My first ever single line kite project ! I found this in a Dorling Kindersley book of kites that my wife found for sale cheap (25p) at the local library. As well as some nice pictgures and information about single line kites there were some simple plans in the back - including this one for the Tumbling Snowflake. At festivals I have always been partial to these kites and so I decided I would make one mainly, it must be said, to practice 3D kite making. Once finished I picked a quiet moment to try flying it for the first time and found it was great fun to fly.
As soon as the line is slack the kite tumbles and rotates until the line is tight and off it goes again. I guess it is not as controllable as a fighter kite, but there is a surprising degree of control for it. And it looks fantastic in the sky!
Made: April 2005
Width : 100 cm Height : 100 cm Depth : 20 cm Weight : 130 g
Spars : 4mm Carbon Sail : Ripstop Nylon
Wind Range : Medium
Cost : Approx. £9 for the carbon spars, £5 for the fabric
Just what I wanted to start flying the single line Indian fighters! I suppose you can get cheaper fighters but knowing that Stafford has made this and you can contact him for advice if needed makes it a safe bet that it's going to work.
In fact I wanted to buy one directly from him during Cleethorpes, but he actively refused saying he would prefer to show me how to fly in more idea conditions. But I bought one anyway from a trader - I think this shows that Stafford is more concerned about getting the right kite for people, rather than selling lots of them.