Torus34

The Tyvek® Genki required a simple adjustment of the bridle on first flight. Two bottomless foam plastic cups in series were used as a drogue. The kite hunted for the first 20' up or so. Then, it found its feet and rose steadily. At about 200', it was nailed to the sky. I tied it off and forgot it while I flew a new fighter. On the way down, it was stable until the 10' point where it tried to play 'Lawn dart'. No damage. Next step is to make a couple of small [12" bamboo skewer 'bones'] Eddys and check them out.

One of the nice things about making kites is that you can follow up 'what if?'s'. A 'what if'? It's the image that pops into your head when you look at a kite and mentally tweak it. Case in point. For years, I've looked at Genkis -- pictures, plans and even 'in the ripstop', as it were. All were huge, all were flat and many required complex bridles and drogues for stability. The design went into my mental 'Not for me!' folder. Then I ran into a Genki on the 'net. It was small [4' span] and it was bowed. A 'What if?' image popped up. What if a small, stable kite was attached by, say, 10' of line to each Genki wingtip? What would happen to the overall stability? Could the drogue be reduced or eliminated? What if the two small kites were of a bird-like planform? How could the main kite be decorated to enhance the effect of a kite being held up by birds? If a drogue was still needed, what shape could it be? Enter kitemaking, stage left. Tyvek® #10 and hardware store dowels are almost dirt cheap. In a couple of days, I hope to find out if this particular 'what if' is worth translating into ripstop. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. Either way, I can quickly scratch this particular itch and increase my knowledge of kites. Like I said, making kites is a nice thing.

Haven't had a chance to take any pics of the 'Bauhaus' square stunter yet. [i use the term 'stunter' to define any kite which can be steered by 2 or more lines, regardless of planform.] Flew it yesterday for the first time. [sidebar: Telescope makers, of which I'm one, speak of the initial observations with a new instrument as 'first light'. Can we speak of the first flight with a new kite as 'first sky'?] It self-launched nicely from a 45 degree 'on-edge' position. It flies, like a BASF, on the diagonal. The wind at the park was, as usual, highly variable - chock full of puffs and holes - so I didn't get a good opportunity to wring out the kite. It was one big grin, though. The kite is 36" measured diagonally, or approx. 25 1/2" on an edge. Area is 648 sq. in. Lines were 85' 50# dacron. The wind dropped a tad and I shifted over to flying fighters. Grin spread still wider. The crazier the wind, the more intricate the 'dance'. While I appreciate the advantage of 'clean' wind for line-touch competition, I much prefer flying solo 'in the rough', as it were. Spent a solid hour lost in 'Kiteland', that mystic realm we visit whenever we get the chance. I must admit that the controllable kites [fighters and the 2 and 4-liners] add something to the experience for me which I miss when flying a self-stable kite. Next, on to designing and making a 2-line buka-dako. The first 'trial' attempt will be a Tyvek® #10 sail on dowel 'bones'. My Lady has graciously agreed to do the decoration in acrylics.

Hi right back! I made the first 2-liner I ever flew. It's still going strong -- pressed into service these days when required as a trainer for 2-line newbees. It's a simple Eddy, ripstop nylon with 3/16" FG spine and 1/8" FG bow. It's 33" long with a 33" span. Nice and docile. I fly it on 50# 85' dacron lines. I'd be pleased to send you a drawing and construction info. I'm sure that it would work out just as well if the sail were Tyvek® #10. I still get a great kick out of watching the grin spread on a new flyer's face when he starts to get the hang of flying it. If you want to get right into the 'V'-shaped wing kites, the book "Stunt Kites to Make and Fly" by Servaas van der Horst and Nop Velthuizen is a great help. I've built several of their designs. The instructions are very well detailed. Once you've built a couple of 2-liners, you're on your way to make whatever design strikes your fancy. Regards, and fair winds. Jim Tottenville

