Sat Apr 21, 2012 4:09 pm
A nice lot of responses, everyone. Thanks to you all.
Sorry I didn't come back earlier with my reactions. I've recently been bitten by a different obsession, and it takes up time that would formrly have been devoted to the kites. And fyi, I've now discovered that astronomy plus astro-photography can dig an even bigger hole in your bank accounts than kiting!
But I do still enjoy the kites. So OK, LexB, here are my reactions...
First of all, I wouldn't DREAM of making a tail a permanent fixture on any of my kites! But like I said, tails certainly featured far more in the seventies than they do now, and I just had this irrational urge. It hasn't gone away, yet.
I like SteveC's idea of the hazard warning tape. Pretty cheap, and so easy to renew if I buy a big roll. Vee's idea of the sliced-up black bin-liner appeals even more strongly though, mainly because I've already got plenty of black bin-liners!
Tricking with 2-liners isn't really high on my list of priorities, so there's no problem for me there. I've never really been able to convince myself that intricate and prolonged tricking looks graceful. If I didn't know better, I might even think the kite was simply out of control and the kite-flier was struggling to keep it in the air. Adding a tail, for me, is a way of introducing a bit of variety to my enjoyment of the sport.
The last time I flew a kite with a tail, it was a diamond-shaped two-liner I'd made for myself in the seventies (ripstop sailcloth and aluminium spars), from a pattern in that famous Penguin kite book. I forget the title, but wasn't it written by Peter Powell?
It was interesting to see all your comments. Not as wall-to-wall 'anti' as I was expecting, and it was good to know I'm not alone in enjoying the spectacle that a long kite tail can present.
I shall persist! Not all the time though ...
Brian. (Past it, but reaching back!)
Silver Fox 2.5; HQ Shadow SUL; Rev 1.5 SLE; Spiderkites URO; Etc...