rexracer

Weather channel said 12-15mph and it looked like the wind was blowing pretty good, so I finally put up my new B vented. I had pro handles with the new 50' lines I made and new leaders running about 5 1/2" of differential. Unfortunately, the wind kept dropping off (as usual here) but I did get one nice 10 minute blow where the wind was high enough to fill the sail and let me hover anywhere in the window except the last 20% near the edge. I see what everyone's been saying about the vented now. Keep in mind I'm flying a std SLE otherwise, but this thing is smoooth and precise! I think I made a big jump in my skill level just in that 10 minutes, and it could have been even bigger if it had been a half hour. I really need to find better wind. At least with the vented I'll be able to fly on windy days and the gusts and variablility won't have such a big effect on the kites handling. The SLE definitely moves around more when the wind isn't steady. It's always droping or rising. With the vented B the kite feels locked in when hovering...ok, when fully inverted I still get a see-saw sometimes, but one the LE is at 45* or better it was rock steady.
Full vent with race rods...I like it!

Wish list for Christmas... A full Pro set in the yellow and purple pattern I posted in the colorizer thread.

I did a search and couldn't find what I was looking for, so here goes. My kite seems to rotate left a little even though I measured and matched my lines. Tonight I measured the bridle knot to knot on both sides. It's not perfect left to right, but mostly even within 3mm. The bottom spar to the base of the pigtail on the left is 2mm shorter than the right, but the pigtail itself is 8mm shorter for a total of 10mm. Should I just shorten the right pigtail by 10mm to compensate? Is there anywhere where I can get info on bridle measurements and the effects of changes?

Since I have std 1.5 handles and no bridle line for leaders I'm thinking of shortening the bottom pigtails by an inch or 2 to get more brake. Any problems with doing this?

I'm getting some #90 line (300 yards) and I plan on making some line sets. I figure about 2 feet extra per line for the sleeved loops on the ends.

My plan at this point since I have the 85' (?) set that came with my 1.5 SLE is a set of 120', a 50', a 30' and I should be able to get one more set at 16-18' depending on how much line the loops take.'
Thoughts or recomendations? The line and sleeving will be coming with my new, full vent B.

It took a few minutes, and a couple times flying into the ground, but I got a handle on flying this thing. The winds around here suck, being inland Connecticut. It was variable from 2-8 mph with the wind out of the west, southwest south and southeast.
The reason I'm upset? After flying my 1.5 SLE I realized that I need to get a vented B with race rods so that I can fly my 1.5 in lighter winds, and go to the beach to fly the vented. I don't have that kind of money to spend on kites right now. Anyone want to buy a GP Super Stearman with a Saito 1.80? If I can sell this RC plane I can get the vented B and some new line. Maybe another set of handles... did I mention that in the hour and a half of lousy wind that I had I got it to hover in 8 directions? Holding steady in variable winds really makes you work. I can't wait to get some practice in better wind.

Hi all. I'm expecting my new 1.5 SLE on Friday and hope to fly Saturday. I'm wondering about max wind speed, and what happens if it's exceeded. What goes first if the wind is near max? Will the sail rip? Will the spar break? Are there warning signs that you're pushing the limit? I don't want to mess up my new kite.

I tend to get variable winds where I fly. I have a 2 line delta that I fly in high winds, and it can make noise due to flutter when the winds go up, but flexes enough so that I don't think it would ever break, though I might shred the sail. I'm sure I've flown it way past it's rated max. I think it was rated 25 mph and I'd bet I've flown it in 35mph+ winds.

I'm not really concerned with too much pull, or handling difficulties...I know my abilities pretty well, and will stay in my limits. I just don't want to cause damage from too much wind. I've never had a kite that I really had to worry about damaging from high winds. The delta has proven to be very tough, and my other kite, a Flexifoil Bullet 2.5, won't fly below about 8mph, is a blast (and a workout) at 15 mph, and is more likely to damage me than the reverse at 25mph.
Any info on what to look out for will be much appreciated!