Contents

Ordinary mass-produced deltas rely on performance-sapping drag to compensate for slapdash construction, usually provided by extra material flapping along the trailing edges.

Pick the right kite for the wind Scalloped deltas achieve higher flying angles by eliminating that drag and relying instead on:

refined designs with mathematically defined towing points
precision in layout and cutting for perfect symmetry
carefully selected, hand-matched wing spars
spreaders individually cut to fit each kite, with dedicated dihedrals depending on design wind range

For the record: properly designed, well made deltas with trailing edge aprons can be very steady; light ones can virtually hang in the air in lulls and stout ones can fly in a wide range of winds - trailing edge aprons don't necessarily mean bad kites.

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Hand-made delta kites by Dan & Bev Leigh

Catalog

Falconers section

"To Kite or Not to Kite?" by Gerry Plant
Kite training of falcons

An overview by falconer Dave Scarbrough
David Scarbrough's web page (14 Sept. 1997 version)
Updated kite training article from "The Austringer" issue 30, 1998
Lure your Falcon "Up"

Article by falconer Roger James
An interview with Dave Scarbrough

From the journal of the Drachen Foundation
User report by falconer Matt Gage

How it's being done

Kites for falconers
Line and accessories

Running snap away linkages
Home-made releases
Easy on/easy off Removable Line Hangers

Winders for falconers - electric fence reels

Bird-pest control

About these delta kites

Delta wing types and assorted fin designs

Flying deltas

General kite control and over-flying
Flying delta kites
Tips for light wind flying including the "long launch" with a video
Kite flying for relaxation
Stress relief

Health and safety
Reels, winders & spools
Knots (& swivels)

Fun things to do with deltas

Kite aerial photography
Experiment with custom frames (& weird lights in the night sky)
Kite Trains
Richard Synergy's Delta breaks 104 year-old altitude record!

How to choose deltas

The evolution of my delta designs from the beginning at the Round Pond in Kensington Gardens, London

The Round Pond circa 1970 (from the Wallstreet Journal)
Bob Weil's interview with Alick Pearson from the European Kiteflier, spring 1978
More Round Pond bird kites
How I got started in kites at the Round Pond in London
The history of the delta kite
The delta concept
From layout to test flight
Big deltas
Richard Synergy sets new altitude record with large delta!
Flight tests - past, present and future
Special designs & design dead ends

Deltas with battens
Experimental kites and discontinued designs

Making a Dan Leigh standard delta

Rough guide

Tunnel keel

A note on wood

A note on my use of wood

Site sponsor

Who?

Links and references

Catalog

Shows base prices without tax plus prices for Britain & EC (including 17.5% VAT)

Click here for Kite Specs and Prices		Featured Designs
	R4 Ranger	XFS	Whirlwind	Little Bear
	R5-C Rustler	CC345 & LC345n	Light Whirlwind	Clipper & Clipper GPX
	R6-C Crosswind	R8 Cruiser	Wildcard	Trooper RS

Outside the EC, where there is no VAT (Value Added Tax) chargeable, many of the kites cost about the same in total as they do here in the UK, even including air mail shipping.

Line & accessories: Flying lines, swivels, carabiner clips, falconry hardware; Alternate sources for line

Ordering information: Ordering and shipping information

Map references How to find the house: 1:100,000 scale area map; 1:25,000 scale town center map; 1:10,000 close-up scale map

Home page - Falconers - Catalogs

©1998-2008 Dan Leigh, 54 Osborne Road, Pontypool, Gwent, Wales, UK NP4 6LX