The Roloplan is one of the few kite shapes which are truly German in
origin. The Steiff family (of soft toy fame) first introduced it in the
size illustrated below, in 1909. Then, the sails were blue and yellow,
but later, red and yellow. The two-piece Roloplans were built in sizes
from 120cm to 360cm. In the First World War the kites, made of lighter
fabric and used for planes, were used as targets in anti-aircraft
training.
Roloplan Measurements(in cm)
The bridle points are shown by the circles w1 .. w7
Constructional Details:
For the two cross-spars it is best to use an Eddy connector in order
to achieve a dihedral angle of 150°
The cross-spars and spine are made of 8mm carbon.
All edges are hemmed.
Both the cross-spars and the spine fit into sleeves.
Lines from w1 and w3 to the tip of the spine.
6 lines between both sails (with tension adjusters).
4 lines stretched between the lower sail and w7 (with tension adjusters.)
The Bridle:
Bridle lines w1 - w6 go round the spars, in particular, the
spine.
All 7 bridle lines go into one point; after fine tuning the bridle
needs no more adjustment.
