Date: Sun, 22 Jan 1995 23:53:19 -1000 From: bernhard.malle@dbag.ulm.daimlerbenz.com (Bernhard Malle) Message-Id: <9501230953.AA08432@dagobert> Organization: Harvard University Office of Information Technology Subject: Plan for Soft-Centipede available on ftp-server in Bremen Hello Softkite-Fans, a Postscript-Plan for a soft-centipede a la Peter Lynn is available at the ftp-server at Bremen. It will be also available from ftp.hawaii tomorrow. It should be stored somewhere like "..\kites\plans\centipede.ps.Z" Attached is an ascii-version of the first page of the plan. If you have any questions concerning the plan, please feel free to contact me. Happy sewing... Bernhard -- +-----------------------------------------+-----------------------+ | Bernhard Malle Tel: +49 7305 22203 | Go fly a centipede !! | | Ulm, Germany Fax: +49 731 505-4210 | | | Bernhard.Malle@dbag.ulm.daimlerbenz.com | | +-----------------------------------------+-----------------------+ A Modern Centipede by Bernhard Malle Building a centipede has long been on my wish list of new projects. One of the favourite kites for this purpose was a soft--centipede, like the one that is built and sold by Peter Lynn. The reason that I did not dare to build one had always been the complexity of this kite. After the Fan\"o meeting of 1994 I decided to take a closer look at this kite and I found out, that the kite is built out of lots of triangles with only two different sizes. I again was impressed by the genius of Peter Lynn, who has invented a kite, that looks very nice and complex, but is very easy to build and where you even can use scrap pieces of ripstop. The following is a plan of my version of a soft centipede. I can not call it an original design, because it is built after the centipedes of Peter Lynn. This plan is published with permission of Peter Lynn (Thank you, Peter). It may be freely copied and distributed by anyone. It may not be reprinted in any magazine without my permission. This plan may not be used to produce the centipede commercially! The centipede is a line toy, i.e. it will not fly on its own. The centipede is connected to the flying line of a lifting device. For the lifting device, a parafoil, flowform, rokkaku or 3D--box can be used. When choosing a lifting device make sure that it generates enough lift --- even the small centipede generates a lot of drag! Quoting from a letter from Kirri Lynn: ``Peter Lynn made this type of kite about ten years ago. It was the first large inflatable he made. (He was having problems with excess weight on planes so he decided to build something that wouldn't have so many sticks.)'' = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =