COMBINED KITES.
COMBINING PLAIN SURFACES AND BOX KITES TOGETHER.
[Illustration: FIG. 89.]
=Straight Extension of Surfaces.= One of the most efficient and popular
kites in the combined construction group is the two spined tailless,
called the house kite, and the triangular box-kite, as shown by Fig.
89. This is an easy kite to make and the proportions are easy to
remember. The simplest plan is shown in Fig. 90. Three sticks of the
same size are used; say, ⅜” × ½” × 4½’. The horizontal stick is lashed
to the two vertical spines down one-third the distance from the top,
in this case 18”. The two spines are also 18” apart, which leaves the
extension of the horizontal 18” to each side of spines. Now run a
string around the outside of the framework, and cover as in Fig. 91.
The two cells are now built over the two spaces between the spines.
There need not be any braces for these cells, but another stick of the
same dimensions as the other three is used to keep the keel shaped
portion in place when pulled out by the breeze. The whole framework
can be built rigid, using two short braces about the middle of each
cell out to the fourth stick or keel of kite; the best way, however,
is to make the horizontal stick removable and without the short braces
so that the kite may be rolled up. Remember there are only four sticks
in such a kite and they are all the same size. This kite is sometimes
called the “Coyne Kite,” again the “French War Kite,” and is a steady
flyer and a strong puller. The bridle can be adjusted so as to give
much or little inclination to the breeze. For lazy, easy gliding, the
kite would be adjusted as in Fig. 92, or with the lower horizontal
shorter, as in Fig. 93. The horizontals may be bowed forward and also
backward. We have had all sizes of this kite at the tournaments. Fig.
94 is about five inches tall, while another was sixteen feet tall and
required quite an army of boys to pull it up in the air.
[Illustration: FIGS. 90, 91, 92, 93.]
A similar combination can be made with the square box-kite on the
diagonal with straight surfaces out to each side, as shown in Fig. 95.
Besides the four vertical sticks, there are four horizontal pieces
of the so as to be nearer horizontal. This kite can be modified by
a lower horizontal two-thirds down of the same length as the upper
horizontal, as in same length and one short brace placed centrally in
each cell to keep the fore and back sticks apart. The short braces
can be notched to slip into place and on being removed will let the
kite down flat. This kite will need to be more rigid than the one
just described. A hexagonal box-kite could be made with side wings by
extending one of the braces at each end, Fig. 96, and the pentagonal
form could be similarly modified. Fig. 97 has a little different plan
of extension that looks more like wings. A triangular box-kite is used
as the main structure to build on. Three long sticks are required with
four short braces on each side, eight in all, with eight wing sticks,
four long and four shorter, that are attached to an inner long stick
of the box-like portion and extend across to the short brace of the
opposite side. When a pair of the extension sticks are fastened to
place, they are lashed together at their crossing point. The slanting
extensions are strongly built and add poise to the kite.
[Illustration: FIG. 94.]
The poise of a rectangular kite may be increased by the addition of
slant extensions. The extension pieces start from the lower corner
pieces, pass under the upper corner pieces, lashing fast at both
places, Fig. 98. If a little variety in outline is desired, split
bamboo or reed could be used to make such forms as are desired; even
string connections can be made.
In making hollow form objects both patience and skill are necessary. A
form that is interesting but not representative of any real object is
shown in Fig. 99. Another is the arrow kite, Fig. 100. The flying bird
kite should make a good problem for some ingenious chap. The framework
and stringing is shown in Fig. 101. The cross-section of the body of
the bird is about the shape of a tailless kite. The plan gives such
good bracing construction that very light material may be used. Four
feet would be a good length for this kite. The soaring bird, Fig. 102,
is quite similar in construction to the preceding kite. The body is
never square in cross-section. A little bow is given to the tip ends of
the wings. The back line of the wing changes by means of an extra cord.
This kite is not as stable as “The flying Bird.”
[Illustration: FIG. 95.]
The “flying fish,” Fig. 103, needs vents, as the whole body is a
box-kite. Two views of the framework are given; a center spine runs
the entire length of the fish with two curves at the mouth. The mouth
is left open, so string is used for the outline. The original kite was
very mechanically made. It was beyond amateur work and showed that some
skilled workman had assisted. Much can be done with the brush to make
this a very interesting kite. Scales can be painted and the fins and
tail lined up. Wherever vents are placed, there should be a string for
the edge of the paper to turn over, or it will tear out.
The “Clown and Donkey,” Fig. 57, is the combination of three tailless
kites, and is what is known as a compound kite. Fig. 104 is another
example of compounding. Fig. 105 shows a star kite compounded together.
[Illustration: FIGS. 96, 97, 98, 99.]
