O Kite Masters, Why Won't My Octopus Fly?
May 30, 2018 10:52 AM Subscribe
I'm trying to make a kite (or five)(or ten but whatever, can we start with one) that is/are basically a copy of this , but better looking to our eyes-in-the-sky. My friend, a pretty good costume designer, made a pattern from the store bought one, all the measurements are precise, (as far as we can measure) but the sucker(s) still won't launch. We are totally baffled. What are we overlooking?
Attempt#1: silly windsock. First version in a lovely soft buttery (nylon, ripstop, but very thin) fabric, and that didn't fly so we thought "oh, it needs a slightly stiffer fabric." Attempt #2 was a crisper ripstop, and that didn't fly either. So I thought the strings/bridle needed to be adjusted.
#3: I measure all the bridle strings (three for each panel, total of 9, with the same spacing and length as the original) and the thing STILL won't fly.
Internet research indicates that soft body kites are fussy and you can't really mess around with scale without a lot of trial and error, so we are being OCD about measuring and copying precisely; I don't have the knowledge to play with this or the time to acquire this knowledge within a few days, where, err, a bunch of octopuses need to fly.
Bonus/backup question: I already have a bunch of commercial ready mades, which fly great, but i don't want to use them as is, so any idea on how to, er, radically personalize would be great. Would I be able to paint them, or would the added weight make them duds too?
We already have about six head/bodies in three different ripstops of similar thickness, and I'm going to experiment with the tail materials (ribboned fabric/crepe ribbons/bubblewrap strands), which I have yet to attach, but haven't felt like that was the issue.
I'm using thickish cotton thread for the bridle and the rest is, like, standard kite twine that works fine for the others.
Any thoughts or ideas?
Seen previous inquiry about octopus kite on the green from a few years ago, but replies seem to to revolve around puffier parafoil octopuses, which are well outside my pay grade.
Attempt#1: silly windsock. First version in a lovely soft buttery (nylon, ripstop, but very thin) fabric, and that didn't fly so we thought "oh, it needs a slightly stiffer fabric." Attempt #2 was a crisper ripstop, and that didn't fly either. So I thought the strings/bridle needed to be adjusted.
#3: I measure all the bridle strings (three for each panel, total of 9, with the same spacing and length as the original) and the thing STILL won't fly.
Internet research indicates that soft body kites are fussy and you can't really mess around with scale without a lot of trial and error, so we are being OCD about measuring and copying precisely; I don't have the knowledge to play with this or the time to acquire this knowledge within a few days, where, err, a bunch of octopuses need to fly.
Bonus/backup question: I already have a bunch of commercial ready mades, which fly great, but i don't want to use them as is, so any idea on how to, er, radically personalize would be great. Would I be able to paint them, or would the added weight make them duds too?
We already have about six head/bodies in three different ripstops of similar thickness, and I'm going to experiment with the tail materials (ribboned fabric/crepe ribbons/bubblewrap strands), which I have yet to attach, but haven't felt like that was the issue.
I'm using thickish cotton thread for the bridle and the rest is, like, standard kite twine that works fine for the others.
Any thoughts or ideas?
Seen previous inquiry about octopus kite on the green from a few years ago, but replies seem to to revolve around puffier parafoil octopuses, which are well outside my pay grade.
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A few suggestions:
* Weigh the kites. It's likely the copy is just too heavy, and will thus require an extra 10% or 10mph wind speed to fly as well. Try the ones with the closest weight to original first.
* Check the weight of just the bridles, try to copy the string as closely as possible (kits shops usually sell a variety of bridle cordage)
*You can reduce weight if necessary by reducing the tails. You can cut a bit off of each, cut holes out of tails, or possibly remove a whole arm/tail (n.b. this is biologically reasonable; lots of octos out there lost an arm in a close getaway)
* Check the angle of attack. Even just a few millimeters on a bridle string can change the angle of attack by a few whole degrees, and that can completely wreck the flyability of a kite with no rigid parts.
* Check the angle of attack on the mouths of the cells. Open cell nonrigid foil kites (which is what this is) rely on rammed-air inflation, and if that doesn't get started, it's a no go. It's possible a minor trim to a lower lip could help.
* I think in theory a kite like this would work with fabric that had true zero stiffness. Stiffness of fabric is generally not a thing you want to be chasing here. If you want stiffness in kites, you generally use carbon fiber or bamboo or literally anything other than fabric.
For customizing:
*I'd not advise paint. Not only due to the weight, but it will also quickly flake to ruin. Maybe some sort of dye.
* A few bits of reflective/colored mylar add virtually no weight and catch the eye
* Drogue tails could be fun and distinctive. You could make them into squids by adding two longer tentacles with drogue tails, or make them look more like cuttlefish, etc.
posted by SaltySalticid at 11:45 AM on May 30, 2018 [5 favorites]