SPECIFICATIONS:
Grand-Son of Woodstock:
· The finished kites overall approximate measurements are 8 feet wide by 6 feet high by 6 feet deep.
· The weight of the kite should be approximately 3.2 pounds or 50.6 ounces.
· Approximate Effective Lift, which is not the total square feet of sail, but, the total square feet of sail on a horizontal axis, i.e.: parallel to the ground. Simply put, this is calculated by taking the actual square feet of a section of sail and multiplying it by the cosine of the angle off of horizontal for all dihedral angles, plus the actual square feet for all the horizontal sail sections. Note: All vertical sail sections are NOT included as they do not contribute to the lift of the kite but are solely used for stability in the air. Having said that, here are some rounded off calculations for this kite.
Fore section = 40.25 sq. ft. which equals 60% of total lift
Tail section = 11.25 sq. ft. and the Wings = 6 sq. ft. for a total of 25% of total lift
Small Rotator = 2.6, & Large Rotator = 7.25 sq. ft. for a total of 15% of total lift
Summarily then the total effective lift of the kite is 67.35 square feet
We now can calculate the weight to effective lift ratio which is the weight in ounces divided by the total effective lift which in this case is: 50.6 / 67.4 = .75 which is fantastic.
· An interesting piece of information: The kite will fly without rotators, however it will overfly and crash unless some weight is added to the tail. This was intentionally designed into the kite by having 25% of the total lift at the back of the kite to lift the tail. The installation of the rotators, for while they contribute 15% of the lift, what they actually do is move the center of gravity back towards the rear of the kite, thereby necessitating the increase of sail at the rear section to get a very high angle of flight as the wind picks up.
· Recommended fly line is 200# dacron from 6 MPH to 15 MPH; and 250# above 15 MPH. This might be just a tad conservative, but I prefer to err on the safe side. Flying over 25 MPH is possible, cause I did it in competition, but I was scared the whole time and therefore do not recommend doing it as it really creates excessive strain on all parts.
· Adjust the bridel such that the leg to the rear section is slightly loose for normal wind. The tow point can be slightly adjusted to prevent overfly at really high wind. At really low wind, the kite climbs to stall, and then may start to sink, a tug is required on the fly line to stop the sink causing the kite to climb back to stall.
· Recommend first flight to be in wind around 10 MPH. Have a friend balance the kite above his head at the tail and bottom longeron and use a 25 foot long launch. When flier becomes comfortable with the kite it can be successfully launched without help by setting kite vertical on its tail and backing up for approximately 20 feet or so while maintaining a slight tension on the fly line, and then step back smartly, doing a solo launch.
· Have a GOOD FLIGHT and once again I really would like feedback both on this presentation and or on the performance of the kite; or if you just want to talk.