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Mini-Guide to Bridling an Indian Fighter Kite. |
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Click, for a
printable Adobe Acrobat PDF Format Version of these instructions.
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| Fighter Kites, are normally purchased un-bridled, as they are when
they leave the Indian kite-maker. When it comes to bridling these
kites, there are no rules, measurements or guidelines as such; they
are normally done 'by eye'. Once you have a general idea how to bridle
a fighter kite, you will not need to measure anything; however I, have
attempted to explain this in words, and have given approximate
measurements as a guide to teach you. There are various ways of
bridling, depending upon the flyer's preferred flying style and also
the wind conditions. The bridle is attached to the front face of the
kite, and the bamboo spars are on the back face. |
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Reinforcing the Sail. |
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| Before bridling the kites it is a good idea to reinforce the sail
first, to give it additional strength in the stress points. Ideal
materials for reinforcing are Scotch Magic Tape or Surgical Micropore.
Scotch Tape also works well on Mylar kites as it becomes almost
invisible, but it can deteriorate and become brittle over time. The
length of tape for all the reinforcements should be about 3-5cm / 1"
to 2" long. |
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| First reinforce the nose with two pieces of tape folded over the
edge of the tissue on either side of the nose, covering both the front
and back faces of the kite. Then fold a length of tape over the top
edge of each wingtip, enclosing the bamboo bow, and covering both the
front and back surface of the kite. Now reinforce the top bridle
point, where the bow crosses the spine. The tape can be applied to
either face of the kite, and should be vertical along the spine, and
under the bow if it is applied to the back. Finally you will need to
do the same for the lower bridle point on the spine. The lower bridle
point is approximately just under one third of the distance up the
spine, from the bottom of the tail. |
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| As with the top bridle point, you should apply reinforcement tape in
a vertical direction over the bamboo spine. The tape can be stuck on
either the front or the back surface of the kite. |
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Selecting the Bridle Points. |
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| We have seen kites bridled with single as well as double strands of
cotton, linen and also monofilament nylon. When we bridle our own
fighters we tend to use a finely braided suture, about the thickness
of button thread. All are quite suitable; just use whatever is the
easiest and most readily available. |
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| Indian fighter kites have a simple two-leg bridle, and the
attachment points are situated along the central spine of the kite.
The top bridle attachment point is normally where the bow crosses the
spine, although for stronger wind conditions the bridle can be
attached to the spine below the point where the bow crosses it.
However if the bridle is attached on the spine below the bow, it is
necessary to bind the spine and bow together with a couple of stitches
to hold them securely in place. |
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| The lower bridle attachment point varies depending upon who is
bridling the kite. Getting this position right isn't crucial, as the
final angle of attack (the angle at which the kite faces the wind)
will be set once the bridle has been looped and tied. Some kite flyers
place their hand across the tail of the kite and use the width of
their hand as a measure for positioning the bridle point. As an
approximate guide, we have bridled a small sized kite, measuring 47cm
/ 18" along the spine from the nose to the tail. The width is 55cm /
21" and this has been measured in a straight line across the kite,
between the wingtips. The normal place for the top bridle point is
where the bow crosses the spine, and on this kite the lower bridle
point is about 13.5cm / 5" up the spine from the bottom of the tail. |
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Attaching the Bridle to the Kite. |
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| Once the sail has been reinforced with tape, you will need to pierce
it and tie on the bridle. Cut approximately 1 Meter / 3 Feet of your
chosen bridle line, and thread a needle with the line. Start with the
front face of the kite upwards, and the bamboo spars on the underside.
Pierce the sail through the front, at the point where the bow crosses
the spine and pull the needle and line through to the back of the
sail, in between the spine and the bow. Now push the needle through
the sail from the back to the front again, over both spars, to make a
small diagonal stitch. The holes should be very close to the bamboo
spars. Turn the kite back so that the front is facing upwards and draw
the line through the kite and around the spars. Tie the line 2 or 3
times with a simple overhand knot, leaving a tail about 5-7cm / 2-3".
This end should be left hanging on the front face of the kite, and is
used for fine-tuning of the bridle. |
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| To attach the bridle to the lower point, with the front face of the
kite upwards, push the needle and line through the sail from the front
to the back, over the bamboo spine, and then back through to the front
face again. The holes should be horizontal and close to the bamboo
spine. |
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| Before tying the end off, you will need to set the length of the
bridle. This is done by pulling the line across one side of the kite,
so that it extends about 12cm / 5" beyond the wing tips. Hold the
bridle line in position at the lower attachment point and tie firmly
with a couple of overhand knots. Trim off the excess line, leaving
another fine-tuning tail of about 2-3". |
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Tying the Bridle Loop / Setting the 'Angle of Attack'. |
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| The final part of bridling
your kite is setting the 'angle of attack'. This is the angle at
which the kite is presented to the wind. The flatter the kite is set
to the wind, the more pressure there is on the sail, and this
increases pull and stability. Fighter kites are normally set with
the nose slightly forward [closer to the flyer], which allows the
kite to spin more easily and improves maneuverability. |
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| Suspend the kite about 1"
above a tabletop, with a finger in the bridle line. Adjust the
position of your finger so that the kite hangs horizontally with the
nose and tail at the same height above the table. Now move your
finger forward slightly [about 1/2"] towards the nose, shortening the
upper bridle leg. Pinch the bridle line at this point and fold it
ready to tie the bridle loop. Now tie the bridle loop into a single
overhand knot, making a loop approximately 2" long. This is the 'tow
point', the place where your flying line is attached. |
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Fine - Tuning / Adjusting the 'Angle of Attack'. |
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| It is not normally necessary to make any adjustments to the bridle
once you have found your own optimum setting, but any changes are made
with the little pieces of bridle line left hanging from the kite. If
you want to increase the spin rate and make the kite more agile, you
will need to shorten the upper bridle leg. This will bring the nose
closer to you and allow a little more of the wind to spill out from
the tail end of the kite. To make this adjustment, use the piece of
line hanging from the top bridle point, twist it around the upper
bridle leg and tie a little overhand knot. This will shorten the upper
bridle leg a fraction, and if you need to shorten it further, tie
another knot! To decrease the spin rate you will need to tie the knots
at the lower bridle point instead. |
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