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Old Greebo
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Tails

Wed Apr 18, 2012 9:15 pm

Why is there such an antipathy here whenever tails are mentioned?

Back in the seventies, when I first got interested in 2-line kites, it was the done thing. Your kite had to whoosh round three or even four times, and the tail would just sort of stay there and indicate where your kite had been! Cool or what? (Except back then 'cool' just meant you needed an anorak to fly your kite!)

So anyway, I thought I'd try putting a tail on my Silver Fox 2.5. I went down to the local haberdasher and bought a length of 1-inch wide red ribbon, ten metres long.
It weighs 72 grams.

I made a loop and fixed it on where the main spreader attaches to the spine.
Admittedly there wasn't a lot of wind. It would have been perfect for my HQ Shadow, but I was so obsessed with the idea of tails and I persisted with the Silver Fox.

However, I couldn't get the kite high enough in the air for the end of the tail to leave the ground. Without the tail, the Silver Fox flew nicely, though not with as much control as I would have liked.

I reckon I need a lighter tail. But I'd want it to be visible, and at least 10m long. Suggestions, anyone, please?
Brian. (Past it, but reaching back!)
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SteveC
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Re: Tails

Wed Apr 18, 2012 9:22 pm

Would something like hazard warning tape like they use on building sites etc work? 2" wide and pretty cheap.

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Re: Tails

Wed Apr 18, 2012 9:32 pm

I step out for 5 minutes...and find this going on. :(
Rob
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Re: Tails

Wed Apr 18, 2012 10:18 pm

I feel safe Knowing your still watching Rob!!
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Re: Tails

Wed Apr 18, 2012 10:30 pm

Sigh! Sorry, Rob & Pete! Me, I hark back from days somewhat earlier than I suppose you may remember. When tails were good, and they looked SO pretty up in the sky!

I don't mind modern kite-flying (with all that pretty chucking of the kite down through the air as if you really thought you were controlling it but it's all smoke and mirrors isn't it?), but I have to admit I like my kite to look spectacular to the plebs! A tail would help. Axels and wotsits just look to the uninitiated as though you can't control your kite!
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Re: Tails

Wed Apr 18, 2012 10:46 pm

Brian, Brian, Brian, No.

There's so much wrong here I don't know where/whether to begin. Fly because you love it, not for others...if you really want a tail on your kite, then by all means do it....but it's not OK :P
Rob
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Re: Tails

Wed Apr 18, 2012 11:10 pm

:lol: :lol:
 
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Re: Tails

Thu Apr 19, 2012 12:40 am

Old Greebo wrote:
Why is there such an antipathy here whenever tails are mentioned?

You need to take this thread to the GWTW Forum, you'll find more love there.

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Re: Tails

Thu Apr 19, 2012 10:44 am

The best lightweight tail I ever made was a bin bag. A black bin bag cut in a spiral (2-3inches wide). I think you'd get 10m out of one, but be aware, the attachment end needs reinforcing. It's a bit time consuming to cut, but it's really cheap to make and looks dramatic in the sky.

As a regular tail flyer, we have a range of tails, just like we have a range of kites and line strengths. Also for the tube tails particularly we usually need a kite below the kite we would standardly fly: so if the wind says STD, we'd go for a light e.t.c. because you do need extra power to overcome that drag.

Oh, by the way, it IS possible to trick with a tail in situ. It just takes an adjustment in technique.
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Re: Tails

Thu Apr 19, 2012 1:16 pm

Vee wrote:
Oh, by the way, it IS possible to trick with a tail in situ. It just takes an adjustment in technique.

We want video evidence Vee. I'd like to see at least a yo-yo and a jacob's ladder!
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Re: Tails

Thu Apr 19, 2012 2:31 pm

Still got the tail with my old Peter Powell,but can't remember ever using it :doubt:
As Closeencounters aren't showing their ballet with betailed overs,perhaps I'll upload my copy to Youtube.
Meanwhile:
http://youtu.be/M01yYG6pXl8

http://youtu.be/Sxun9cO8duI

http://youtu.be/bxYu-mCUIYg
 
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Re: Tails

Fri Apr 20, 2012 4:46 am

Old Greebo wrote:
Why is there such an antipathy here whenever tails are mentioned?

'Cos they are simply incompatible with flying a kite other than pulling some rudimentary shapes and we've moved past that.

Putting a tail on a decent, modern kite is like towing a caravan with an Aston Martin - technically it can be done but it is just wrong on so many levels. Any gains you might imagine are comprehensively outweighed by a raft of losses and limitations.

Back in the seventies, when I first got interested in 2-line kites, it was the done thing.

However, putting a caravan behind a clapped out Austin Allegro isn't making things much worse than it already is. :wink:

I'll admit it - I've put tails on some of my kites. In my defence I was young, I caved under peer pressure and I never inhaled. It's in the past. Even basic tricks get horribly fouled up by the tail and you end up with the it wrapped all over the kite (mainly over the LSs as I recall). I personally can do without that.

For something like the Bay Area Sundowners; OK, that's quite nice to look at. Anything else is just going to attract scorn. It's up to you as to whether you can deal with that. If you are enjoying yourself, bugger the rest of the world and their "opinions".

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Re: Tails

Fri Apr 20, 2012 8:11 am

It takes a thread about tails (and a little sun, of course) to bring Mike to post. At least I laughed.

Man, it's still hardly spring here.

obi
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Re: Tails

Fri Apr 20, 2012 9:48 am

RoyReed wrote:
Vee wrote:
Oh, by the way, it IS possible to trick with a tail in situ. It just takes an adjustment in technique.

We want video evidence Vee. I'd like to see at least a yo-yo and a jacob's ladder!


As I can neither yo-yo nor jacob's ladder at the best of times I can only say that I'd love video evidence of me doing them too. :lol: I have seen axels, half axels and now refuels (in a stack with tails, no less!). I don't see any issue with flic-flacs and I'm now keen to try lazy susans seeing as I can (almost) do them consistently now.

You'd forgotten how slow my learning curve is hadn't you!

I admit a yo-yo is very unlikely and a jacobs ladder provides issues that I haven't clearly thought out and looking at your animation again might need a little adjusting as to direction of yaw. I think a strict alternating method would do it, rather than twice one way and twice the other.
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Re: Tails

Fri Apr 20, 2012 11:37 am

Tricks that don't require a full rotation (e.g. half axel) should be possible, but tricks that require a full rotation (in any axis) will be severely hampered by a tail at the very least. Just imagine the knot from doing a yo-yo multi-lazy with a tail. :lol:

Tails would make refuels easier (IMHO) as the extra drag will make the follow kites more stable in the bumpy air you get from the lead kite.

But as Mike says, why buy an Aston Martin to tow a caravan.
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