Not CL, but tethered flying question

[Larry Renger]

I built a simple kite for my grandaughter, and it is horribly unstable. Can anyone direct me to a source of information on kite trim?  Google only seems to have stuff on Kitesurfing.  I need to fix a simple "diamond" style kite.

Help!.  

[Andrew Borgogna]

As an Indian Guide award winning kite maker, from micro to giant, I will be happy to offer my services to you Zen Master.
Andy

[Larry Renger]

Ah grasshopper, you will gain much karma! (Yeah, I know, mixed up social systems)

[Dan McEntee]

  A simple diamond bow kite, like we used to buy from High Flier for 10 cents, is about 50% longer than it is wide, a slight bow in the cross stick with some string, and about 5 or 6 feet of old bed sheet for a tail. We used to make these out of willow tree sticks and news paper, and string recovered from the local fields that others had left behind. Google High Flier or paper kites and I know there are several web sites devoted to them.
    Good luck and have fun,
   Dan McEntee

[john e. holliday]

Nothing like a tail to tame things down, kites that is.  Seems when I was in 7th and 8th grade always had a kite to fly when it was too windy to fly my 1/2A's.   Vice versa, 1/2A's to fly when the kite would not stay up because of lack of wind.

[Larry Renger]

the kite I made fits Dan's description, newspaper and all. 6 foot tail ans still spins like a top.

[David_Stack]

Larry;

  Sounds almost like it is in a stall (much like a v-tail sailplane on tow lacking sufficient airspeed).  Might want to try moving the point at which you have your line attached to the bridle, more toward the nose of the kite.  That should reduce the angle of attack.

r/
Dave

[Tim Wescott]

If I remember correctly....

What Dave said about moving the string forward on the bridle, and if you don't have at least two kite-height's worth of tail, then put something on there.

And check that it's symmetrical from side to side.  I never did that back in the day, but now it just seems sensible.

[David_Stack]

Bridle geometry, courtesy of NASA no less!!!

http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/k-12/airplane/kitebrid.html

r/
Dave