Bridles
Bert Tanaka
/ I have been making my own spectra kite bridles for some time now. I have
/had a fair amount of success either copying the existing bridle or scaling
/up the whole bridle. However, I have never tied changing the length of the
/outside bridle line (the one that connects to the bottom speader at the LE.)
/So what is the effect of changing the outhaul line?
/Thanks
/Dave Shriver
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For a stunt kite with a conventional bridle set up, some fine tuning can
be done by varying the length of the outhaul. My TOL North Shore Radical
has an adjustable outhaul system that produces the following effects.
Generally, long outhaul lengths seem to slightly increase forward drive,
make the kite easier to spin, makes the kite turn with less speed but
able to keep the spine and wingtips of the kite, relatively perpendicular
to the lines, and may slightly increase performance in low wind. Shorter
outhaul lengths usually will produce a quicker and more accurate turn, but
one in which the kite has a tendency to "lay back" more while turning, a
faster recovery from snap turns, slightly less forward drive, and a slower
spin. The differences are subtle and there is an interaction with the
bridle adjustment. I prefer the NSR with the outhauls on the short side.
In low wind, I will lengthen the outhaul 4-5 inches to increase forward
drive and have found that with this kite, this also has the side benefit
of increasing the normal turning radius much less than the effect that
simply raising the bridle adjustment produces.
Good Winds,
Bert