is not attached in
>this manner, then someone has been playing with your bridle.
>It is not a turbo bridle where one line goes from the top spreader to
>the bottom spreader and another line goes from this line to the center
>T fitting.
Err. . . Marty, just to clear up confusion on one of our parts: Ray
Borderlon came out with the infinity bridle on the EFM 3 years ago
or so, correct? I don't remember exactly when.
Well what you are describing as the turbo bridle is on my EFM and MEFM
as what I know as the infinity bridle. I traded for the EFM about
three years ago and I bought my MEFM new about 2 years ago, and like I
said, both kites have the same bridle. The EFM could have had someone
mess with the bridle, but I seriously doubt that someone messed around
with my *new* MEFM. I bought it from Chicago Kite Co. where I doubt
they have time to mess with bridles on their kites for sale.
Has Ray put two different types of bridles on his production *EFMs?
Good Winds
Sam
Marty Sasaki
In article <950810122...@umi7.umi.com>, sri...@umi.com writes:
|>Marty Wrote:
|>>The MEFM should have one line going from the top spreader connector to
|>>the center T fitting. The other line should be attached to this line
|>>and to the lower spreader connector. If your bridle is not attached in
|>>this manner, then someone has been playing with your bridle.
|>
|>>It is not a turbo bridle where one line goes from the top spreader to
|>>the bottom spreader and another line goes from this line to the center
|>>T fitting.
|>
|>as what I know as the infinity bridle. I traded for the EFM about
|>three years ago and I bought my MEFM new about 2 years ago, and like I
|>said, both kites have the same bridle. The EFM could have had someone
|>mess with the bridle, but I seriously doubt that someone messed around
|>with my *new* MEFM. I bought it from Chicago Kite Co. where I doubt
|>they have time to mess with bridles on their kites for sale.
Well, I'm completely confused now. I thought that Ray's bridle was
different than the Turbo bridle, but I just checked and sure enough,
the Infinity bridle appears to be the same as the Turbo bridle.
So, I take back what I said before. I don't know why I thought what I
thought, maybe too much time in the sun...
In any case, here's another way to think about adjusting the
bridles. The flying line attachment point, also called the "pick
point" can be adjusted:
- up and down (towards the nose or towards the tail)
- inward and outward (towards the spine, away from the spine).
Moving the pick point up increases forward speed and increases turning
radius. Moving the bridle down decreases forward speed and decreases
the turning radius.
Moving the pick point out increases the turning speed, and possibly
decreases the turning radius. It also makes the kite more "radical"
and increases the oversteer.
Moving the pick point in decreases turning speed and makes the kite
less radical and reduces the oversteer.
The Turbo/Infinity bridle adds a wrinkle by effectively lowering the
pick point when the kite is in a turn, allowing faster, tighter turns,
but maintaining stable straight line flight.
Let's see how I can stick my foot in my mouth about the Stranger's
bridle now...
Jeffrey C. Burka
>Err. . . Marty, just to clear up confusion on one of our parts: Ray
>Borderlon came out with the infinity bridle on the EFM 3 years ago
>or so, correct? I don't remember exactly when.
I think the infinity bridle made its debut at the first Old Dominion SKC
(early April '92).
>Has Ray put two different types of bridles on his production *EFMs?
Well, before the infinity bridle in '92, there were a number of EFMs (the
original MEFM, 1/2oz nylon on 2wrap advantage didn't show up for a little
while) made without the standard bridles.
The original EFM had a regular, phantom-style bridle (in-haul as opposed to
out-haul), did not have the various spacers and swappable upper spreaders,
and did not have the bungee on the the stand-off tensioning line (it wasn't
particularly necessary since the aspect ratio wasn't changeable).
As Ray started making broad changes to the kite, he sent out the goods to
update old kites to a lot of owners. At this point, I know of only one EFM
which is truly original in its frame and fittings. (it's also got a custom
sail which is one of the *ugliest* kites I've ever seen).
Incidentally, the EFM was originally called the Marriah (um, I think that
was the spelling they used). Unfortunately, Trilogy had just released the
Moriah (a vented kite), so Big Easy changed the name of their new kite.
Jeff
--
|Jeffrey C. Burka | Pithy, insightful quote to be inserted when one |
|jbu...@glue.umd.edu | occurs to me. *If* one occurs to me. |
|http://www.wam.umd.edu/~jeffy/html/home.html |
Henk van Dijke
> Marty Sasaki Harvard University Sasaki Kite Fabrications
> sas...@noc.harvard.edu Network Services Division 90 Melrose Street
> 617-496-4320 10 Ware Street Arlington, MA 02174
> Cambridge, MA 02138-4002 phone/fax: 617-646-1925
Dear Marty,
I understand that you have written a very good article about bridle
settings. Unhappily, I have missed it.
Could you e-mail it to me, as I seem to be having a spot of trouble there...
Thanx,
Henk van dijke
Rick Voss
rec.kites & elsewhere. Alot of what i have read is contradictory, but
always interests me. I have always thought that moving the pick point
further apart would decrease oversteer & "radicalness" (all else staying
equal). i wonder if it is possible that moving the pick point out or in
could have opposite effects on different kites--(probably unlikely) ???
Maybe it has to do with moving further from the sweet spot in either
direction---- (probably unlikely)????
Enjoyed the article, & i appreciate all the great info you are always
sharing with us.
Rick
Marty Sasaki
In article <40k7ic$3...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, rick...@aol.com (Rick Voss) writes:
|>Hi Marty, I have been reading everything that i can find about bridles in
|>rec.kites & elsewhere. Alot of what i have read is contradictory, but
|>always interests me.
This is what makes life interesting... ;-)
!> I have always thought that moving the pick point
|>further apart would decrease oversteer & "radicalness" (all else staying
|>equal). i wonder if it is possible that moving the pick point out or in
|>could have opposite effects on different kites--(probably unlikely) ???
|>Maybe it has to do with moving further from the sweet spot in either
|>direction---- (probably unlikely)????
My experience has been that moving the pick points apart may increase
the oversteer and the radicalness of a kite. It definitely increases
the top turning speed of a kite.
However, some kites don't deal with short outhauls at all and
performance degrades quickly away from the "sweet spot". All kites
have a point where performance degrades with any adjustment. It is
possible that the kites you have played with are at this limit,
shortening the outhauls has only a detrimental effect.