http://www.my-best-kite.com/kites-blog.html This blog will keep you up-to-date with the very latest additions and changes to the my-best-kite.com Web site. en-us kites Mon, 08 Mar 2010 04:43:31 GMT Mon, 08 Mar 2010 04:43:31 GMT my-best-kite.com http://www.my-best-kite.com/how-to-build-a-box-kite.html We had the 2-Skewer Box kite in the car, just in case winds were too strong for the Dowel Rokkaku during our weekend away. Back in town again, we drove past a flying spot on North-East road, and decided to stop for a fly. Winds were gusting to moderate and even fresh from time to time. Spent quite some time coaxing the little box kite up and out of the wind shadow of the fence and houses on a rise just upwind of the grassed area. Also had some trouble with looping, so shifted the towing point forward a bit. Eventually the average wind strength picked up a little, and the box kite soared up past tree-top height. A thermal boosted it up to an unaccustomed 55-60 degree line angle at one point! To sum up, I punished my 50 year old leg muscles by scampering from one side of the small reserve to the other, and back again to keep the kite away from swaying branches. When possible, I let a few more meters of line out to get the kite up into smoother air. But it was tricky, dodging the tall gum trees as the kite gained and lost height, and tracked left and right in the wind shifts as well. After a while I just brought it down to avoid the classic kite-in-a-tree conclusion! All in all, a bit of fun, making a change from the usual high, sedate flying. <b> About This Post:</b> There are 2 kinds of Kite Flying Reports at MBK. Reports like this one are short comments on a recent outing, which keeps you up-to-date with the latest kite-making and flying activities here. No pics or video, although there might be a link to a related web page. The <i>shorter</i> Flight Report listings here link straight to a <i>new</i> page on the website, complete with video and in-flight photo of the kite on the day of the report. Mon, 08 Mar 2010 03:58:20 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/how-to-make-a-dopero-kite.html I've been promising some video of the original 1-Skewer Dopero kite for I don't know how long. Possibly over 12 months! The kite itself seemed to be lost, but unexpectededly turned up, out in the shed beside our house. I was looking for something else at the time. So, today we dusted the tiny Dopero kite off and took it out for a fly down at the Wilfred Taylor reserve. Getting out of the car, the breeze was ominously fresh. Actually, moderate strength but gusting to fresh. However, having taken some time to get the little black kite in perfect trim, it handled the wind remarkably well. We got plenty of video and some nice close-up in-flight photos. You can see samples on the <i>How To Make A Dopero Kite</i> page, which I updated this afternoon. <b> About This Post:</b> There are 2 kinds of Kite Flying Reports at MBK. Reports like this one are short comments on a recent outing, which keeps you up-to-date with the latest kite-making and flying activities here. No pics or video, although there might be a link to a related web page. The <i>shorter</i> Flight Report listings here link straight to a <i>new</i> page on the website, complete with video and in-flight photo of the kite on the day of the report. Wed, 24 Feb 2010 11:20:58 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/how-to-make-a-dopero-kite.html Here's how to make a Dopero kite! The MBK 1-Skewer design. The Template and Tips might be sufficient, otherwise try the step-by-step eBook. Wed, 24 Feb 2010 06:23:38 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/melaka-international-kite-festival-jan-2010-malaysia.html Ujal Shah Chairman Ahmedabad Kite Foundation ujalshah@gmail.com Mon, 22 Feb 2010 23:59:54 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/2-skewer-rokkaku-kite-2.html An opportunity came up to pop out with our 2 Skewer Rokkaku kite for 30 or 40 minutes. The breeze outside was light and warm... Mon, 22 Feb 2010 07:05:48 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/glenn-davison.html An interview with kite educator Glenn Davison, conducted on 17th Feb. 2010. Sat, 20 Feb 2010 04:45:23 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/international-kite-festival-2010-india.html An International Kite Festival is held at Ahmedabad on January 14 every year, to coincide with the festival of Uttarayan or Makar Sankranti. Makar Sankranti Sat, 20 Feb 2010 04:06:49 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/1-skewer-delta-kite-2.html It was a rare very-light-wind day. Perhaps a day to try the 1 Skewer Delta kite again. Fri, 19 Feb 2010 07:02:31 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/kite-building.html Interviews with prominent kite building enthusiasts from around the world. Thu, 18 Feb 2010 12:22:33 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/kites-from-recycled-materials.html Kites have a long history that goes back hundreds of years. In that time, huge numbers of kites from recycled materials have been made - from everything you can imagine. Wed, 17 Feb 2010 06:31:06 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/8-mbk-kites-1s.html Just a short note to inform: The eBook '8 MBK Kites To Make - The Complete 1-Skewer Series' has recently been revised to include the latest 1-Skewer Delta. This little kite is a definite step up from the original one, and is much easier to make. The detailed How-To instructions are somewhat easier to follow too! Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:22:54 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/how-to-make-a-roller-kite.html Recently was reminded there is no video for the 1-Skewer Roller kite, so Aren and I went out with the camera. Winds were rather fresh, so some time was spent trimming the little Roller to stop it looping left. Just when it was nearly there, I got a little distracted by Aren and pulled the wrong sail corner tie... Oops. That un-did my earlier trimming efforts, and tightening it up again would have to wait until we were home again. Never-the-less, I got a small amount of video. Not sure if there's a good 20 seconds there though, so we might have to go out again sometime. Finally, both the ties got pulled out by the rough-and-tumble of flying in a weed-infested field. After letting Aren play on the nearby equipment for a while, we went home. When perfectly trimmed, this little kite might have an <i>extremely</i> good wind range! <b> About This Post:</b> There are 2 kinds of Kite Flying Reports at MBK. Reports like this one are short comments on a recent outing, which keeps you up-to-date with the latest kite-making and flying activities here. No pics or video, although there might be a link to a related web page. The <i>shorter</i> Flight Report listings here link straight to a <i>new</i> page on the website, complete with video and in-flight photo of the kite on the day of the report. Sun, 24 Jan 2010 07:53:14 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/my-first-attempt-at-kite-building.html After finding My Best Kite web site and reading the monthly updates from Tim for months, my kids gave me a Christmas gift of a kite building book, Wed, 20 Jan 2010 10:15:57 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/1-skewer-delta-kite.html In the warm and gusty conditions this afternoon, the new 1 Skewer Delta kite gamely flitted around in light to fresh winds. Wed, 20 Jan 2010 07:23:18 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/kites-blog.html#1-Skewer-Box-Kite-Video---Kite-Flying-Report Fresh wind gusting to strong, after some rain earlier in the day. An opportunity came up to pull out the 1-Skewer Box kite and fly it with May and Aren. Took the camera just in case, and ended up with some half-decent footage of the little bamboo-and-plastic contraption surging around in real box-kite weather! Although there were huge banks of cloud here and there, none appeared in the video unfortunately. That would have given even more sense of movement. I still might replace the current video for this kite with some of the footage we took today... <b> About This Post:</b> There are 2 kinds of Kite Flying Reports at MBK. Reports like this one are short comments on a recent outing, which keeps you up-to-date with the latest kite-making and flying activities here. No pics or video, although there might be a link to a related web page. The <i>shorter</i> Flight Report listings here link straight to a <i>new</i> page on the website, complete with video and in-flight photo of the kite on the day of the report. Sun, 17 Jan 2010 12:19:46 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/how-to-make-a-box-kite.html Time was short, but Aren and I just managed to get in another flight with the small box kite. The breeze was moderate amd very gusty. The kite now had somewhat less tail on the left side, in an attempt to correct the over-correction of it's last flight. Still with me? Oops. Now the kite was heading off to the right again during the strongest gusts. A short length of insulation tape on the end of the shorter tail seemed to help. Finally, after 3 adjustments over 3 outings, close to perfect trim! With around 60 meters or so of line out, the kite flitted around at fairly modest line angles, never getting above about 40 degrees. Half the time, the lulls were so deep the kite just sank right back to the grass. Just before we left, some quite <i>strong</i> gusts came through, which pushed the little box kite to it's limit, with loops happening in <i>both</i> directions. Only one solution to that - more length needed on the central tail! But that will have to wait for another day... <b> About This Post:</b> There are 2 kinds of Kite Flying Reports at MBK. Reports like this one are short comments on a recent outing, which keeps you up-to-date with the latest kite-making and flying activities here. No pics or video, although there might be a link to a related web page. The <i>shorter</i> Flight Report listings here link straight to a <i>new</i> page on the website, complete with video and in-flight photo of the kite on the day of the report. Sat, 02 Jan 2010 11:11:50 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/how-to-make-a-box-kite.html Learn how to make a box kite by using these instructions for the MBK 1-Skewer Box Kite. Wed, 30 Dec 2009 02:57:20 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/kites-blog.html#Tweaked-1-Skewer-Box-Kite---Kite-Flying-Report Moderate but quite gusty winds outside, so I took a chance to take the box kite down to a nearby reserve for another test fly. Actually, the whole thing had to be re-made since Aren (3 3/4 yrs) had managed to fly the original one into a tree while my back was turned! The kite had been sitting on the grass while I went about winding some loose line onto the winder. Aren had noticewd it tumbling about in a strong gust of wind and decided to hang on to the line... Believe it or not, this is the very first time I have lost a kite up a tree since starting the My Best Kite site! Every other time, the kite has come free, one way or another. Took more care in picking skewers for the spars this time, but the kite still had some turning tendency to the right. Par for the course, with this size of box kite, it seems! Tried attaching a single tail this time, instead of a loop from side to side. In a moment of on-field inspiration, I removed a loop of tail and attached it to the left-lower corner of the kite. This slightly over-corrected the