Soft Kite: Elephant

When you are flying a a group, it takes more than a difference in design to stand out. Well, all the "parachute" material delta looks quite the same, right? And when you fly often at one place, it helps to have a little special kite to serve as a signature. A little confession; it would like to have a bigger kite if I have nice line laundry to hang. Strangely, they are hard to find in Singapore and my sis already have the clown fish.

I have this, both a differentiator and kind of a show piece, the frameless elephant, direct from CN, of course.

The good thing about frameless is that it comes in a small package. Depending on how you fold it, it can easily fit into any bag. And, there is no rod to figure out. A good change for this shipment includes the 3D kites with 10 spars or more. So, you can just hook up and fly.

Yes, you can just hook it up and fly. Contrary to popular believes, frameless kites actually takes very little wind to fly (but not this one). In fact, those on the right are some examples of kites that are used as "lifters" - to pull large large line laundry - and can stay very strong and stable even in light wind conditions. The design are often dull so that it do not distract from the "creatures" that hang on the line. These are fixtures in every kite festival. Of course, you can choose to fly them on their own.

This elephant, however, has this added design element, which is what attracted me to it in the first place - the elephant trunk.

Upon unpacking, you just have to sort through the mess of lines attached to the kite. This is common among "soft" kites, be sure to spend some time packing them nicely. I lost count of how many strands there are. Together, they form your tow line. Not sure they are not tangled or your sail will not open fully. Tie all the lines together near the end securely. You can either hook a ring at this knot to form your bridle or have some allowance for another knot, which is what I did for this kite.

Before you throw the kite down wind, be prepared to work.

You can hand launch this kite; bundle all the lines together in one hand (an easy way to do this is to slide your hand from the knot down). Walk into the wind and slide your hand towards the bridle again. Then release the line. The sails should catch fairly easily and start to pull on the line. Alternatively, you can place the kite on the floor with all the lines facing up, not the other way. Walk away releasing some lines and pull it up from there. You should also see the sail catch and the kite extended to its full glory.

Initially, the kite will start to rise gently. You will start to feel the pull but maintain tension at this point. In order for this elephant to take off, the trunk need to be filled. You will visually see it bloated up as it rise. Once this happens, hang on tight. The pull on your line will increase tremendously. Make sure you have a good grip on your reel handle as the kite will start to "order" lines very aggressively (I got cut a few times). At no time should you try to pull the line with your naked hands. You'll live to regret.

The elephant will start to climb up, shaking it trunk. It really draws a lot of attention. The one thing that still puzzles me is that it doesn't shoot vertically up when you hold the line. Instead, it will rise to a point where it threatens to collapse totally. Is it the tow line adjustment or the zip at the end of the trunk? I'm still not sure. I cannot get it fly high over a short distance (yeah, I admit, to show off). Like the giant octopus, it seems contented to hover around a low altitude, climbing gradually as you release more lines. That means the trunk is always hanging down. This is nice.

BUT, this kite actually has another print on it that suggest that the trunk should be horizontal. I saw it when I tried to throw the kite overhead at launch. It has a complete different appearance. Does any one know what adjustments I need to make to achieve this? Again, all the online pictures don't help.

I have to stress that the pull on this line is incredible. It is work just to hang on. Keep it in your hands for fear of line snapping. In the air, it will hang so long as there are air in the trunk. I've not managed to totally collapse the sail yet - touch wood. The decline is gradual, as far as I see, resulting from wind changes. You've time to react. Pull on your reel to re-inflate the trunk and it should stay in the air. Its not hard to fly this baby at all. A sure fire will to see a complete collapse is you to slack the line too much. You can try but it's hard for this baby.

Because of its strength, be prepared to sweat it out, and plan for some time, to reel it back. Yes, the ladies need help here and I too find it tough, much stronger than a good delta. Perhaps, this is the reason they are used as lifers (I don't have a nice line laundry or dare to try to do this with the elephant yet). The faster you want it back, the harder the kite will pull.

This is definitely a crowd pleaser and "signature". You'll hear kids running up the Barrage scream its name. And, its bright orange color make it visibly day and night. I get to know some regulars because of this kite. Put one in your bag, though I've not seen it sold here.  

