dart flights

A great question and answer about flights.  if you wna to know what is best have alook and get soem ideas.




alt.sport.darts: Flights Question

Flights Question
message from Montboro on 23 Jan 2004
I've tried to find some explanation on the Web of what the various
styles of flights do to or for the flight of the dart -- anybody know
if such explanations exist or are the various flights more marketing
to sell more flights?

DawgMichelle replied to Montboro on 25 Jan 2004
I saw a site the other day...I'll try to find it again and post a link...that
explained "basics" of different types of flights.

Some of what they said was...the larger the flight, the more arc you will get
in your throw because of the aerodynamics. They also said that the smoother
the flight, the less drag you get. (For example, I use Dimplex, standard sized
flights and am considering trying different types and sizes because my darts
hit the board at an angle I'm not happy with.)

Good luck and I'll let you know if I find that site again.

Seth_B replied to DawgMichelle on 25 Jan 2004
The arc of the dart is primarily determined by how fast or slow the dart
is thrown.

The angle the dart makes _to this arc_ is determined to a large extent by
the choice of flight used. Larger flights kick the flight-end up, and
vice-versa.

The dart body has the aerodynamics of a rock, and is goverened by the
laws of gravity, which pull along in an arc. Without a flight, it is
likely to tumble along this arc on its way to the dartboard.

The dart body, which has all the mass, pulls the flight along behind it.
Air pressure along the flights surfaces from flight straighten the dart
out (in the direction it is thrown) and also introduce some amount of
lift, largely determined by surface area.

Gravity pulls the mass of the whole assembled dart down. Lift pushes the
flight end up. A little lift goes a long way.

The angle of a darts arc (path) when it hits the dartboard, and the angle
of the dart itself (angle it sticks in the board) can be two different
things entirely. The larger this difference, the more the flight is
slowing the dart down.

Seth_B replied to Montboro on 25 Jan 2004
About 90% of the differences between flights have to do with surface
area, which translates to aerodynamic lift. The amount of lift a flight
can greatly affect the performance of a dart. Some trial-and-error is
usually used to find the combination of stem length and flight size that
is right for you. Much depends on how you throw the dart. Personal
testing is always required.

The remaining difference has to do with the density of the material used
to make the flight, texturing used (eg, Dimplex, Ribtex, etc.) and shape.
These all impact in small ways, however, the nuances are important to
some darters. Some designs contribute to increased liklihood and amount
of deflection. Others decrease it. Most often, there are trade-offs,
but again these are small things.

FYI, these "nuances" are more pronounced the slower the dart goes. A
very fast dart (not a great idea) minimizes all differences.

Using same dart/stem, in general:
Larger area make flight-end go up.
Smaller area make flight-end go down.

FYI - darters spend more money on flights and stems than darts. And the
profit margin is higher.


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