Kitebuilder.com - Fly... with a little help from your friends.

[imagin]

Pilot- Peter Lynn
Soft Kite
Plan - http://www.kiteplans.org/planos/pilot/pilot.html



Was discussing my Pilot building experience so figure I'll post some of that info here in case someone else can use it.

The only thing I would do differently is allow a little more length on the
trailing edge for finally squaring up. I'd like to have had an extra couple
of cm on the end to allow for a nicer taper and hem allowance. You can
always cut off any extra. I suggest you allow at least an extra 5 cm on the
trailing edge of each skin. All of my seams were 1 cm.

I didn't like the idea of the cord sewn onto the keel. I went with Gary
Engvall's idea of the Webbing all the way up the keel, I really like the
results.

My only problem was this....and I inquired with others who had already built
one, but had to learn it by trial and error. To me it appears as if the
length indicated for the bridles includes the bridle section that goes up
onto the keel. This is not so. I did it that way and it's ridiculous. No way
can it work that way. The numbers given are actually what you need for
bridle from the tip of the keel to the Kite Line tie on point.

Juergen from Germany says he flies his with no drogue. When I put mine up
with nothing, it liked to hog the sky (translated: watch out you
neighbouring kites). It didn't come down, but liked to roam pretty far left
to right. When I tied on my Ted-EEEE, it was beautifully stable and steady
in the sky. Wow, what lift! I'm super happy with it.
_________________
Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.

[KiteSquid]

Thanks for your comments on your experance building this kite!!!!!

I have always wanted to build a large soft kite but have not found the plan I want to follow/modify.

I will look closly at those plans!!!!!!!
_________________
VR/
KiteSquid
AKA TakoIka
AKA Harold
King George VA

PS Yet another post by the Squid... Doesn’t he ever shut up?

PPS The wind is like the air, only pushier.

PPPS All information provided is for hobby use. None may be used commercially.

PPPPS Vir sapit qui pauca loquitur. x10K

PPPPPS Please excuse my speling errorors.

[bill2468]

A great kite. It was my first lifter. I have since built scaled down (50%) versions with the front ends of the cells straight (not tapered) and they fly well too.

[kiteguy]

I have looked and looked. I can't figure the openings in the back...if there are any. It looks like, to me, that the two middle cells are not sewn closed at the rear.

How close am I?
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Dave Ellis
Kites + Kids = Education

[imagin]

There are no openings in the trailing edge. I had the same questions when I made it and others who built it said they didn't put any in. But, there was one contact that said in later plans by Peter Lynn there were very small holes on the outer corners , just one on each side I understand.
_________________
Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.

[conklincomputer]

I'm getting ready to build one of these, I saw one at the Mile High Kite Fly lifting a blue meanie and was really impressed. Nice flyer, I'm surprised that Peter Lynn has made available the plans.

Anyway, I haven't done anything yet, but I figured I'd throw this out as a request for general tips/admonitions/etc. from anyone who's built one.

Thanks!
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Marc
1/2 of Airborne Virus and RAF webmeister
http://www.richmondairforce.com

[kiteguy]

I have been wanting to make a Peter Lynn Pilot kite for some time now. However things keep blocking my starting.

Making templates...That iis one of my most unfavorite parts. I do not like scaling up from those tiny pictuers to a full size template.

Cutting Ripstop... Take a nice, new roll of Ripstop and cut it up? That is hard to do!! Well, just the cutting process is what I really don't like.

Sticking points.... I could not figure if the rear was closed or openings like a flow form. That question was answered....

Now, I can not tell why that little V shape is at the rear of the kite. It looks like it is missing on the kite that Imagine made. Should it be there, and how is it sewn?

Someone said they made one without tapering the leading edge as it is shown? I don't see any taper in the leading, unless they were talking about the LE of the bottom skin being back farther than the LE of the top skin.

As I study the plans more, I see that there is not much plotting of airfoil. Just the first 15% or so, and the rest is just a straight line.
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Dave Ellis
Kites + Kids = Education

[Progcraft]

[conklincomputer]

Question:

The plans indicate sewing on "gauze" to the trailing edge-end of the internal ribs to allow cross-venting between the cells. When I built my flowform, it had holes in the ribs to allow for this. My question to anyone who has built one of these: Did you actually use material of some sort for the end of the rib, or just leave it open? It seems like this would be possible without messing up the shape of the foil too much. OR, if you used material, what did you use?

Thanks,
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Marc
1/2 of Airborne Virus and RAF webmeister
http://www.richmondairforce.com

[imagin]

I picked up a mesh (at a local fabric store) that is used in sporting clothes. I suppose some pieces of Ripstop sewn intermittently or even strings in those places would do the trick to help hold shape and let air move between cells, but I found the mesh fabric made it real easy to put together.
_________________
Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.