If you look up at the sky and can't tear your eyes away because someone seems to be painting circles and squiggly lines across it with a giant brush, then either you're having a beautiful daydream, or someone is flying a stunt kite with a tail.
For most single-line kites, a tail is a stabilizing and pretty much essential part of the setup. For their steerable siblings, though, it's more of a (somewhat controversial) "nice-to-have" accessory. For me personally, though, it's a "must-have"!
These kite tails come in all kinds of colors and lengths. The bright, colorful ones are popular and the most commonly seen in the sky, but the black-grey-white ones definitely have their fans too. They look more minimalist, a bit more refined because they're understated, and very elegant. Tube tails, fringe tails, striped tails, made of polyester or plastic – there's plenty of variety in shapes and materials too. Unlike a striped tail, a tube tail fills with air during flight. You can get plastic ones for very little money, and even the pricier, very long nylon ones usually stay (just) under 50 euros.
Many people like it when the tails match their kite's colors tone-on-tone – but I prefer contrast. I think it looks especially great, for example, when a kite made of bright green fabric has a red-orange-yellow striped tail. Just like in the photo. It simply looks fantastic in the sky.
Attaching it is pretty simple: on delta kites, the tail is hooked onto the back of the keel rod, or attached using a kind of "helper loop" made from sturdy string. On sled kites (matten), you need to push the toggle through the loop… (you know how it goes). This loop is often located in the middle of the trailing edge. If there isn't one, you can simply add one yourself… A loop like that can be sewn on with just a few stitches; you don't need to know much about sewing.
The tail doesn't just make a stunt kite look nicer – it also slows it down. The flight becomes calmer and more relaxed, which is why flying "with" a tail – whether on a sled kite or a delta – is actually a great insider tip for stunt kite beginners. The flight settles down and you have more time to focus on steering. But of course, the tail also adds weight to the kite – so you'll need a bit more wind – and the tail should be matched to the kite.
And how do I get this super long thing back into its bag after a fun flying session? Tip: First fold it in half, then estimate the length you need for the bag, and fold, fold, fold the tail accordingly…
Recently on Fuerteventura, I flew my Speed-Delta URO 82 with a tail for the first time (which might raise some eyebrows among speed-kite purists, and that's putting it mildly). But I think it's great. That's because I had set myself the goal of flying a "UROBOROS," which, naturally, only really makes sense with a "URO." According to Wikipedia, a "UROBOROS" is a symbol already found in ancient Egyptian iconography, showing a dragon (or snake) biting its own tail.
In the photo, you can see the UROBOROS just on the verge of completion!
Amelie from the Spiderkites team
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