Two Different Stunt Kites can be Stacked

by Dean Wardell
(Vanessa, Ontario, Canada)

Thanks Tim for your encouragement to go ahead and give it a try. I had no idea if it was even possible. All of the photos and information I could find online was from people stacking the exact same kites. But as you can see in the photos, I took my two kites out into the white Canadian sand today and gave it a go.

The end kite is my new 2.4m Prism Hypnotist, purchased online for around $150 USD. The lead kite is my first stunt kite. It is a 1.4m Albatross, purchased online for around $26 USD.

I made 5 equal length (90cm) stacking lines from the string that came with the inexpensive kite and I used the Spectra lines that came with the Prism kite as fly lines. I have an anemometer that I measure the wind with and I was getting readings fluctuating between 2 and 8 kmh with gusts in the 12-15 kmh range.

The duo was a little tricky to launch because they wanted to turn sharply and land nose down back on the ground. I was surprised that I was able to cartwheel them together back into the launch position most of the time.

Once in the air they flew perfectly together at 8 kmh. I didn’t try anything too fancy, just some spins, figure 8’s, loops and stuff. The only time they came out of sync was when the wind dropped below 4 kmh and they went into a stall. Not surprisingly, the larger kite fell a little faster than the smaller one but thanks the many hours of practicing landings with a single kite, I was able to land them together in the launch position more often that not.

I did notice a considerable difference in the pull of the two kites in the 15kmh gusts. I had to lean back and hold on! Now I understand why most stacks are made with smaller kites and I will make sure I don’t try this in stronger winds.

Thanks again Tim.

Keep up the good work. I love your website!