My Kite Bag
Here is a sample of some of the kites in my kite bag.
My goal is to put a picture of all of my single line kites here.
If these kites are made from published plans I will try and put notes
describing any changes I have made. Click on picture to see a larger
version.
Dual Line Kites
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I liked this design so much I decided to do it on the
Magic stunt kite.
This is done all in 1/2oz Icarex and framed in Sky Shark 3P rods.
The design really fits the kite.
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Deltas
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This is one of my 6 foot deltas I designed. I did sell these for a while. These
are pretty easy to fly and launch. Keep an eye out I will probably publish
plans for this kite. Frame is 1/4" dowel.
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Same basic kite as above but with a really nice applique on it. Frame is 1/4" dowel. I call this one "Skull".
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This was one of my first kites I made, it is a gusset-ed delta from "Kite Works".
This kite can be a bit squirrelly in strong winds. But in light breezes it is
rock solid. Frame is fiberglass. Wing span is 7'.
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This is one of the second single liners I designed. These are 8' delta conynes.
I used these a lot to lift wind socks into the air. Either singly or as a pair.
Frame is 1/4 Dowel with a 5/16 spreader, but I am thinking of switching to a
3/8 dowel.
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Flat and Bowed
Foils
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This little 6sq ft foil was done to test the concept of a closed mouth foil.
It flies good and packs into a small 6"x2"x1" package, including line, foil,
wind sock, drogue and small tail.
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This foil was made totally from scraps. Based on the "JR Flow Form" plans
by Rowland's, I made some modifications since it would not fly. When I get
time I will put up a changes sheet. This kite is about 9 sq ft and will lift
a small collection of wind socks. Only major problem is that the curved front
tends to flip down, this can destabilize the kite.
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This is the "Medium Aspect Ratio" foil from Rowland's. Once the bridle is
properly set, this kite is a nice flier. I recommend lots of line and using
an anchored launch since the kite does not like gusty or turbulent winds.
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This is my first attempt at designing a foil. This foil is 20 sq ft. It features
a closed mouth front. I need to continue changing this design. While providing
good lift, the kite is not as stable as I would like it. I have been making
some progress with a new attachment method to the bridle lines and a larger
drogue. In light to medium winds the kite seems to be getting very stable.
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Fighters
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Here are some of my fighters.
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Windsocks
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This was an interesting wind sock, it spins real fast. This one is from some
German plans that were mailed to me. I initially sewed the kite backwards and
it would not spin.
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This is the Caterpillar windsock from Rowland's. While not hard to make the
sock is time consuming. But is a big hit with kids.
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This is my soccer from the plans posted to rec.kites. This one is based on 6
inch pieces and is about 2.5 feet in diameter. I will be cleaning up the plans
posted to rec.kites and making a small gif file showing how to make one of
these.
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I make a snake from the original german plans. This one is about 10 feet in
diameter. I found that the length of the bridal lines shown in the plans was
too short for good opening. Currently I have 25' long bridal lines on this
one. These wind socks require a lot of maintenance and a sut of very good swivels. |
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This is a 25' long helix wind spinner I built. This was a very simple project,
the 2 25' long by 4" wide tails took the longest.
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Group shots
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Here is a shot of some of my kites at Berkeley with their wind socks.
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