Let's Go Fly a Kite...

I had many enjoyable hours flying a kite, probably a result of so many people telling me to - Go fly a Kite!! Store bought triangular jobs, nothing fancy.

Never saw "Mary Poppins" but loved "Saving Mr. Banks" a movie about making it. Any movie with Emma Thompson is a hit with me, Howards End, Remains of the Day, even Nanny McPhee. Add Tom Hanks and you have a winner. The old Lincoln Limo a plus.

Roddie! Let's go fly a kite!! My first thoughts were of the kite like "Wing Thing" by Gilbert. Then I did a quick search over on RCGroups. They have a Forum Thread for RC paragliders and kites. here's a Youtube of one RC model

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7A_osMLhrk&t=86s

I have a "Combat Sport Kite" that looks very similar to the WingThing. I just have to figure out how and where to mount the engine and "Pull-Pull" elevator controls...

Here’s some photos of my Cody War Kite I made awhile back….Was designed by Samuel Cody in the late 1800’s… He made them large enough to lift people carrying baskets…. He ultimately went on to design and fly aircraft in the 1910’s…. Interesting inventor…

My version is 36” span and is made from tissue paper, craft paper, Bamboo, and a little house wrap material for reinforcements….. It’s basically a box kite with wings and very airplane like…… My version is pretty delicate and it only has flown in a super light breeze….A redesign and beefed up materials and some tweaking maybe could support powered flight….. The plan I scaled it from is attached as well…

Robert

Kite flying pretty much ended my control line flying days back as a youngster. It was hard to find a day that wasn't too windy to fly, plus I needed a helper to launch me in the rough cow paddocks at home. Then I discovered stunt kites and found it much easier to do on my own, plus the wind was now a bonus rather than a bother. No more prop-cuts either.

dckrsn wrote:Hi Roddie, here's a link to a shop in Boulder. I've dealt with
them a lot, and have always been pleased. Hope the site
will get the juices flowing. Your best bet might be a medium
size delta. Easy to fly, and able to lift a decent payload.
  I've been collecting kites for most of my life. My treasures
are Indian fighters that I sought out over several visits to
the sub continent. Wow, I don't think I've ever seen "patang"
(kites) mentioned on the forum.
Bob

Hey Bob, Thanks so much for your interest. I didn't see a web-link in your reply. Is the kite shop in Boulder, Colorado? It's fascinating to to me; to learn that you've been into kites for most of your life. I'd like to know more about your experiences.

rsv1cox wrote:I had many enjoyable hours flying a kite, probably a result of so many people telling me to - Go fly a Kite!!  Store bought triangular jobs, nothing fancy.

Never saw "Mary Poppins" but loved "Saving Mr. Banks" a movie about making it.  Any movie with Emma Thompson is a hit with me, Howards End, Remains of the Day, even Nanny McPhee.  Add Tom Hanks and you have a winner.  The old Lincoln Limo a plus.  

Oh yea.... I believe that Lynne and I watched "Saving Mr. Banks". Dick Van Dyke is one of our favorite actors. One of my personal favorite films is "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" with leading-lady "Sally Ann Howes". In the early 1970's, we had a "Chitty" pedal-car. Albeit plastic-bodied; it was pretty cool!

Marleysky wrote:Roddie! Let's go fly a kite!! My first thoughts were of the kite like "Wing Thing" by Gilbert. Then I did a quick search over on RCGroups. They have a Forum Thread for RC paragliders and kites. here's a Youtube of one RC model

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7A_osMLhrk&t=86s

I have a "Combat Sport Kite" that looks very similar to the WingThing. I just have to figure out how and where to mount the engine and "Pull-Pull" elevator controls...

Oh Boy Rene! Very cool vid there! This is helping to fuel my imagination!

rdw777 wrote:


Here’s some photos of my Cody War Kite I made awhile back….Was designed by Samuel Cody in the late 1800’s… He made them large enough to lift people carrying baskets…. He ultimately went on to design and fly aircraft in the 1910’s…. Interesting inventor…

My version is 36” span and is made from tissue paper, craft paper, Bamboo, and a little house wrap material for reinforcements….. It’s basically a box kite with wings and very airplane like…… My version is pretty delicate and it only has flown in a super light breeze….A redesign and beefed up materials and some tweaking maybe could support powered flight….. The plan I scaled it from is attached as well…

Robert

Hello Robert, Your model is beautiful! Thanks very much for attaching the plan-set. I hope to explore the possibilities of building flying-models such as this.. someday when there are fewer distractions in my life. In the meantime; I plan on developing a more wide-range of construction-skills.. tooling/jigs/fixtures.. etc. in preparation.

Oldenginerod wrote:Kite flying pretty much ended my control line flying days back as a youngster.  It was hard to find a day that wasn't too windy to fly, plus I needed a helper to launch me in the rough cow paddocks at home.  Then I discovered stunt kites and found it much easier to do on my own, plus the wind was now a bonus rather than a bother.  No more prop-cuts either.

Rodney, You surprise me! It's very interesting to know of your hard-luck with trying to launch/fly control-line airplanes as a youngster. If we were pals.. I would have certainly assisted you with your efforts. I hope that you get the chance to fly control-line again.. with the help of a pitman.. and on a relatively calm day! Until then.... let's explore some new stunt-kite designs!

I dug out my old Charlie Hart Stunter a few months ago, which unfortunately was under a skylight in my shed. As I retrieved it the sail disintegrated into small flakes- U.V. had taken its toll. Very sad.

