The bat-winged triangular box kite is so dependable a flyer it's been

used to tow strings across chasms at the start of bridge-construction.

That floating hoop kite you see at the right has a printed-plastic covering

W H O STARTED the whole thing? Legend has

it that the first kite-flyer was Archytas, a Greek
philosopher and friend of Plato, 400 years be-
fore the birth of Christ. Others credit the ancient
Chinese general Hao Sin with the idea.
However, kites were in existence long before
either of these men lived. The earliest travelers
to Malaya reported that natives flew large leaves
and worshipped them as gods. There's evidence,
too, that the Egyptians flew kites centuries before
Cleopatra.
Kites have not been merely playthings, but
Go fly a kite
By WILLARD and
ELMA WALTNER

These four novel designs make the most of March

winds. There's also a variation on the box kite
that you can fly from a "control" line

1541
kites

have served man in practical ways. Polynesians

still use them for fishing. Ancient Chinese flew
them as signaling devices during wartime. A kite
laid the first line of the bridge that now spans
Niagara's gorge, and until recently the U.S.
Weather Bureau sent kites high into the upper
air to record temperature, wind velocity and
humidity. America's most famous kite-flier, Ben
Franklin, put one up in the midst of a thunder-
storm in 1792 to prove that lightning was elec-
tricity.
Most of us, though, simply accept the princi-
ples of what makes a kite fly and just enjoy the
thrill of a high flyer's tug on the line. And the
thrill's double when you've made the kite your-
self. Materials are easy to come by. For the
sticks, a strong, light wood with straight grain
is best; it can be soft pine, spruce, basswood or
redwood. Sticks 3/8 x 3/16 in. are suitable for most
kites except very large ones that require heavier
frames.
The covering material is usually paper. Ordi-
The fish wind vane (top) is a pole kite — popular in nary brown wrapping paper is fine. Lightweight
the Orient. The mouth is formed by whip-stitching cloth, such as silk or nylon, is less likely to tear,
cloth to a reed hoop. The ring, tied into the bridle if you don't mind the extra cost. Some plastics
string, lets the fish show which way the wind is blowing
work well—an old shower curtain makes a
strong, colorful covering. Plastic should be fas-
tened to the framework with masking or freezer
tape. Paper is attached by spreading glue on the
top surface of the sticks and laying the frame-
work onto the paper. Smooth out face-down
on a flat surface. Cut the paper at least 1/2 in.
larger than the kite's outline on all sides. Apply
glue to this projection and lap it back around
the frame or outline string.

string is needed
String is needed both for flying and building
the kite. For flight lines, the larger the kite, the
stronger the string must be. Mason's chalk line
four kite designs, continued is fine.
Rigid lashing of the frame is essential. After
crossing the sticks at the desired angle lash
diagonally both ways, forming an X. Many turns
of thread do a better job than a few turns of
heavier cord.

The butterfly kite has a flat stick frame with outlin-

ing string tied around notched ends. Its bow strings
run between points A-A and B-B and are tied at the
center. The dotted lines show how bridle strings
are attached. The flight string is tied at point C,
which should be 15 to 19 in. from the kite's face

1542
 A common misconception about kiteflying is
that you need a strong wind. Actually, kites fly
best in a light, steady breeze of from 8 to 15
mph. Launching a kite is easier if you have help,
as in the photo at the top of page 1541. The
helper, downwind about 50 to 100 ft. from the
stringholder, raises the kite until he feels it
being lifted by the wind. A light upward toss
should launch it without your having to dash
away with the string. A well-balanced kite will
climb steadily as string is gradually paid out.
If a kite won't rise in a good breeze, it's probably
too heavy for its surface area.
A kite usually flies best if the bridle is ad-
justed so the kite's at an angle of 30 to 40 deg.
from horizontal. Most kites need a tail for
balance. The only one of the designs shown here
that will fly its best without, one is the box kite.
An effective tail can be made of light material;
it's not the weight but the bulk and surface that
give the balance. Accordion-pleated sheets of
typing paper, cinched at their center to make
them fan out, work very well. So do scraps of
plastic or cloth. A good tail may be made of
pieces about 1-1/2 in. wide, tied to cord about
every 5 or 6 in. The stronger the wind, the more
tail is needed to balance the kite. Tails are at-
tached at the kite's lowest point. In the case
of the butterfly kite, a second string is required
to center a tail between the two points.
The floating hoop kite differs from the others

