French Military Kite

This classic design from Gomberg's GKites line of kites is a simple winged box kite. It flys well and wants strong winds. It is a kite that is better flown by hand than tethered off. Cherie has fashioned a long tail to improve recovery in flight if turbulent winds make the kite dive. Too, the Fleur de lis appliques to the wings pleases us and makes the kite less mundane.

[@danokitemanotoo1791]

Nice Fade Out at the end. It's a great looking kite for sure!

[@PanyingPilot]

Cherie's mods really were a nice accent. It is a good kite for higher winds

[@carlossomarriba4646]

looks so much better with the second tail. i love the place where you fly your kites, empty parking lot with miles and miles of empty field. perfect for kites.

[@PanyingPilot]

Carlos Somarriba Hi Carlos. If I've learned anything its nice to have options. Coalinga's wide open spaces are nice...provided one can stay cool at times.

[@josephinhiding3595]

This kite needs no tail if well built. Even in the strongest wind. I have a couple i built myself.

[@nicksgarage2]

Very nice addition to the kite, really makes it into something special.

[@kiteflyingdownunder....car6272]

I enjoyed seeing the personal craft sewing Cherie applied to this kite and tails. Well done. My "Gillard" ancestors were from France but driven out to England maybe because they flew their kites too high. That was a clever vanishing trick at the video end. I quess Cherie had to drive home by herself. Ha.

[@PanyingPilot]

Funny,funny,funny! France's loss was the world's gain! Cherie did have to drive home. I've got to stop hanging around with politicians. Their desire for total transparency has rubbed off on me.

[@JimNicholls]

Cherie's additions make it much more interesting, Glenn. As you would have found, the tail as supplied is a joke. The 25ft streamer tails I use are fine, as is the great tail that Cherie made. I liked the little "magic act" at the end, but the walking down is surely not needed on such a small kite as this!

[@PanyingPilot]

Cherie says thanks. The reason for the walk down was owing to the height I flew the kite at. Winding directly to a halo would be too tedious. Pulling 300 feet of line in overhand and then winding it would have produce a macramé of tangles in the wind. The method I used produced two roughly parallel lengths of line on the ground. Then after securing the kite, winding on the halo was child's play.

[@heberluis3296]

WONDERFUL! AMAZING! BEAUTIFUL KITE! THANKS FOR SHARE!

[@PanyingPilot]

heber luis roura gonzàlez Thank you my friend, I am grateful!

[@101boertjie]

Sweet looking kite, i love the Fleur de lis on the wings.

[@PanyingPilot]

Hi John, it's a good basic kite. Cherie had room to do the graphic and augment the tail. Recommended.

[@101boertjie]

Oh, i had one similar to this some years ago, i just went a bit overboard with the size, so it ende up being 1,8 meter in length, but it was good for some serious lifting. I recently was able to purchase some new kite-material, in a silver-grey, and a dayglo orange, got almost 48 meters of the stuff in total, so i am itching to make a kite again, and this kind of kite is a perfectly sweet flyer, so maybe a good one to get back into things again.

[@kiteflyingdownunder....car6272]

Just a curiosity question Glenn but at the start of your video high on the hills behind you is a strange white shaped construction.Please do you know what it is ?

[@PanyingPilot]

It is made of corrugated tin sheets laid on a hillside. The letter stands for Coalinga of Carl. you can have your pick. But just this once!

[@renzocarlosramirezfretel8661]

Enseña paso a paso

[@PanyingPilot]

www.kiteplans.org/planos/frenchmilitary/frenchmilitary.html

[@tsekoaII]

Is the applique glued on or sewn on?

[@PanyingPilot]

Hi Bob, Cherie sewed and backmcut the appliqued patches. Note Gomberg Kites is making deals on the double French Military kite.