Dan Leigh Delta Kites experiences requested
Barra
Currently I am looking into single line kites.I came across the
wonderful website of Dan Leigh (Wales UK)who builds Delta kites only.
Is one of you perhaps using one of his kites? I am wondering what type
to buy and what your experiences are with Delta's in general and Dan
Leigh's kites in particular.
Thanks,
Maarten van Damme
Andrew Beattie
> Currently I am looking into single line kites.I came across the
> wonderful website of Dan Leigh (Wales UK)who builds Delta kites only.
> Is one of you perhaps using one of his kites? I am wondering what type
> to buy and what your experiences are with Delta's in general and Dan
> Leigh's kites in particular.
Where's his web site? It's not listed on kitez.com :-(
--
Andrew Beattie
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The Puppet Kite Kid
http://www.deltas.freeserve.co.uk/
via http://www.google.com/ and enter "Dan Leigh".
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Thanks.
The Kid
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Ellen
S. K. Brown
Andrew Beattie wrote:
>
> Barra wrote:
> > Currently I am looking into single line kites.I came across the
> > wonderful website of Dan Leigh (Wales UK)who builds Delta kites only.
> > Is one of you perhaps using one of his kites? I am wondering what type
> > to buy and what your experiences are with Delta's in general and Dan
> > Leigh's kites in particular.
>
> Where's his web site? It's not listed on kitez.com :-( [snip]
Sylvain Bouju
> Is one of you perhaps using one of his kites? I am wondering what type
> to buy and what your experiences are with Delta's in general and Dan
> Leigh's kites in particular.
A London Classic is a good choice, probably the Dan Leigh
to have, if you plan to buy just one.
--
Sylvain Bouju
sbo...@bigfoot.com
--
Mark de Roussier
I've got 5 by Dan, from the big ones ( 3.5m ) to smaller ultralights. I've
also got a few Deltas by other makers, Willi Koch for example. Dan's are my
favourites. I've got a custom ultra light Little Bear ( my favourite kite ),
a Trooper, an R10, a smallish one I'm not sure about ( Burrito or D4 ), and
an old heavy duty 13ft critter that was one of my first kites about 10 years
ago ( it's not in his catalogue, it was a one - off, intended for camera or
aerial lifting, that I got from him 2nd hand ). I'm seriously thinking that
I need another one - perhaps a Clipper.
The big ones ( e.g. the R10 ) are the ones I find I fly the least. Their
'comfortable' wind range is too narrow. If there is enough wind to hold them
up there, then there is already nearly too much wind to hand - hold them,
and IMHO Delta's really need to be flown by hand from the reel, rather than
tied to a post or a stake.
But this is just a function of their size - they fly very nicely ( and pull
quite powerfully ), in their particular wind range.
Speaking of wind ranges, I think Dan's assessment of the Little Bear's wind
range is conservative. Several years ago I flew a Little Bear in an altitude
sprint, in wind that was very much more than it's recommended range. It took
two people to help wind it in ( and it's not a big kite ), but it survived -
a tribute to it's build quality. But that was the day I decided that I
needed a Storm Trooper !
Where the Little Bear really excels is light winds/thermals. It has the
pop-keel that helps to keep it in the game until the next breath of breeze
comes along, when there is some breeze it'll head downwind and stay stable
with almost no tension in the line, and when it goes overhead it'll circle
happily and you know it isn't going to pitch into a fatal nosedive.
The D4/Burrito ( I don't know which it is now ! ) is pretty good in light
winds too, despite being a slightly heavier kite, and also has quite a wide
range, but I wouldn't be so confident about it's behaviour in very light
winds or thermals. I'd fly the D4/Burrito in wind that I thought was light,
but which might increase.
The Storm Trooper can certainly take a battering. I remember flying in a
strong wind at a festival. I was flying on quite heavy line, but there was
still plenty of tension there. I was cut by, of all people, Maurizio
Angeletti ( whose kites I think are amazing ). I thought I'd lost it, it
drifted across town and almost out of sight ( still flying quite nicely...
). The line caught in a crack in some stones 3 floors up and about a
kilometer downwind. It kept flying until I got to it and hauled it in :).
The Storm Trooper does like to have a tail to keep it stable though, and
it's supplied with a loop for one built in. It also really needs the binding
on it's trailing edge. If that gets damaged or frayed, replace it
immediately, or else the sail will start to get damaged very quickly.
There's really no comparison between the Trooper and the Willi Koch Delta
that I have ( the mesh pattern one ). The Willi Koch delta is very pretty,
and flys at an angle that shows it off very well ( the Trooper also flies at
a lower angle than a normal delta ), but it is not a high-wind delta in the
same way that the Trooper is, despite the fact that it's full of holes.
Indeed, one of the nice things about it is that it flies in *less* wind than
you would expect. But when the wind picks up it bends and twists and flaps (
a little ) in a way that a Dan Leigh simply never does.
As regards flying delta's, one thing that you must not forget is that you
need a GOOD reel. You will only start to really enjoy flying delta's when
you have a nice, smooth, comfortable reel that can both let line out fast
*and* wind line in fast. A halo spool will not do. If you're going to go to
the trouble of buying the best Delta's, you should also find yourself a good
reel.
