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Page 1:  · 2013-11-13 · Introduction This e-book started with a snap-shot of the Power Kites, Chinese Kites, Box Kites and Stunt Kites sections of the My Best Kite website in December
Page 2:  · 2013-11-13 · Introduction This e-book started with a snap-shot of the Power Kites, Chinese Kites, Box Kites and Stunt Kites sections of the My Best Kite website in December

www.my-best-kite.com

Table of Contents

Introduction.............................................................................................................................6Chapter format........................................................................................................................................ 6A Tip For The Frugal............................................................................................................................... 6

STUNT KITES........................................................................................................................7Delta, Diamond, Parafoil or Quad?.........................................................................................................7Types Of Stunt Kites............................................................................................................................... 8

The Peter Powell Stunt Kite.......................................................................................................12Classic Steerable Diamond Kite...........................................................................................................12'Cayman' Peter Powell Stunt Kite.........................................................................................................12A History: The Peter Powell Stunt Kite..................................................................................................13

Dual Line Parafoil Kites..............................................................................................................15Fast And Furious!.................................................................................................................................. 15The Bridles........................................................................................................................................... 15Lines And Handles................................................................................................................................ 16The Pilots.............................................................................................................................................. 16

A History of Stunt Kites..............................................................................................................18From Peter Powell To Parafoils.............................................................................................................18The 30s................................................................................................................................................. 18The 40s................................................................................................................................................. 19The 60s................................................................................................................................................. 19The 70s................................................................................................................................................. 19The 80s................................................................................................................................................. 19The 90s................................................................................................................................................. 20Since The 90s....................................................................................................................................... 21

Flying Trick Kites........................................................................................................................22Is It Different From Stunt Flying?..........................................................................................................22Kinds Of Trick Kites.............................................................................................................................. 22Comparing With Precision Kites...........................................................................................................23Trick Flying........................................................................................................................................... 23Trick Kites In The Future....................................................................................................................... 24

POWER KITES....................................................................................................................25Take Me For A Ride!............................................................................................................................. 25Types Of Power Kites........................................................................................................................... 25Power Kites in Action............................................................................................................................ 26

Surfing Kites..............................................................................................................................29C Kites, Bow Kites and Others..............................................................................................................29The C Kite............................................................................................................................................. 29The Bow Kite........................................................................................................................................ 30The Hybrid Kite, or SLE Kite................................................................................................................. 31

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The Parafoil Kite................................................................................................................................... 32Conclusion............................................................................................................................................ 33

Kite Racing................................................................................................................................34A Fast Growing Kite Sport.................................................................................................................... 34Kite Racing - The Spectacle.................................................................................................................34The Racing Kites.................................................................................................................................. 35

Kite Boarding On Land...............................................................................................................36A Collection Of Action Photos...............................................................................................................36

Kite Skiing..................................................................................................................................38Flying Across Flat Snow And Ice...........................................................................................................38

So You Want To Snow Kite........................................................................................................39Which Kite To Use?.............................................................................................................................. 39

History Of Power Kites...............................................................................................................42Flexifoil -> Ozone Access -> Beyond....................................................................................................42

BOX KITES..........................................................................................................................44And A Few Interesting Variations..........................................................................................................44Box Kites In Action................................................................................................................................ 46

A History of Box Kites................................................................................................................48From Hargrave To The EO6.................................................................................................................. 48

Gibson Girl.................................................................................................................................50The Box Kite, Not The Radio!...............................................................................................................50Specs And Other Details....................................................................................................................... 51

Modern Cody Kites....................................................................................................................52A Great Old Design Lives On................................................................................................................52Retail And Home-Built Cody Kites........................................................................................................52

The Classic Cody Kite................................................................................................................55An Oldie But A Goodie..........................................................................................................................55History Of The Cody Kite...................................................................................................................... 56

Triangular Box Kites...................................................................................................................58From Conyne Kite To Prism Triad.........................................................................................................58The Triangular Box Kite Sprouts Wings................................................................................................58An Unusual Modern Triangular Box......................................................................................................58In Conclusion........................................................................................................................................ 60

The French Military Kite.............................................................................................................61A Classic Box Kite Variation.................................................................................................................. 61In The Shops........................................................................................................................................ 61Ham Radio............................................................................................................................................ 62

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ASIAN KITES.......................................................................................................................63

Beginning With Kites From China..............................................................................................63Types of Chinese Kites.........................................................................................................................63

The Western Dragon Kite..........................................................................................................66Fancy 3D And Others........................................................................................................................... 66Western Influence On The Dragon Kite................................................................................................66The Flat Dragon Kite............................................................................................................................. 67