What are your 3 most used kites? a. Several fighters, including original designs, BASF's, an F-3, etc. b. A two-line 'wing' type, original design. c. A two-line Eddy type, for training new flyers. What size are they? a. Areas range from 120 to 315 sq. in. b. 68" span. c. 36" x 36" What do you use them for? a, b & c. Personal pleasure. What length lines do you prefer? a. As needed. b. 110" c. 85" What strength lines do you prefer? a. 20# max, depending on wind. b. 100# c. 50#

First, a confession. I'm far more interested in exploring the limits of two-line kite planforms than flying the latest and greatest stunt kite. This doesn't mean, btw, that I don't appreciate [and stand in awe of] the performance skills of fliers of 'standard' 2-liners and quads. I just have a somewhat different interest, is all. This being said, I've built [and flown] several 'V' shape 2-line kites, a standard Eddy planform as a 2-liner and a square 2-liner flown on the diagonal. [A yellow reference spot near the nose of this kite, with the main sail realized in black ripstop nylon, dictated the name 'Bauhaus', of course.] From here, it's into some of the more exotic shapes. Bukas, with their magnificent 'landscape' surfaces available for artwork, are next. Anyone else out there plowing this particular 'north 40' of the two-line acreage?

Ordinary spiral-bound notebooks have springs which can be cut to size and which fit the Weller 25W soldering pencil barrel nicely. You can get two springs from a single notebook binding spiral. If you feed power to the pencil through a 120VAC dimmer switch, you can even control the temperature. Hot tacking ripstop nylon before sewing makes handling it a cinch. No more trying to juggle slippery panels as you feed fabric to the sewing machine. Once you've experienced it, you'll find that it's the way to go.

Youtube is now the home to videos showing all sorts of 'how-to-do-it's. One of the latest is a series by Bruce Lambert [who, along with the rest of the NAFKA gang, are America's gift to the world of fighter kites] on working with bamboo to make fighter kite spines and bows. You'll find the first [on spines] at The techniques shown can be applied to all sorts of kites with bamboo structures such as bukas, sodes and surugas. Once you pick up the technique, you're off and rolling for all sorts of small [under, say, 400 sq.in. area] kites.

The unofficial 'Club' that meets at Liberty Park, NJ [behind the Statue of Liberty] will have a get-together with an accent on fighter kites on July 19th. For those of you who've never been there, it's a very large grassy area with surprisingly clean wind. And a great group of kiters, too!

I've now made a few fighters using the construction methods given with the plans for the F-3 fighter, available on-line. At present I'm just making 'trial' kites using paper sails [1.8oz/sq.yd.] and bamboo spines and bows ['Tiki torch' stock]. I'm really pleased by the speed of construction and the finished appearance of the kites. I've always had problems installing bows to my satisfaction. The photo corner method takes almost all the frustration out of the process. If anyone has considered making a fighter but wasn't sure how to proceed, do check out the F-3 plans. They're as well-documented as anything I've ever seen. Jim/Tottenville

The photo was taken by Mike Gillard. You might try to reach him [the photographer] at mikegillard@KiteLife.com. He might be able to direct you to the kitemaker in the photo. I do not know if the address will work. Another route to consider is to make your own plans. There are several delta con plans available on the internet, some with a vent in the main sail. You could start with one of these plans and add the second sail to it. The amount of sail overlap will be up to you, but the photos will act as a guide. The wing edge spars and the wing spreader spars can be the same size as on the single kite. I would suggest going to at least one size larger for the three long front-to-back spars. These will have to carry the strain of two sails instead of one. The bridle lines and flying line should also be stronger, as the kite will develop roughly twice the pull of a single wing delta con.

I've done a quick check to see if I could locate the source of the picture. I could not find it. The picture may show a kite made of two delta Conynes flown as a 'stack'. It may also be that the kites are commercial models and are not home made from a plan. Plans for a single delta Conyne with a scalloped trailing edge can be found in many places. I do not know where to find information on stacking them, though.

