Sports Kites | Single Line Kites |
Soyokaze Akuji SUL |
Designer:
Yann Gautier Wing span: 240 cm Sail: Icarex PC31 and Mylar Frame: 5mm Structil spine, 4mm Structil top spreader, Skyshark 2PT LEs, 3PT lower lower spreaders Wind: 0-5 mph |
Purchased March 2006. Only flown a few times, but is remarkably tricky for such a light kite. Can fly it in no wind. | ||
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Soyokaze Akuji (Comp) |
Designer:
Yann Gautier Wing span: 240 cm Sail: Icarex PC31 and Mylar Frame: 6mm Structil spine, Exel top spreader, Skyshark 5PT upper LE & lower spreaders, 7PT lower LE Wind: 3.5-24 mph |
Purchased December 2005. Superb kite, very pitchy and trickable. It's a little sluggish (in my hands) at the bottom end of the wind range and I've not yet got to grips with doing anything other than axels and variants at the top end, but when the wind is force 3-ish, I find it very easy to fly. It is also the kite I most like the look of (important consideration for a recreational flyer). | ||
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Self-built Le Virus Le Virus Homepage |
Designer:
Christian Derefat Wing span: 230 cm Sail: Icarex PC31 and Mylar Frame: 6mm Structil, Skyshark 5PT lower spreaders Wind: 2-12 mph |
Completed April 2005. The normal spec calls for a 6mm Exel
frame; the Structil is a tad lighter and stiffer. Very nice kite, very pitchy.
I've changed the original 3-point static bridle for a turbo bridle designed by Ralf Naujoks. I've replaced the original R-sky yoyo-stopper horns with a 40cm long roll-bar of 3mm wrapped glass-fibre. This is far superior in that it gives fewer snags and reduces sail deformation, especially in tip-wraps. It also seems to make the fade a bit more stable. I use a 5g weight in the tail. | ||
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Flexifoil Psycho Flexifoil International Review |
Designer:
Andy Preston Wing span: 198cm Sail: Carrington K42 Frame: Exel Carbon 6mm Wind: 5 - 30 mph |
Purchased (very used) March 2005. I modified the bridle to a bizarre-looking turbo bridle that I found on an Italian web site, added about 10g ballast to the tail, and modified the trick line to an "M" version. This kite is enormous fun to fly, very fast, but will flic-flac in the middle of the window in 25mph! Very forgiving and recovers from almost anything. | ||
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Benson Gemini Benson Kites Khite Review |
Designer:
Tim Benson Wing span: 220 cm Sail: Icarex PC31 and Mylar Frame: 6mm Structil, Hi-Mod spreaders Wind: 4 - 24 mph |
Acquired Nov 2004. This is Jason Winter's old Gem. It was well used when I got it from him, and was showing signs of age then. This is the kite that taught me to trick, and it is consequently showing even more signs of age. I don't fly it so much now I have the Virus, but I am loathe to pass it on as the grey-fade Gemini is quite simply the best looking kite in the air. Sweetest from about 5 to 8 mph. | ||
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Flexifoil Pulsar Flexifoil International Khite Review |
Designer:
Carl Robertshaw Wing span: 180 cm Sail: Ripstop Nylon Frame: 6mm Pultruded Carbon; Fibreglass lower spreaders Wind:4 - 30mph |
Bought (new) September 2004. This is the kite that got me flying again. It's a pretty robust kite, so OK for beginners. In the right hands (not yet mine) it is very capable. After I got the Gem, I initially kept it as a high wind kite, but rarely fly it myself since I got the Psycho. However, it stays in my bag as it is something I don't mind letting complete newbies learn on. |
Home-made Tunnel-Keel (Dunton-Taylor) Delta |
Designer:
Alex Dunton Wingspan: 180 cm Sail: Ripstop Nylon Frame: 5.5mm and 5.9mm carbon tube Wind: 3-8 mph |
Completed August 2006. Nice light-wind kite, but a bit twitchy in higher winds, probably owing to the stiffness of the carbon spars. Very fast rate of climb, and flies at a steep angle. | ||
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Zoone Collectif Cendres |
Designer:
Ramlal Tien Wingspan: 300 cm Sail: Icarex Frame: 6mm carbon Bridle:1-point, three positions Wind: 3-15 mph |
Purchaced July 2006. Beautiful flier, graceful in a wide wind range. Very light pull. Can just stake it and leave it... | ||
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Zoone Collectif Raymond |
Designer:
Ramlal Tien Height: 450 cm Sail: Icarex Frame: 6mm & 4mm carbon, 6mm fibreglass Bridle:1-point, single position Wind: 4-15 mph |
Purchased July 2006. A kite you really want to interact with. Stunning appearance, superb quality of workmanship. | ||
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Self-built Sanjo Rokkaku |
Designer:
Traditional Japanese Height: 120 cm Sail: Ripstop Nylon Frame: 6mm fibreglass Bridle:4 point when used for lifting, 6-point for fighting Wind: 5-25 mph |
