This kite is sometimes referred to as a "Comet Kite", as it has a main head area and a loooong tail section. We recommend making the kite from lightweight garbage bags, as they tend to hold up better than tissue paper, and don't require sewing they way ripstop nylon material does.
Here's what you need to get: Wire coat hanger or thin plastic dowel, string, straw, plastic garbage bags, tape, and scissors.
Here's what you do:
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Bend a very thin wire coat hanger into a D-shape. Tape a covering of a trimmed plastic garbage bag for a kite skin. Along the straight side of the D, tape a ten-foot pieced-together section of garbage bag the same width as the D for the tail. Attach a bridle of string to the top and bottom of the coat hanger section, and add a main kite line to the bridle. This kite works best in an area with a lot of wind, such as the beach. Try making a larger version with a fifty foot tail!
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Try flying it as one strip first. Then experiment cutting the tail into strips.
could i cut the tail into strips would it still fly?
can you make a REAL dragon kite?
The “power” of a kite comes from it’s ability to produce lift, which will depend on the angle that it hits the oncoming wind, etc. The tail mostly provides stability for the kite so it can remain at the perfect angle to the wind.
So if the power of the kite comes from the tail, does the head have to be in a D-shape, or can it be in a different shape?
-Olivia