The Long Dart Team...
After the prototype is finished and I have gained initial insights from it, I started with the first parts for the team
I wanted to go a different route and bring more color into play and try to use truck tarpaulin as a replacement for the Dacron... well, it's a bit heavier than the Dacron. But I want the color.
I found a tarpaulin seller who offered to sell tarpaulin strips of 2.5m x 20cm for €2...
the tarpaulin has weight: ca.680g/m² tear strength: 2250/2600 N 5 cm
and best of all, it can provide the colors I want. So I ordered and 2 days later a package came.... there were no 20cm strips with a length of 2.5 meters but the lengths are between 2.5 meters and 4.5 meters and the widths of 50cm to 1 meter for the yellow !! !!!
I was totally surprised to get so much tarpaulin for so little money..... now I have tarpaulins until the end of my kite building career :)
Here are the tarpaulins as rolls:.
Then I got to work and first cut 6cm wide strips from the blue tarpaulin... I have to work that wide with the Dacron...
Since this was done very quickly, I cut a 6 cm wide strip of 1 meter length from the remaining colors and glued crepe over them. Now I could paint the templates for the kite reinforcements onto the crepe.
the recorded "small series" for the 5 team...
the reinforcements for the center cross (there is Dacron on the back so that the neckline is properly reinforced.
the lower tip for the keel and the holder for the keel rod with Velcro tension
and the Strandoff reinforcements with abrasion protection for the upper cross brace
and by tonight finished the reinforcements already cut out
The rectangles make the pockets for the jet corner rods.
I'm curious how the colored leading edges will do on the team
Finally the team continues... last night I received a package with the Icarex cloth in the neon colors and in white and of course the white gauze.
Today I tested how I can get the parts out of the cloth in the most space-saving way and not lose sight of the running direction
so first painted the whole thing on cardboard and then put the cloth over it and signed it...
then cut out with a sharp cutter knife...
here first the neon green. The other colors will come tomorrow.
Then the gauze and finally the white... then I can start sewing. I want to do all 5 at once. ie work alternately on each kite.
... it goes on. After cutting out the colored cloth and gauze I started with the first panels....
here the neon yellow Icarex is married to the gauze under the sewing machine :)
... with the closed felled seam I always fix it with needles for sewing, works quite well. I don't like having glue under the needle and the gauze can also be folded over accordingly.
... here are the sewn pieces of gauze... all 5 colors are ready
... now it's time for the jet corners. A correspondingly colored wedge is sewn onto the black and a hem edge, also folded in, is sewn at the bottom.
... Then I sewed a hem cord directly into the short trailing edge of the corner of the jet.
My prototype made very loud noises, which are now quiet thanks to a cord and modified guy rods.
I exchanged the 3mm GRP rod for a 4mm CFRP tube and pretensioned it very strongly. During the test flight I did not notice any negative properties apart from the pleasantly quiet flight.
Think the team is also equipped with it. But with other retaining tabs on the bottom
.
So now I have to sew a few jet corners :)
And Sabine is always there
... meanwhile the sail parts have been sewn on all 5 kites and it's time for the reinforcements that can be placed before the right and left sail parts are sewn together.
Here the standoff holder made of truck tarpaulin and the sail from the front.
... and from the back with the hem cord already pulled in
... The hem cord is attached to a hanging strap that is sewn into the hem of the trailing edge with a bay knot. It looks clean and holds up great.
The guying for the tie rod of the jet corner.
The stick is held with a suspension strap and the reinforcement with the bag is again made of truck tarpaulin. A colour-coordinated arrow nock from archery is hung in the suspension strap. The 4mm GRP rod fits neatly into the shaft of the arrow nock.
... my 5 are finished except for the scales and belt lines looks impressive in the living room...
... the blue one...
... The nose made of truck tarpaulin..
... the orange one..
... the crossbars hang in compressed air hoses like before.... fits better with the bars..
... the green one..
... the pink one..
... the yellow one..
... and the center cross tied with string..
... in the beginning I wanted to make the leading edges and center cross reinforcement from truck tarpaulin. But that's way too hard. Now I've found Dacron in the required colors at extremtextil... is 1.4 mtr wide and I then made the required panels from it.
Now fix the lead kite - don't know what color yet - and then attach a scale, attach ropes for the coupling lines and lace the coupling lines....
We're going to Norddeich on Saturday morning and want to take the boys with us...
Libra and coupling lines are finished
Then in front of the village hall a test setup to see if all the lines are the right length and what the team looks like.... tomorrow it's supposed to go to Norddeich.... I'm curious how it flies.
Here the old Indsman during construction,
... and once the team on the ground - fits..
... Successful maiden flight
Drachenfest Norddeich... at first the lead kite didn't want to start alone, then as a 2-person team it flew cleanly...
Unfortunately, I had very little space on the right and left because there were other pilots... so extremely short flying back and forth at 30 meters..
directly clamped the 3rd kite...
and then started all five...
and then started all five...