Dragon Kites..............................................................................................................................70Big Or Small, They Can Pull A Crowd...................................................................................................70Centipede-Style Dragons...................................................................................................................... 70Flying Dragon Kites.............................................................................................................................. 71History.................................................................................................................................................. 72Other Dragon Kite Designs...................................................................................................................72

History of Chinese Kites.............................................................................................................73Ancient Muyuan To Modern Freestyle..................................................................................................731000 BC to 0 BC................................................................................................................................... 731 AD to 1000 AD................................................................................................................................... 731000 AD to 2000 AD............................................................................................................................. 74Since 2000 AD...................................................................................................................................... 74

Two Japanese Kites...................................................................................................................75Much Copied And Adapted In The West...............................................................................................75The Sode Dako..................................................................................................................................... 75The Sanjo Rokkaku.............................................................................................................................. 77

More On The Rokkaku Kite........................................................................................................79Some Background................................................................................................................................ 79Rokkaku Kites In Action........................................................................................................................ 81Some Rokkaku Kite History.................................................................................................................. 82

More On The Sode Kite.............................................................................................................83Some Background................................................................................................................................ 83Sode Kites In Action.............................................................................................................................. 85Some Sode Kite History........................................................................................................................85

Japanese Fish Kites..................................................................................................................86

The Butterfly Kite.......................................................................................................................87Some Observations And Examples......................................................................................................87A Butterfly Zoo...................................................................................................................................... 88

Vivid Balinese Kites...................................................................................................................90From Kids' Toys To Massive Fish Kites.................................................................................................90Types Of Kites...................................................................................................................................... 90The Bali Kite Festival............................................................................................................................ 91

Wau Bulan.................................................................................................................................93

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The Moon Kite Of Malaysia..................................................................................................................93The Wau Bulan - Some Details.............................................................................................................93

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IntroductionThis e-book started with a snap-shot of the Power Kites, Chinese Kites, Box Kites and Stunt Kites sections of the My Best Kite website in December 2008. The content was edited and re-arranged to suit the sequential format of a book.In October 2013, the content was completely revised by re-copying the relevant sections of the website. Many small changes and improvements to the information had occurred over the intervening years. Not to mention plenty of updates to the photos used!The title of this revised edition reflects the addition of new information on Asian kites, adding to the existing Chinese kite information.By the way, I hope you find the clickable table of contents handy – a single click will take you straight to any topic of interest.

Chapter format...Lets take Power Kites as an example. The main web-page on this topic forms the first Power Kites chapter of this e-book, followed by one chapter each for most web-pages that link from the main page.A few web-pages aren't so relevant to answering the question What Kite Is That? So these are left out. The one on land-boarding equipment, for example!On the other hand, the occasional live link to extra information on the My Best Kite website has been left in.

A Tip For The Frugal...To save a bundle on ink costs, set your printer to GrayScale printing so it doesn't use much color ink. For color, you can always read this e-book on the screen. Also, look for Draft or Fast in the Printer Settings dialog box for your printer. This will ensure it uses much less black ink too.Mac users should be able to find similar ways to reduce ink usage. A lower 'print quality' setting can be quite readable and yet uses far less ink.

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STUNT KITESDelta, Diamond, Parafoil or Quad?Strictly speaking, stunt kites have been around since 1941, when a steerable Diamond design was first flown. However, they started to become more well known and available to the public in the early 70s and onwards. Most modern 2-line stunters are durable, fast and capable of tracing out precise patterns in the air. See below!In smooth winds, even a child can have some fun trying to keep the kite off the ground. With much extra practice comes the ability to do predetermined figures.

The trick kite is a particular kind of Delta stunter which has become popular.This opens up a whole different kind of stunt flying, which has less emphasis on flying large shapes in the air.Instead, the kite is made to flip, spin, stall, land and do other 'tricks' both on and off the ground.

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Types Of Stunt KitesMany different types of aerial stunters have been designed, put together and flown, but there are 4 main groups.

• 2 line deltas (they are everywhere!)• 2 line diamonds (like the famous Peter Powell design)• 2 line parafoils (seen these soft stunters down at the beach?)• 4 line stunt kites (also called 'quad kites')

Single stringers will never go out of fashion though. They definitely have their own attractions and their own uses. So many designs are available now, just go to a kite festival and see!

Some can fly really high, others are incredibly complex and ingenious and yet others are breath-taking works of art.

2 line Delta stunt kites... are inspired by the very earliest of hang-glider designs, like the Standard Rogallo. Just like the big man-carrying kite, a typical Delta stunt kite has a main spar and 2 leading edge spars with fabric stretched between them. One, two or even three horizontal spreaders are also used to keep the kite's shape. The shape is vaguely triangular, with some designs looking more bird-like with swept wings. The 2 lines allow the Delta to be steered left and right when up in the air. That means, with practice and a bit of skill, you can make the kite fly just about any pattern you like. The more serious fliers like to use Spectra line for controlling these kites, due to the material's low stretch and high strength. In precision flying contests, many of the 'figures' consist of straight lines joined by sharp turns at the corners.

