All about delta kites - how to assemble and fly them
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- Опубліковано 5 вер 2024
- My 1,424th kite video. Delta kites are great for everyone, of all ages and skill levels. Here's some basic information that may help if you're new to flying them.
Anyone wanting to check out all my "How to..." videos on various aspects of kite-flying can now find them all easily on my Playlist at / jimskitesnz
I don't have nearly enough Deltas. It's one of the easiest kites to make. I'm so embarrassed. 😣 Thanks Jim. Love all your videos!!!
Relatively easy to make, but I have yet to make my first. In fact, I've only made one kite. My excuse is that I'm too busy flying kites and making videos, but I'm sure if I had more self-discipline I could find time to have a go.
@Jim Nicholls >>> SEVERAL years ago, I first learned of the line _connection_ method you show at about 03:45 in this video.
At the time I thought, _"That won't work...."_ But SURPRISE! It DOES work...👍👍
Certainly works for me, every time.
Jim, I love big kites and Deltas or Delta Hybrids DCs are my preferred big kites mostly love the Deltas at least the ones I have because their generally higher angle of flight over some other kite shapes like Diamonds or Parafoils. I fly mostly in parks surrounded by Trees so a kite flying at an angle of 75 to 85 degrees almost straight overhead is preferable to me and deltas fit that more than any other kite style I have. I am really loving my new Gomberg Zenith Delta as it flys at nearly 80 to 85 degrees just like my ITW Dan Leigh Little Bear (my favorite kite) both with the inflatable keel to help it from overflying. I generally prefer the Bigger deltas because they can be flown in lower winds, generally speaking, than the smaller styles if they are made with light materials using carbon rods and light sail material. Again with the trees, I get a lot of ground wind disturbance and it is generally a fight to just get above the trees to steadier winds. So anything that flies in the lower wind range is preferable to me.
Have you ever done any videos on the best way to fold traditional kite types like Deltas or Diamonds for storage or how you store so many kites in a collection as big as yours? I have roughly about 200 kites mostly single line with about maybe 20 soft kites and 20 Stunt Dual/quad line kites and I am always struggling as what to do with them. I used to keep them all in a closet in larger kite bags ready to grab but know I have a couple of metal trash cans in my office that I have colorfully painted with kites that I have been putting some in instead of trash. This leaves me having to decisively choose which kites to pack before going out flying. Lately though after attending a couple kite festivals I have just been leaving a few kite bags full of kites in the back of my truck which has a hard cover and is lockable. I don't know what this would do to the lifespan of the kites, while they are not getting wet, they are being exposed to temp changes and if I keep it up into the next summer high humidity. Thanks again for the always informative and helpful videos. Mark Woodhouse
Good to know that you've worked out the best ways to use your restricted flying area, Mark.
I don't think I dare show my kite storage, as it's in such a mess these days. It occupied two rooms of my small house, but in recent months my son has been staying here and everything is now in one room, into which I can scarcely get!
As long as your kites are not exposed to damp, they should be OK in the bags, but humidity is certainly to be avoided if you don't want mould developing. I keep certain kites (flowtails, rays) in bags together for easy retrieval when I want to fly them, and have had no problems, but we don't get high humidity here usually.
Love those deltas...I know parafoil and soft kites are popular...but there are so many options with deltas and the modified versions.
Yes, Priscilla, deltas are so versatile, and with all the variations on them there is a huge choice in sizes and prices, so something for everyone. And because they're so easy to assemble and fly, you can scarcely go wrong with them.
@@JimNicholls That is for sure..and they come in so many different price points. Large or small..just getting good quality and sewing and it can last a long time. That was a nice vid..:)
Very nice, you can't beat a good delta, but I have a couple that insist on leaning to the left and the amount of lean increases with wind speed. Everything looks symmetrical, they balance level when hung upside-down, and I've tried swapping spars around to no avail. Any suggestions on what to try next to fix this issue? They both fly ok, but it bugs me no end that they won't fly straight.
Maybe if the weather stays bad you could consider doing a troubleshooting video on how to fix common problems? Unless you already have, that is!
I have a lot of kites, but I'm no technical expert. I can't really offer any suggestions for your problem, at least without seeing the kites. There are possibilities, such as the fabric being cut wrongly so that the two halves of the wing are not exactly similar (the "grain" of the fabric may run differently). As I said, I'm not an expert, so any video I did on trouble-shooting would have to be fairly basic. I have made a couple of videos on problems with specific kites which I've resolved by trial and error, not any real knowledge.
No problem, it was just a thought. Thanks for the suggestion about the fabric grain, I hadn't thought of that. Will have a look next time I get them out.
