KLIPP BY SMAC

 I am once more working on a kite designed by Sandro Macchi.  This time it's a Delta for light wind.

I have added also my first sketches for a panel layout below.  I think it will go for C version

But, Please read first below,  what Sandro himself is writing about the KLIPP.

This kite comes out after the experience of construction of a Thermik 201 (size "180"; I had seen in Slovenia one flying very well, made by Mazzetto Arnaldo...); the Thermik flies well only adding something like 18 grams of lead weight at low end of spine... this sounds to me not so good and so I tried a configuration in between Thermik and classic Clipper D L

the kite starts with nose angle 56° + 56° = 112° total

wings lenght equal to spine  (folding is very practical)

keel design is fully new and it is well possible to make a double wall version even if the kite doesn't show a tendency to dive

it is a delta kite suitable for low - very low wind that shows a good overall equilibrium

SPINE 200 (if + pocket 203-204)  cm

WING 200   spar 165   cm

SPREADER  near 156   cm

overall wing-span  334 cm

"free for personal use, NOT for commercial activity"

ROKKER kite by SMAC

I am using the ROKKER of Sandro Macchi since a few years now, for almost all my KAP trips.  People were asking me from time to time, if they were allowed to copy the Rokker. 

You can find the answer of Sandro here below. We will try to update this document while we fly :-) :

The ROKKER is born august 2020 as a new kite in between ROKKAKU and Pearson ROLLER

The ROKKER shows several construction details quite similar to ROKKAKU

The ROKKER is a very stable kite, suitable for KAP activity and covering a wind speed range quite wide ; in the standard configuration it is from 4 to 40 km/h and there are good chances to make bigger /light kites extending to lower wind speed or smaller and heavy sail that are covering higher wind speeds if for example during a KAP session the wind is increasing speed the ROKKER has a self adaptive configuration and keeps flying at good angle without pulling too much (while ROKKAKUs in this conditions are pulling very hard with risk of a frame damage and line angle is quite reduced...). 

The ROKKER shows two overlapped sails :

1.  main    - upper sail
2.  lower - smaller sail

The airflow from main sail is flowing at a good high speed on the back of lower sail and the result is a change of  kite inclination

The MAIN-UPPER sail is similar to ROKKAKU construction but lower edge is straight and reinfoced at the back by 6-8 cm of mylar with carbon fibers or another low elasticity material heavier than sail

The LOWER sail has a tubular shape on horizontal upper edge in order to hold the lower bowed spar. The sail needs to be sewn over the main-upper sail overlapping flat on flat for near 4 cm ; sewings about 10 cm each side over and under spar tubular ; in the middle of the kite sewings extended about 12-14 cm centered to mid line

Spine pockets, upper horizontal spar, bridles and bow tensioners are equal to ROKKAKU

Some other tips :

1. The Sticks : I suggest something like SKYSHARK  P4X ...P400 for horizontal frame and a standard carbon 8 mm Excel or other for spine.
2.  The lower sail needs to be kept extended to size without pulling using FSD tips  (FSD slot open should be in direction line - kiter); on ROKKER it is important that tension setting of low sail and of bowing setting should be SEPARATE functions 
3. Bridles need to be mandatory around frame sticks (upper two points and also lower two points)
4.  Bowing settings suggested near 18 cm for LOW sail and near 10 cm for upper sail
5. I normally use the practise of dismounting only the spine and reassembly at next flight.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   "free for personal use, NOT for commercial activity"

 

 

Tyne Cot

 

JC Rotor 3D

 

Workshop Puyenbroeck

Thanks to a tip from Riks Siemons, I was asked to organise a kite workshop  this afternoon in the provincial park of Puyenbroeck.  15 kids between 8 and 12  years old, who could choose between different activities in the park, chose to make kites together.  The workshop lasted only 2 hours.  So there was a lot of preparatory work to do.

Gusty winds of 30km/h are really not ideal for an initiation to kite flying but in the end everyone was happy to see his/her kite flying.    Given the smiles of the children and the amazement of the parents I think it was a successful afternoon.

Storytelling

A few months ago we (Ivo and I) were invited to 'a storytelling event' were the apotheose should be that the kids would fly up high to the clouds . A perfect job for a kiteflier (if there was wind), right?

 

KAP Hoboken

 

Barcelona

I discovered quickly that it's not allowed to fly kite in Barceloneta...

 

KAP Jurmala

 

KAP-Jurmala-Letvia

 I walked 20 km up north at the beach, up to the estuary of the Lielupes...what a wonderful coastline...

KAP: Toren van Eben-Ezer

 

The Tower of Eben-Ezer is a monument dedicated to Peace, erected since 1950. Soaring towards the sky, four cherubim at the four cardinal points send their symbolic message to the world. .

It is built with flint stones from region quarries. Its raw allure gives it a unique and fantastic character. Eben-Ezer is the image of Liberty-Equality-Fraternity based on Love-Think-Create.

KAP-Fort-Eben-Emael

 

KAP-Red