A few years ago, the 'Project Runway' show had a group of clothing designers scavenge materials from a garbage barge and use them to create an outfit. It was a delight to watch this -- a fine lesson in ingenuity. Now, I'm not advocating a trip to a garbage barge. Not at all. But we can tap into the scavenge and ingenuity aspects without insulting our noses. Many of us live within easy reach of a 'Dollar' store. These stores have all sorts of, for lack of a better word, 'stuff'. Some of this stuff can be used in kitemaking. And while not as cheap as garbage, the purchase of a few items in such a store won't put the rent money at risk. So . . . is anyone out there in 'NetLand interested in building a kite from 'Dollar' store items? Would you like to try this and share the results? Should we try to make this into a contest? Should we limit the materials to, say, $5 worth, excluding tax? What say you, Kitebuilders?

Fine craftsmanship is always in fashion! Thanks so much for posting the pictures. Living near several major airports, I can't fly deep sky. But as a flier of fighters, I do make reels. I've found pleasure in making Indian-style reels. Jim/Tottenville

[background sounds of applause, cheers and occasional 'Bravo's . . .] Wow! Thank you so very much, John. A spot just for kitemakers to get together and chat, discuss problems and solutions and in general share their love of building kites. Heaven on a CRT screen! Right now I'm in a 'fighter kite' phase. I've just returned to kites after a long absence. One peek in the ol' fighter kite box and I was off and rolling. Several of the old kites have been re-bridled [i use a simple three-leg bridle with lark's heads for adjustments] and one has been re-bowed. I'll be scooting out the door in a few minutes to check the results. My old kite box is one solid, heavy, pain-in-the-neck-to-put-in-the-car monster. A stop at the local pizza parlor and I was richer by two nice new 18" x 18" pizza boxes. Many fighter kites will fit nicely in each box. I still don't quite know what I'll do for a box for those that are too large to fit, though. Along with the 'standard' fighters such as the BASF, Hata, Indian and other variation-on-a-square designs, I hope to build and fly bukas and maranhaos [bowed] in the coming weeks. Covering will probably be mylar, secured with rubber cement. The 'bones' will be bamboo split and shaped from 'Tiki torch' stock. In between the fighters I'll be building some non-standard two-line kites. The first will be a larger version of the Indian Square fighter, probably in ripstop nylon with a diagonal of about 36". I'm still considering the sail design. Something tells me it would be wise to make sure I'll know which corner of the kite is the nose when I'm flying it. A 6" circle or square of fabric in a contrasting color should do the trick. If you build kites, please do stop by and introduce yourself. And again, thank you, John. I never in my wildest dreams expected such a response. I'm [almost] speechless! Jim/Tottenville, NYC

A small suggestion for this site: There seems to be no specific sub-forum section for general kitemaking. I find that I spend as much or more time in designing and making kites as I do in flying them. [Personal note: this state of affairs was a natural outgrowth of being a 24/7/365.26 caregiver for the past 5 years.] Kitemaking cuts across the 'boundaries' of line count, size and type. I suspect that other kitemakers may, like me, enjoy building a 2-line stunter just as much as making a delta or, for that matter, a stable of fighter kites. Skills learned for one kite type [sewing, working bamboo, etc.] can be transferred to the building of other types. Many of us have developed our own 'wrinkles' to solve kitemaking problems. A place where we could share them would be very much appreciated. Aside: for anyone reading this who hasn't yet built a kite, there's a real pleasure in seeing your own handiwork take the air for the first time. And when someone asks, "Where did you buy that kite?", you'll enjoy saying, "I made it."

Hi, Dan, To be honest, I've never flown a fighter kite I didn't build myself. I suspect that the Hoopty would be a fine starting point, but that's based on the say-so of others. Perhaps someone else will comment on this. Actually, fighters are easy [and cheap!] to make. I've used all sorts of stuff [carbon and fg rods, dowels, model aircraft spruce stock and bamboo [from 'tiki' torches] for the 'bones', paper, ripstop, polyester, tyvek and mylar for the covering] and ended up with kites that flew at least reasonably well. Do take the time to locate [or make] waxed fighter kite string - it makes flying a pleasure. Unwaxed string will tangle on the ground and cause no end of frustration. A home-made spool or hoop will serve just as well as a commercial one, too. If possible, get hold of a copy of Gallot's book, Fighter Kites. It provides just about everything you need to know to make them. I'd suggest the Indian Square as a good starting design, with 0.08" fg rod for the bow, stiff Tyvek [#10, not #14] for the sail and bamboo, spruce or dowel for the spine. I use #3 crochet thread for bridles. My lines attach to the kite with a fishing snap swivel. There's lots of information on fighters on the 'net, too. Fair winds, Jim