turning problem, but it was a huge pleasure to see the 1-Skewer design loft up high for the first time! Albeit with a funny little extra tail. It seems this kite will sit at around 30 to 40 degrees of line angle in moderate to fresh winds. Very respectable. That How To page for the 1-Skewer Box kite will be updated within 24 hrs - hang in there! <b> About This Post:</b> There are 2 kinds of Kite Flying Reports at MBK. Reports like this one are short comments on a recent outing, which keeps you up-to-date with the latest kite-making and flying activities here. No pics or video, although there might be a link to a related web page. The <i>shorter</i> Flight Report listings here link straight to a <i>new</i> page on the website, complete with video and in-flight photo of the kite on the day of the report. Tue, 29 Dec 2009 10:59:53 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/kites-blog.html#New-1-Skewer-Box-Kite---Kite-Flying-Report Gusty 20 - 25 knot winds forcast for this morning! (Wed. morning actually - a bit late posting this...) Great box kite weather, so out we went with the re-designed 1-Skewer Box kite for an initial test fly. I decided the old one didn't offer enough chance of success for many people. Too much weight in the spars and cross-sticks, and not enough sail area. This led to problems with build accuracy and also the thing wouldn't fly in anything except strong to gale-force winds! After flying the new one, it became clear the 2 cross sticks have to be glued, not stuck with tape. I might also have to trim away a little sail area on some of the trailing edges to make it fly straighter. But the test flights were promising, proving that it needs <i>much</i> less wind to fly than the old one. Yes, there are only 2 cross sticks, not 4 as in a traditional box kite. Unusual, but it saves a lot of weight. However, this requires an internal tensioning line... All will be revealed soon, when the How To page updates are completed. Stay tuned! <b> About This Post:</b> There are 2 kinds of Kite Flying Reports at MBK. Reports like this one are short comments on a recent outing, which keeps you up-to-date with the latest kite-making and flying activities here. No pics or video, although there might be a link to a related web page. The <i>shorter</i> Flight Report listings here link straight to a <i>new</i> page on the website, complete with video and in-flight photo of the kite on the day of the report. Thu, 24 Dec 2009 03:20:48 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/dual-line.html Dual line parafoil kites come in a range of sizes and most are built for pure stunt flying fun. Others are built for speed! Wed, 23 Dec 2009 06:48:17 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/kite-landboarding.html Kite landboarding gear consists of traction kites and wheeled boards. Here's some useful info on this gear and other accessories. Tue, 22 Dec 2009 06:52:33 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/rokkaku-kites.html Rokkaku kites are dependable, steep fliers and tail-less. Here's a few we have seen over the years, with comments. Tue, 22 Dec 2009 04:02:47 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/kite-pictures.html Posters featuring kite pictures are not too common, but I have gathered a bunch of great ones here. Enjoy! Sun, 20 Dec 2009 06:30:56 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/dowel-dopero-kite-3.html Gusty moderate winds almost prevented us flying the Dowel Dopero kite, but a good flight eventuated anyway. Sat, 12 Dec 2009 05:17:49 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/kites-newsletter.html This site publishes a kites newsletter for any interested hobbyists. For single-line flyers and builders. Wed, 09 Dec 2009 10:59:00 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/dowel-dopero-kite-2.html With light winds forecast for this morning, it was perfect for the Dowel Dopero kite. Sat, 05 Dec 2009 05:20:59 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/dowel-sode-kite.html The re-vamped Dowel Sode kite proved itself to be a smooth, stable and predictable flier in moderate winds today. Sat, 28 Nov 2009 10:54:16 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/diamond-kites.html Diamond kites have been around for centuries - they just never die due to easy construction and reliable flight. Thu, 26 Nov 2009 06:35:57 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/mbk-climbing-kites.html Sales page for the eBook 'Climbing Kites - 10 Selected Thermal Tales'. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:16:21 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/make-a-sode-kite.html Here's how to make a Sode kite! The MBK Dowel design. The Template and Tips might be sufficient, otherwise try the step-by-step eBook. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:00:30 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/kites-blog.html#Dowel-Sode-Soars---Kite-Flying-Report Yesterday was our chance to get out and try the new Dowel Sode on a decent length of line. A very gusty moderate breeze was blowing, so I knew the Sode might be in for some punishment! However, it coped better than expected, despite pulling <i>very</i> firmly on the line at times. One small design fault did turn up. That was the half-width pieces of tape securing the shoe-lace ties to the vertical spar. They are all going to be full-width from now on, since the original ones started to slip. Particularly the one near the tail-end of the spar. The hot weather here is partly to blame. On the Sode, the tape holding this tie actually takes a little stress, being pulled towards the center of the kite. As always, I had a roll of insulation tape in my pocket, so the problem was easily fixed on the spot. On several meters of line, it was easy to take a few in-flight close-ups. Later, we let the kite out on 30 or 40 meters of line to get some movie footage. Later today the complete <i>How To..