Tying Down A Diamond Kite!

by Jessie Horton III
(North Little Rock, AK, USA)

Q:

Hey there, I want to thank you for introducing me to the beautiful world of aviation -the cheap at-home unpowered type. I have built all of your kites except the Diamond, since I have never EVER gotten a store bought diamond kite to fly.

My question is this, how do you tie these kites down? I guess the proper word is bridle, but I only get this part of making and flying right by mistake. Please help!

A:

I'll take your points one at a time...

1. It is a beautiful thing isn't it - a home made aircraft floating around for minutes on end, hundreds of feet up there :-)


2. If you have indeed built ALL of my kites, I'm very impressed, since there's no less than 30 free designs on the website pages! You might have to dig a bit to find all 30. The books for sale also offer extra kites that you won't find anywhere on the site. But even if you have just done the Simple Delta and Simple Sled from the Simple Series - well done!


3. You should really try the Simple Diamond, since it has no bridle. The flying line connects to where the sticks cross. So, as long as you have carefully got all the measurements right, this Diamond will just fly straight away with no bridle adjustments necessary!


4. Tying kites down... You seem a bit confused about 'bridles' - the bridle of any kite is the arrangement of short lines which connect the kite to the long flying line. So, how to connect the other end of the flying line to something on the ground is your question?
   
   For all of my kites except the very largest 2-Dowel versions, it's pretty simple. Just pass the winder (or reel or whatever you are using) at least 6 times around a handy pole, post or railing. That's it, no knot required! If you read through my flight reports, you will see how I have made use of small tree trunks, fence railings, goal posts, fence posts and even a pram handle for the smallest kites! Just wind the line around it 6 times and leave it. You will be surprised how secure it is, even if the pole or rail seems 'slippery'.
   
   Here's one last option which can be helpful if you are out on a beach or other remote place. You can jam the winder behind a football-sized rock. Depending on the shape of the rock, you might even be able to put a few turns of line around it, just like using a pole or railing. Just be careful not to cut or damage the line on sharp edges.