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Sled Kite And Aerial Photography


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Need some ideas, suggestions and help here please. I am considering making a Sled kite and am thinking about using a keychain camera with it.

My question is, What is the smallest size Sled kite I could make that would support/carry a keychain camera?

I would like to make a picavet mount for it as well. Would this be a good idea or could I just mount it to the kite some other way?

Would a smaller Sled kite be as stable as a larger Sled kite? Or are their flying characteristics the same?

The reason I want it to be as small as possible is because I like the idea I could just literally fold it and put it in my pocket when done, not to mention being very light weight and portable. I could keep it handy with me should I find a spur of the moment scenery that I would like to capture on my travels.

Any suggestions and help would be greatly appreciated!

Best Regards!

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I think you can get a small sled kite (maybe called 'pocket kite' ?) for very little $$$. I do find that the smaller the kite, the less stable it is, and then to add a swinging load to it ? 

I use a Power Sled 24 and an Ultrafoil 15 for most of my KAP. I've also been using a GoPro with a simple Picavet mount. The GoPro rig is small & light, and could probably be lifted by kites much smaller than what I use. All of my KAP equipment fits in a small backpack. That includes the 2 kites, 500' of 300# line on a windbreaker winder, a sand anchor, trucker's gloves, KAP rig, and a leash to tie off to immobile objects. The backpack is always in my car, ready to go when I get the urge to fly.

You'll have to experiment with your idea of going small, but keep in mind that build tolerances become more critical the smaller you go... one mm off, and a little kite won't fly right...

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Thanks for the information RobB! Any suggestions on how I could mount a keychain camera without a rig?

Also, when taking pictures/videos, do you have any issues with the camera not staying steady? If so, any suggestions on how to keep the camera as steady as possible?

Appreciate any insight you can provide. I thank you in advance my friend!

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I started with the gopro by just hanging it from a single line, attached to the flying line with a carabiner. Just open the carabiner and wrap the flying line around it 3 or 4 times, and then let the line out to the desired height. 1 out of 10 shots turned out ok with that method, but once I switched to the picavet, my success rate increased to maybe 4 out of 10 good shots.
Video was another story, you really need to get a gimble mount to eliminate the sway of the camera. If you click on my utoob link, look for a video called VAP ? To see the poor results that I got trying the video on the gopro.
Check out Brooxes KAP website for lots of information, and any KAP supplies you might need. There are also some other KAP'rs here that can help answer some of your questions better than me...

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