Shape: 3D

Size: 230x530cm, 38cm packed

Weight: 330g

Rods: Nil

Fix:  NA, except for the tow line

Bridle: Adjustable

Tail Provision: Nil

Pull: Heavy

Test Launch Wind: 6.3 km/h

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3D - 并蒂莲

It constantly amaze me how people will stop and watch you launch a kite when you're flying in the neighborhood. Initially, I thought it was a reminiscent of their past but just yesterday, kids stop kicking their football and adults stop washing their cars. Joggers too stop and watch. Nobody stops to watch boys kicking balls or shooting hoops but this little thing just is magical. People can even walk up and sing praises. These really make my day.

Same with this kite. It is a traditional Chinese kite, I think. But once you put it in the air, it grabs the attention from all the big kites around. I once flew this next to a setting sun. What a picture! Wish I brought a better camera. On the right is the modern interpretation and I guess there is a good reason for this. Most American sites carry this design and called it a cellular kite. I guess 3 spars make life a lot easier.

I don't really know what to call this kite. My girl calls it 4-stars but I thought it should be some kind of flower. Google translated this to mean "devoted married couple". Hmmm.

It comes in a small package, shortest in my bag but weigh quite a bit. Upon opening, you'll find a bunch of sail bundled around the center rod and, hear this, 10 spars. Thankfully, we had a dry-run at home before we took it to the field. It took quite a lot of figuring out to put the spars in place. Once they are all in, the spars actually bend a little; all 10 of them curving in one direction. In the field, best to find a low wind spot to assemble this kite.

Once you've put that, the next thing to figure out is the tow and bridle. My package from CN comes with a tow line that is only attached to one end. Where should I fix the other? Too short to go from end to end, and no place to hook up in the center. As usual, no picture on the net helps (that is why we created this blog in the first place). My bet is to hook it up to the center rod via a knot learned in the army. It works. Bridle, as usual, should be around 1/3 way from the top, well, all "experts" seem to suggest this. Ok, let's give it a try.

Holding the kite by the bridle I decided to give a run, since not many people around (ha). Most of the kites are now below my hand. Time to give it some line and maintain tension. The moment the sail caught some wind, the whole kite turns upside down (oh-oh). The bridle is now bottom third of the kite. Will it still fly?

It stays in the air! Much to my amazement. Give it a little more line and it takes off! Wow!

The star/flower climbs slowly up in the air. It literally seems to hang there. Now heads are turning this way. The security guard on duty says he never saw anything like this at the Barrage. Next came the "Beautiful!" and the usual "Where did you get this from?" (hmm, should I start selling kites too?). Better give in more line.

Slowly but surely, it climbs up to join the rest. Soon, it was at the same level as the setting sun! Damn my lousy phone camera. Don't let it go too far or it will appear as a dot in the sky. It's impressive at low flight; it looks big in the sky and the shape and colors just shout for attention. But don't sit down yet.

The pull on the line is light. There is delay it climb when you hold on the line. And, most importantly, it reacts to the wind. Though the movements are always delayed, it does drop with the wind. So, don't fly and forget.

I bought this after playing with deltas and other flat kites. (In the same shipment is another 3D kite, a traditional 3D eagle and a soft kite.) Thought it was fun to try something different. This hasn't fail to amazed and surprise me every time I let it out.

But it is a hassle to put it together, especially when the wind is blowing. And, you'll need higher level of Force 2 to fly this. My 8yo don't even want to get near this kite so some experience is needed here. But once you put it in the air, it will greatly differentiate from the crowd. Given that these traditional kites are generally priced lowly, a very good addition to any bag.

Shape: 3D

Size: 150x150cm, 75cm packed

Weight: 325g

Rods: 10 + 1 center rod

Fix:  Hard

Bridle: Flexible

Tail Provision: Nil

Pull: Light

Test Launch Wind: 8.7 km/h

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Penta - Cutie Horse

When I saw this on the local blog, I can't believe my eyes as it is a poster image from a famous US supplier. In fact, they have quite a few of them. But the other shape is quite common. Look at the color coordination and design. Very nice. Keep up the good work! Jack and Jan.

 Do these kites come from CN? At the price they are selling, just got to get it. Pay US prices plus shipping? No Way! But, what is the catch?

