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

[planish]

"Glider", by Nelson Borelli.
More commonly referred to as a "Borelli Glider".
http://www.batoco.org/planos/2008/04/planobarriletegliderborreli.html
[correction] Instructions translated into Spanish by Gustavo Di Si
Google translation into English: here.

Two versions as shown on the batoco.org site:
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Single-line Low wind/No wind/Indoor glider kite
_________________
John Rose
"I am a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar." (Wash, in Serenity)
ToDo list: hand shadow bird graphic on a Dopero; Urban Ninja; Marilyn Monroe portrait kite; another One-Piece Cody; Cody Box; Catherine's Wheel; Dave Wadeson's "Mouse", Manga Multiconos.

[planish]

Okay. I've just made one of these, or something very close to it.

Here it is posing on the back of my sofa.

Spine is 75 cm long, wingtip-to-wingtip is 102 cm.
Reinforcement patches and tips are white duct tape (much classier than the grey type).
You can see a lot of fighter kite genetic material in its design.

I did make a few changes from the original instructions, but the dimensions are the same as the basic plans.

My modifications:

1. I used a 1/8" diameter wood dowel instead of bamboo for the spine. This was probably the single most expensive item used.

2. I had to modify the pop-rivet ferrule to get a good fit for the spars.

3. I taped the wing hems over the spars, so as to make a tunnel, instead of gluing the frame directly to the skin.

4. I used transparent cellophane (or whatever that stuff for wrapping gift baskets is) for the skin, instead of plastic from a bag.

5. I added some small vinyl tubing stoppers and fittings.

6. I used a four-holed button for the spine bow tensioner, instead of a knot.

The business with the ferrule:

It looks like a good idea, but my matchstick bamboo (from a window blind, just like in the plans) was a bit too small for a snug fit. Something like 2.5 mm diameter. Rather than gluing them in or wrapping tape around the bamboo ends, I made the ferrule smaller.


Cut a slot just the width of the thickness of a hacksaw blade, and close it up (carefully) in a vise. Now it fits the bamboo perfectly, and is still plenty strong enough for this application.

Since the bamboo was significantly smaller than the inside of the ferrule, I reasoned that perhaps he used thicker bamboo than what I had. It did feel rather too flexible for a spine, if it was to be 75 cm long, so I used the 1/8" (3.2 mm) wood dowel instead.

Ferrule to spine fitting - an inch of 1/8" ID vinyl tubing, with half an inch sliced off the middle of one side.

Also provides something to tie the front leg of the bridle to, between the ferrule and the spine. I'm also thinking that a similar setup could be used to make a dihedral for mini kites with 1/8" dowel frames.

Since the ferrule hasn't been drilled and tied on (that's what the instructions say, I think), you can, with a bit of effort, push it to one side and separate one of the two spars, which then enables you to fold it for storage or transport.

The Scotch taped spar tunnels vs. contact cement on the wings business:
I didn't have any contact cement on hand, nor any other kind of glue that would stick to both the bamboo and the cellophane. Even CA didn't work, on a test piece.
In addition, I wanted to be able to replace a spar if one should crack or break. If the spars and the spine were glued in permanently, you would pretty much have to write off the whole kite.

Also, the cellophane is not as stretchy as trashbag plastic, so I was forced to allow some wrinkles around the curved LE. By using tape, I could at least distribute the wrinkles evenly, and keep them small. The front face of the skin is still fairly smooth.

The test flight.
Well, it was pitch dark in my back yard except for some nearby streetlights, wet snow flurries, and wind about 6-10 km/h (much stronger than intended for the design), made turbulent by my 2-story house upwind. I was using some thin twisted nylon flying line, certainly much heavier than thread.

Even so, for the two or three minutes I had it out, it stayed up and only crashed once, as I was hauling it back in. The bridle legs were 35 cm front, 50 cm back, just as in the plans.
I might have let out 30 feet or so of line. The wings folded back quite a bit, but it took no damage other than getting wet snow on it.
Even if I can't get it to perform like a well-behaved indoor glider, I bet that a more durable version in RSN and a Carbon frame would make an excellent low-wind kite.

I can't wait for better weather and a proper test flight.
_________________
John Rose
"I am a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar." (Wash, in Serenity)
ToDo list: hand shadow bird graphic on a Dopero; Urban Ninja; Marilyn Monroe portrait kite; another One-Piece Cody; Cody Box; Catherine's Wheel; Dave Wadeson's "Mouse", Manga Multiconos.

[BANSHEE]

Not ready to comment on the kite , but, Nelson is a great guy, he rocks...........
he is one great guy. Am I not right Cliff?
_________________
Banshee
GO QUINS

[mototrev]

Looks interesting!

You like adding to my "to do list "don't you!
_________________
Trev-(R)

"I start out confused and end up confused on a higher level."

"There is no such thing as the "perfect stitch" just a series of compromises that an be tolerated"

[planish]

A bit better weather today with no wind to speak of.

With the spine bowed by about one finger width, it tends to stall when it goes into a glide, and you have to turn it and haul it in to keep some tension on the line. I tried a bit of nose ballast, namely 6 inches of 14 gauge copper wire clipped to the spine between the ferrule and the nose. It glides better, but is less likely to come around when you try to flat spin it. It also was more likely to land nose down and on its back, in the "cat on a leash" mode. Fiddling with the spine bow didn't help much either.

Next time, I'll remove some ballast, and try it on a longer flying line in a bigger space with no trees etc. There's hope yet.
_________________
John Rose
"I am a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar." (Wash, in Serenity)
ToDo list: hand shadow bird graphic on a Dopero; Urban Ninja; Marilyn Monroe portrait kite; another One-Piece Cody; Cody Box; Catherine's Wheel; Dave Wadeson's "Mouse", Manga Multiconos.

[planish]

I still haven't worked on flying it as a glider, but it sure is easy to fly in medium-low wind.



Wind at ground level was 6-9 km/h and somewhat turbulent, with all the sloping ground behind me and buildings around. The wings were bent back quite a bit (but not balanced), and I had to use a bit of green masking tape to keep the spine offset so that it would fly straighter.
_________________
John Rose
"I am a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar." (Wash, in Serenity)
ToDo list: hand shadow bird graphic on a Dopero; Urban Ninja; Marilyn Monroe portrait kite; another One-Piece Cody; Cody Box; Catherine's Wheel; Dave Wadeson's "Mouse", Manga Multiconos.

[powder_pig]

John...is that your house in the background? WOW...some digs.
_________________
Ron

It's sunny and windy in the summer and cold and snowy in the winter...this must be what heaven is like.

[planish]