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2 line Diamond stunt kites... are very similar to the Deltas in how they are steered. They look like the traditional kid's Diamond kite that used to be made from a couple of sticks and any sort of paper that came to hand. Can you relate to that kind of kite flying? I can remember having a lot of fun as a kid, making terribly heavy and inefficient Diamond kites! But it was fun. Plus some string and bits of cloth for the tail.Yes, most Diamonds need a tail for a bit of stability. Some are designed to fly without a tail, like the Eddy. A famous early steerable Diamond was the Peter Powell Stunt Kite. These came with a super-long inflatable tail for extra spectacle!

2 line Parafoil stunt kites... are a development of the original parafoil kite which was invented in the early 60s. Unlike most kites which have single surface sails, the parafoil has an upper and a lower surface.That original parafoil was also the inspiration for full-size man-carrying paragliders. How's that for an influential idea! Like paragliders, dual line parafoils keep their shape by the air ramming into the holes along the front edge.After the wind inflates the soft stunter for take-off, it stays pressurized during flight, holding its thick wing shape. That special shape can generate a lot more pulling force on the lines than a similar sized 'flat' kite would!

4 line quad kites... look a bit like 2 kites joined side to side. They have an extra 2 lines which allow a whole new range of maneuvers.

Tricks like 'axis spins' and 'hover' become possible with a bit of practice. And no, you don't need 4 arms to fly one, since there are 2 lines attached to each of 2 handles! As well as steering the kite left and right, you can alter how 'nose-high' the kite sits in the air as well. It's like being able to adjust the bridle while the kite is still in the air! If stunt kites are the aerobatic planes of kite flying, these quads could be called the aerobatic helicopters!

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So much can be done with these kinds of kites, and so many people are having fun flying them. More officially they are called sport kites. Down at the beach is a popular place to fly, with the wide open spaces and smooth breezes. Kite flying used to be a very laid-back, relaxing thing to do. Even a bit boring for some. But these days it's not unusual to hear words like 'addicting' or 'adrenaline rush' when talking about flying stunt kites! Stunt Kites in ActionCurious as to what shapes or figures can actually be done with a stunt kite? Well, if it's your kite you can do anything you like of course. Carve any interesting shape in the air and then try to do it again, exactly the same. Will anyone ever get around to compiling a monster list containing every stunt in every list that's been published on the web, or in a book? I doubt it, but personally I think it would be fun to learn just a few basic figures then make up a whole lot more original ones! Maybe publish your own list one day. Not surprisingly, over the years some keen people have organized kite flying competitions and displays. At various public events you can see one person, a pair or even an 8-member team put on a dazzling display of fast, precision kite flying. Kite festivals are a sure place to see something like this.

Ray Bethell, the 'Multi-Kite World Champion', is extremely well known for his mesmerizing sport-kite performances at major kite festivals around the world. He holds numerous sport kite records and titles.Ray flies 3 steerable kites, or even 3 stacks of kites, simultaneously. Ray has also produced 2 short movies which showcase his amazing flying skills: 'Good Stuff' and 'Romancing the Wind'.

Much like an aerobatics competition for model planes or the real thing, kite competitions involve flying a standard set of figures. As well, there is sometimes a section where the flyer can exercise a bit of creativity in time with music. A kite ballet! Ballet? That's the official term that's crept in, but not everyone likes it!

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In the photo below, a Delta stunt kite circles around, with a single-line Delta in the background.

To sum up where stunt kite design is today, let's just say all the basic types are still around. Deltas, Diamonds, Parafoils and Quads. The 2-line Delta has seen the most development, with some companies specializing in producing materials just for these kites. Kite spars, once mainly fiberglass from the fishing equipment manufacturers, have become lighter, stronger and stiffer. These days fiberglass and carbon fiber are reserved for the less expensive kites for beginners. Wrapped graphite, titanium and niobium lightweight metal are the materials of choice for the more expensive high-performance kites. Tapered wrapped graphite was the very latest thing in early 2008. Kite sails were once made from spinnaker nylon, handy for its tear-resistant rip-stop construction. These days, even lighter grades of rip-stop nylon are used. As well, there are newer kite sail materials called CarringtonTM and NouveauTM. Lines of cotton, nylon or Dacron are still used for most single-line kites, since it's cheap and stretch doesn't matter much. These materials are still usable for today's multi-line sport kites. However, Kevlar with its low stretch makes for better control with a more positive feel. The ultimate material for strength and low stretch is Spectra, which is popular with the real experts.

