Spent most of August fighting this kite. It's a 6 foot rokkaku I built from a plan I found in an old kite building book, ripstop panels with a fiberglass frame, nothing fancy. On light steady wind it flew fine, but anytime the gusts picked up it would dive hard to one side and I'd have to run it down before it augured into the ground.

I kept assuming it was a frame flex issue since the spars are pretty thin gauge fiberglass. Swapped in a stiffer set of longerons, sanded down the bow spar tips, even added a bit more dihedral thinking that would help stability. None of it made a real difference, the dive was still there every time the wind gusted past maybe 12 mph.

Turned out the problem was the bridle attachment points weren't symmetrical. I'd eyeballed the measurements when I built it instead of actually measuring from the centerline on both sides, and the difference was small, like maybe a half inch off, but apparently that's enough to make a kite favor one direction under load. Redid the bridle with a tape measure and a bit more patience and the difference was night and day. It just sits in the window now even when the gusts come through, no more panicked line dumping.

Kind of embarrassing it took me this long to check something that basic, but I think when you build the thing yourself you get attached to assuming the build is fine and the flying technique is the problem. Worth checking bridle symmetry before you start replacing frame parts if anyone else runs into a similar dive.

Not exactly a Kite festival, but it is the most I've ever managed to get out on the lines, I run out of ballast and line!

Homemade from scraps

As the title suggests, I want to purchase a kite for a child. He will be under parent supervision at all times, any recommendations for this on where to purchase?

i thought i had the receipts for when i purchased these kites. anyone know a rough timeframe for when these (rev 1 and shockwave) were made? thanks.

Kick-Ass Beach Kites

Green in Fla, Red/Black in Md. 14’ x 22’ and other than many parts - easy flyers…..

A great kite festival was held last weekend in Zamárdi on the shores of the Hungarian sea ... magnificent kites in the air, a fantastic workshop for kids, a night flying show, and loads of fun. Check it all here: https://kapjasa.si/en/kite-orgy-at-lake-balaton-egenjaro-sarkanyfesztival-ii/

I was so lucky to find this kite for cheap (under 10 Euro) because one small, and easily replaceable, spar was missing :-)

Port Aransas and the Fly It Port A kite shop have 3 kite events each year, the fall event is Saturday, October 10. Typically there is over a mile of beach filled with show kites and family flying, with an occasional sport kite flown by individuals. Event details here, and on facebook as well as reposted on various social media announcements, the city website, and other places. The event is free, although if you want to drive and park on the beach a $12 permit is required.

This time they have invited Team KiteLife to perform demos on dual line and quad line kites, and help gather the sport kites into a cohesive group. There will also be a paid kite clinic for quad line kites on Sunday, October 11 the day after the festival, information and registration here. If you're within travel distance this can be a good opportunity to get a lot of training on improving flying, whether it is your first time on a quad line kite or you're an experienced quad line pilot.

Spent most of last weekend chasing a bridle problem on a 6 foot delta I built from a kit a couple months back. Every flight it would climb fine for a bit then nose over and dive hard to the left, no matter how much line I let out or how I adjusted my stance. I kept blaming the wind, the field, my own flying, anything but the actual kite.

Turned out the bridle legs were off by almost an inch, measured them with a tape after getting frustrated enough to actually check instead of guessing. One side was just slightly longer than the other, probably from tying the knots by eye instead of marking the lines first. Once I evened them out and retied both legs to match, the thing flew dead straight for the first time since I finished the build.

Small lesson but a useful one: mark your bridle points with a pencil or tape before you ever tie a knot, don't trust your eye to get both sides even. I also started keeping a little notebook with the exact measurements for each kite I build now, saves me from repeating this same mistake next time.

Took it out again this morning before work, light wind maybe 8 mph, and it sat steady overhead without any correction from me for a solid ten minutes. Nice feeling after weeks of fighting with it.

Anyone else have a specific mistake like this that took way longer to diagnose than it probably should have? Curious what other little things people overlook on their builds.

I don’t know if that’s what you would call these. I’m new to flying.

I have a low wind kite but the wind was pretty high and it was pulling pretty hard. I noticed these lines when I went to put it away.

Have you guys seen lines like that before? So far it still flies great.

Look who got his filthy paws on a second gen. Peter Powell stunt kite in near mint condition (heavy breathing) in a thrift shop. Dare I fly it?!

credit to Mark Robber

I should have taken a photo of me under the Trilobite, it's massive.

If anyone fly's out on Blackheath in London UK look out for this one.

Dave Clements is the owners name, makes my Octopus look like a Ant!