Quick rok question

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[cordover]

Just made a nice Rokkaku with tyvek and liked it so much I went and bought a BIG one from Premiere.  Noticed that they both fly right overhead.  If I wanted them to fly at a lower angle, would I be better off changing the attachment point of the bridle, or changing the bow lines.  I have the bottom a little more bowed at 8" vs 6" for the top.  Also I read in another forum that the kite is more steerable if the top is more bowed.  Is that so?  Just getting into fighters and having a great time. 

Mitch

[DGomberg]

Definitely tweak your two point for altitude adjustments.

See http://www.gombergkites.com/howrok.html for a bit more detail.

dg

[mikenchico]

Both adjustments will affect the angle to some degree. The bridle adjustment will have the largest effect, moving the bridle point down (heavier) will increase the drag on the kite causing it to fly lower. More bow will allow the sail to spill more wind decreasing lift and increasing stability. Careful with the bow, too much and the kite may become too stable to recover from a dive if you get tipped.

I Like my fighting Rok's to pull hard so they can take line out quickly and to drop like a rock (pun intended) when you release line, but I also like them to fly at a high angle above the other kites so the first two traits can be used effectively. It's a balancing act that I'm not so good at, Richard was our tuner and always had the kite spot on.

That smaller Tyvek Rok you did first is a great fighting kite but I have issues with organizers allowing those to fly in Team Events where the minimum size per AKA rules is 5 feet tall, I still prefer a traditional 2 meter size.

There's a lot of good information on Rok tuning over at the KAP (Kite Aerial Photography) Forum, they might be looking for different traits then fighters but we can sort of reverse their solutions. Here's a starting point http://arch.ced.berkeley.edu/kap/discuss/comments.php?DiscussionID=2651

Have a great time, there is nothing as much fun as a Team Rok Battle, and remember ALWAYS CLAIM VICTORY  ...  first kite down wins   ...   right?       

Our team spent many years only winning the ribbon for "Team with the Least Self Respect" ... err ... "Best Costume" before learning from a Manja Fighter how to cut properly, then we actually started winning until the rules and scoring started being ignored. Oh well, any good Rok battle is a win IMO, I'll be on the feild as long as I can run for an hour in the sand tugging around a 2 meter.

[cordover]

I went out today and lowering the tow point definitely fixed the altitude problem.  Just a 1/4 inch or so was enough to get the kite out in front of me where I could see it without my hat falling off!

It flies too stably still, and I'm trying to figure out the amount of bow on the front vs the back spreader.  If the front is bowed MORE, will it be like a rear wheel drive car and the increased lift in the back will cause it to fish-tail, which I can then use to direct the kite?  Or bow the front LESS so the lift is more in the front and the tail will swing around more easily?  The other fighter I have is very flexible so when I let up on the line, it flattens and swings about so I can re-flex it with line pressure and take off in one or another direction.  The roc is far more rigid. 

I have a Premier Rok and the bow lines are knot-less line inside lines.  They are a biit slick and they slide.  Here's a cheap and light solution.  Every intravenous line in America has a little plastic thing that squeeze off the tubing. It fits perfectly over the knot-less line and has been useful to me on other projects too, since it fits on bridle sized line.  Great slider too.  I have access to them, but everybody must know a doctor or nurse or paramedic or somebody who throws these things out as trash.  They never touch the patient's blood.  To wit:

[attachments older than 90 days deleted by admin]

[kiteguy]

I have a Premier Rok and the bow lines are knot-less line inside lines.  They are a biit slick and they slide.  Here's a cheap and light solution.  Every intravenous line in America has a little plastic thing that squeeze off the tubing. It fits perfectly over the knot-less line and has been useful to me on other projects too, since it fits on bridle sized line.  Great slider too. 

Bees wax applied to the the inside line.  That enables the slip part to grab and hold. 

[cordover]

Wow.  Nice tip.  I'll try it.  I fly some very light indoor kites (migi) and use ultra thin dyneema line that slips through my fingers too well.  Maybe I'll try it there too.

Thanks!

[mikenchico]

One of our Premier's has that system, nice and clean and actually easier to figure out then the metal bits used on the others but I'm not too fond of it, slips and the line ends were not sealed and have frayed and inch or two. I think it's Bazzer who is simply using a Prussic knot(?) direct to the spreaders taking the stress off the sail pockets, just bow the spar and slide the knot up the spreader. If I build another Rok I'll be looking into his system.

Bee's Wax should cure your slipping, hopefully your lines were sealed when cut, if not and you have a sleeving tool you might think about undoing those lines and sealing them when your doing the bee's wax. Cheap & the stickiest bee's wax you'll find, toilet bowl seals at your hardware store but it's probably too sticky for your hand lines.

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