The Festoon Kite

Suggested designs are given in Chapter 7, under 'Accessories'. Use fabric painting oil colours for cloth, and lacquer for paper covers. Allow sufficient time for the paint to dry and then cut out.

Attach the covers to the backbone and crossbars with glue. Fold the margins over the inner bracing strings and fasten down. Use glue for paper, and sew down in the case of cloth covers. The covers should be as firm and smooth as possible. Turn the frame­work over. Prepare 2 in. strips of the material and glue them to the covers and around the framework within the area required.

Decorate the kite with festoons. To do this, tie lengths of strong thread in the form of three loops, at the points shown. Take strips of paper 2 in. in width and 6 in. in length, fold them down the centre, and cut slits at intervals in the centre fold. Now cut the strips in fingers to make the fringes. Open the strips, apply glue down the centre and wrap around the loops. Cover the outer bracing string for the top kite with fringes. A paper tassel on a 1 ft. length of thread is suspended from the bottom of the backbone. A pennant may also be flown from the top of the backbone. See Accessories', Chapter 7, for making these.

The bridle is tied to the backbone in the form of a loop at the positions shown (Fig. 10). Use strong string, 6 ft. in length. The kite line is attached to the bridle with a bowline knot and a reef knot. Apply strips of insulating tape to the ends of the framework, to prevent their splitting, should the kite hit the ground suddenly.

Like other kites, this one will need adjustments of the kite line in order to achieve satisfactory flight. Apart from regulating the position of this line, other adjustments may take the form of lengthening the tassel string, or sometimes using a thicker string. The increase of weight thus obtained will tend to pull the bottom of the kite down. This action will bring the kite nearer to the vertical, if the flying angle is too shallow, that is, if the kite is-inclined too much towards the horizontal. When a kite assumes a shallow angle it will not climb. If on the other hand, the tail is too heavy, the kite will assume a near vertical position, and by reason of this will tend to be blown backwards by the wind mean­while gradually losing height. It is essential that the correct flying angle be established, and this is achieved mainly by observation and adjustment.