single line beauty

	The orange Tetracaidecadeltahedral' (which means regular fourteen sided body) kite was designed twenty years ago by John Spendlove and my brother Frits. It was a bit difficult to tension at that time, but with the High Tech materials of today it's an excellent kite. Plans of this kite can be found at: tetracaideca (1.60 x 1.25 x 0.85 mtr )

A variation on a Kimono (sode) kite. All three spreaders are bent, and a tensioning line from the sleeves to the top and bottom of the kite prevents the spreaders from bending too much towards each other. The pattern is sewn using a variation on Bobby Stanfields zero tolerance method. The amount of pull produced by such a small and light-wind kite surprised me quite a bit. (2.00 x 1.65 mtr)

	Well, what can I say about the inevitable Rokkaku? Every kiteflier at least has to own one... or two... or three... or... I think I lost count somewere after the first ten. But this is my latest, a very 'balanced' kite A bit wider than the usual dimensions, framed for high winds, and with sewn on pockets so nothing sticks out and could get tangled. (1.50 x 1.25 mtr)

The airplane is a very easy flying kite with delta wings. It needs a medium or strong wind, but flies with almost no pull and is stable on a short line. I particularly like it because you can walk around on kite festivals and talk to everyone with the kite flying from your hand. ( 1,5 x 2,0 mtr )

	The Flowform is the perfect kite for lifting lots of line toys, like the rotating rings below or this tailtwister. Although it's an impressive 3x3 mtr it stores in a medium sized backpack. This particular design flowform is by Herman v/d Broek and Fred Drexler, and proved to be one of the most reliable flowform designs.

These slightly modified panflute kites (one more tube than usual, and a middle keel) are one of the easiest sparless kites to build. I fly both kites joint with a V-line on one flying line. They can bump into each other, but they never come down, and they are very playful to watch.

	These counter-rotating rings do not fly on their own, but are wind wheels attached to the line of a kite. With a diameter of 3mtr (outer ring) and 2mtr (inner ring) they provide a lot of drag, so a big lifting kite like the flowform or a stack of rokkaku's is needed to get them airborne. The rings are huge attention drawers. Where ever they appear in the sky they immediately draw a crowd. Most of the people wonder how they work, if they are kites or not, and why all those lines don't get tangled. A short movie of how they turn can be downloaded here (.AVI, Quicktime required)

This is one of several kite trains I built from plastic foil and wood. It's always a problem that these trains don't last long, after one summer of intense flying the sticky tape deteriorates. Well, it keeps me busy and I can choose a different colour next year.

	This patchwork octagon is completely built from leftovers from the Phoenix kite. It is a simple kite, but still a very nice way to use small remainders of fabric. The colours and the fuzzy edges are loosely based on the traditional giant kites of Guatemala, which are flown on the yearly festival on All Saints Day. Did you count the number of patches in this kite? ( 3 x 3 mtr )

A painting on a hundred years old rokkaku inspired me for this kite, still with bamboo frame, but modern ripstop nylon instead of silk. The samurai face is painted with an acrylic paint. ( 2,2 x 2,7 mtr )

	My favourite storm kite, a simple Conyne. I thought it was indestructible until a Peter Lynn Octopus on the run took my kite in his tentacles and almost crushed it. ( 1,5 x 1,5 mtr )

Another great classic, the Multiflare. This kite flies perfect in light to moderate winds, and has a flying angle comparable with good parafoils, but with a lot less lift. This kite measures only 1,5 mtr, but larger versions are very stable lifters for KAP or line laundry.

	Yes, pigs really do fly!!! As a kiteflier and Pink Floyd nut a combination of both hobbies was inevitable. The 'Dark Side of The Moon" logo is appliquéd on the rokkaku kite, the pig is a piece of line laundry inflated through the nose.

A head that measures 2,5 x 2.5 mtr, a tail of 50 mtr, this Cobra is a killer. And what line laundry do you use for such a kite? Of course, a ringsnake.

	The ringsnake works in the same way as the rotating rings, but it does not form a perfect circle. it makes strange wriggling movements in the sky, seemingly stopping and accelerating all the time.

Lightweight paper and bamboo tetrahedral kite. ( 34 cells, 8 x 8 cm each ) The best comment I've heard on these intriguing kites was by Mel Govig: I believe everyone ought to build or buy one--just one--tetrahedron. That should be enough to satisfy you that it flies, looks spectacular, is hard to carry, is not a snap to build, is often a snap, crackle and pop when it hits the ground. After building one, anyone who then builds a second shows a regrettable tendency toward masochism.

	One of my first homebuilt kites, a paper diamond. It still hangs on the wall in the cellar, but I think the paper has become to fragile to fly it anymore. No surprise after more than 20 years.

My lightest fabric kite, an Icarex and Exell ultra light genki, the perfect kite for a long and windless summer eve. (0,8x2mtr)

	The bundle of shiny white bridle lines of this bamboo and silk Edo-dako is just as beautiful as the kite itself. The bamboo I used was from a large garden torch, cheap and still a very good quality for kitebuilding. ( 0,7 x 1 mtr ) As an extra treat I've put some photo's of the real japanese stuff on the Shirone o-dako page.

This Big Blue Box dates from before the carbon and fibreglass age, It is build with 18 mm ramin dowel and weights several kilograms ( 2,4 x 3,0 mtr )

	Not really a kite, these banners, but four triangles tensioned by a kite. each triangle is 10mtr long and 1 mtr wide, so it makes an attractive ground display. Only usable in light wind conditions, with a huge lifting kite, because the banners produce lots of drag.