Delta Kites

Fabulous Floaters!

Delta kites have a well-deserved reputation for performance and easy flying. The simplest designs of this type aren't too hard to make either! The simplest Delta is just a triangular sheet of sail material with 4 spars attached. The flying line is attached to the central spar at a little less than half-way from the nose end. A simple ribbon tail may be added if extra stability is needed.

We've been to few kite festivals over the years and taken plenty of photos. There's a few Deltas among them, so see below for a few examples which show some of the variety we saw.

Would you like to have a go at actually making a simple Delta that flies well? Just check out these PDF eBooks on the 1-skewer series, 2-skewer series and dowel series of MBK kites. The Delta is number 6 in all three series.

Delta Kites We Have Seen At Festivals

Here's 4 Deltas, each with something unique about it. Although most Deltas look quite similar in construction and shape, keen kite-makers still manage to find something to make their creation unique!

A typical large Delta here, with the sail area put to good use! Arty details over a colorful geometric backdrop. These kites always look good with the sun's rays penetrating the sail and lighting up the artwork.

The tubular tail helps stability, but good kite-makers always make sure that it also complements the artwork on the kite's sail in form, color or both.

This Delta shows show creativity in the form of the sail as well as the artwork!

The trailing edges of the kite are also the flaming trailing edges of the Firebird's wings. That flaming Firebird's tail might not do a whole lot for stability, but it sure completes the illusion of a bird in flight! The beak of the bird coincides with the nose of the kite as well.

The wind direction must have been just right on the day this shot was taken. Hence I was able to get right under the kite for a perfect plan-view photo, from the Semaphore jetty. You can clearly see how the leading edge spars are not connected to the nose.

This Delta also sports some clever art work. In this case, there is nothing at all to distract from the art. No keel and no tail.

Unlike the previous kite, the leading edge spars extend right up to the nose. Perhaps they are also connected to the central spar. Hence the kite's flying characteristics might be a little different, with less flexing and shape-changing during flight.

Finally, this huge white Delta is a perfect example of the tails being integral to the design.

The 2 tails are attached to almost the complete width of the kite's trailing edge. From a distance it looks like the sail and tails are all one piece, radiating whiteness like an airborne advertisement for Omo!

The spars on this Delta also appear to be connected at the nose.

The MBK Delta Kites

Now for the 4 MBK Delta kites. These are all made from very cheap and widely available materials. Instructions and plans for making all 4 may be found in the Kite Making group of links up there on the left.

A lot of people have shied away from making my Skewer kites due to their complexity and need for gluing. Hence I did a small series of ultra-basic kites, including this Simple Delta.

The leading edges are about 1 meter (1.3 feet) long. No keel, and no gluing! In light winds, it can be flown on 20 pound line, but we usually use 50 pound line just to be safe.

This dinky little number is called the 1-Skewer Delta. You see, each spar is a 29 cm (1 foot) bamboo BBQ skewer.

The original was made from clear freezer-bag plastic, which made it almost impossible to see against a grey sky. A good little flier though!

We fly this one on 50 meters (150 feet) of 20 pound line. It doesn't need that strength, but we also fly our 2-skewer kites on the same line....

The 2-Skewer Delta is, as the name suggests, exactly twice as tall as the 1-Skewer design. This gives it 4 times the sail area with not much more than double the weight. Hence, it's pretty good in light winds. The kite pictured has 2-ply plastic which makes it a little heavier, but it is still a good performer.

In moderate winds, the 20 pound line tightens up, and the Delta will start to porpoise rapidly if the wind strength picks up even further. The kite is a real pleasure to fly in warmer weather when patches of rising air tend to loft it directly overhead!

The big Daddy of MBK Delta kites. This one was designed from the start to be tail-less. A generous keel helps to keep the kite stable. The Dowel Delta, as it is called, is a real floater and will fly at high line angles in light to moderate winds.

Size? It's about twice as tall as the 2-Skewer Delta, so that's about 4 times the sail area. Compared to the 1-Skewer Sled, the Dowel Delta has about 16 times as much sail area!

That's about it for this page on Delta Kites. Hope you enjoyed the pics and the info!

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Last updated: 26 Oct 2009