0.3 First Stunt Kites

• Subject: 0.3 First Stunt Kites
• From: Jeffrey C. Burka <jburka@eng.umd.edu>

The easiest to learn beginners kite is a diamond (Powell/ trlby/
dynakite, etc) One of the biggest advantages to a single diamond
is the ease with which you can re-launch after a crash.  Kiting
can become very frustrating when you have to keep walking 150' to
set up a kite.  These kites also verge on indestructible.

3/4 deltas (Team/ Spin-Off/ Extreme/ El Nino/ Stinger 750/
Wizard, etc) might be good 2nd kites, but their increased speed,
both forward and turning, make them harder to learn on (though I
certainly know people who have learned on them).  Their lower
pricing (usually between $75 and $130) makes them attractive to
beginners who aren't willing to dump a lot of money into a new
hobby, but this doesn't necessarily mean they're good kites for
beginners.

Full-sized deltas (Spin-Off/ Hawaiian Team/ Super Sky Dart/
Slingshot/ LiteFlite/ Phantom/ Big Brother, etc) are a fairly
good place to start, though the price can be inhibiting to a
beginner.  However, there are plenty of good full-sized kites
that are good for learning on; slower air speeds, a nice tendency
to never stall, and so on.

With all of these kites, as Marty Sasaki says, it's probably best
to stay away from graphite-framed kites at first, as they are
easier to break.

• Prev: 0.2 Update History
• Next: 0.4 Building First Stunt Kites
• Index: Rec.kites Stunt Kite Plans Bibliography by Esben Collstrup