How to Make a Delta Kite

Step by Step—Page 3 of 3

The MBK 1-Skewer Delta

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How to Make a Delta Kite
Flying! 

Up there is a picture of the completed MBK 1-Skewer Delta kite close to the ground in a very light breeze.

Before flying, just check the kite's balance:

Hang the kite by the keel, and see if one side seems to hang lower than the other. If so, double check by placing the vertical spar on the tips of your fingers at the nose and tail ends of the kite. Does the same wing go down? If so, keep adding short pieces of tape to the sail near the wing tip until the balance improves.

Now hold the kite by nose and tail, with the keel hanging down, and suddenly take both hands away. Does the kite nose down and fly forward?

If so, keep adding tape across the trailing edge of the sail, near but not touching the tail, until the kite shows less tendency to dive.

Assuming there is some breeze, 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.

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.

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

Now, just in case you have actually made and flown this kite at least once already:

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