Took time off this afternoon to check out a new fighter and also to fly 5 old ones. Two of the old kites will be re-bridled to a newer [and simpler] system. The new kite checked out well once the bridle was adjusted. For about an hour and a half the world contracted to kite and sky. The wind was just gusty enough to remind me that flying a fighter is a co-operative venture between the pilot and the wind. If you've never built and flown a fighter, please do consider giving it a try. And feel free to contact me with any newbee questions you might have. Jim Tottenville

Please note: The book has been requested by someone and will be sent to him. Unfortunately, I've only the one spare copy. Regards, Jim. Original message: [i have a spare copy of Gallot's Fighter Kites. If anyone's interested just give me an address and I'll send it on its way. Jim Tottenville]

I suspect that were I to have a kite nightmare, it would revolve around people becoming so consumed by political invective and the mindless pursuit of wealth that they could no longer find time nor take pleasure in such gentle and harmless activities as flying a kite.

Update: The site is now available in English as well as in German. This includes the plans. For those interested in fighters, it's a 'must see'. If you've never made and flown a fighter, you may have been missing one of kiting's most enjoyable [and least expensive!] pleasures. With today's gas prices, kites that can be flown locally make lotsa sense. Fighters don't require much space and, unlike some types, can be adapted to a wide range of wind conditions. Storage is easy, too. I've several fighters designed to fit into a large (18") pizza box. Jim Tottenville

rxburner: Thank you for your reply. The link to the Ninja was a delight. The level of detail in the instructions made execution of the design a snap. I may well make one. ['Let's see - where did I put that 1/2oz ripstop?'] Fair winds to you. Jim Tottenville, S.I., NYC

A question often asked in forums, whether they be about kites, photography, guitars or any number of topics is 'Which [sport kite/camera/guitar/etc.] should I get?' For kites, there's another interesting question; 'Given my local conditions, which types of kites will be best suited?' Kiters with easy access to beaches and other areas with clean, steady winds need never ask this question. For them, almost any type of kite will perform well and be a joy to fly. But not all of us are blessed with ideal conditions. In my own case, there are two local parks with fields large enough for kiting. The nearer one is rather small. It's bordered by trees on one side and a high berm on another. Needless to say, the wind is gusty and fitful for the first 100 feet or so. The second field has somewhat cleaner winds and a large blacktop parking lot. I've recently returned to kiting and taken up the challenge of designing and building single-line kites which take advantage of the conditions at each site. I'm the only kiter who uses these fields so there's no possibility of, say, fighter kite competition. It's just me, the kite and the park. For the smaller, gustier park I fly a modified Hata design of about 26" span with a 24" spar. While the smaller line-touch competition fighters such as the BASF are far more nimble in light winds, the park dictates a kite which can withstand a wide range of wind speeds and directions as well as occasional conflicts with the ground. The trade-off is the old one of sturdiness for maneuverability. Waxed 20# line is my standard. The phrase 'Dancing with the wind' applies, big time. The other park provides a great opportunity to explore thermal soaring. Often in the late afternoon the wind just plain stops. On a sunny day the parking lot should produce prodigious bubbles of heated air. I'm presently building kites to explore this. They're very light bamboo-framed and mylar or tissue-covered. The accent is on keeping weight/unit area very low. Sizes will again be in the 2-3 square foot range. Has anyone else tried this approach? What were your local conditions and how did you design and build to take advantage of them?

[i'm a newly-registered member of this site and a recent returnee to kiting.] Kite fliers owe a maxi-size debt of gratitude to this site for providing downloadable copies of the complete KiteLines issues. The broad range of topics and pictures in each issue provides the kiter with a wealth of input. The Govig's legacy is one of the most valuable kite resources available. Their enthusiasm for kiting shines brightly from each page. Again, thank you for making these downloads available.