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The Peter Powell Stunt Kite

Classic Steerable Diamond KiteThe Peter Powell Stunt Kite is a classic, and copies popped up such as the Cayman stunt kite in the picture down there. Unlike most modern stunters, it was a steerable Diamond. This design enjoyed huge popularity and is still well-known today, although the original design is no longer being manufactured. Every kite came with a 30 meter (100 feet) plastic tubular tail which aided stability and put a grin on the face of anyone watching! It was fairly straightforward to stack the Powell kites too, so people had fun flying several at a time.You have to wonder if all those super-long tails ever got tangled when more than one kite was attached to the lines. Perhaps only one tail, on the furthest kite, was the way to go... In the 1970s, millions of Peter Powell Stunt Kites were sold when stunt flying became a craze in the U.K. Mr Powell himself lives in that corner of the world and has sons who no doubt have flown a kite or 2 themselves by now. Although multi-line kites have also been around for a long time, it was the Peter Powell kite that really boosted the popularity of this kind of controlled kite-flying. Instead of just a handful of expert enthusiasts being involved with stunters and traction kites, the general public ended up embracing all kinds of multi-line kiting.

Steerable Diamonds from a few manufacturers can still be found online. However, the Delta variety and 'soft' 2-line power kites have become far more popular!

'Cayman' Peter Powell Stunt KiteThese kites are not available for sale any more. However, you might find these technical details interesting, particularly if you have never actually handled the kite itself. The photo near the top of this page shows a red and yellow Cayman. See how this sport kite is actually a Delta in disguise! It has nearly everything a single-line Delta has, except a keel. The 2 leading spars are there, as is the spine down the middle and the spreader keeping the leading edges apart. However, the spine is so long that the sail shape looks just like a Diamond from a distance!

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Here's some specs: • Wind Range: 13-65 kph (8-40 mph)• Wingspan: 122 cm (48 inches)• Height: 120 cm (47 inches)• Weight: 240 grams (8.5 ounces)• Sail Fabric: Rip-stop Nylon• Spar Material: Fiberglass

Thanks are due to the guys at windpowersports.com for the above details plus the photo.

A History: The Peter Powell Stunt KiteEarly 1970s The very first kites came with bamboo spars! That's a great choice for home-made kites, but perhaps they don't lend themselves to mass production. These stunters had black plastic sails. Mid 1970s By this time, things were going crazy. The distinctive Diamond stunter was being churned out en mass with aluminum spars. The initial color choices for the sail were Red or Blue, but Yellow, Pink and Black and others soon followed. Enormously long tubular tails which inflated in the wind came in bright red and yellow, and probably some other colors as well. Wooden handles for the flying lines were supplied and the instructions were printed on parchment. Mid 1980s This was the age of fiberglass spars, and the Peter Powell design followed suit. Maybe safety was a concern too! Aluminum is a great conductor of electricity. Not a great material to hoist way up into the air on the end of a couple of wet kite strings, in bad weather. Could be a ... erm ... shocking experience! Black sails were still available at this stage, although the material was now that great kite-making stuff, rip-stop nylon. I imagine the range of color schemes was more varied than ever before, by this time. Post Millenium (2000 onwards) A little birdie told me that Mr Powell gave up selling the design altogether, back in 2006. I suppose serious historians rely on more than little birdies, but anyway... The value of these old kites, some of which are still lying around forgotten in cupboards and old sheds, continues to rise. In fact, it's getting harder to put your hands on one now. If you try a search on eBay, you might just have to make do with a poster showing some Peter Powells in flight... Perhaps people are hanging on to them, now that the value of a flyable original is climbing past US$100 or so in 2009!

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Kite fliers still reminisce about the Peter Powell Stunt kite online in forums and other meeting places. A handful of kids are lucky enough to have a genuine original that was once flown by their father or even grandfather. The excitement reverberates around, with talk of how easy they were to fly and how impressive those long tails were. Some of the kites that are still flyable limp into the air with packing-tape patches. The Peter Powell Stunt Kite lives on! At this writing I have noticed that the very occasional genuine Peter Powell kite still gets picked up from estate sales and so forth. The owners most probably unaware of the true value!

