Nasa WING 1.8

This flying machine was born out of having no money . The material costs amounted to £20 and the plans taken from the internet ,up to now we had only experiance of cheap delta sports kites and a couple of flexifoils.

For the nasas maiden flight we decided on cleethorpes beach (the we being me and bro inlaw mark ),it was a bright sunshiney day as the song goes, with wind at a steady 15 mph.

Mark had decided to start with the nasa as a twin line kite, (possably as we only had one pair of lines) so the left hand power bridle point was tied to the left hand brake bridle point and the same with the right , the lines (150lb) were larks knoted in place and we were ready to go.

I stood with my back to the kite with a bridle point in each hand, the kite fully inflated above my head ,string trying to remove my fingers like a cheese slicer, Mark with his hands through the straps shouted to let go.

The nasa flu straight up and parked its self 30 m, above our heads , Marks arms streached at full length and the lines screaming like a hendrix guitar , I said it looked very nice . A lady shouted at us to shift down beech as we were frightening the donkeys, a sort of power kiting asbo ,as good boys we did as requested.

After a bit of tuning of the bridle by mark and a chance meeting with a nasa wing guru at sunderland kite festival our kite flys like a dream.

Flight caracteristics ? well it turns on a sixpence you dont push or pull on the straps but almost think it to turn, abit of the force be with you,in high winds it will give a flexi a run for its money in the speed department and the power always seems to be on where ever in the wind window.

If you think I love this kite you would be right ,I have Symphonies a C,Quad, Sky Tiger 40, Lt Devil and other nasa kites, but for total fun my nasa 1.8 takes some beating .

A couple of years ago I nearly lost the kite ,blown out to sea the lines snapped I was nearly in tears! I have learnt to fly the kite on 220lb lines

Jona (age 47 )

By : jona