The dotted lines AB, AC, AD, EM, and EN in Fig. 117 indicate ties made with
wire or doubled and hemmed strips of the fabric used for the wings. AB,
running from the top of the front stick to the bottom of the back stick,
should be of such a length that, when the kite is stood on a level surface,
the front and back sticks make right angles with that surface, being two
sides of a rectangle whereof the other two sides are imaginary lines
joining the tops and bottoms of the sticks. This tie prevents the back of
the kite drooping under pressure of the wind, and increases the angle of
flight. The other four ties prevent the back sails turning over at the
edges and spilling the wind, and also keep them flatter. This method of
support should be applied to the type of kite described in the first
section of this chapter.
String Attachment.--A box kite will fly very well if the string is
attached to the top box only. The tail box is then free to tilt up and trim
the kite to varying pressures independently of the ascent of the kite as a
whole. When the bottom box also is connected to the string it is a somewhat
risky business sending a kite up in a high wind, as in the earlier part of
the ascent the kite is held by the double bridle fairly square to the wind.
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