Fractured Axel

Sat Oct 11, 2003 5:08 pm

I had the 540 (well, Flashback technically) pretty well pat on the Gemini and the 3D, and even the Alien... but now I get on the Nirvana and it's gone... it flares out unevenly and I pop the outside line, and the nose comes round, as usual... now at this stage on the Gem it goes one of two ways: It carries on round beautifully flat, all the way round for the 540, or it wobbles up as the nose comes into the wind, then back down again and on round... ie. either neat or messy, but it usually goes round. Same with all my others.

The Nirvana now, different story. As the nose comes into the wind it flares right up and the rotation is lost... what's the story, what am I doing wrong? Not fast enough, not enough slack, too much slack, not enough weight, too much weight? (I had 10g on the tail today, but haven't had any luck with no weight either)...

Anyone able to help?

Cheers,

Martin · Tue Oct 14, 2003 9:54 am

the best way would be to put yer old mans presicion kite away and get a propper trick kite out that does 540's with out weights and nonsense

Tue Oct 14, 2003 10:00 am

We'll just start calling you Dorsal shall we?

Martin · Tue Oct 14, 2003 10:39 am

HEY thems fightin word round these parts

Wed Oct 15, 2003 10:32 am

Andy, the N will do some very nice 540's but it takes ALOT of practice, to get them to look nice. I'm trying to think of what I can say to help but it's very difficult to try explain. I'll go out this afternoon and work out what I do to get decent 540's on mine,(I'll report back).
Remember the reason the Gem has been so popular over the past 5 years is that it makes some of the more difficult tricks very easy ( backspins, 540's etc.)

Wed Oct 15, 2003 10:45 am

Thanks Craig... I've been waiting for you to show up and bring some sense to this thread

I can just about coax a backspin out of it now and then, and I somehow managed to accidentally slot-machine it yesterday, but it was unrepeatable.

It's clearly *possible* - that video on the CD is pretty awe-inspiring and very inspirational (shame about the music :lol:

- Van Halen, Scorpions, etc. takes me back to the old Air Balloon days that does, eh Martin?)

I am really enjoying flying it now though... I had the fear after day one that I really wasn't having fun and I couldn't look Ellie or Martin in the eye when they were asking me what I thought of it, but I got 2 1/2 hours down the common in fantastic wind and now I'm convinced.

Wed Oct 15, 2003 5:38 pm

h_i_r_0 wrote:
Thanks Craig... I've been waiting for you to show up and bring some sense to this thread

not very likely.

Sorry but didn't get a chance to fly the N this afternoon as the wind was pretty terrible, and only flew the vented Skymax :cool:

I'll have to get back to you on the 540 :-k

Anyway when I fly my N I always listen to Johnny Halliday on the walkman :listen:

Wed Oct 15, 2003 5:41 pm

cbh wrote:
Anyway when I fly my N I always listen to Johnny Halliday on the walkman

Anything's worth a go...
Off to KaZaA for some JH choonz. :shock:

aphelps · Tue Dec 02, 2003 6:29 pm

Sounds like a speed/timing problem to me. Just a matter of repetition to get it right. What bridle are you using?

You may find that the dynamic bridle has a little too much give to make the 540 easy. On the 3 point bridle everything is so much taughter that you can control it much more precisely.

On the video front, you appear to have missed the point. Aren't you supposed to yoyo the kite first, and then 540 it!!!

Tue Dec 02, 2003 6:35 pm

Never updated this, did I?

I'm using the dynamic bridle. Craig's given me the measurements to make a 3pt, but I haven't got round to picking up some bridle line yet. Need to check the chandlers around here to see if they've got something suitable, I'm pretty sure my NPWs were bridled with line from chandlers.

Anyway... at the Big Sunday Fly-in as it's now known (as of right now, I just said it), Craig pointed out that my leading arm wasn't coming out far enough.. probably another habit developed from flying the Gemini... Once I got into the shoulder-wrenching movement required for the Nirvana I was more or less there.

BTW Andrew - welcome to the forum... glad to have you on board.

david barnby · Sat Jan 10, 2004 12:27 am

where are you initiating the nose out in the window ? low down or higher. i did quite a few nose plants and untidy flares with mine until i took more care with my arm out movements. a snap before flare helps put the nose forward but i am terrible at keeping it tidy after that.

hmmm, just read what i wrote and it does not look helpful ! apologies

Sat Jan 10, 2004 12:34 am

I'm talking Flashbacks more than true 540s, so right down in the right hand side of the window at a diagonal. It does seem to want to keep on coming though, if that's what you meant, especially in a bit more wind.

I'm working on bringing the flashback into the center of the window a bit more now, and varying the angle too. I'm really only having this difficulty with the Nirvana... my Gem and my Evo UL are both fairly easy.

Zippy8 · Sat Jan 10, 2004 2:59 am

If memory serves (forgive me Father it has been 4 months since I last Nirvana-ed) I was getting some pretty happenin' 540s (or more frequently 450-to-Tip-Stands, my fav. move) with the Nirvana once I got my head around it.

(BTW if you want a big kite to do thoroughly splendid 540s, get an Airdynamics Outsider)

If you haven't already, read this.

IIRC I was powering the N. up (pull back on both lines) then killing it (shoot both arms forward) and then popping one line before getting the slack back into the lines. Now you may well be saying "yes Mike, we know how to do this" but with a bunch of other kites I don't do this. The power up isn't needed and it's just a stop of the hand rather than a distinct yank.

I think the N. wasn't flattening out properly otherwise and getting all bent out of shape during the rotation.

I could be quite wrong on this of course but that's implied, isn't it ?

Mike.

Fractured Axel

540s on the Nirvana

540s on the Nirvana