All kites are not created equal. It’s important to me that only great kites are used to lift the Sparrowscope; cheaply-made kites are an avoidable risk to your equipment. Even if a kite flies, it may not move around too much in the sky for stable camera positioning, and a kite that does unexpected acrobatics can be quite stressful.
For that reason, I plan on including a kite with the Sparrowscope. I’ve ordered over a dozen kites from reputable manufacturers, and I’ve taken advantage of nice fall weather (and now, mild winter weather) to test them out. I’m making note of:
- Wind range in which the kite can lift a Sparrowscope
- Stability (keeping put, not diving suddenly, and not over-flying)
- Craftsmanship
- Aesthetics
This testing has proven quite valuable already—here’s what a spar looks like when it breaks in mid-flight! There fortunately wasn’t a Sparrowscope on the line when this happened. This is the kind of problem I’d like to avoid for my customers, which is why I’m testing in a variety of conditions.
I’m really putting these kites through the paces, and I’ll continue to do so while working on the prototype before I settle on the model to include. I’ll end this update with some pictures I’ve taken while testing kites.
