Was looking at one of these for kite fishing but it looks like these like to fly up rather than out, or could you adjust the AOA? Great lovely looking kite!!
Well look at this glider man flying a Rokaku!! Excellent! I guess it's not uncommon for plane builders to be kite makers too. I was making kites from about 30 years ago, and am still using up my stock of carbon tubes for wing spars now. Do you have a 'leech line' on your Rok? By that I mean an adjustable cord running around the edge seam. You use it to can flatten out the kite somewhat in stronger wind. The angle of attack will change of course and the kite will fly much higher, losing the wind pressure and possibly becoming unstable ( like any good fighting kite ;¬) ).
I can't remember who's Rokkaku design I copied and I'm not sure if it's a traditional feature. I'll confess that I used the lazy way after I'd made my first Rok. I got a large needle and some 10lb test fishing braid and just threaded it around the edge. But you're correct in thinking that it should ideally be sleeved around each corner. I added a leech line to an ancient Tim Benson Phantom, that I still fly a couple of times a year, to quieten a noisy leech.
I'm surprised it survived, Andrew. You must have built it strong! I guess the spars are fibreglass rather than carbon, judging by the flexibility?
Skyshark P4X carbon spars Jim, and it survived without a problem. Still flying well.
i love your kite..wish i could have one or could make one myself..
Was looking at one of these for kite fishing but it looks like these like to fly up rather than out, or could you adjust the AOA? Great lovely looking kite!!
+ifell3 Probably not the right kite for fishing. It would pull you out to sea if the wind picked up. Have you seen Pauls Fishing Kites?
I have, but was just exploring all avenues. Regards
neccesary to bow it before launching it - how much bow in low wind/high wind etc
Rokkaku kites will not fly without bowing. How much depends on the kite. All covered in this playlist ruclips.net/p/PLC8MdCMvxwBhkO8qEAbF5riuc1KbRq9dL
@@AndrewNewton hi thanks so much for the reply! Also what rod do you use for the vertical and horizontal spars?( carbon or fibreglass etc)
Well look at this glider man flying a Rokaku!! Excellent! I guess it's not uncommon for plane builders to be kite makers too. I was making kites from about 30 years ago, and am still using up my stock of carbon tubes for wing spars now. Do you have a 'leech line' on your Rok? By that I mean an adjustable cord running around the edge seam. You use it to can flatten out the kite somewhat in stronger wind. The angle of attack will change of course and the kite will fly much higher, losing the wind pressure and possibly becoming unstable ( like any good fighting kite ;¬) ).
No leech line, too complicated for me, but sounds interesting.
I can't remember who's Rokkaku design I copied and I'm not sure if it's a traditional feature. I'll confess that I used the lazy way after I'd made my first Rok. I got a large needle and some 10lb test fishing braid and just threaded it around the edge. But you're correct in thinking that it should ideally be sleeved around each corner. I added a leech line to an ancient Tim Benson Phantom, that I still fly a couple of times a year, to quieten a noisy leech.
Darity