Making Stunt Kites

Where To Find The Info You Need

A lot of people these days are interested in making stunt kites. Are you one of them? To save you the trouble, I've gone on a big web search to uncover as many books on this topic as I could find.

It turns out there's just a few very detailed and well-illustrated books that are very well known and widely used.

However, there are also a number of older books that might be cheaper. You might still find something you want to build, each book of kite making instructions has its strengths. Maybe you'll come across something really unusual which will turn heads when other kite-flyers see it!

Some general points...

• No prices mentioned, most are quite cheap. You can nearly always get a second hand copy from eBay for just a few dollars!
• All editions below are paperback, some have hardback versions.
• I've tried to list the most recent book by the author, which specifically covers stunt kite construction.
• The German authors also have the same, or earlier, books available in German. As far as I know, the book by Peter Rieleit is only available in German.
• The books below are listed with the most recently published first.

Title	The Kite Making Handbook
Author(s)	Rossella Guerra and Giuseppe Ferlegna
Publisher	David & Charles Publishers - March 2004
ISBN Number(s)	0715318551,978-0715318553

128 pages. Mainly about single liners, but does have a section on making stunt kites. There are a few 2 and 4 line kite designs.

Title	How to Make and Fly Stunt Kites
Author(s)	Jeremy Boyce
Publisher	Parragon Publishing 2001
ISBN Number(s)	0752524356,978-0752524351,0-75256-336-X

64 pages.

Title	Making and Flying Stunt Kites and One-liners
Author(s)	Wolfgang Schimmelpfenning
Publisher	Sterling, July 1997
ISBN Number(s)	0806908718,978-0806908717

80 pages, hardcover also available. Covers construction and flying of some more unusual stunt kites as well. For example, some with tails, domed wings and box structures.

Title	Stunt Kites II
Author(s)	Servaas van der Horst and Nop Velthuizen
Publisher	The Netherlands, THOTH Publishers, May 1995
ISBN Number(s)	9068680854,978-9068680850

This is the revised edition. An errata is available for the first edition.

Title	Skywork II Experience
Author(s)	Christine Schertel
Publisher	self-published by Skywork-Agency, Hamburg 1993
ISBN Number(s)	none

Stunt kite plans for the Arrow, Elegance, Nodronte, Flitz Jr., Wolkenstuermer 101, Hunter, Lite Flite S, Bombus and Stunt Starte. Does not contain a single photo, each kite is drawn as an aquarelle by the well-known German photographer Bernhard Maas.

Title	Leistungsstarke Lenkdrachen zum Nachbauen
Author(s)	Peter Rieleit
Publisher	Ravensburger Verlag, 1993
ISBN Number(s)	3-473-42286-X

In German, 96 pages. Contains plans for making stunt kites (7) and stunt parafoils (3), amongst others. The title in English means 'Efficient Stunt Kites to Build'.

Title	Swept Wing Stunt Kites
Author(s)	Mark Cottrell
Publisher	self published, 1990
ISBN Number(s)	none

In depth treatment of the hows and whys of stunt kite design. The anatomy of a stunter explained. Why not be really well prepared for making stunt kites!

Title	The Stunt Kite Book
Author(s)	Fujino, Alison and Benjamin Ruhe
Publisher	Philadelphia, PA Running Press 1989
ISBN Number(s)	0894716972,9780894716973

There have been at least 2 printings of this book for making stunt kites.

Title	One-Hour Kites
Author(s)	Jim Rowlands
Publisher	St Martin's Press, 1989
ISBN Number(s)	0-312-03218-8

Emphasis on quick and easy!

Last updated: 29 Jun 2007