modeltrains
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- Jun 29, 2011
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Yay! Got out and flew kites yesterday! It's kind of my thing to get photos of each which got flown. Can be a bit of an adventure doing camera one-handed with kite string in other hand! As you might imagine I don't get photos of the 2 string stunt kites while flying them. Odd as it might sound, I feel really grounded when flying. Out in the grass and wind under the sky I connect or reconnect with life. The hazy diagonal line in some photos is apparently a hair, mine or the cat's which got down in the retractable lens mechanism. Canon won't tell me how to take the camera apart to fix it myself but I could send it to them for a month.
Umm, no.
And kites are great because anyone can fly them, it's not like kites are NASA rocket science.
Oh ...
Wait ...
https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/kiteaero.html
This joker is 7 feet, 2m, long and the legal pad paper pattern messes with my eyes to where it often looks to be upside down - which can't happen.
Little $3.50 plastic delta kite from Walmart flies quite nicely at the listed wind speeds. I don't know offhand what they are and I'm not going out to the car to look. A lot of people try to fly these and the little plastic diamond kites in too much wind. Stick to the wind speeds listed on package and both types will fly quite well.
That's a fun one and I forget its name. Tails are aftermarket, nice ripstop nylon like the kite fabric.
That baby has about a 7ft, 2m, wingspan. Style is called Delta Conyne. That style and full delta kites do not require tails. Got it from a place in Boulder, Colorado. In a good wind it can nearly pull you off your feet. COOL! Ripstop nylon with fiberglass spars and spreaders.
String used is 150lb, 68kg, test. I think kite only requires 80pound, 36kg, but I figure a little overengineering never hurts. Speaking of overengineering, that wooden crank winder is not overengineered - there are days where without the leverage provided the kite is NOT going to come down.
This monster has a 9 foot, 2.7m, span and is actually rated for less wind than the 7 footer because of having lighter construction including lighter fabric, which again is ripstop nylon. Has basswood spars and spreaders, about 5/8 inch square or a bit thicker and yet is lighter than you'd guess. It's also a hundred dollar kite.
The following kites didn't get flown yesterday but on this one I wanted to show about putting LED lights on it. Has about a 6ft span.
With a little luck and brighter lights maybe I can cause a UFO report?
This one is also a 6 footer and is about 14 years old. Is showing wear but remains a favorite.
My health is a mess from half a dozen causes among them being some issues with my hands; Raynaud's, and something which adds up to cause similar end results to carpal tunnel but isn't it. So since flying can't happen every day it is a big thing for me when I get to.
During decent weather (spring to fall) my kits live in the back of the van. With 3 kite carryalls and several loose kites it is better for me to just leave them there and haul them in and out. Means not much else than 3 laundry baskets will go back there, but, hey, I'm set up for a good thing at a moment's notice! Hmm, I wonder how long it is since the back seat has been unfolded?
Oh, by the way, April is national kite month. https://www.nationalkitemonth.org/
https://kite.org/activities/events/national-kite-month/
Umm, no.
And kites are great because anyone can fly them, it's not like kites are NASA rocket science.
Oh ...
Wait ...
https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/kiteaero.html
This joker is 7 feet, 2m, long and the legal pad paper pattern messes with my eyes to where it often looks to be upside down - which can't happen.
Little $3.50 plastic delta kite from Walmart flies quite nicely at the listed wind speeds. I don't know offhand what they are and I'm not going out to the car to look. A lot of people try to fly these and the little plastic diamond kites in too much wind. Stick to the wind speeds listed on package and both types will fly quite well.
That's a fun one and I forget its name. Tails are aftermarket, nice ripstop nylon like the kite fabric.
That baby has about a 7ft, 2m, wingspan. Style is called Delta Conyne. That style and full delta kites do not require tails. Got it from a place in Boulder, Colorado. In a good wind it can nearly pull you off your feet. COOL! Ripstop nylon with fiberglass spars and spreaders.
String used is 150lb, 68kg, test. I think kite only requires 80pound, 36kg, but I figure a little overengineering never hurts. Speaking of overengineering, that wooden crank winder is not overengineered - there are days where without the leverage provided the kite is NOT going to come down.
This monster has a 9 foot, 2.7m, span and is actually rated for less wind than the 7 footer because of having lighter construction including lighter fabric, which again is ripstop nylon. Has basswood spars and spreaders, about 5/8 inch square or a bit thicker and yet is lighter than you'd guess. It's also a hundred dollar kite.
The following kites didn't get flown yesterday but on this one I wanted to show about putting LED lights on it. Has about a 6ft span.
With a little luck and brighter lights maybe I can cause a UFO report?
This one is also a 6 footer and is about 14 years old. Is showing wear but remains a favorite.
My health is a mess from half a dozen causes among them being some issues with my hands; Raynaud's, and something which adds up to cause similar end results to carpal tunnel but isn't it. So since flying can't happen every day it is a big thing for me when I get to.
During decent weather (spring to fall) my kits live in the back of the van. With 3 kite carryalls and several loose kites it is better for me to just leave them there and haul them in and out. Means not much else than 3 laundry baskets will go back there, but, hey, I'm set up for a good thing at a moment's notice! Hmm, I wonder how long it is since the back seat has been unfolded?
Oh, by the way, April is national kite month. https://www.nationalkitemonth.org/
https://kite.org/activities/events/national-kite-month/