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Dual Line Parafoil Kites

Fast And Furious!Dual line parafoil kites come in a range of sizes and most are built for pure stunt flying fun. Others are built for speed, the record being over 150kph!A soft dual line stunt kite pulls harder on the lines than an equivalent sized Delta, and requires more line movement to maneuver. If you've ever been up close to a parafoil, it's easy to see how it's made. An upper surface, a lower surface, and a whole lot of dividers in between. Typically, there are between 10 and 20 such dividers.Thus the kite is made up of many cells, each one open at the front edge of the kite. During flight, air rushes in and pumps up the kite to form an efficient, hard-pulling wing. Some of the cheapest kites use plastic, but any decent dual line parafoil is constructed of rip-stop nylon. The stuff sailing spinnakers are made from! Very strong for its weight, and tear-resistant.'Rip-stop.' A small rip will stop before going very far!

The BridlesThe exact designs vary somewhat from kite to kite, but in general... The left upper under-side of the kite is attached to a number of quite short bridle lines. These lines all come together to a thicker single line, which in turn connects to the left flying line. There is an identical mirror-image arrangement of bridle lines on the right hand side of the kite. Thus, the 2 flying lines restrain the kite. Pulling the left line causes the kite to loop left. Similarly, pulling the right line causes the kite to loop right. The more you pull, the tighter the turn, up to the limit of the kite's performance.

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Lines And HandlesAnything that's strong enough will work, but the most popular line materials are Dacron (a brand of polyester) and Dyneema (a special type of polyethylene). Nylon is usable too, but it feels like you are flying with rubber bands! Dacron is better, and is popular for single-line kites too, where stretch doesn't matter at all. Dyneema, which happens to be very low-stretch, is the ultimate line material for multi-line kites. It is extremely strong for its weight too. Hence, a set of Dyneema lines can be quite thin and still do the job. Thin lines have less air resistance and let the kite move faster through the air. Do you have the need for speed? One little known fact... Apparently, Dyneema has a relatively low melting point. This means friction from lines of other materials can easily slice it through despite its high tensile strength at lower temperatures. Gulp. Don't tangle with other kites... Moving on to handles. The pricier kites often come with a bar, as opposed to 2 separate handles. This arrangement offers more comfortable and precise flying, particularly with the larger kites. If the bar is anchored by your body, that takes a lot of stress off your arms while you fly. Wind surfers do this all the time.

The PilotsYes, if you fly a dual line parafoil kite, you are entitled to call yourself a pilot! Well, a kite-pilot to be more precise. Age. Adults are stronger than young teens, who in turn are stronger than even younger children. A person's strength and weight determines how much kite pull they can safely handle. Although other design factors can influence how hard a kite pulls in any given wind speed, the main one is simply size. More sail area equals a stronger pull on those flying lines. Hence, it pays to take notice of the age ratings on dual line power kites. Also, be careful about taking any big kite out in strong wind conditions! Skill/experience. Amongst a group of pilots the same age, those with superior kite-handling skills will be able to safely fly somewhat bigger kites. They know how to position the kite to reduce the pull when necessary. Not to mention when to give up and let go, or use the de-power feature! But then, their superior knowledge would probably lead them to not even attempt to fly in such conditions...

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Have fun! Picture yourself on the sand, in a stiff smooth breeze... (The kite in the photo below looks like it has a couple of brake lines as well, but it's essentially being flown as a dual line kite)

Photo courtesy of Sookie.

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A History of Stunt Kites

From Peter Powell To ParafoilsWhen did the history of stunt kites begin? Putting it another way, since when have kites had 2 or more lines attached for doing tricks and stunts? I've had a scout around, and here's a few details! As time goes by, I'll make this history of stunt kites more complete and accurate. But for the time being, I reckon it's a fair overview of the development of stunt kiting. Dual line kites have been around for a surprisingly long time.Possibly the first recorded 2-liner was made and flown by a Swiss man, Dr. Colladon, in the mid 1800's. His steerable kites were apparently based on the arch-top single liner which was popular at the time.Have you seen old illustrations featuring a diamond-like design with a curved top edge? That's the arch-top.

Following on to this was the so-called Davis Star. This steerable kite was invented in the late 1800's and inspired by the hexagonal single-liners of the day.The Star was designed to get a rescue line to shore, from any ship that found itself in trouble near land. I have not done the required research to discover whether this was ever done! However, it certainly sounds feasible with a large enough kite and light enough line. Modern experiments prove that it flew controllably.

Around the turn of the century, the Wright brothers in the United States were famously experimenting with powered flight. But not before doing a lot of work with kites. This included a 2-line box kite. How about that!

The 30sAn unusual 2-line box kite named the Air-o-bian caught the public's attention for a while. The only comfortable way of pronouncing that name would seem to be 'Air-OH-bee-an'. Agree?

Does anyone recall their parents or grandparents fiddling around with one of these? Contact me with details if you do! A quick web search has turned up almost nothing. Perhaps Pelham, the kite historian, has written on it somewhere.

