You still had to fold them the same way as McKenney’s patent but the flight design was different in shape.įurther details regarding the originality of the paper flight can be found on Patrick Chaplin’s (Darts Historian) web site. Paper flights became commercially available in the 1930’s, these flights came pre-gummed similar to an envelope adhesive. 5cm) paper square is folder as above and inserted into the wooden dowel stem. Although darts was not a popular American pub game until the mid-twenties, McKenney is reported to have stated he had patented the flight as an improvement to a toy dart target game.īased on McKenney's Original Paper Dart Flight DesignĪ 2” (approx. McKenney patented the world's first paper flight. However, this type of plastic flight combination isn’t as popular now as it once was with most players opting to use separate flights and stems.Īlthough the first dart flights were made from feathers it wasn’t until 1898 when an American inventor Nathern P. The main advantage of the flights is they last and are less likely to brake and the wings of the flights always remain true, unlike the folding flight that can become untrue. This construction is still used and produced today and various modern versions of this setup are available.
#DART FLIGHTS FULL#
If you are trying to find the best configuration for your playing style, try several combinations of flights, weights and shaft lengths.Later again we would see the emergence of the full plastic flight and stem. Keep in mind that you do not necessarily have to follow these guidelines! Many advanced, talented darters play with a combination of light barrels, short shafts and standard flights. One of the best ways to keep your flights perfectly spread is to use aluminum flight protectors.Īluminum flight protectors will also help prevent damage to your flights and you won’t have to spread your flights before each throw, allowing you to concentrate more fully on your game. You want the fins of all your flights to stand at exactly 90 degrees to one another, otherwise you will not enjoy the full benefit of the flight! Remember to properly spread your flights before throwing your darts. Flight texture can help serve as a “fine adjustment” to really dial in your game. If you find that your darts are flying just a tiny bit differently than what you want, you might try changing to a coarser or smoother texture while staying with the same shape. Smoother flights will drag less through the air while textured flights (like the embossed “Dimplex” flights) will drag more heavily through the air. The Things You Should Pay Attention to While Choosing the Flights Finally, slim flights will help reduce the chances of bounce-outs and damaged flights from tight groupings, especially if your darts have short shafts. Smaller flights will help reduce drag in the air, allowing the end of the dart to drop slightly in flight. Additionally, if your darts stick in the board at a high, upward angle (greater than 10 degrees) you may want to switch to a smaller flight like a slim. Soft tip darters may benefit from using slim flights because soft tip darts are generally lighter, thus requiring a harder throw to stick in the board. Smaller than standard flights, slim flights are good if you like to throw harder, want to avoid “lobbing” your darts or if you use lighter darts or short shafts. Additionally, as longer shafts can have a tendency to “fish-tail” through the air, darts with longer shafts may benefit from the stabilizing effect of larger dart flights. Ideally, you want your darts to hit the board at a perfectly flat angle, or with the flight pointing slightly upwards, not more than 5-10 degrees. The added drag from larger flights will push the shaft of the dart upwards, helping to correct a downward angle.
If your darts are consistently sticking in the board with the flight angled to the floor, you may want to increase the size of your flights. Standard flights can also help to straighten and stabilize the path of a dart in the air. Heavier darts require less force to stick in the dart board and larger flights will help keep darts aloft for longer with a lighter throw. You may also want to use standard flights on steel tip darts, if your darts are heavier, or if they have longer shafts. Standard flights should be used if you throw with less force or like to “lob” your darts at the board. Probably the most common dart flight and also one of the largest. Let’s take a look at the two most common flight shapes, standard and slim.
Accordingly, smaller and lighter flights are meant for shorter shafts, soft tips, and harder, straight shots.
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