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| ADJUSTING THE BRIDLE LINES OF A STUNT KITE |
A kite's bridles sets the "Angle of Attack" of the kite to the wind. The "Angle of Attack" is that angle at which your kite is tilted away from the flyer. The bridles have been pre-set and you should not attempt to adjust them until you have first flown the kite.
The kite wing operates efficiently in only a narrow range of angles of attack. This being approximately 4 to 12 degrees, this can best be seen by lying your kite with it's back on the floor, now take the line attachments in your hands and lift the kite off the floor, lift by the same amount with each hand. The nose of the kite should lift off the ground first and be about 8cm off the ground before the rest of the kite lifts off, this is set at about 4 degrees. If the kite lifts off the ground evenly and lies almost flat to the ground then the kite is set at about 12 degrees.
To fine tune your kite to attain its full potential is recommended and very easy to do, if you follow the instructions carefully. Mark the current setting and use this point as a reference. Remember adjustments must be made in small increments and both sides must be adjusted equally.
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If you move the rings down (away from the nose) the effect will be as follows:
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The kite will turn tighter and handle better in light winds |
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Speed will decrease |
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Pull will increase |
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Snap-stalls will become easier |
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Launching will become more difficult |
As you move the ring further down, any advantages will disappear and the kite will become impossible to fly with any pull on either line, resulting in an overstearing turn and stall.
Moving the bridle rings upwards (towards the nose) will have the opposite effect until the kite will struggle to turn while having very little pull.
Determining the best performance of the kite will depend on you, as each person's ideal balance of speed, turning and ease of launch will vary.
Don't be shy to adjust your kite, as with experimentation you will learn to get the best results out of your stunter.
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