What started out as a polite enquiry over at
The Other Place™ turned up a very nice present for anyone and everyone who'd like a some light shedding on this little corner of kiteland.
Back in 1990 Mark Cottrell, formerly of London's
The Kite Store may it rest in peace, wrote a small book~pamphlet entitled Swept Wing Stunt Kites. It remains one of the few properly technical works on the subject that sticks to science and doesn't try to explain kite flight as angels attached to the standoffs. It uses terms like "coefficient of lift" and "effective angle of attack" without warning or mercy. There are graphs.
With the author's permission and Ian Newham's hosting
here is a copy as a PDF. It is well worth the download and some of your time reading it. Although it predates trickery by some time what it says is still relevant today.
Mike.
