I’ve been interested in KAP (Kite Aerial Photography) for quite some time, but only ever tried it once (unsuccessfully) in the UK.

I picked up a Giant Delta Conyne kite at the Bristol Kite Festival (in the UK) a few years back and never really had the chance to fly it with a payload.

I finally bit the bullet and brought some Pekabe pulleys for a picavet. Pekabe pulleys are the holy grail for KAP. They’re made for model yachts, are very small, light and smooth. They’re also expensive – I ended up paying US$93 for the pulleys (4 x Pekabe 515 single pulleys and 2 x Pekabe 525 double pulleys).

I’m still playing around with my Picavet design, but will post the results once I find a suitable design.

I’ve also found that the Kite seems to overfly – it goes beyond overhead and then dives and loops to stabilise itself back at about 75-80 degrees. I’ve tried adding huge ripstop nylon tails to no avail, so I’m thinking I’ll alter the bridle on the kite a bit to try and make it more stable.

Below are a couple of photos of the carpark in Port Waikato (Map).