Date: Mon, 16 Oct 1995 07:57:08 -1000 From: pnord@exodus.valpo.edu (Paul Nord) Message-Id: Organization: Valparaiso University Subject: Question: Raw deal from Spectra? Good Day, I'm new to the kite world. I purchased my first graphite spar kite back in June; a Spectra Edge. I've broken the same spar twice now. It's never taken a hard crash. The lower section of the left leading edge spar has splintered at the joint with the upper section. This second time that it broke I took the upper spar out as well to inspect the ferule. Close inspection of the ferule showed that the upper graphite spar was not cut off cleanly. When the lower spar went over the fiberglas joining piece, the two spars only touched in 1 place. The rest of the circumference of the end was seperated by about 1/16 of an inch. My sense is that this stress point it what caused the spar to splinter the way it did. I filed it a little and now the spars touch around a larger section of their ends. Should I complain more to Spectra? Would you consider the the above construction flaw serious? Thanks, Paul Nord = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Mon, 16 Oct 1995 14:20:08 -1000 From: Steve Bateman Message-Id: <45usro$9is@hole.sdsu.edu> Organization: San Diego State University Subject: Re: Question: Raw deal from Spectra? pnord@exodus.valpo.edu (Paul Nord) wrote: > > Good Day, > > I'm new to the kite world. I purchased my first graphite spar kite back in > June; a Spectra Edge. I've broken the same spar twice now. It's never > taken a hard crash. The lower section of the left leading edge spar has > splintered at the joint with the upper section. This second time that it > broke I took the upper spar out as well to inspect the ferule. Close > inspection of the ferule showed that the upper graphite spar was not cut off > cleanly. When the lower spar went over the fiberglas joining piece, the two > spars only touched in 1 place. The rest of the circumference of the end was > seperated by about 1/16 of an inch. My sense is that this stress point it > what caused the spar to splinter the way it did. I filed it a little and > now the spars touch around a larger section of their ends. > > Should I complain more to Spectra? Would you consider the the above > construction flaw serious? > > Thanks, > Paul Nord I understand this as the end, where an internal ferruel is inserted into the upper leading edge spar, was not cut flat but at an angle. On a scale of 1-10, 10 being very serious, I would rate this a 5. It most likly contributed to the splintering. With 20/20 hindsight, if the seperation distance had been 1/8 inch, I'd complain more. Steve Bateman bateman@mail.sdsu.edu Flying along. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Tue, 17 Oct 1995 01:14:04 -1000 From: hayden1009@aol.com (Hayden1009) Message-Id: <46035s$as0@newsbf02.news.aol.com> Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) Subject: Re: Question: Raw deal from Spectra? Spars break. Different spars break from different things like snap stalling in too high a wind, wind tip jabs, snapping axels, and oh yeah, the common crash (into surf, hard ground, garbage cans, etc.). Learning the capabilities of a kite and it's spars and your expertise as a flyer and tying them all together to maintain whole kites is part of the learning thing with kites. I've heard you're not a real flyer until you've broken a few rods. We usually keep a spare spar of the most breakable size in our kite bags. P.S. not only do rods have different breaking points and causes, but the break differently, look at a g-force skinny snap versus a beman spagetti. The engineers of this group have many discussion on types of impacts and fractures. Me, I fly pretty kites and carry extra rods. Alice Hayden = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Tue, 17 Oct 1995 06:10:20 -1000 From: jburka@Glue.umd.edu (Jeffrey C. Burka) Message-Id: <460khc$38j@geog29.umd.edu> Organization: Project Glue, University of Maryland, College Park Subject: Re: Question: Raw deal from Spectra? In article , Paul Nord wrote: >seperated by about 1/16 of an inch. My sense is that this stress point it >what caused the spar to splinter the way it did. I filed it a little and >now the spars touch around a larger section of their ends. > >Should I complain more to Spectra? Would you consider the the above >construction flaw serious? I don't really have any comments for the above, but wanted to mention a vaguely similar problem I've been having with a kite made by Catch the Wind. I was asked by a friend to tune a kite for him, as he was having trouble getting it to do much of anything. I'm not sure of the model name, but it's a 6+ foot dart with a 5 panel graphic. Straight trailing edge, lightly curved leading edge. Framed with some pretty hefty bemans for the size of the kite. The first time I worked on the kite was in August in Wildwood. I got it flying pretty well and was having fun with it...until a tip stab blew up a ferrule in the leading edge. While I was happy that it was a ferrule and not a spar that blew, I was amazed to have broken it on *sand*. To make matters worse, the ferrule was glued to the bottom LE stick and not the top, and in trying to figure out how