=Kites in Series.= A boy may put up a kite about five hundred feet, and
if it is a good flyer, tie the kite line fast and put up another on
perhaps three hundred feet of string. If the second is also a steady
flyer he can tie the end of that kite line to the first and let out
perhaps three hundred feet more of the first line, and again tie it
fast. Another kite is added in the same manner as the second and so
on. The best flyers of the series should be placed as leaders. Boys
have put up as high as forty kites in such a series, and no one has
any idea of the beauty of such a series, when looking up from the
standpoint of the flyer, until he has actually seen such a combination.
Some prefer to take a color scheme and use it for all the kites, others
prefer a great variety of colors, and it is hard to tell which is the
most pleasing. Tailless kites are used more than any other for such
purposes. Fig. 106 shows the arrangement. This is one of the best
schemes for high flying. The first kite should not be put out to the
limit of its lifting power else when the rest of the string is lifted
it will not mount up higher. It should have considerable reserve when
the second kite is attached. For high flying, the kites should be
placed farther apart, and the first part of the line should be light
and strong and the thickness increased as needed for strength of the
combined kites. Kites can be put up to a great height in this way. This
way of combining kites is called “Kites in Tandem.”
[Illustration: FIG. 100.]
[Illustration: FIG. 101.]
[Illustration: FIG. 102.]
[Illustration: FIG. 103.]
Another way of flying kites in tandem is to fasten all kites directly
to the one kite line, the line passing thru each kite after the first.
This method however requires a helper for each kite and they are placed
closer together. At one of the Los Angeles Tournaments, two boys had a
beautiful team of green and white kites arranged in the second series
of tandem. The kites were of the triangular box and house kite order,
Fig. 89, were six feet and nine feet tall, and were nine in number.
There was insufficient breeze to fly them well, but it was great sport
for thirty or forty boys to run with the kite line. They were strong
enough to lift up a large man. The heaviest pull that was registered
was a little over two hundred pounds, but in a good breeze they would
have pulled over four hundred. I would like to show you a picture of
them, but I failed to get one.
[Illustration: FIG. 104.]
[Illustration: FIG. 105.]
[Illustration: FIG. 106.]
[Illustration: FIG. 107.]
[Illustration: FIG. 108.]
[Illustration: FIG. 109.]
In the second series of tandems, while all kites are attached to the
same line directly, there is an individual bridle for each kite,
but in the third series we have a sort of harness that combines all
kites together, so that if one tips forward, all tip forward, and
vice versa. It will be seen that in Figs. 107 and 108 where a number
of tailless kites are arranged in a regular series, that there is a
complete harness running from the larger kite as a head, to the banner
floating out at the rear. Four cords are attached, one at the top,
another at the bottom, and one at each side. The distances between all
points are the same, so when the head tips forward, the second kite
has a similar inclination to the breeze, and so on thruout the whole
series. The bridle is attached at the four points at the head, so
attached as to give a good flying inclination. This series is called
a “Tailless Dragon Kite” and flies well and makes a fine appearance
in the air. The tailless dragon can be made more ornamental and seem
more connected, by extending the spine above the kite as in the head,
a string with a feather edge of tissue paper being festooned from the
top of one kite in the series to the next. At the bottom of each kite
some streamers of tissue paper would help in the same manner, Fig. 109.
The regular Chinese centipede kite, Fig. 110, is not so difficult now
that we have harnessed the tailless dragon.
[Illustration: FIG. 110.]
[Illustration: FIG. 112.]
[Illustration: FIG. 111.]
[Illustration: FIG. 113.]
The Chinese say there should never be more than three strings to
bridle or harness; this bridle has two strings to the head of the
dragon, and three strings to the harness. The harness consists of
the three strings running from one end of the kite to the other. The
Chinese dragon kite usually, if not always, has circular disks for
the body of the monster. Fig. 111 shows a beautiful kite hung on the
wall for decorative purposes and shows the design on the individual
sections, while Fig. 112 shows the same kite held by boys on the lawn.
The lighter portion on the disk is green with gilt scales, while the
darker portion is scarlet. The head is all colors, with red mouth,
white teeth, eyes that revolve with little mirrors thereon to flash the
sunlight. The framework for the head is shown in Fig. 113. While the
framework for each circular disk, Fig. 114, is just a band of bamboo,
with a light strip of bamboo to which the peacock feathers are attached
as balancers, the disks are covered with Chinese paper and decorated.
The disks are 10” and the balancer sticks 30”. The feathers are lashed
to the balancer sticks. The discs are 12” apart. The last disc has
streamers of ribbon or tissue paper. This kite flies well and sways
about like an immense brightly colored caterpillar up in the air.
[Illustration: FIG. 114.]
The dragon kite, Fig. 115, was very beautiful and flew high in the air.
The colors were pink and white. Instead of feathers for balancers,
tufts of tissue paper were used. A special balancer was used for the
whole kite in the form of a hollow ball. Small reed or bamboo was
used for the skeleton, and this was covered with tissue paper. See it
hanging below the kite’s head in the picture. The various sections are
covered with different colored papers. The heads differ, but otherwise
the kites are quite similar in construction.
[Illustration: FIG. 115.]