How To Make A Kite Messenger

by Mason
(Kapiti, Greater Wellington, New Zealand)

Q:

How do you make a kite messenger that flys up and releases a payload then comes back down?

A:

To tell the truth, I've never made one myself. However, I've been in touch with somebody who could claim to be a specialist in this area of kiting. I'll give you a link further down which should provide all the instructions you need.

We did see one of these simple but entertaining devices in action a year or 2 ago at the Adelaide International Kite Festival. A whole bunch of lollies (candy) under little parachutes came down onto the sand, to the delight of a dozen or more kids who were waiting in eager anticipation...

The wind was such that I nearly got hit by one or 2 of these things as they rained down and flew past! See the video right down at the bottom of that page. That's not a small kite rising up with the bag of sweets, it's the delta-shaped kite messenger. At the end, I pan up further to the lifter kite itself, a large green and brown Delta that does the drops each year.

Later, at the same Festival, I just happened to be in the right spot at the right time to get a real close-up of the day's Teddy Drop. This was pretty cute and got the attention of most adults in the area, besides all the children! See the third last photo on the page. Snapped from the jetty as the Teddy floated down, just a few meters away, before settling on the sand below.

Now, here is a link to some rather detailed but very good information about making kite messengers. It looks a bit intimidating, but if you persist with it, you shoud end up with a very reliable messenger that can lift useful loads up a steep kite line, before coming back down again for another load. Have fun!

P.S. I've just noticed that Anthony's page on kite messengers was updated just over 1 month ago. So it's right up to date.