Roddie, my early CL days required my Mum as my pitman. I had no friends who were into model planes and didn't have a smooth flat area to take off from ground. It may have been very different if I had known about the old "bathmat stooge". Maybe the hobby would have continued longer. The kites were just so much easier, cleaner and quieter.

I have flown a half dozen flights in the past few years since joining up here, initially with my sons to launch, but more recently with a bathmat stooge. I have a really nicely made .09 size stunt ship that a neighbour gave me. I'd love to fly it, but would hate to break it, so will need an appropriate flying field where the wheels can be of some use. One day! In the meantime, it will have to be the old Lil'Bat wing, which launches well from the stooge.

Oldenginerod wrote:I dug out my old Charlie Hart Stunter a few months ago, which unfortunately was under a skylight in my shed.  As I retrieved it the sail disintegrated into small flakes- U.V. had taken its toll.  Very sad.

Roddie, my early CL days required my Mum as my pitman.  I had no friends who were into model planes and didn't have a smooth flat area to take off from ground.  It may have been very different if I had known about the old "bathmat stooge".  Maybe the hobby would have continued longer.  The kites were just so much easier, cleaner and quieter.

I have flown a half dozen flights in the past few years since joining up here, initially with my sons to launch, but more recently with a bathmat stooge.  I have a really nicely made .09 size stunt ship that a neighbour gave me.  I'd love to fly it, but would hate to break it, so will need an appropriate flying field where the wheels can be of some use.  One day!  In the meantime, it will have to be the old Lil'Bat wing, which launches well from the stooge.

Yes.. I remember now; your successful launches with the bathmat stooge! Good ol' "Rusty Knowlton" (RIP-I miss Rusty) turned most of us on to that launching-method!

I used to live by the seaside, a very large beach at low tide stretching some eight miles or so.

The very far end ran parrallel to an airfield, part of a missile range operational base for the drone aircraft, radio controlled, so was technically part of a controlled airspace area.

My school friend made a large box kite with a timed camera. He said one day whilst flying from the near end having let out 1000feet of line, a bae hawk came low and fast turning and banking quite hard to fly up the beach towards the airfield.

He, the hawk, had to take immediate and quiet violent avoidance manuvers to avoid the kite !

I bet that pilot had a real "moment" in the cockpit and needed some laundry doing !

I must say Robert that what you got there is truly a small work of art for a kite. Looks terrific!

Roddie, New, Thanks for the kind words…. I am inspired by your modeling as well… And many others here on the forum!!! There’s nothing special about the kite…. Just stick and tissue type construction sorta typical of rubber free flight… There’s another thread floating somewhere on CEF on repurposing non hobby materials….. The spars and struts are from a an old roll up window shade….Place mats are a good source of bamboo as well…. I even use scraps of it to mix epoxy….

Back to Roddie’s original thought (I like that kind of thinking outside the box )….I bet if you put a stout .049 on the nose of a two line delta it would pull it all the way around the circle on a calm day…Maybe a no wind kite?…. Even if it was windy may produce some interesting aerobatics

Robert

Don't forget, to fly your kite especially if nostalgic will need nostalgic string! Get them while their hot!

Ebay: Vintage Hi-Flier Kite Cord String 250 Feet 15 Spools NOS

$65.00 + $17.90 shipping + $6.77 tax (NM) = $89.67 US

But, $6.00 per roll may be not so bad a deal ... if you need 15 rolls and the original box they came in!

In 1965, these were less than a quarter.

Nice find on the old string!!! I’ve had these rolls since early 80’s…. Was flying two line diamond with a tail at the time…

A better deal, original box (not in NOS shape) with 24 sets for US $54.99 + Shipping $11.63 and one's local tax.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/144013330694

Nice, I rember those balls -o- twine…. Or similar….When I was a kid there was a little country store a couple miles away that sold paper diamond kites….They were “Jolly Roger”  with a skull and crossbones on front….He got plastic Bat kites occasionally, Those were cool!…..I suppose there are folks that collect vintage kite stuff like we do with models, engines, and etc…

I forgot to mention, The kite in the photos flies on polyester sewing thread…. Best in a breeze of about 7-8 mph…. Sooner or later I’ll get some photos of it in the air…. Right now it’s hanging in our bedroom…. My wife likes it as an ornament so I have to be careful and not break it trying to fly it

I think this is a kite reel? Came with that model.

Yup -- it's a line reel by Carey.

Carey Line Reel

Robert: Absolutely beautiful kite!!!

This kind of reminds me, how many boys substituted kite string for dacron so they could continue to fly their half-A CL planes without interruption?

Thanks guys!…. A couple of fotos of it being born…




I built it in my rented room while working away from home to have something to do in the evenings…..

If you have a chance, read the bio on Samuel Cody, the designer of the kite, Interesting fellow…

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Franklin_Cody

GG’r…. I did worse than using kite string for CL…. Stretchy Monofilament!!!

I had built a Sterling Ringmaster in the early 80’s with a Johnson.35… Tried to do my best, Red and white Aergloss color, I was very proud of it!!… Only trouble was little to no CL experience except for the few Cox rtf that I broke and no one around to teach…. So… I built up a slab wing trainer of my own design…. Looking back, I know it was tail heavy cause I made the fuse pretty long….Plus the stretchy lines…Fly, crash, repair many times until I could run a full tank out of the Bee…. Finally decided now or never on the RM…Felt like driving a Cadillac on its braided steel lines… My 1/2A design was a bear to fly but a good teacher…