Origin of flight shapes

[Dalman]

I use kites but regularly try 'standards' as so many of the top players seem to use them.  It got me thinking though, where did the standard shape originate from?

I'm sure the old goose feather flights weren't that shape so how did it come about?

[Pac]

Interesting thread. Id like to know too

[Dalman]

Interesting thread. Id like to know too

The old feathered flights looked like elongated kites. One of the darts manufacturers must have come up with it at some stage and maybe it caught on thanks to a top player or players using it?

[The D'Artist]

I thought I would repost this one as it might relate:
https://www.dartsnutz.net/forum/showthre...ht=flights

[Ancient Darter]

Interesting topic!

I guess if you look at the history of darts, man has always wanted to improve, and set his invention/innovation apart from others, and kept experimenting.

I have no evidence, but my mind vaguely tells me that the above applied when paper flights were invented, or made commercially available I think in the 1930s, as you could dictate many different shapes as compared to when using a traditional feather cutter (on feathers, of course), which could waste a lot of raw materials if you deviated a lot from the typical parabolic, or shield shapes. Notice that these shapes follow the natural flow of the feather with minimal cutting? When I was making my own feather vanes, I heard somewhere that only certain feathers from the bird were ideal to make archery vanes, or in this case, feathered flights. If that were the case, the ideal feathers were rather precious and my guess is  manufacturers needed to maximize their yield.

[0ldjoblo]

The technology in darts has really improved the products,,, so think about this ,,, You know it has done the same for archery,,, anyone ever thought of re-purposing archery flights (feathers) for darts,,,,???

[Ancient Darter]

The technology in darts has really improved the products,,, so think about this ,,, You know it has done the same for archery,,, anyone ever thought of re-purposing archery flights (feathers) for darts,,,,???

I did, but with plastic or synthetic vanes. But it was kinda troublesome, and you could only fit three vanes onto a dart shaft at most. Feather vanes would be too broad on a dart shaft. At most you could fit two, and might have overhang from the quill.

[JohnL.]

I wonder if it might be as simple as that is the most effective shape that works and produces less waste when punched from a sheet. I'm pretty sure the closer to hexaganal Unicorn flights are to minimise waste rather than anything else.