When I first opened it, it has the trappings of a American kite; zig-zig sewing, reinforced spar pocket, and double-sewing on the trims. The material looks right. But on closer inspection, the finishing is poor (but who can see them when its up in the sky?). Could this be one of those that fail QC? Regardless.

On the US site, this is meant to be an easy-flier. It came with an angled joint to help catch the light breezes. Jan reminded me of the importance of the round piece, which is the first time I see such a thing in a kite. It weighs a little. Wonder if it is an original part of the design.

The spars come in 2 sizes. It took a little time for my 8 yo to figure out; the thicker ones are for the top half, longest being the vertical spar. The sail came with reinforced pockets but be sure to poke them into layer 1; one of the spar poked through the sail when fixed to layer 2 after a strong-wind flight (herein lies my suspicion of QC failure). The main vertical spar comes with 2 guide pockets. Don't know what is the purpose of these pockets as they look quite flimsy. Make sure the tow line is tied to this spar. The 2 other thin rods are to support the ears, affixed to the top guide pocket. Even my wife needs help so be handy around the kids.

This kite comes with a tow line and bridle. The bridle is not elegantly tied the American way, so you need to make the knot yourself. The default is fine but I would advise an inch up for light wind.

At launch, hand, the kite wobbles a little. This is stabilized when the tail is fully extended (another brilliant move to combine function with aesthetics, common in American design). Prior to that, you may struggle a little as it will collapse quite readily. Launch is easy at 6 km/h up, you'll need a bridle adjustment (1 inch up) in lighter winds.

Once the angle is found, the good material used for the sail takes the kite up quickly. It will zoom straight up. Hey, the sail is fairly large for an easy flier, which is usually translated to mean kids' kite.

Once in flight, keep a lookout. This kite reacts to the wind conditions readily. You'll find this kind of behavior in most 5-6 pointed shape kites like rokkaku, suruga. So, don't just secure them and have your picnic.

There is no other provision for the tail but I don't advise one. The pull is at best classified as medium and with is reaction to wind, don't hang anything on the line as well.

Overall, this is a good change from the usual CN designs. It is beautiful in the sky and easily identifiable. Kids can definitely fly this but may need help in assembly. Jan is pricing it very reasonably. Trust me, despite its little lack of finesse in the details, it is a good buy (RRP is US$25), better than most SKP kites.

Shape: Penta

Size: 127x158cm with 150cm tail, 100cm packed

Weight: 200g

Rods: 5 + 2 for the ears

Fix:  Medium

Bridle: Flexible

Tail Provision: Tails attached

Pull: Medium

Test Launch Wind: 7.0 km/h

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Poly Delta - Butterfly 2010

• Shape: Poly Delta
• Size: 240x102cm with 265cm tail, 125cm packed
• Weight: 400g
• Rods: 4
• Fix:  Easy
• Bridle: Flexible
• Tail Provision: Tails attached
• Pull: Medium
• Test Launch Wind: 7.0 km/h

I like this cross between a butterfly and a delta. Finally, a good play on the traditional shape. Hope this is the start of things to come from CN, don't you think delta is all quite the same in SG now? Got to have it (yeah,direct from CN again). 

First impression, its beautiful with its long flowing tails; 6 in the middle, 1 on each side. Sized like an ordinary delta but wider, not tall. You can have to join 2 rods for the horizontal. (Note: Saw a larger one in KoK.) The fabric is ordinary but the one thing you'll note is that this baby is heavy, the heaviest in my bag. Since there is only 4 rods, the sail must be accounting for most of the weight. 

Despite the air rump bag,  which is the whole height of the kite, there is still a tow line. Guess you can adjust the bridle to compensate for the weight. 

Hand launch is still possible, in good wind. It is tricky in light wind because of its weight. I would recommend a long line approach to this kite. You need at least a light Force 2, I think. Like its delta cousin, it is very stable at launch.

Once it takes to the sky.it behaves just like a delta, zooming up like nobody's business. You don't want to fly this baby too high or it will lose its sense of size. Also,watch out for wind weakening, it will lose height. I think this is attributable to its poor quality sail. 

Overall,a big change from the dull blue/red/white delta. The addition of design in a familiar shape is a refreshing change. If not for the poor quality and heavy sail, I'll strongly recommend a buy.But consider its beauty.

