I’ve never really been one for accessorizing. As a budget-minded flier, I’m in it for the kite! Anything else is icing on the cake… or at least that was my attitude in the beginning.
I quickly learned the impact of a good quality tail after purchasing a custom filmstrip from Gomberg Kites. I did my best to snap up couple of kites and streamers before David shutdown his business, but I should have grabbed more tails! …Uh, uh-um. Anyway…
Gomberg’s light weight taffeta banner tails measuring 10ft X 100ft, 8ft X 75ft and 5ft X 50ft are not so easy to come by these days. A handful of stores sell banner tails through AliExpress – Kaixuan Kite, Weifanglanyun, and BLIN TOY – to name a few. Fun With Wind appears to be the only domestic resource remaining. I’ve had some good experiences ordering a few custom tails from New Sky Kites. They are heavier polyester and perform well.
If you’re aware of any other vendors/suppliers who use light weight taffeta, or any other materials for that matter, please include their information and links in the comment section below.
Michael K. Sherman 
I have lots of Diamond Tubes from Gomberg. I have 5 100 foot Diamond Tubes, 5 55 foot diamond tubes and 4 55 foot snake tubes. They are all fantastic. I had many of them custom colored to match my kites. I stocked up on transition tails when he had the sale 2 years ok. I have over 35 of those in various sizes and colors. I also have 10 square pillows in various sizes and other laundry he sold I will follow your blog Michael.
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You were lucky and smart to get them when you could James. I have a couple of 120 diamond tubes. The openings are rather bent. Need to find away to straighten them out. Maybe some surgical tubing around the edges. Thank you for the follow!
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Yes that becomes a problem after several flights. I have had a friend help with this. When the opening closes up it does not look great.
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I have built several banner tails for Jordan Airforms I build. They have all been made from .75 ripsto to match whatever kite I have built. Biggest one is on my Jordan 400, 18 feet wide x 120 feet long. Right at 100 yards of fabric in that one.
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I love the Jordan 200s. A 400 must be quite something!
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As you know Michael, I think flying a flowform without a large tail is like leaving home without your trousers on. Of course in light winds we have no choice, but when the wind behaves the majesty of a big flowform with a giant banner tail is a sight to behold. These kites usually support the weight of polyester well, and New Sky came up trumps with mine. Sleds on the other hand require a slightly more delicate touch, and the taffeta style material on a banner tail works really well. It can transform a plain old sled nicely, and make it more stable. I sourced mine from Ali-Express. Deltas always look great with a variety of tails, you need to look no further than a Flowtail to see how they transform. Tubes, banners, streamers all look great, but in my opinion if you’re going to have one – have a big one!
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Great analogy Jonny. Agree as well on the quality of New Sky and getting something in a decent size. Makes a world of difference in the sky.
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I’ve actually but 2 400s. Dean licensed me over 20 years ago to build and sell them. I’ve made over 30 of various sizes over the years. I’ll show you pictures in Okoboji.
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Will look forward to seeing that.
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