Drachen Kite Plans & Materials

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View kite kits in our online store!

 

View kite making materials in our online store!

 

Drachen Foundation Kite Plans

To support kite making in the classroom, Drachen offers these simple paper kites for free download. 

You must have access to an 11x17-inch printer to print these kites (try a copy center). Be sure to choose 11x17-inch paper, and click "Choose Paper Source by PDF size" under "Paper Scaling" before you print to ensure the correct scale and orientation. No access? Draw-your-own instructions are available for some kites.

Note: Teachers, are you too busy to download or draw? Are you puzzled by cutting bamboo or finding winders? Each of these kites can be purchased in a very inexpensive kit ($1 per kite in 10-pack kits), complete with bamboo spars, kite lines, and winders. Click the link beneath the description of each kite to learn more.

 

Trepanier Trapezoid

This kite, designed by Canadian kite maker Robert Trepanier, is an example of the most basic type of kite, the flat kite. Several features make it a good choice for the K-12 classroom or for children's workshops. It has a large trapezoidal sail, with plenty of room for decoration. It flies well in a light breeze. Most important, the flying line attaches directly to the spars in the center of the vent (one-point bridle), which eliminates the need to adjust a bridle.

Kono Dihedral Diamond

This kite, designed by Seattle-based kite maker Greg Kono, is an example of another basic type of kite, the bowed kite. It offers teachers a simple way to demonstrate for students how dihedral helps to stabilize kite flight. Like the Trepanier Trapezoid (above), it flies well in a light breeze and uses a one-point bridle, eliminating the challenge of positioning and adjusting a multi-point bridle. 

Kono Box

This kite, designed by Seattle-based kite maker Greg Kono, is a third basic type of kite, the box kite, sometimes also called a cellular kite. Lawrence Hargrave built the first box kite in 1893. The design was immediately adopted for meteorological investigation and contributed to the worldwide quest for stable flight. In Kono's classroom version of the kite, rubber tubing connects the spars. The kite flies well in a moderate breeze and uses a one-point bridle.