Completed February 2006. My Little Red Rok is used for lifting line laundry on breezy days and for fighting. | ||
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Self-built Papillon |
Designer:
Didier Ferment Height: 141cm Sail: Ripstop Nylon Frame: 4mm Carbon tube and 3mm carbon rod Wind: 3-10 mph |
Completed February 2006. Initial impressions is that it is a nice kite, very flyable. Self-regulates, which is nice! Spars bend frighteningly at around 10mph. | ||
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Self-built Oiseau |
Designer:
Christian Derefat Wingspan: 240cm Sail: Ripstop Nylon Frame: 4mm Carbon tube and 3mm carbon rod Wind: 3-? mph |
Completed February 2006. Flies very nicely, much as a fighter, so it needs tending. Very light pull. Swoops gracefully around the sky, but has a bit of a tendency to overfly. | ||
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HQ Rokkaku Tut |
Designer:
Traditional Japanese Height: 114 cm Sail: Nylon Frame: 6mm fibreglass Bridle: 4-point Wind: 5-20 mph |
Purchased October 2005. I bought Tooting Carmen because it was going cheaply. Flies quite nicely and is a recognisable image to decorate teh sky. | ||
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Cochranes UFO Sam |
Designer:Kenneth
Sams (alias "Sam da Vinci") Span: 45 cm Sail: HolographicAluminised Mylar Frame: Carbon pivot rod, fibreglass hoops. Wind: 5-12 mph |
Purchased October 2005. I first bought one of these years ago after meeting the inventor. I've always been fascinated by "lift through rotation". Flies nicely with a lot of pull (I've used it for lifting laundry). Disintegrates in high wind! Update May 2006: I now have 3 of these and fly them off a single line. Should be able to trigger a few UFO reports if they catch the dusk sunlight... :-) | ||
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Fredrikson-Stallard Kite #1 |
Designer:Fredrikson-Stallard
(?) Span: 60 cm Sail: Nylon Frame: 1.5mm fibre glass Wind: 5-10 mph |
Purchased September 2005. I got this because it looks like a "clever" design. It is horribly unstable, but looks realistic in flight (flapping wings, etc.). Unfortunately, it needs to be flown so high (owing to the need to actively fly it like a fighter) that it apears too small to be really effective. Can be OK as line laundry (until it gets tangled). I intend to make a larger version, which shuld be more stable. | ||
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Self-built Pearson Roller |
Designer:
Alick Pearson Height: 145cm Sail: Ripstop Nylon Frame: 6mm Ramin dowel Wind: 3-5 mph |
Completed August 2005. Yes, the spars are light and, yes, the
kite is distorting in the photo. This is because the wind was up on the day I
finished it, but I couldn't resist having a fly...
When the wind gets above about 8mph, it veers off to one side as a consequence of unequal bending in the spars, even though I did cut opposing spars form teh same length of dowel (the joys of working with natural materials...) | ||
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Self-built Sanjo Rokkaku |
Designer:
Traditional Japanese Height: 205 cm Sail: Ripstop Nylon Frame: 9.5mm fibreglass (spine) and 7.9mm fibreglass (spars) Bridle: 6-point Wind: 4-15 mph |
Completed August 2005. I made this primarily for decorating the sky (by displaying line-laundry). The blue ripstop is very heavy (2oz/sq.yd.) and the spars are replacement tent poles (which come in sections and can be shock-corded), so it needs a good breeze. This is my first Rok and I've learned a lot of "what not to do" from it. Thanks to Bill Andrews of Kent Kite Flyers for helping me get the bridle sorted. Set-up is quite crucial; uneven stretch in the sail results in a bias to the right, which gets worse in higher winds, so is not completely tunable out with bridle adjustments or with extra bowing of the spars. When the wind is reasonably steady, it's pretty good! | ||
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Gunther Butterfly |
Designer:
Gunther Wingspan: 93 cm Sail: Polyester Frame: 2mm and 3mm fibreglass Wind: 5-15 mph |
Purchased March 2005. I much prefer these muted colours to the more common garishness of butterfly kites. Flies nicely with a light pull. I also wonder iof, with the tails removed, they'd fly like fighters -- the idea of butterfly-fights appeals to me... Update May 2006: Found a load of these going cheap on eBay. I now have a squadron of 7 flying off a single line. Summer prettiness! | ||
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Knoop Rainbow Delta |
Designer:
Knoop Wingspan: 102 cm Sail: Nylon Frame: 2mm and 3mm fibreglass 6-point Wind: 5-15 mph |
Purchased February 2005. These are pretty kites and fly pretty well in a range of winds. In a strong wind it develops a lot of lift. This kite usually comes out to save the frustration of someone who has acquired a cheap kite that won't fly. |