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Looking for stunt kite plans

In article <17160014@hpnmdla.sr.hp.com> bingham@hpnmdla.sr.hp.com (David Bingham) writes:
>
>  Are there any plans/kits for stunt kites available? I'm looking for a 
>decent performer. Nothing extremely fancy but reasonable turning and
>tracking. Does Stunt Kite Quarterly publish plans? What about any books?
>  Thanks.

Many books have plans for simples stunters, but none of them are really
worth speaking of.  The exception to this is Mark Cotterell's book on
swept-wing stunters (which I gather includes a design for the Lite Flite
S (a kite I don't think I'd buy, let alone to to the trouble to make; on
the other hand, having received one as a present, I don't really feel
inclined to sell it).  I don't have the book, though, so I'm not in
a position to say much about it.  And, unfortunately, the Kite Lines
bookstore doesn't seem to carry it (at least, it's not mentioned in
their most recent issue).

There _is_ a kit, though, put out by Hang-em High Fabrics.  It's a 3/4
dart with a fiberglass frame.  It comes with pre-cut fabric, pre-cut
frame, pre-tied bridle, all the various hardware, and step-by-step
illustrated instructions.  The cost is $50.  It's probably a good kite
to get started with.

If you're feeling adventurous, you might just try to borrow a kite you're
interested in from a friend and build a copy.  My first "real" kite was
a copy of a Mirage (one of the easiest kites imaginable); I've also copied
the NS Extreme, the miniature Revs I've mentioned elsewhere, a
rather modified Bantam (much higher aspect ratio and a camber in the 
leading edge), and a Jordan Pro.  It's not _that_ hard, and it's a lot
of fun.   If you know any local people who build kites, ask questions,
especially questions you can pose while pointing to specific aspects of
kites ("How do you do _that_").  Don't be afraid to make mistakes--the
kite will probably fly anyway.  Everyone looks at my Pro and comments on
the addition I made to the graphic (arrowheads exploding out from the points
of the "star trek geeky thing" (as it's come to be called by local folks)).
Then it's my turn to look sheepish and say that I _had_ to add the extra
bits because I'd gouged the sail with my scissors while cutting some
loose threads.  A mistake, sure, but one that seems to have worked out for
the best.

Jeff
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