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Thanks are due to Dr Alex Kraaijeveld from the U.K. for making me aware of these pre-1940s occurrences of steerable designs. Here is his illustration of dual-line kite development, which gives a great over-all perspective of the history of stunt kites.

The 40sLarge steerable kites with two control lines were used during the second world war for training naval antiaircraft gunners! A pilot on the ground would fly the kite around, making it hard to hit.

I've seen a photo, the kite itself really looked like a Diamond stunter. A fairly big one, standing about as tall as the man holding it. The concept was developed by Paul Garber, a U.S. Navy Commander.

The 60sHowever, 2 line steerable kites for the general public didn't appear in stunt kite history until the 60s. In fact, the very first production stunt kite was named the Glite. It went on sale in 1967.

The 70sThis was the era that stunt flying really started to blossom. That's because the Peter Powell Stunt Kite was developed in 1972. At last it was much easier for anyone to buy and fly a stunt kite. The Peter Powell kite was a diamond with a very long, inflatable tail. The idea at the time was to trace big patterns in the sky with the tail!It's getting harder to find original Peter Powell kites, or even copies such as the Cayman, which came onto the scene much later. But to this day, there are still a few examples that are taken out to fly from time to time. Some more patched up than others. Truly, a classic stunt kite.

The 80sDuring this time, many manufacturers came out with delta shaped stunt kites. Watching or competing in kite flying contests became a cool thing to do. At this point in the history of stunt kites, team flying became a spectator sport with stacked kites performing colorful precision maneuvers in the breeze. People flew deltas, diamonds or flexifoils, depending on their preference. Some well-known names from this period, apart from the still-popular Peter Powells included Hawaiians, Hyperkites, Flexifoils, Trlbys, Rainbows and Skynasaurs.

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The flexifoils were similar to the parafoils which had been invented in the early 60s, but had a flexible spar running the entire length of the leading edge. The flexifoils got a reputation for being very fast through the air! Any history of stunt kites should mention one particularly notable design of the period, the Mirage. This kite was a cleverly designed tailless delta that managed to win a lot of contests in the mid to late 80s. This design was by Mike Jones, of Jones Airfoils. In those days, flyers would do 3 compulsory maneuvers rated 1-10 plus a 1-3 minute freestyle demonstration. All pretty basic stuff compared to what can be seen in modern contests. Also during the mid 80s, the so-called 'big wing' stunt kites were invented. These kites were deltas with wingspans up to about 2.5 meters (8 feet). The first of this kind was called the Hawaiian Team Kite.

The 90sFrom the 90s and on, the early parafoil idea was developed into traction or power kites in which the main idea was to get pulled along on a surfboard, land buggy or snowboard.However, some designs remain in use as sparless stunt kites by a lot of people because there's nothing rigid to break! Great for people just getting started in stunt kite flying. But say 'stunt kite' today, and it really means 'delta stunt kite' to most people.

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Since The 90sRip-stop nylon has become the favorite material for kite sails. Not only kites for stunting, but just about every kind of commercially available kite. An example of a sparless stunt kite is the Stardust CAD. Suitable for beginners, it's hardy and doesn't have a huge pull. There are plenty of parafoil stunt kites on the market, with the main advertising catch-phrase being 'nothing to break, just have fun'. A somewhat more high-performing kite design is the Prism Stylus range of kites. These come in ready-to-fly packages which include Spectra lines, winder, flight straps, and a tiny stuff sack or bag for storing and transporting. Seattle Airgear is a company that is very serious about designing, making and flying stunt kites. They use aeronautical engineering know-how to develop their kites. For the more fussy flyer there is the WindDance Dual-line Parafoil Stunt Kite. That's it for my short history of stunt kites! Hope you enjoy this picture of exuberant stunt flying...

Photo courtesy of Rick Audet.

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Flying Trick Kites

Is It Different From Stunt Flying?Trick kites have been around for a long time now, although they have changed and improved over the years. So what actually is a 'trick'? Tricks tend to be done in one spot, in the air or close to the ground as part of a landing or take-off maneuver. Sometimes they are referred to as 'slack-line tricks'. Now there's a real clue!By throwing both hands forward, the kite can be 'stalled' so it hovers and floats down on its face. Or it can even be flipped over onto its back, where it can hover while there is no tension in the lines. A tug on one line will then send it spinning around on the spot. Beginners find these kites uhhm trickier to fly, compared to just about any other type of kite. On your first attempts to fly one, be prepared for a few unplanned landings! Some harder than others.Hence, it would pay not to learn trick flying on the most expensive model available. Most 'tricks' can be performed on any good Delta stunt kite, but of course a special trickable kite is best. A skilled flier can do a lot of fancy tricks based on a basic set of moves. These fliers are sometimes referred to as pilots! Trick fliers also combine landings and take-offs with fancy moves, and refer to this as 'groundwork'. Neatly landing a kite on one wingtip after a low-level trick is an example of this.