MdeR.
---
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Hprinzler
After reading an old article in Drachenmagazin I made my Dan Leigh Standard
Delta with 6m span width. I made it in that size for kite aerial photography in
light winds. It works very well and as I know, my plan for that kite is used
several time by other builders.
Nice breezes
Harald
http://members.aol.com/hprinzler
Kite Aerial Photography & Flowform Information
Im Artikel <3a397b36...@newszilla.xs4all.nl>, ba...@apexmail.com (Barra)
schreibt:
michael m. moss
sorta in the market for one or two, but don't want to blow my money.
Been using Halos, just switched over to YoYo's but havn't had a chance
to try them out yet..
Brrrrrr, winter is a time for Flying kites, Not standing in a field
messing with lines.... that's my opinion at least.. ;-)
--
Mikey Luvs Ya!!
http://www.astound.net/kyakmike/
Gary Engvall
<kyak...@astound.net> writes:
>Been using Halos, just switched over to YoYo's but havn't had a chance
>to try them out yet..
The difference between Halos and Gator Yo-Yo's:
I've never broken a Yo-Yo.
Must be 'cuz they're made in Indiana. <g>
In reference to this thread:
The usefulness (or lack therof) of any winder is in the the user. One person's
Ultimate Kite Winder is another's Ultimate Nightmare. I have all kinds of
reels. I have the 'crank-in-a-box' type that Ansel Toney and Merrit Beck taught
me to use. I have the Russell Jolly StratoReel. I have all sorts of
Windjammer/Tinkerhess type winders, along with probably every brand of bobbin
(halo) type winder. I am the proud owner of several Bill Sonntag Deep Sky reels
and Charlie Henderson hand rubbed oak winders.
They all have their uses. They all have strengths and weaknesses.
The bottom line is: A kite reel/winder is a great device for *storing* line. I
have yet to see the reel/winder that couldn't be damaged or destroyed by
winding in line under tension.
Well, there was the fellow who came to Smithsonian with the twin aluminum wire
drums driven by a bicycle crank and a chain. I guess that would work.
Bill Sonntag winders have a great self-limiting feature: The 'throw' between
the handles is short enough to when the pull on the line is enough to damage
the winder, it is too difficult to wind it in. They still probably the
strongest of the bunch.
good heavens; gary engvall
http://members.aol.com/gengvall/index.html
Aero ergo sum. I fly, therefore, I am.
Northeast USA Kite Events page: http://members.aol.com/gengvall/events.html
Jerry Houk
From the Land of 10,000 Kite Flying Fields,
(and a few Yo Yo's)
Jerry Houk
Mark de Roussier
>In article <3A3B7BC9...@astound.net>, "michael m. moss"
><kyak...@astound.net> writes:
>
>>Been using Halos, just switched over to YoYo's but havn't had a chance
>>to try them out yet..
>
>The difference between Halos and Gator Yo-Yo's:
>I've never broken a Yo-Yo.
>Must be 'cuz they're made in Indiana. <g>
>
>In reference to this thread:
>The usefulness (or lack therof) of any winder is in the the user. One person's
>Ultimate Kite Winder is another's Ultimate Nightmare. I have all kinds of
>reels. I have the 'crank-in-a-box' type that Ansel Toney and Merrit Beck taught
>me to use. I have the Russell Jolly StratoReel. I have all sorts of
>Windjammer/Tinkerhess type winders, along with probably every brand of bobbin
>(halo) type winder. I am the proud owner of several Bill Sonntag Deep Sky reels
>and Charlie Henderson hand rubbed oak winders.
Yowzah ! I'm jealous already :). Is there anywhere I can see piccies of
these critters ?
But regarding winder usefulness, I've got to disagree.
I'm not saying you can't enjoy flying a kite unless you have 'the right'
winder, and certainly there are a whole bunch of styles to choose from,
whose utility will vary depending on the application.
However, if you're doing deep sky stuff or thermal soaring stuff with your
delta, I'm quite convinced that the *best* type of winder for the job is a
deep sky reel. This is not just because the label matches. I've tried a
bunch of methods - I have a total of about 11 halo's and YoYo's, aswell as a
couple of homemade reels and couple of 'commercial' reels, plus a bunch of
those orange plastic cable reels for storage, and there have even been times
I've stuck a piece of dowel through the original cop that the line was wound
on and flown on that ! I've tried couple of 'flat' winders, one plastic and
one wooden, but managed to crush both of them.
For me, the gist of the matter is that delta flying isn't about letting a
certain amount of line out then winding it all in when you're done ( i.e.
simply using the reel as a storage device ) - there's a much more dynamic
relationship between you and the kite, and therefore the line.
I don't want to have to be concerned about the line drooping across upwind
objects, getting tangled round my feet or wrist or fingers, falling off the
winder, or about crushing the reel. I want to be able to play with the
length and tension of the line as quickly, easily, safely, painlessly and
with as much precision as possible. That way, I'm focusing on what's going
on up there, i.e. on flying the kite rather than the mechanics of winding
line.
So I still maintain that a YoYo is no substitute for a proper reel if you're
going to be doing much delta flying.