Nigel's Kites

This is the cherry blossum stack I made in 2021, flying yesterday at Longbeach. These are 93" kites. They are one piece sails.

This is my 7 stack of 60" Whoosh kites. I call the mid vents because the sails are small. Thes fly in 2 to 20 mph winds. 4 mph is best.

Here is my new kite. It's a tetrahedron, with Tensegrity sails. It's almost 9 feet wide. It hasn't flown yet, but it does feel like it has a nice balance. I threw it for a short glide. Tony Tung 3D printed a variety of connectors. The tubes are carbon wrapped aluminun from the estate of Paul Paul Arthur Horner

This is the bridle I prefer for the 7 panel Whoosh and other 93" Whoosh kites. It is simpler than I used before. It gives the same support as my previous bridle. I decided a few years ago that any point on the frame should have only one string connected to it. When there are two strings there is an unnecessary duplication. All the places where two strings are joined are by prussic knots so it's all adjustable. I have made lots of bridles where the brakes and powerlines are connected in various ways. I have made bridles where the kite can fly on the front lines only, but as much as I experiment, I can't make a bridle I like as much as this one.

Here is a kite I made about three years ago. It has the outside profile I used for the first 10 or 12 Whoosh kites. This one had an interesting layout of the panels. zoom in on the picture so you can see the detail. The idea was to get a really nice glitter from the Icarex fabric as it reflected and transmitted sunlight. I think it had a beautiful effect. I really like all white kites, this one has a big of colour to make it more interesting. Also as is usual for the Whoosh kites none of the panels had straight edges. I don't use straight lines. The edges where panels are joined all have a slight convex radius. This gives the sail a fuller shape which is one of the reasons these kites have a lot more lift and pull than other kites. I still like this shape, but I prefer now to have more connections between the sail and the leading edge tube, and less bridal connections to the leading edge. I now prefer a bridle with no connection to the center of the kite. Also at each bridle connection point to the frame there now is only one line, never two lines. This is just a simplification. If your look at this bridle you can see how the center bridle is not doing much. Two separate connection points further out would do more. Also the connection point at the tee connection. There is no point in having two strings there. I will have to make an up dated version of this kite.

I am going to start posting more pictures. I have tended to only post when I have something new. Since I don't make many kites this has been a bit boring. Some pictures will be of some old stuff I made that are not Whoosh kites but they are interesting. Maybe some pictures from previous Longbeach festivals, and Pacific Rim as well.

Here's my new stack of 7, 60" midvent Whooshs at Longbeach last week. I few it several times. It worked best one morning the winds were around 10 mph. It few great. It remained locked in only having shakes during the transition from forward to reverse. The travelling bicycle (tumbleweed) is quite easy! It flys as fast in reverse as most other kites in forward. Forward it is fast. With the right brake setting making the Whoosh sound. In 10 mph the pull is still only about the same as a single standard B series. I fly it on 300 lbs lines anyway because there is always enough pull. I am really looking forward to trying it in a 2 mph wind. I will post some movies later. One experiment was the spacing. You can't see it in this photo but the spacing is not regular. The first two kites are spaced at 30", the second 31" the third 32" etc. This gives the top kites more room to get wind. Less sheltering from the front kites. I am pretty sure that experiment worked.

Here is my new stack of 60" Whoosh kites. They weigh just 42 grams each. The sails are small, made for low pull. They should have a wind range 2 to 20 MPH.

I have sewn a stack of 60" Whoosh kites. I was thinking of leaving them white. Now I am thinking of paint.

I am getting ready for Longbeach. I am making a new stack of 60" Whoosh mid vent kites. Also I am making some wooden and carbon handles. The wooden and 3D printed versions shown below.