Kinds Of Trick KitesThere are dozens of good trickable kites available in the shops, including on-line stores. Many of the old ones still perform well and find their way onto eBay at much reduced prices. The technology keeps advancing, making it harder and harder for anyone to just whip something up at home from a set of kite plans and expect similar results to a shop bought one. These kites are now available in designs that suit a wide range of wind conditions. Do you live in a very windy location? A kite such as the Prism Alien is built for high wind conditions. There's an Alien in the photo over there. Mind you, it's not a beginners' kite. A new one used to cost more than US$200!

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Right down at the other and of the wind speed range, the Tattoo Zero Plus needs so little air that it can be flown indoors! See the silver and yellow kite over there. The Zero Plus is designed as a very capable light-wind trick kite for beginners and up. Apparently it's good in those gusty but light conditions that can be so frustrating with a lot of other kites! I mean any other kites. Curious about prices? I just mentioned an expensive one, the Alien, but the kite manufacturers know that lots of people can't afford that kind of money. Some kites go for over US$300! However, some beginners models are available around the $20 mark or less. That's new. Of course, you can always find stuff much cheaper on the second hand market.

Comparing With Precision KitesSo how is a trick kite different from the stunters that you see doing precision figures in the sky, during a team display for example? Apart from the sheer ability to do all the 'radical' maneuvers from the officially recognized list of tricks, plus maybe a few more. Well, the first trick kites were considerably less precise than the stunt kites that inspired their design. In other words, you could try to fly a straight line with one, but it would be a lot harder to do that successfully, compared to a precision stunt kite! Another difference is that trickable kites usually have a higher aspect ratio than precision kites. Put simply, that just means thinner, more pointy wingtips. There can also be differences in the way bridles are designed and various other adjustments. You won't find a 'trick line' on any other kind of kite. Some trick kites are actually quite complex to set up, out of the box. Just like all aircraft, there is a general principle that more stability means less maneuverability. And more maneuverability usually comes with less stability and control. And so it is with stunt kites and trick kites.

Trick FlyingI had a think about how trick flying might have started. It's not hard to imagine really. A stunt kite suddenly stalls in gusty conditions. The flier just happens to scratch his ear at the same moment, causing the hovering kite to spin through more than 360 degrees. 'Hey, how cool was that!' he thinks, and trick flying was born. Well, I guess we'll never track down the very first trick.

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Somehow, somewhere, people discovered that delta stunt kites were capable of all kinds of radical maneuvers, when deliberately flown in and out of the stalled condition in various ways. There are so many possibilities, new tricks are being perfected all the time. A few of them become well known and popular enough to make it onto the 'official' list. Which brings me to the 'official' side to trick kite flying. By 1999, the trick flying community was really recognized by a certain kite manufacturer, R-Sky, in France. They came up with a competition format which was named Tricks Party, The competition flourished in Europe, and by 2005, a global competition was held. By this time, trick flying had been pushed to new levels. Old tricks were dropped, new ones were added and rules were refined. All this did not go unnoticed in the U.S. Sure enough, Tricks Party U.S.A was later formed to cater for the growing interest among American kite fliers. However, TPUSA was apparently closed down in 2008.

Trick Kites In The FutureSome trends can be seen, and are sure to continue for many years.

• There is a growing emphasis on Freestyle, where individual tricks are connected together into a routine. Sort of like a precision kite display, but the important thing is the tricks rather than accurate shapes carved in the sky.

• Trick kites are being designed with better and better precision. This makes Freestyle flying more attractive to watch. And possibly more satisfying for the pilot too!

• Precision kites are becoming more 'trickable' too. I wonder if this might mean that a few tricks might eventually creep into official figure-flying. Don't be surprised.

Photo courtesy of Braden Kowitz.

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POWER KITESTake Me For A Ride!Power kites first made an appearance way back in the 1970s, when the Flexifoil stunt kite became available for anyone to buy. This kite had a single flexible spar running the full length of its leading edge. The front edge, if you're not quite up with the terminology. This was a fast kite with plenty of power, and people still fly this design today. Anyway, a small number of people soon started experimenting with the Flexifoil as a traction kite. They found several ways to drag themselves along, for example over sand in a small wheeled buggy. In fact, these days, kite power is used over

• water• sand / dirt and• snow

Parafoils are the type most commonly used over dry surfaces, while down at the beach, Leading Edge Inflatables are the most practical. Also, a small parafoil trainer kite is an excellent way to get ready for flying the bigger kites, over any surface.

