Learn how to make a paper delta kite with these easy-to-follow instructions. It's fully illustrated with closeup photographs every step of the way.
These instructions take you step by step through making a small but high-flying delta kite—all from several pieces of A4- or Letter-size copier paper and some sticking tape!
This kite performs well in gentle to moderate wind speeds. That's from 12 to 28 kph or from 8 to 18 mph. Even quite a small child should be able to hang on to the winder once the kite is up.
Making marks on black paper with a pen can be tricky since the marks are hard to see. But soft lead pencil comes up with a bit of shine, which makes the marks easier to see. A black kite shows up well in the air, no matter what's happening in the sky. Well, OK—if large parts of the sky itself are jet black, then perhaps you shouldn't even be flying. ;-)
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.
Note: The edges of tape just applied are shown as yellow lines from here on.
Note: The second dot from the right is handy if you only have a standard 30 cm (12 in.) ruler. If you have a longer ruler, that dot may be left out.
Note: What if the paper is too dark to see through like the black used here? Just poke a hole through the dot with a needle so you can see where to put a dot on the unmarked side!
Note: For black paper, I found a blunt soft pencil leaves a shiny line on the matte surface of the paper. Otherwise, the lines can be very hard to see!
Note: The camera flash has made the ends of the lines faint in the photo above.
Note: The lines go all the way to the bottom of the sail although they are a little faint in parts of the photo.
Note: The distances to the edges of the paper don't matter. Just measure as indicated from bottom left.
Note: Use a ruler or other long straight edge to verify the rectangles are perfectly lined up before applying the tape!
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.