Those with only one flat surface must have tails hanging from the trailing edge to maintain balance. Tails are effective because of their resistance to air. Many light crosspieces of material inserted into knots in a line do well for a tail. The simplest form of plane surface kite is the common 2 sticker. The Malay is a tailless 2 sticker with an altered diamond shape. Its 2 sticks are of equal length. The sticks are crossed and tied with the center of 1 at a spot 1/7 the distance from the top of the other. The bridle, or part to which the kite  flier's line is attached, has 2 strings, 1 from the top of the diamond and the other from the lowest point. The strings meet just below the point where the sticks cross. A string pulled tight across the back of the cross stick bends, or bows the surface and makes the kite self-balancing. The Eddy, or bow kite  developed in the 1890s by William A. Eddy from the USA is much the same as the Malay kite.

In the 3 sticker, or hexagonal, kite all the sticks are the same length, tied and crossed in the middle, and spread symmetrically--with string around the border and the whole covered with light material. This makes a flat surface and requires a tail hung from the center of a short loop joined to the 2 trailing points of the kite. In the 3 sticker the bridle is comprised of 3 cords, each of a length equal to 1/2 the width of the kite. One cord is taken from the center and 2 from the 2 highest points of the kite to the kite's center. They are joined in a knot or by a ring to which the flier's line is attached.

This article is in three parts. Kites Box Kites Fighting Kites