Miscellaneous

Really, I do build plenty of stunt kites that aren't either Tracers or Revs. I just don't have pictures of them yet. I've got some film being developed now, and I'll figure out what other kites I need to get pictures of. Some of these kites are my own designs or modifications of others' designs. Most are knock-offs of commercially available kites. Usually when I knock something off, it's a kite I already own, though I did get a lot of mileage out of that borrowed Tracer sail.

This was an experiment I built 2 or 3 years ago when my sister-in-law asked me to make a kite for her brother-in-law. It's mostly a cross between a Tracer and a Spin-Off. I wanted something that would turn reasonably well, with very good tracking. The kite flies pretty well, but really needs more bridle work. Dunno where the kite actually is these days...probably shoved in the back of a closet. (89K)

Dean Jordan designs and builds some of the very finest stunt kites on the market. One I'm very fond of is his X-1, which is unfortunately (and inexplicably) out of production now. The X-1 came in two varieties: the standard and the Micro-Lite. The Micro-Lite is built of 1/2oz Icarex on G-Force Skinny spars and weighs about 5.5oz. Great for team flying in winds as low as 1.5mph, the Micro-Lite has a wonderfully solid feeling.

Already owning an original Micro-Lite, I wanted to add the standard X-1 to my collection. I happened to have an Advantage 2-Wrap frame kit on which I'd gotten a great bargain at an event auction, so I used that for the frame. The sail is 1/2oz Icarex. Unlike the Micro-Lite, on which the sail is extended and then folded over at the leading edge to create a sleeve, the standard version uses a standard leading edge sleeve of 1.5oz ripstop. Construction is otherwise very similar. This version has no trouble in winds of 12-15, though it can pull quite hard and isn't too fond of stalling in those conditions. The square-in-square graphic is an intentional nod to Dean's original circle-in-circle X-1 art, though on my kite the graphic is rendered with Randy Tom-style black edging. (41K)

At SunFest '93, I finally decided it was time to buy myself an Ultra from TC Powers. I already had a frame (long story), so I bought the sail and bridle from TC. The kite is somewhat customized. Though it started life as a stock ultralight sail, I had TC applique it with a bunch of trilon I sent him, as well as add vents.

Of course, once I had a kite to pattern, within two months I'd knocked it off. This is the resulting kite, built of Carrington K42 on AFC .2200 spars. (57K)

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