@@lancman5630 Does the Delta in question have a center keel, some Delta's with no stabilizing Center Fabric Keel can be difficult to fly, and can have a noticeable pull , left or right, Especially Larger Deltas over 10ft, or larger can experience this problem. The fix is hit and miss, a 50ft. tube tail or a similar length fuzzy tail behind the center spar might possibly correct the problem. Best of luck, hope you find a fix.
@@raymonddimock6838 Thanks for the reply. Yes it has a keel and it's only 2m (6ft) span so that's not the issue. I'll give th fuzzy tail a try. I've been meaning to make myself one for some time so this will be a good incentive to get on and do it.
I have a Prism Zenith 7 and I have exactly the same problem with it. It also leans to the left which increases with wind speed until it fly's sideways into the ground. I have checked all spars and surfaces and all are ok and no tears so cannot fathom out why it happens. I have tried adding extra tails but it still does it. I wonder if it will help to add a small weight to the right hand side to try to counterbalance it. I will have to give it a go.
I got a delta kite a few days ago, I tried it but it kept doing loops and diving. Yes it had tails, so I wonder if the wind was too strong?
Deltas are usually not happy if the wind is too strong, Evan, so that may be the problem. It's important to find as open a space as possible, as trees and buildings cause the wind to swirl around and all kites react badly to that. Try to get it up high if you can, and you should find that the wind is steadier up there. I hope you can have some success with it. There are few things more frustrating than a kite that won't fly!
Excellent tutorial on Deltas sir. Looks like an ITW Levitation, one of my favorite light wind kites along with the Gomberg Zenith Delta.
I did use a Levitation, among others, in the video, Tim. A good kite for sure, and I must get my Zenith delta out again sometime soon.
3:36 I see that the line is a loop, what knot do I tie if mine doesn’t have one? (Not the one you show a few seconds later)
Evan, it's just a simple overhand knot, just double the line over and tie a simple knot in it. All my lines are like that.
I ❤ delta kites on 1 or 2 lines.
Love Delta 😍
Jim, first of all thanks for all the great videos you produce on UA-cam. They are great. I am interested in the kite that is shown at 32-38 seconds into the video. It is a delta kite with cube shapes. It is really a beautiful kite!! Can you tell me: 1) is it a production kite, 2) can I purchase it and 3) could you give me the contact information. Appreciate all your help. Keep up the great work.
I call that kite the Illusion Delta, but the Chinese makers call it the Step by Step delta. It's available from several sources on AliExpress, including this one: www.aliexpress.com/item/4000683726733.html?gatewayAdapt=4itemAdapt . Mine is the larger size, which I would recommend, as larger kites fly better. It's a good item at a great price, and I hope you have fun with it if you buy one. I'm glad you like the videos.
@@JimNicholls Jim , Thanks for your help. Just bought the large kite. Wishing you tight lines. Cheers, Chris
I've looked through your how to videos and couldn't find an answer to my question. I have a friend who purchase three cheap delta rip stop kites without a keel, so two point attachment. Problem is that they lost to the right and crash if they experience any turbulence. I've adjusted the bridle to the best of my ability but maybe I'm missing something else? They are 36 inch deltas with plastic tails on either wing tip. Any help welcomed.
It's hard to be specific without seeing them, Amy. However, a 36-inch delta is very small and inherently not very stable (the bigger the kite the more stable it is, usually). As cheap kites, they are possibly not very balanced either - check that the spars on each side are exactly equal for one thing, but the general build quality is probably not great. Better tails might help, too, but the kites are probably not worth spending a lot of money on.
Hello Sir, My kite gets to a certain high height quite easily but due to some reason it starts tipping to the left & dives down to the ground multiple times, always. I face the same problem with both of my kites. What could be the cause & what can I do to prevent it . Thank you
I wish I could help, but without seeing the kites and the conditions in which you fly them, I have no idea. I'm not an expert anyway, but there are many reasons why a kite might not fly properly. I suggest you try to find an experienced kite-flier in your area to help you. Good luck!
Lots of kites are poorly made and won't fly straight. Trash that one and visit your local kite store or Academy Sporting goods and buy a bunch and test fly them until you find one that flies straight and then return the duds for a refund. I hate a kite that won't fly straight. Just trash it and find a better one and don't waste your time in frustration on a lousy kite that has no chance of ever flying well. But if you insist, use a small drag parachute as a tail. The parachute will try to keep the kite facing straight into the wind.
Jim, who makes (or did make) the polka dot rays @5:22?
