How to Build a Sode Kite

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The MBK 2-Skewer Sode 


How to Build a Sode Kite
Flying! 

The MBK 2-Skewer Rokkaku kite in flight.

Up there is a picture of the latest MBK 2-Skewer Sode kite in flight at the local flying field. It's barely staying up in very light wind. Hence it is swishing left and right as you can see from the tail!

Assuming there is some breeze outside, just dangle the kite at arm's length until the wind catches it. As long as you feel the kite pulling, let out line slowly by letting it slip through your fingers. If you have been careful to get the bridle looking just like the diagram, the kite should soon be flying high.

Out in the Field

Sode-kite stories of my real-life flying experiences are worth checking out!

Illustrated with photos and videos, of course.

Another approach is to get a helper to hold the kite up and let it go, with maybe 15 or 20 meters (50 feet) of line let out. This way, the kite soon gets high enough to make it easy to let more line out.

Once you have seen the kite fly, you can try adjusting the Prusik knot (the one closest to the flying line) just a tiny amount at a time to see what happens.

NOTE: In very light wind this kite will bob from side to side quite a lot. However, a little more breeze will cause it to settle down and climb away.

If you notice the "wing" distorting a lot—particularly near the tips—then it is getting too windy to fly. Reel the kite in, and try again when there is less breeze.

Have fun flying, and I hope you've enjoyed learning how to how to build a sode kite!

 


 


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.




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