Then on Sundays on 50 meters of lines on the demonstration field in the middle as a 4-man team, because a Jaco standoff holder on the rear kite was torn.......
on June 5th, 2016 in Sankt Peter Ording I was finally able to move it in a way that is appropriate to the species.... what a pleasure with the right wind strength constantly the team could fly up in the sky for a very long time.....
so the pilot doesn't really see much of the birds.....
but he had a lot of fun.....
and this is how it looks from the side.....
and again a little youtube video.....
At the beginning of July in Sankt Peter Ording at the 6th Wolsing Flies, I was able to move the team in a manner appropriate to the species and had a lot of fun with the birds together with Daniel.....
A few pictures from the approach to the photographer.....
At the end of August 2016 in Normandy, the team was able to get a taste of the Atlantic air .....
The beach west of Le Havre is perfect for kite flying .....
Since I had attached the whiskers for the jet corners with old connectors from the Aldige team, I was presented with the bill for it in France. The connectors rip out one after the other.
So I was only able to set up a 3-person team and can now exchange all the connectors for new ones. The entire leading edge has to come out.
After I replaced the old connectors with a silicone hose, all five were ready to go again. The work actually went very quickly and I was able to do it on a sunny day in the yard.
Halde Northern Germany on October 16, 2016 It was a beautiful autumn Sunday among friends. After spending some time with the Revs and lifting my ice crystal, it was time to show my five the Niederrhein.
What a view from up here. That made flying so much more fun.
And then the team also became a movie star :-) here is a small video about the flight.
Construction of the team... - thanks Gerd for the pictures -
Ready for Take Off - Always check everything carefully beforehand - a team always attracts an audience and then misconduct by the team and the loss of control over the team is usually associated with an accident.
The start of the team is always an exciting moment
The team here in a transverse flight over the heap
And in the climb in front of a blue sky, nice to see how the individual kites work together
Photographed from behind. You can see the dynamics of the team and the coupling lines very well.
The view over the Lower Rhine between the dragons.....
A visibly captivated pilot enjoying piloting these beautiful kites over the heap of northern Germany...
Photo session in the snow - 21 January 2017 I took advantage of the wonderful snow in the northern Black Forest and the steel-blue sky combined with crisp temperatures for a photo session. I set up the team behind our house in Ottenbronn. Unfortunately, there was not enough wind to fly.
But I've always wanted some snow pics of my Long Dart Team team.
Here you can see the team from the front.
Against the sun, the colors in the snow really come into their own...
A view from behind against the light lets the transparency of the kites come to the fore.
From the side, the team looks nice in the snow. You can see the stomach of the Long Dart Team
And then from March 17 the rusty spoke Screw the nails in your head again and said: " Build 5 more, it'll be great "
So at some point you give in to the vote and start building... well, I still had quite a bit of material and the rest was never that difficult to obtain. The arrow shafts were cheap in China and the remaining staffs were bought one by one.
Here the new 5 at the first photo shoot in the Eifel at the beginning of June 17
My favorite is the purple dragon...
and here the red one with orange Dacron reinforcements and red compressed air hoses...
I even found neon green compressed air hoses for the green one...
the yellow one ...
and the blue one will be the new last one in the team, found blue hoses again ...
and so the team is on my house lawn in Harscheid and actually wants to climb up into the Eifel air ...
the team of ten also cuts a very good figure from behind...
So you can tie a cross with a simple pack cord / twine
And Sabine is immortalized on every kite... just like on all other kites.
On July 29, 2017 at the 7th Wolsing Flying in Sankt Peter Ording, the time had come... we - Alex and I - set up the team. Well, first I tried a 4-person team, then a 6-person team and found out that more is possible and we made 4 new dragons in addition to the 6-person team.
Here the foursome in front of a steel blue sky.
And the 6 made a good figure.
Now we laced the team of 10 together. I was already feeling queasy.
With very mixed feelings I took hold of the 50 meter lines and launched the kites with a jerk...
somehow I had done with everything worldly beforehand and was ready for what was to come... I had already determined my estate......
They pulled up cleanly without wanting to break out to the side... I wasn't expecting that and was pleasantly surprised.
Here are a few pictures from the flight.
A beautiful close-up image. You can see the interaction of the individual kites.
Here is a small video that Alex shot out of his hand.
On May 14, 2018 at the kite festival in Idar-Oberstein, I was able to test both teams for the first time and fly them alternately. Due to the lack of space, stop on short lines.
And also here a short video of Peter
At the beginning of August 2018 at the 8th Wolsing Flying in Sankt Peter-Ording, the team was allowed to fly again. I could fly it every two days. Even together with Marcus we were able to fly the two teams at the same time. See under piecemeal team.
And here is a short video again.....
The team was also allowed to take to the air at the Kite Festival 2018 in Malmsheim. Only for a short time, because there was not enough wind.
The first thing to do is get the team into position... but after 20 minutes this is also done.
Alex then simply took the reins and launched the 10 long darts into the air. It's always a pleasure to see someone else start them and see my birds from a different perspective.