Form the hoop by lapping the ends of a 1/4-in.-wide bam- Lash the sticks at the center and cut a circle from
boo strip 77 in. long. At the center (top) drill one plastic curtain material, big enough so the edge can
of four socket holes for pointed cross sticks. These be folded around the hoop (right). Apply tape at four
will bow when they are inserted cross-stick points and at midpoints to stretch the cover

1543
kites

four kite designs, continued

presented in that its outline is formed by bam-

boo. Since you'll need a strip 77 in. long, you'll
probably have to join two shorter pieces by
tapering, lapping and gluing the ends; let the
glue set under clamping pressure. Also glue (and
lash) the 3-in. lap that brings the strip into a
hoop. After stretching the plastic covering by
taping at eight equidistant points, tape all around
the frame.
The Chinese Fish kite is a wind sock, so it
needs no body frame. In the Orient, such kites
are carried in holiday processions at the top of
long poles. Cut the two pieces of the body from
cloth; draw the simple markings with crayons
and set the color by placing the cloth between After covering the kite's top and bottom (leaving
two layers of paper and pressing with a warm center open), form bat-wings' outline with string and
iron. Lay the two pieces together, right side in. cover it separately. Attach the bridle at point A.
Cut fins of plastic cloth and lay them between The diagram below shows how the rudder version is
the two body pieces. Stitch along the top and controlled by lines from the ground
bottom, leaving the ends open. Turn right-side-
out and stitch the basket-reed hoop inside the
large end. Attach the bridle at top and bottom
seams and tie it to a bone ring large enough to
turn freely on the pole you've selected.
Since the framework for the box kite can't
be lashed, use a good grade of wood glue in the
assembly. Fasten paper around the two end
triangles, leaving the center section open. Then,
glue the cross stick at right angles and lash the
joints where it crosses the body sticks.
Plans for the maneuverable version of the
box kite call for the glued joints to be reinforced
with staples and pins because this frame will
be subjected to unusual movement in flight.
Once you learn how to twist a double reel to
pivot the rudder right or left, you can send the
kite plummeting all over the sky or swooping
in lazy figure-eights against the clouds. The fact
that it can be guided (plus its load-carrying
abilities) means you can even put it to practical
use. It'll carry a small camera aloft for aerial
photography—or a sheaf of circulars for your
next church bazaar, to be released when a
separate trigger line is tugged from the ground.

use rubber cement

For the covering, use the heaviest grade of
model-airplane tissue, or light cloth such as
handkerchief silk or cambric. Rubber cement
is best for attaching since it won't shrink or pull
anything out of shape. The rudder is covered
on one side only. Its control horn is fastened
to the bottom stick with glue and small airplane

1544
 bolts, and is set back from the leading edge to
permit free pivot action.
When launching the kite, let it gain some
altitude before you attempt to control its flight.
The two flight strings are tied to opposite ends
of the control horn and run through screw eyes
turned into the bottom edge of the lower cross-
bar which is nailed and glued to the second V-
frame. The opposite ends of these lines are
tacked to the core disks of the reel spools. When
the lines are taut, merely twisting this double
reel swings the rudder right or left.
The kite can also be flown from a single
string. You don't even have to tie down the
rudder—just remove its control lines and let it
swing free.
Designer Roy Clough test-flew this model in
New Hampshire, to let us know how high the
kite would climb on a single string. He'd paid
out 1000 ft. of line when the string broke. "Far
as I know," he says, "it's still going."

The maneuverable version of the triangular box kite is by Roy

L. Clough, Jr. The frame dimensions differ from those given
for the conventional type, but the main feature of the ma-
neuverable version's design is the fish-tail rudder at the rear

1545