Which side does the bridle go on?

by Chris
(Auburn, CA, USA)

Q:

Before your site, I found this one, on how to make the Ben Franklin kite (diamond):

{deleted - poor information!}

I didn't think much about it until I found your site, but now I wonder: which way does the kite "face" into the wind?

The way they have their drawings, the bridle (and flying string) are on the "open" side of the frame, such that the kite scoops the wind like a parachute.

But in your instructions for the diamond kite (no bridle), you poke the flying string through the skin of the kite, and the kite flies with the frame BEHIND the skin.

So, which is it? Or both / either?

Thanks!

A:

I wish all questions were as easy as this one :-) The fact is, most illustrators get it wrong - flat sticked kites never 'scoop the wind like a parachute'. Perhaps the author of that set of instructions got it right in his/her head, but didn't notice, or didn't bother to correct, the illustration. The bridle lines are always poked through the kite's sail.

In fact, I once did a page on this site which featured cartoons of kites. I took a fair amount of delight in pointing out all the ridiculous errors... Of course, some would say "Give them a break, it's 'artistic licence'." Maybe, but when I got going, it was just too much fun...

Several people a day are still getting a giggle out of that kiting humor page on Cartoon Kites. If you've got any kite-flying friends, they might really enjoy it!

Anyway - in your own words, it's definitely 'the frame BEHIND the skin' !