Kite pulling to one side

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7 years ago

General Gear Reviews Newbies The Hookup Foiling Lost & Found WA NSW QLD SA VIC TAS

franchetto

306 posts

franchetto

WA, 306 posts

31 May 2019 4:17am

just bought a HQ Hydra II 420 trainer kite and I am learning the ropes( literally!) . I practice on land for the moment.
I wonder why it keeps pulling to the right and crashes all the time after only a few feet in the air..I always make sure to keep the bar level so that the kite doesn't steer to one side or the other, but it doesn't help. I thought it could be because the two lines are not of the same length, as they should. I checked , but they look O.K.

For one thing, the wind is supposed to fully inflate the kite through an intake valve as it flies, but it doesn't and it takes a long time before it even begins to inflate.. It inflates only 30-% in my estimate. This makes the lift off difficult in light winds., because the kite behaves like a rag., (an expensive one, I might add ). is it normal that the kite remains partially deflated?

Any clues why? How to fix it?

Thanks

Francone

Ozone Kites Aus

NSW

884 posts

Ozone Kites Aus

NSW, 884 posts

31 May 2019 6:08pm

G'day Francone

Watch this little video I made a few years ago, it will help you understand the wind window and how to fly a kite.

Fairly sure the HQ Hydra has a one way inlet valve in the leading edge. If it does not have a net covering over it make sure the sides of the "valve" are not stuck together.
Using a leaf blower or a small portable blower like Ryobi make for their One series battery powered tools and pre inflate the kite in light winds.

Remember the kite only understands tension or slack in one line to steer, many people mistakenly use a kite control bar like its a steering wheel, and they just keep both lines in tension and crash repeatedly until they work it out or give up.
Imagine the bar is a bike handlebar, pushing on one side and pulling on the other is what steers a bike, same as a kite.

Regards
Steve

franchetto

306 posts

franchetto

WA, 306 posts

31 May 2019 11:38pm

Ozone Kites Aus said..
G'day Francone

Watch this little video I made a few years ago, it will help you understand the wind window and how to fly a kite.

Fairly sure the HQ Hydra has a one way inlet valve in the leading edge. If it does not have a net covering over it make sure the sides of the "valve" are not stuck together.
Using a leaf blower or a small portable blower like Ryobi make for their One series battery powered tools and pre inflate the kite in light winds.

Remember the kite only understands tension or slack in one line to steer, many people mistakenly use a kite control bar like its a steering wheel, and they just keep both lines in tension and crash repeatedly until they work it out or give up.
Imagine the bar is a bike handlebar, pushing on one side and pulling on the other is what steers a bike, same as a kite.

Regards
Steve

Thanks Steve

I can't see the link for the video.
Yes, the Hydra has a mesh around the inlet . Are you talking about a hair blower? It is a good idea, but I believe the hair blower is much much smaller than the inlet's opening ( about10" x 6" ) and it may take a long time to inflate due to the air dispersion...
i might as well try it , though, because I really reached a dead end.

Yesterday the kite finally seemed to want to lift off , but only at about 12 knts. As usual, though, It collapsed right after or at about 10 ft in the air,veering to the right.
I am pretty sure that I don't tension one of the lines more than the other, as I would do to steer the kite.
I certainly discount my own inexperience, but at 12 knts the kite SHOULD at least take off and stay in the air ,unless there is a defect or a leak.
One thing, though: only once, when the kite was it by a gust , probably 15 knts or more , it was hat pulled it up in the air with such a strength that almost ripped me off the ground and fell. I was amazed, but it was of short duration.

Thanks for your input

Francone

Ozone Kites Aus

NSW

884 posts

Ozone Kites Aus

NSW, 884 posts

1 Jun 2019 8:26am

Doh - www.kitepower.com.au/pages/kitesurfing-lessons

No def don't bother with a hair dryer, the heat may damage the cloth on the kite too. Use one of these or something similar. The kite should fly and park at the edge of the wind window stably in 7-10knots, if it does not then there is something wrong.
The whole idea of the Hydra kite was that it was water relaunchable, but that feature is definitely not needed in a trainer kite. I have cut the one way valve off kites like this (not a HQ) and then they performed much better.

IanR

NSW

1360 posts

IanR

NSW, 1360 posts

5 Jun 2019 5:07pm

Hi Francone

A few Ideas to look at

Is there any sand inside one of the cells of the kite making it heavier on one side.
Feel along the trailing edge for any lumps and bumps if there is gently work it out the vent on the trailing edge.
You are zipping that vent closed when you fly it?

It could well be a twisted bridle on one side. I see this issue often with a local shops trainer rental kites and it leads to a lot of frustrated newbies.
The lines that run from the pigtail up to the canopy must not be twisted around each other but run straight from the canopy to pigtail. If your not sure take it to your kite shop and ask or talk to someone who Flys Ram air wings at your local

You are flying the kite in clean wind. I once had a complaint similar to yours and could not figure out the problem till he told me where he was flying it. Whale Beach Sydney in a westerly. He was trying to fly it in a rota in the wind shadow of a big hill.
The rule of thumb for kiting if there is an obstacle up wind of you that wind must go over stay at least 7 times the height of the obstacle down wind

Good luck

franchetto

306 posts

franchetto

WA, 306 posts

16 Jun 2019 1:59am

I think I am on to something
I measured the length of the 8 bridles strands on each side of the canopy ( from the tow point to the junction with the blue and red lines going to the control bar.)

Surprisingly, there are differences in length between the same strands on the right side and the left side.These differences are mostly between 20-50 mm except one case where one of the strands is longer (or shorter) than its companion on the other side by as much as 250 mm ( 25 cm, or almost 10", measured twice. This is a lot !!! .

Can these differences in the bridles length between the two sides, even when relatively small ( 20-50 mm) be the reason why I cannot get the kite flying properly, if at all! , even discounting my inexperience? ( 250 mm difference, though is no minor difference!)

May be this deliberate , as a part of the design of the kite and it is only my inexperience.
Honestly, I don't know enough about the kites' aerodynamics and kites' design and engineering to attribute it to a manufacturing defect, because this brand is very reliable, ( although even the best brands are not immune from occasional defects) .

Any comments?

Thanks

Francone

Ozone Kites Aus

NSW

884 posts

Ozone Kites Aus

NSW, 884 posts

17 Jun 2019 1:21pm

Francone

Measure your bridles by comparing one on the left with its matching bridle on the right. They should be very close to each other in length.
You cannot compare different bridle line lengths between bridles on the same side of the kite, because they are designed to be different lengths. This gives the foil kite its unique curved shape.

franchetto

306 posts

franchetto

WA, 306 posts

17 Jun 2019 8:28pm

Ozone Kites Aus said..
Francone

Measure your bridles by comparing one on the left with its matching bridle on the right. They should be very close to each other in length.

But this exactly what I have done, of course. Still, the same bridles have different lengths on the right and the left, in one case. by as much as 250 mm !I =25 cm!)

Thanks

Francone

Ozone Kites Aus

NSW

884 posts

Ozone Kites Aus

NSW, 884 posts

18 Jun 2019 11:13am

Francone said..

Ozone Kites Aus said..
Francone

Measure your bridles by comparing one on the left with its matching bridle on the right. They should be very close to each other in length.

But this exactly what I have done, of course. Still, the same bridles have different lengths on the right and the left, in one case. by as much as 250 mm !I =25 cm!)

Thanks

Francone

Return the kite it has a faulty bridle.

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