I don't know which Chinese factory made them, and the store on AliExpress where I bought most of them has now gone. But I bought at least one from Passion Kites in Singapore, and I think they may still have some. It would be worth checking, anyway.
@@JimNicholls Thanks Jim!
I purchased my first Delta kite some time back but the middle spar broke on it's very first flight. It's the middle spar that goes along the bottom vertical section of a 9ft Levitation Delta. I could see it flexing in the air and then it snapped. Definitely a weak point with the design. Could you recommend any replacements that would be strong enough to withstand many flights? Would a length of bamboo do? Alternatively, would there be any kite equipment manufacturers who could supply a stronger and more robust replacement?
The Levitation Delta is an Into The Wind product. I think you should contact them, as the spar should not have broken like that under any normal flying conditions. I have never had that happen with any of the many deltas I've owned, and ITW kites are built to last for many, many flights, so I'm very surprised that you had this problem..
@@JimNicholls Woops, I made a mistake. I checked the kite again and it's not a vertical spar that broke. It's the middle section of the horizontal three piece spreader that was damaged. Yea I may as well contact ITW about this but if they send a replacement spar, the same thing will probably happen again. A family member looked at this spar just now and noted that it didn't look very strong.
That kite used to have a two-piece spreader, and some people found that it broke at the join in the middle when subjected to high wind. The three-piece spar was substituted as a means of avoiding a join in the middle, and there have been very few problems since. Of course, if you fly in winds higher than recommended, problems can occur. I think if you ask ITW for a replacement spar and treat the kite well, you'll probably not have trouble again. ITW have been making kites for 40 years, and that delta for many years, so they have a pretty good idea of what works.
@@JimNicholls Interestingly, the wind was very light when the middle section of the spreader failed. It was very mellow conditions and the kite was close to the ground. I could see the spar flex before the damage occurred. The odd thing is that from memory, I thought I recall the spar was actually broken (it was a very long time ago when I used it.) Though when I looked at the spar today, it appeared to have some light splits in the outer casing. I'm not sure if there's internal damage as well.
The flight in light breeze could not possibly have caused that breakage. The spar must have been damaged before the kite was launched, possibly by being stood on or crushed in some other way. The splits you refer to appear to confirm that, as they are typical of such damage.
I also have a question about the Levitation Delta in particular. I watched a video on the setup of that kite and it looked like the spars along the leading edge weren't pushed anywhere near the top. Is this right? This would mean that the top sides of the triangle shape would be all floppy. Not what I expected. It's been ages since Ive flown mine so I can't remember if that was the case.
All deltas should have the spars pushed to the bottom of the wings. I showed that very clearly in this video from about 60 seconds in. I presume the video you saw of the Levitation was on the Into The Wind website or UA-cam channel. I made that video too, and again I made especial mention of the fact that the spars should be pushed to the bottom of the wings. I really can't think of any way to make that clearer. The top of the kite is not "floppy", because the cross-spar keeps things fairly rigid. However, the top of each wing has some freedom of movement to enable the kite to respond to wind changes and self-adjust to keep stable.
MINE ARE IMPOSSIBLE TO ASSEMBLE missing parts !
Do you mean you lost some? Deltas are very simple kites. They have three spars already fitted (spine and two wing spars). You need to push the wing spars to the bottom of the kite if they are not already there, and then fit the cross-spar. That's it, all ready to fly. There's not much that can go missing, except the cross-spar, as the other spars remain in the kite.
Just subscribed, love your channel! What is the name of the deltas at the 5:30 mark?
They are Canard Deltas from HQ Kites. You can find the yellow one here: www.pictureprettykites.com/single-line-kites/hoffmanns-canard-delta/ but the red one is exclusive to this store: www.metropolis-drachen.de/en/Kites/Single-line-kites/Delta-Kites/Hoffmanns-Canard-Delta-Special-edition-red.html .
a Tornado, is that a first for New Zealand Jim, now with winter moving in here in Nova Scotia, Canada, i rely on a daily dose of Kite Crack to sail me through the grey days of winter, :^{D
Tornadoes are rare, but not unknown, in New Zealand, Raymond. This one was quite brief but did a fair amount of damage.
I just have one question.. I bought a delta kite I think about a meter wide but everytime it catch the wind it just turn to the right at fall I don't know why, any solutions?
Impossible to answer without knowing more about it. Try fitting a good tail to it (make it out of any scraps of fabric you have) and it might improve.
@@JimNicholls thanks for the tips im might try it
I have a one delta kite and the color is rainbow but iy doesn't fly actually the wind is too light and im flying it in wrong place😅😅😅
I hope you will be able to fly it sometime and have some fun.