I was going to get the stick out, I managed to tear the 3.9oz dacron leading edge! (that was easy enough to patch up...I just unsewed the LE, put dacron patches on the inside, and resewed the kite). Cut to a month or so later. I'm flying the kite again, experimenting with increasing the length of the outhaul. I'm on sand again, this time in Ocean City. And once again, I blow a ferrule doing a tip stab on soft sand -- and this time, it was the ferrule on the *other* wing, not the one I'd already repaired once. I must admit to disappointment with the kite's construction. It's fast, radical (great axels!), and a blast to fly, but I find it disturbing to keep blowing ferrules like this. Anybody else had similar experiences? Jeff -- |Jeffrey C. Burka | Pithy, insightful quote to be inserted when one | |jburka@glue.umd.edu | occurs to me. *If* one occurs to me. | |http://www.wam.umd.edu/~jeffy/html/home.html | = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Tue, 17 Oct 1995 08:53:41 -1000 From: Mark de Roussier Message-Id: <813981221snx@murder.demon.co.uk> Organization: damage Subject: Re: Question: Raw deal from Spectra? In article pnord@exodus.valpo.edu (Paul Nord) writes: > Good Day, > > I'm new to the kite world. I purchased my first graphite spar kite back in > June; a Spectra Edge. I've broken the same spar twice now. It's never > taken a hard crash. The lower section of the left leading edge spar has > splintered at the joint with the upper section. This second time that it > broke I took the upper spar out as well to inspect the ferule. Close > inspection of the ferule showed that the upper graphite spar was not cut off > cleanly. When the lower spar went over the fiberglas joining piece, the two > spars only touched in 1 place. The rest of the circumference of the end was > seperated by about 1/16 of an inch. My sense is that this stress point it > what caused the spar to splinter the way it did. I filed it a little and > now the spars touch around a larger section of their ends. > > Should I complain more to Spectra? Would you consider the the above > construction flaw serious? > Welll... I don't know how much the Spectra Edge costs, and that would certainly affect my judgement of how serious the flaw was. Having said that, my reaction would be the same as yours - that this was a flaw which was likely to shorten the life of the spars concerned. But I would think it was only a problem if those spars are actually being jammed into each other real hard - and in flight I suspect that's not the case, at least not to anything like the extent that the lower spreaders are. But crashes are certainly not necessary for spars to get broken. I can't remember....duh...yes, I *can* remember the last time I broke a spar in a crash (Pro Cheetah, nose dive, exploded spine :)), but I've broken more doing ground work, and just flying in too high a wind. -- Mark de Roussier ******************************************* I do not want people to be very agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them a great deal. Jane Austen. ******************************************* = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Thu, 19 Oct 1995 06:17:02 -1000 From: skysharktm@aol.com (SkySharktm) Message-Id: <465tlu$4mp@newsbf02.news.aol.com> Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) Subject: Re: Question: Raw deal from Spectra? Welcome to the kite world!! We hope you also have had some enjoyment with the kite. We wish to give you much more happiness. I would like to introduce myself. My name is Erez Borowsky and I am President of SkySharktm. I browse rec.kites often to find what people are talking about in relations to kites and how we can improve them (AirFrames). I do not know if your particular kite was indeed using our SkySharktm AirFrames. But let me assure you whether or not, we would like to replace your leading edges. We do not know which spars were used and would like to know the cause. All that we ask is that you send us the broken pieces including the ferrule and $5.00 for shipping and handling. As soon as we receive the broken set, we will ship out a new set. Our customers (the end user, you) must know this: We will stand behind our products against manufacturers defects. Collisions with objects, cars running over the kite and/or kite bag, and similar damages not included!! We do not manufacture or assemble kites ourselves and cannot always warranty this issue type. We hope this will make you new hobbie much more enjoyable. Good Winds!! = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Fri, 20 Oct 1995 04:54:32 -1000 From: Adrian Pierorazio Message-Id: Organization: Queen's University, Kingston Subject: Re: Question: Raw deal from Spectra? I would like to congratulate SkyShark for taking this stance--it encourages new and old fliers to see industry standing so firmly behind the hobby that they supply. If only more kitefliers were as helpful to new people....... +-------------------------------+---------------------------------------+ | Adrian Pierorazio | | | Queen's University | | | Mechanical Engineering | | +-------------------------------+---------------------------------------+ = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =