The Diamond Kite Bridle

by John
(Moriarty, New Mexico, USA)

Q:

I do not know how or where I should tie my fly string. I have tried many ways and just did not do well. My grand-kids are getting upset. Please help if you can.

A:

OK, this is a bit tricky since I do not know exactly what your Diamond kite looks like.

The simplest way to fly a Diamond is to attach the flying line directly to the vertical spar. That's the stick that goes straight up and down. Attach the line to where the sticks cross. If the kite doesn't want to climb, tie the line a little higher up, that is, towards the top of the kite. Keep changing the position of the knot no more than 1/4" at a time, until the kite starts to fly up when you try to launch it. At some point it should willingly shoot up into the air, if you are flying in a light or moderate breeze.

Most Diamond kites have at least a 2-leg bridle, where one leg is attached near the nose end of the kite, and the other near the tail end. The flying line is attached to this bridle line, usually with some means of shifting the attachment point up and down along the bridle line. The procedure here is similar - you start with the ring or shifting knot right over where the sticks cross. If the kite doesn't climb in a breeze, then you carefully adjust the attachment point bit by bit until the kite flies.

Does the kite spin round and round in tight circles? In this case you probably need to add more tail. The lighter the tail the better, and the longer the better, for getting a Diamond kite to behave itself.

Hope this helps!