Did you notice how BIG these kites can get? And yes, that's me in the photo, at full size!
If you're looking for a kite that will lift you off your feet, THIS IS THE ONE! I'm going to show you how to build a smaller version first, so you get the hang of how it goes together.
Afterward, you can make a 6-foot, 9-foot, or 12-foot model. Just keep your proportions right and find strong, lightweight materials (bamboo is a popular choice, but watch the wall-thickness or it too can get heavy).
The photo here is the 9-foot tall version of this kite, which sports a 25-foot tail. To fly this, you'll need a lot of wind, so if you live near the beach, you might be able to get this up. Otherwise, you can try to get it airborne by doing what I used to do with mine - tie it to the bumper of your pickup truck and drive out in the country with about a mile of strong string!
The 6-foot versions in a strong wind will generate enough to lift small kids, so watch out (and get your camera).
If you can find balloon sticks (white plastic stiff tubes about 3 feet long), use them. They’re inexpensive, lightweight, and easy to work with. Otherwise, use wood dowels from a hardware store or 36” bamboo gardening stakes from a nursery.
Yes absolutely!
I extended the srting on the bridle. Is that ok?
Without seeing your kite in action, here’s my best advice:
The bridle may be too short or the tow line (the string connected to your hands) is not attached at the right point.
The whole point of the bridle is to hold the kite at a certain angle to the flying line. This will affect how the kite flies (and if it flies at all). When you dangle the kite from the tow line, the nose of the kite will be above the tail. You want the nose segment shorter should be than the tail segment of the bridle. Typically the bridle will hold the kite somewhere between 15° and 35° above the horizontal (make sure the nose is up!)
If the kite simply won’t take off, the angle is too small, so you can shorten the nose segment or lengthen the tail segment of the bridle. If the kite shoots up but doesn’t pull on the line and is unstable, the angle is too great. The length of the is important. How far from the kite is the tow point (the point where the bridle and the tow line are attached)? For diamonds, it should be as far from the face of the kite as possible (without getting tangled with the corners of the kite). Experiment and play with it until you get it to fly!
I made a diamond kite and it worked, and flew a bit in the wind, but it never stays in the air for long. It keeps coming down, and I already adjusted the bridle and added a tail. What do I do now?
okay, thanks!
Yes, you can use the PVC to make the ROV or the Photoelectric Effect experiment!
oh man I bought 1″ pvc pipes and some tape before reading the the questions, is there anything I can do with those?-Gabe
Mine was 20-25 feet, but you can experiment with yours! 🙂 Too short, and the kite spins, too long and it drags and doesn’t get enough lift.
How long of a tail does a 12 Foot Kite need?
we made a twelve foot kite and loved it thanks so much!
Here you go – this is from http://www.kiteplans.org and you can size it as needed for your kite.
12 feet! 🙂 I’ll see if I can get more exact dimensions for you in a bit… hang on…!
Hi Aurora how long a dowel do 12 foot kites need.
Thank you, Aurora!
I’m sorry you’re having trouble! We’re about to do a major upgrade to our videos (in a week or two) to make them more instantly download, but in the meantime I’ll have my team take a look for you!
Is this video taking a long time for others to download too? It is taking me between 1 to 2 hours to download (as of 7/24/14), depending on the browser (we’ve tried firefox, explorer and safari). I was curious if others are having the same issue. I am in contact with a very helpful person from supercharged science about this. I was wondering if others were having the same problem so I could pass that info along to her if there are. Thank you!
We are using the video with a group of friends on Friday and are looking forward to making a few types of kites!
No PVC is too heavy to use as spars for a kite. You need something lightweight and strong. PVC is heavy and bendy.
Does the big version work with 1/2” PVC?
We put this on a 1000′ foot foll of cord and it took over 2 hours to haul it back in, it was so strong! We had me and my sister and dad all pulling together. My arms are so tired, but it was totally worth it. I can see how making the 12 foot version would lift us up. We only had ours 9 feet tall, but it worked! ~Johnny, Kate, and Dad
Wow – I really didn’t belive that this could pick my 6 year old off the ground. Sorry, but I really thought it was all ‘hype’… but I was absoltuely floored when it worked! My husband was so impressed, and later she was allowed to do this as long as she had a helmet on and her big brother with her (we live on a farm where it’s quite windy in the afternoons). We tied it to our pickup and went racing around the farm, and all I have to say is that it put the biggest smiles on everyones faces! Thanks so much – and I feel sheepish for being such a skeptic.