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How to Build a Delta Kite
Step-by-Step—the MBK Simple Delta
Learn how to build a delta kite with these easy-to-follow instructions—fully illustrated with photographs every step of the way. Plus see a video of the kite in flight, near the end.
Don't worry about how long this page looks.
The steps are easy, hence this simple delta kite comes together very quickly!
We still remember taking out the Simple Delta occasionally. As long as the wind isn't too strong, it's as much fun as any similar-sized shop delta. It hovers at a steep angle on the end of a 20-pound Dacron flying line.
Let the line out to 90 meters (300 feet) or more, if you want to! Or down at a beach in a sea breeze, this kite will hover reliably on quite a short line. Put some sand into a bag to act as an anchor.
The kite does best in quite light wind, so be prepared to add some more tail if you're trying to fly in a fresh breeze.
(Regarding that pinnable image—it's much bigger when pinned.)
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.
1. How to Build a Delta Kite
Measuring the Sail
A quick look at the materials and tools for making this kite might be a good idea, first. Then just click the Back button on your browser to get back here.
- Place your plastic bag flat on the floor with the closed end at the top.
- Starting
from just below the top-left corner of the bag, measure and mark three dots
on the plastic. I've highlighted the dots in yellow in the photo.
Judge the horizontal direction by eye. If you're careful, there's no
need for a T-square.
2. How to Build a Delta Kite
Cutting the Sail
- Take your ruler and connect the dots with the black marker pen as shown in the photo. (OK, the lines appear a bit faint in the photo!)
- Flip the plastic over, and trace over all the black lines.
- Cut along the top and right side of the bag, and open it out to show the complete sail outline as in the first photo above.
- Take your scissors and cut along all the black lines. As in the second photo, your delta kite sail is nearly complete!
3. How to Build a Delta Kite
Adding the Spars
- Take some 5 millimeter (3/16 inch) dowel, and cut off a 70 centimeter (28 inch) length. Lay this down the centerline of the sail.
- Now cut off two more lengths, each 80 centimeters (32 inches) in length. Lay these down over the leading edges of the sail.
- Using six pieces of insulation tape, each 5 centimeters (2 inches) long, stick them down in the positions shown in the first photo above.
- Fold all the tapes around to the underside of the plastic. See the second photo above.
- Cut off a 70 centimeter (28 inch) length of dowel, and lay it across the sail, 31 centimeters (12 1/4 inches) from the nose. Using two pieces of insulation tape, each 20 centimeters (8 inches) long, lay them over the crossing points. See the first photo in the group of three.
- Carefully wind the tapes around the dowels without getting them stuck to the sail! Now, each join should look like the second photo.
- Add an extra tape to the middle of each leading edge to help keep the sail in place. Also, tightly wind an 8 centimeter (3 inch) piece of tape around the spar join. See the third photo, which was actually taken after some test flying in strong wind!
4. How to Build a Delta Kite
Attach the Flying Line
- Get your flying line, which I'm assuming has been wound onto a
spool or winder of some sort.
- Poke a hole in the plastic sail, right over where the horizontal and vertical dowels cross each other.
- Thread the flying line through the hole, and tie it firmly around the vertical spar. Do NOT tie it around the horizontal spar! This dowel floats free while the kite flies.
5. And Finally
Attach the Tail
- From spare scraps of sail plastic, make up a long, narrow strip no shorter than four times the length of the kite itself. The strip should be about 5 centimeters (2 inches) wide.
- Thread one end of the tail around the bottom of the vertical spar as you can see in the photo. Tie the tail to the dowel with a simple knot.
FLYING!
I hope you enjoyed learning how to build a delta kite! The photo is another shot of our original Simple Delta doing its thing on a cloudy day with plenty of sun and just enough wind to keep the kite flying.
Click/tap the photo to see a much bigger, hi-res version.
That's it; you're ready to fly. Take the kite out whenever you can see leaves moving in the trees or bushes.
If the kite won't stay up, try letting out plenty of line and then towing it up at jogging pace. It might find enough wind higher up!
Avoid flying in very windy weather.
Flight Reports From Other Visitors
Click below to read about various kite-flying adventures, contributed by other visitors to this page...
Delta Kite
I was making a kite with my cousins. Because we were doing a game in which we would win if our kite was higher than the others.
I made the delta kite. …
My First Simple Delta
I made a Simple Delta from the plans on your website and took it to the river bank to see if it would fly. The wind was from the South moderate to fresh …
Fun Date With Delta Kite
A few months ago my girlfriend and I decided it would be a fun idea to try to build and fly a kite. One afternoon I perused the Internet sites on kite …
First Time 4H Kite
My 8 year old son wanted to build a kite for 4H. I thought oh this will be good. I was hesitant on building a kite because I didn't think it would fly. …
Wholesome Kite Flying Fun at the Beach
In an effort to get out and enjoy the summer sun my wife and I decided to build and fly a kite. Your Delta was the first design we looked at and it seemed …
My Delta Kite — Simplicity
When I was making this kite, all my classmates said it was never gonna get off the ground. This was because all the other kites were extremely complicated …
As mentioned earlier, there's more kite making on this site 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.