</i> page should be up, complete with video and photo. If you have successfully made and flown at least a couple of MBK Dowel kites before, you really should give the Sode a go! It turns heads because the shape is not familiar to most people. <b> About This Post:</b> There are 2 kinds of Kite Flying Reports at MBK. Reports like this one are short comments on a recent outing, which keeps you up-to-date with the latest kite-making and flying activities here. No pics or video, although there might be a link to a related web page. The <i>shorter</i> Flight Report listings here link straight to a <i>new</i> page on the website, complete with video and in-flight photo of the kite on the day of the report. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:14:43 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/french-military.html The classic French Military kite is still made from time to time by box kite and ham radio enthusiasts around the world. Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:43:58 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/wind-gauge.html Some kite fliers find a wind gauge handy. However, observing trees and leaves is a fair substitute! Sat, 31 Oct 2009 05:08:33 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/sky-dancers.html Sky Dancers are hilarious tall hollow figures which constantly move around in semi-realistic ways. Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:09:28 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/home-made-box-kite-lostsorta.html I was 9 yrs old flying my box kite in Iroquois Point (Navy Housing on Oahu) in 1966. A KC135 Tanker flew in from the west on final to Hickam AFB and Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:29:16 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/2-skewer-rokkaku-kite.html he 2 Skewer Rokkaku kite tested its 20-pound line during a high flight in moderate to fresh winds and weak thermals. Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:18:30 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/sunrise-kite-fliers.html Wowww - first of all, all kites had to be flying BEFORE sunrise. This was all too funny - half of the kite fliers were hung-over or still drunk. Some Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:25:01 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/delta-kites.html Delta kites have a well-deserved reputation for performance and easy flying. The simplest designs aren't too hard to make either! Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:13:02 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/2-skewer-barn-door-kite.html Today the 2 Skewer Barn Door kite enjoyed a high flight in unusually smooth and light inland winds. Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:06:20 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/international-kite-festival-ahmedabad-gujarat-india.html The International Kite festival of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India is held every here from 11th January to 14th January from 1989 onwards. For the last 20 Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:18:05 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/simple-delta-kite.html Yesterday the Simple Delta kite was able to show what it could do in a fairly smooth moderate breeze, on 100 meters of line. Sat, 10 Oct 2009 03:29:14 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/sled-kite-making-kept-20-kids-happy.html My wife and I are Leaders for our local scout group. She is The Cub Leader, and has been running the Air Activities badge. As the construction portion Thu, 08 Oct 2009 09:31:54 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/kite-pictures-2009.html Here's a selection of the very best kite pictures we managed to capture at the Adelaide International Kite Festival in March 2009. Sat, 03 Oct 2009 13:04:29 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/make-your-own-kite.html With shop bought designs so cheap, why make your own kite? There are plenty of rewards, including these top 5. Fri, 02 Oct 2009 05:07:29 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/how-to-build-a-delta-kite-s.html Learn how to build a Delta kite with these easy-to-follow instructions. Fully illustrated with photographs. Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:04:01 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/baby-bat-kite.html Very few designs beat the Baby Bat Kite for long-term popularity. Modern versions of this little kids Delta have hardly changed from the original. Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:09:20 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/airplane-kites.html Airplane kites aren't model aircraft, but a novelty kite like this looks enough like the real thing to put smiles on kids' faces! Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:08:22 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/cheap-delta-kite-expensive-string.html Had lots of fun with this Delta kite design. Lost several but no great $. Lost one kite over the sea due to bad knot tying - and I am a sailor. I had Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:11:53 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/simple-diamond-kite.html With light and variable winds forecast, it was the perfect opportunity for the new Simple Diamond Kite to really strut its stuff. Thu, 10 Sep 2009 12:47:49 GMT http://www.my-best-kite.com/how-to-build-a-diamond-kite-s.html Learn how to build a Diamond kite with these easy-to-follow instructions. Fully illustrated with photographs, every step of the way. Tue, 08 Sep 2009 11:42:29 GMT