An MBK rokkaku kite in just about any size is fairly easy to build, but returns more exciting flying than the same size diamond. Just like light-wind deltas, roks have a tendency to fly straight overhead whenever there is rising air in the vicinity.
On this site, there's more kite-making info than you can poke a stick at :-) Want to know the most convenient way of using it all?
The Big MBK E-book Bundle is a collection of downloads—printable PDF files which provide step-by-step instructions for many kites large and small.
That's every kite in every MBK series.
Our Dowel Rok has returned many satisfying flights, often in very light air near the end of the day. The kite is also stable enough to cope with rough air in the middle of a hot day, soaring around hundreds of feet up, at steep line-angles.
Here's a short-format flight report featuring the MBK Dowel Rokkaku:
Yes, it's another flirt with danger over the rooftop—this time with the Dowel Rokkaku.
To begin with, the air was somewhat gusty despite a quite low average wind-speed. This did cause a few problems. Getting the kite's nose stuck in the gutter after about 30 seconds of air time was the first.
A few short and scary flights later, I was
pulling the kite out of one of our small trees. There was no great drama there. And then there were a few
small pin-pricks from the rose bushes, on yet another flight. But
eventually, as the sun dipped towards the horizon, the air settled
down.
With more constant wind speed, and lower strengths overall, I gradually put the big pale-orange rok up higher and higher over our roof. Maybe it went out to 25 meters (80 feet) or so. A couple of trimming changes with the bridle knots also helped to keep the kite flying straight and true.
With dark rain clouds in the not-so-far distance, the big Chinese character on the kite was appropriate—cloud.
The Dowel Rokkaku kite eventually tired of trying to stay airborne and slowly descended toward the roof. Just like when the Dowel Delta went up a few days ago. A little line-handling ensured that the rok made it over the gutter. Whereupon it floated onto its face and proceeded to glide straight toward me like a paper plane. It was an easy catch in one hand!
And so ended another backyard sunset flight. And it was a great sunset too.
Since these are short-format reports, they are grouped together. The page links are in descending order of kite size:
MBK Rokkaku Kite Posts—Multi-Dowel
The links below are full-length reports recorded by me, each featuring an MBK rokkaku kite of one type or another:
Nailed to the Sky at Sunset (Multi-Dowel)
A Slow, Ponderous Climb to 250 Feet (Multi-Dowel)
Straight and True Over the Whole Wind Range (Dowel)
Had To Fly Higher To Find Slower Air! (Dowel)
Flying High in Smooth Breezes—After Some Drama! (Dowel)
First Test Flight in a Light Gusty Breeze (Dowel)
Rok Rockets Up, Aided By Thermals and Light Wind (2-Skewer)
Pushing the Envelope in Moderate to Fresh Winds (2-Skewer)
Winds a Bit Light, But Thermals Helped Out! (1-Skewer)
The story or stories above document actual flying experiences. My write-ups are definitely "warts and all" since things don't always go totally as planned. However, half the fun of kiting is anticipating the perfect flight. When it happens, it's magic!
As mentioned earlier, there's more kite-making info here than you can poke a stick at :-)
Want to know the most convenient way of using it all?
The Big MBK E-book Bundle is a collection of downloads—printable PDF files which provide step-by-step instructions for many kites large and small.
That's every kite in every MBK series.
Click below to see MBK Flight Reporters contributions...
One Dowel Rokkaku With a Side of Thermals!
Since I was not able to get a good long flight with my MBK Rokkaku, I figured I would do a report with 2 flights adding up to more than 10 minutes worth …
First and Only Flight of my 8-Foot Rokkaku!
So, I know you Aussies and Southern hemisphere guys are enjoying your warm summer months while us here in the Shedd, Oregon, USA are going through a very …
2-Skewer Rokkaku Kite:
My First and Favorite
I began my new journey into kite making and flying at the beginning of May, 2013. And this Rokkaku is the first kite I made.
I thought the Rokkaku …