A Pair of Swallows

[@dutchbeef8920]

Great fix on the rainbow kite, got mine on order. Thanks for sharing.

[@lancman5630]

Thanks for the comment. Hope you enjoy yours when it arrives.

[@MooCowBlueKites]

Wow excellent job on making your own. I actually really love the black and white color scheme it looks more like a real bird. Also, I think your design certainly improves the long term durability of the kite and is something I will look at doing to mine when/if the spreader comes apart at the ferrule. Did you find a plan for the kite or did you you just go from looks when building your kite? I am very limited on my kite building and mostly limit myself to making fuzzy kite tails and kite sleeves for my kites but I am really wanting to start trying my hand at making my own. I agree with about 5 mph being the sweet spot for this kite although I prefer to hand fly my kites and like for them to be a bit lively as to me it is more fun. I like giving my swallows slack in the line and letting them float a little.

[@lancman5630]

I didn’t have any plans, I basically just laid the kite out over some lining paper and traced around it to get the basic shape. I then cut the shapes out and used them as templates. The hardest part was remembering to add all the seam and hem allowances. I did end up stretching the wingspan to 2m so I could use 1m spars without cutting them. I also did the tail spars slightly different this time. I thought the pockets would show through the white fabric and spoil the look, so I used some vinyl tubing as a connector. i.imgur.com/VajXvpl.jpg Great minds obviously think alike; my favorite type of flying is what I call ‘slacklining’ - those rare occasions when the wind speed is just perfect so the kite is only producing enough lift to support itself and the weight of the line. With a well balanced kite you can put the reel down and walk away, and it will just hang there as if by magic.