Keep this thinking hat, CN!

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Wind

This act of nature that can bring so much JOY or despair, depending on how she wants to act on the chosen day. Sounds like my old lady. Thought I should put a word in (at least for this I can).

Singapore being a traditional sea route/trading port should have wind year round for kites to fly. But being near the equator also means that there will be time when there is no wind. Wind power is not being considered here simply because the wind is in patches. Seldom will you see consistent strong wind like those experienced in foreign kite festivals (just ask the organizers how hard they tried to get their big show kites in the air).

Let's put some definition to the wind needed to fly kites. I guess the good old Beaufort Wind Scale is a good place to start. If gives you a visual clue without turning to wind gauges or forecasts, which I'll address later.

Force 0 - Calm
- < 1 mph, 1 km/h or 1 knot
- Still, calm air, smoke will rise vertically

Force 1 - Light Air
- 1-3 mph, 1-5 km/h, or 1-3 knots
- Rising smoke drifts, wind vane is inactive. Small ripples appear on water surface.

Force 2 - Light Breeze

- 4-7 mph, 6-11 km/h or 4-6 knots

- Leaves rustle, can feel wind on your face, wind vanes begin to move. Small wavelets develop, crests are glassy.

Force 3 - Gentle Breeze

- 8-12 mph, 12-19 km/h, or 7-10 knots

- Leaves and small twigs move. Large wavelets, crests start to break, some whitecaps. 

Force 4 - Moderate Breeze

- 13-18 mph, 20-28 km/h, or 11-16 knots

- Small branches move, raises dust, leaves and papers. Small waves develop, becoming longer,whitecaps.

Force 5 - Fresh Breeze

- 19-24 mph, 29-38 km/h, or 17-21 knots

- Small trees sway. White crested wavelet (whitecaps) form, some spray.

This scale goes on to Force 12 - Hurricane, but should suffice for conditions here. Most of the time, the charts will show Force 1-3. (Only seen Force 4 is the southern landfill island). I've added the wave for those at Marina Barrage.

Higher end of Force 1 is sufficient for most kites. I can launch most kites at 4-5 km/h. Gliders like Wala will stay in the sky at this level. Of course, don't expect it to take off. Once you're into force 2, you're in that HAPPY place.  Heed the advise by the manufacturer (though the Americans tend to be conservative). Some kites do need Force 3 wind to fly. 

The following are some of the web resources I use for wind forecast:

* Wind Finder (www.windfinder.com)

- This site is great. It has wind and weather forecasts for you anywhere in the world. Locally, it has many locations including Sengkang, Punggol and West Coasts. 

- Comes will an mobile phone apps for any platform. Go to your "market" and download it. Note takes up lots of space on my Android. 

- I, however, use this only as a guide or when I need a certain area of coverage. Accuracy issue.

 

* NEA (www.nea.gov.sg)

- You know this site. Great for rain forecast but you'll probably not find the "windcast".

- Well, the best that we have. The Nowcast is useful. Forecast? Close but not quite.

* Singapore Weather Online

- http://www.weather.gov.sg/online/searchIndividualStationProcess.do

- One of my favorite place to check wind. This is actually a NEA site. It has something like 28 locations throughout the island, but not near my house, sigh. You can check wind, rain, temperature, etc. There is also a pattern chart showing past few hours pattern.

- This is, however, a Now cast. 

- For those, who like me, cannot access flash website on mobile phones, use the following link for Marina Barrage. You can figure it out for you fav location, I think. This is how we get our wind speed for our test flight at this location.

http://www.weather.gov.sg/online/loadMCurrCondProcess.do?stnId=341&stnName=MARINA+BARRAGE+STATION

Well so much for the resource. There are other things you need to know about this force of nature. 

Fact 1

I've chosen to do the tests at Marina Barrage (not on weekends, though) for 1 reason only: You are on the same level as the wind gauge. Why? Most of these forecasts are describing "surface wind". They are not talking about the wind you and I feel on the field but something that is about 10m up. Yes, when you see 10km/h on the chart, the tree top rustle and you feel nothing, this is exactly why. No worries, the long line launch will take care of it. Or just wait, it will come down from heaven.

