An old kite behaving weird with a level mixer is not unusual nor are the bridles shrinking, 2-4cm is nothing. You can restretch the bridles and or make adjustments to achieve what you want.
I take it by "zero'd" you mean you aligned ABC? You need to adjust Z, it's the most critical.
Ok I read back a few threads
Slyde wrote: got ABC perfectly aligned. Flew the kite today and the tips just folded in. Basically the kite was unflyable. It seems to me that if you add this pigtail you are effectively lengthening the Z line by ½ the length of the pigtail. So presumably I should now shorten the Z knot by half the length of the pigtail. Can anyone advise if my logic is correct and has experienced this issue?
I take you added pigtails to extend B and C, (either at the mains or pulley lines)? Ok the effect with that is not Z is longer but shorter!,HENCE your stability problems! The solution is not to shorten Z further!
(slap in the head for you all!) but to add a pigtail to lengthen Z as well, make it a bit adjustable so you can have a play and change the feel and learn about wings/kites/aerodynamics/etc.
gmb13 wrote:The pigtail should have no effect on the length of the Z. UNLESS you have put the pigtail on the wrong side of the C pulley line. It should be on the front lines side of the pulley line.
While true in the literal sense , you altered C pulley line and not Z, it is sadly WRONG in the sense of if you understand how mixers work. A mixer works on a RATIO of the different components and hence the use of ratios to describe them, if you change one length it is the same had you left it the same but changed the others.
Flying to one side is because something is uneven
. Could be the kites shape i.e. fabric, or the bridles,or the mixer especially the pulley lines which do it all the time, but also there is the often forgotten flying lines, which are often not
even even when they are made. You check in order of what is easiest, so flying lines, mixer, bridles, etc. And if after that it still flys to one side or in fact may now be worse! you MAY or MAY NOT! have made a mistake. Anyway if you check all the lines and fix them and it still goes to one side you need to alter the fabric, I have written about it elsewhere much to "THEexperts" dismay
.