Fact 2

At times, you'll see other kites flying in the air but your don't feel any wind, especially places like Marina Barrage or Tampines, OR, kites in the sky are in one direction but you are feeling something else on your face, this is DISTURBANCE. Long story short, move to a spot where a building or any big structure is not between you and where the wind is coming from and, viola, your kites will be in the air in no time (of course, pull long line at launch helps too but space is always finite). 

Whenever I'm in doubt, I'll prefer to trust the trees. To preserve you sanity, and your family's happiness, move to a different spot or use another kite. Otherwise, just take a breather. Don't blame your supplier. Part of this game is the conquest of nature. Or the ugly, angry inner you? Agree?

Enjoy the Wind. Enjoy Each Other.

Next Review

Bird - Rainbow Bird 2010

• Shape: Birds
• Size: 305x165cm, 92cm packed
• Weight: 240g
• Rods: 6 + 1
• Fix:  Medium
• Bridle: Fixed, 2 positions
• Tail Provision: 1
• Pull: Medium
• Test Launch Wind: 8.1 km/h

Another CN direct import, branded, with logo on the sail. The sail is made of parachute material and the spars are those expensive looking silver rods some called skyshark or something. The sail is secured to the spars at the end with elastic band. All that you expect from a high end kite, you can find in this. It comes with a colorful 3m tail as well. The only complain will probably be the color combination. This must be the China-man thing again. 

There are 3 rods to fix for each wing and the central rod. The wings are affixed to the central frame via an angled joint to give it a bowed effect. Each end is secured via an elastic band. 

There is also a flexible smaller rod to insert to hold up the tail shape. Watch out for this one. It will snap when you bend it too much or get caught with other kites/lines (the one you're seeing is a second replacement already). 

The bridle has 2 fixed positions (the lower the wind, the higher the bridle position). It is attached  to a air ramp pocket. Another of the modern design feature in this kite. 

For the tail, there are provisions but you've to tie a string to it yourself. The packaged tail, split into 2, however, comes in cheaper materials that doesn't pack well. 

Since the kite is wide and skinny, it is quite crumble-some to hand launch, but as you know by now, it is my preferred mode, at least for testing purposes (must always consider those with less enthusiastic flying "mates"). Otherwise, it is fairly easy to launch; give it some line, pull it up and see it go. 

I would say this is a mid-wind kite (force 2 up) to fly this comfortably. At lower winds, you need to, or make sure it is, tighten the sail at each end. You can either re-knot the elastic band or for a quick fix, double loop it. (In any case, you'll have to do this adjustment over time. Thinking of changing it to lines so that I can fastened it at each assembly.)

Also, try changing the bridle positions. It helps. 

Despite its shape, this kite is highly stable. It will fly straight up without wobbling. 

It can pull tails, easily. I've not flown this at night so not sure what it can carry. I don't feel a strong pull on the line so a line laundry may not be a good idea as well. 

Overall, best buy from CN. Easy to fly, with all the trappings of a premium kite, and the state of the art modern design features, it becomes a gem in my bag (much less than S$50, haha).

Next Review

Wind  

Delta < 2m

• Shape: Delta
• Size: 196x91cm, 122cm packed
• Weight: 100g
• Rods: 4
• Fix: Easy 
• Bridle: Fixed
• Tail Provision: 3
• Pull: Medium
• Test Launch Wind: 4.6 km/h

This is my CN direct import. The size is a little disappointing (wanted to replace the delta I lost, sigh). It comes with a tail but it is too ugly for me to fly. Definitely not parachute material, more like ripstop nylon. 

Assembly is simple; only 1 rod to fix. Hook up to the fixed bridle position and go. 

Because of it size, I've chosen hand launch at test flight. At launch, it behaves like the diamond, swinging wildly from side to side. Its bigger cousins usually does a little swinging at higher marks, indicating the need of lines. Give it a little more line and it will settle. 

Like a delta that it is, it will truly takes off once the angle is found. Climb very quickly to altitude and remains very stable. 

No problem with tails but kind of small to hang anything big and long. Lights on frame and lines are fine too. 

If you've flown a bigger or parachute delta, this is no biggie. Didn't let my girl fly this because of its violent launch but otherwise, a cheap and easy kite to fly. 

How come it's not bigger, China-man? 

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