Types Of Power KitesOver the years, kite designers have made large kites for specific sports, so there's a lot of different types. I'll avoid getting you bogged down or bored to death by just mentioning 2 broad categories...

• power kites• traction kites

Some people call all 2, 3, 4 or 5 line flexible kites 'power kites'. Many other people, including me, divide these into 2 or 3 line 'power kites' and 4 or 5 line 'traction kites'. There is a big range of sizes available, and cost depends a lot on size.

Now, are you totally confused about exactly what is a power kite and what is a traction kite? What's the real difference? I'll try and sum it up for you...

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Power kites are at the smaller and cheaper end, and are used mainly for stunt flying or just having fun. Yes, they are just another kind of stunt kite. A small power kite is pretty fast through the air, which is part of the thrill of flying it! There's one in the photo over there, courtesy of Mike.However, if they are 3 square meters (about 30 square feet) or bigger in area, they pull quite a bit. Naturally, people then think about using them to pull along small land buggies, for example. Depending on wind conditions, there's nothing to stop you flying a 4-line traction kite as a rather expensive and impressive stunt kite! The extra brake lines let you turn the kite with less arm movement than the 2-line variety. Also, the brake lines are handy for bringing the kite down onto the ground with a bit more control. The picture down there shows a kite surfer in action.With 4 or more lines dragging through the air, and other aerodynamic reasons, traction kites are a bit slower than the smaller power kites. Most surfing kites are not parafoils. Can see the leading edge spar and a few other shorter spars helping the kite keep its shape? Photo courtesy of Jan Hecking.Some kite surfers these days are into kite racing around a course, much like a boat race. Although it's possible to be self-taught, many people these days sign up for kite surfing lessons. This way, progress is quicker and important safety lessons are learned the easy way.Often, a small trainer kite is used for the initial introduction to ground-handling.

I might just mention here that some traction kites are built purely for speed, compared to other kites of the same size. These are 'racing kites', and if you get one, don't expect it to be as easy to fly as other traction kites!

Power Kites in ActionOK, how do people fly power kites these days? What a big topic! This type being so popular, the manufacturers have managed to cater for just about everyone. Young children can fly the smallest 2-line power kites under supervision while down at the beach. At the other end, top-notch athletes push the limits doing freestyle tricks over snow or in the surf with other kite boarders, using very expensive Leading Edge Inflatables.

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The top-end traction kites are more like aircraft than toys. That's not at all surprising when you consider that some parafoil kites used for traction are made by paraglider manufacturers! The cost of these flying wonders can exceed 1000 US dollars. Mind you, if you are a very patient person, you could save a bundle by making power kites from scratch. Heaps of sewing involved, believe me. It's wise to have a chat with the experts about what kind of power kiting you'd like to do, before actually laying down your cash for a kite! Time for a Big List. I love lists, I'm one of those list-driven types of people. :-) Even if you're not like that, a list is a great way of summarizing information. It struck me that power or traction kites are used in a huge number of ways, so here is the biggest list of power kiting activities you will find on the Internet.

• pure fun, just aimlessly flying a multi-line Parafoil kite as far as possible in all directions

• learning some stunts and practicing them for fun, or competing in kite flying contests• in a controlled way, letting yourself get dragged across dirt, sand, ice or grass• breaking silly records, such as in September 1988 when a 43 square meter (460

square feet) parafoil broke the record for the Worlds Largest Stunt Kite• breaking sports records, such as the C-class unlimited speed sailing record, with a

set of catamaran hulls powered by a winch controlled stack of Flexifoils! Cool.• kite surfing, or getting dragged along while riding a surfboard• kite surfing while riding a windsurfing board• kite surfing on a kiteboard• body surfing powered by a traction kite• snowkiting, or getting dragged along while riding a snowboard• kite-boarding on an all-terrain board• kite boarding on a mountainboard• kite boarding on a landboard• kite sailing a boat on water• kite sailing a sled on ice• getting dragged along while riding ice skates, rollerskates or rollerblades• kite skiing over snow• riding a kite-powered land kite buggy• getting dragged along while on water skis• dangerous: kite jumping, where you let yourself leave the ground for as long as

you dare• even more dangerous: man lifting, where a large tethered traction kite lifts

someone high off the ground'Freestyle' kite-skiing and kite-boarding have both seen big increases in popularity, as well as kitesurfing.

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If you have a think about it, it's not hard to make up a few kiting sports of your own. Here's my little effort, but don't try these at home ;-)

• kitebagging, across wet grass while wearing a large plastic garbage bag (very do-able I'm sure)

• kiteduning, over and around sand dunes on your bare feet, 'getting some air' once in a while (mmm how practical is this..)

• kite-vertising, using your kite as a billboard at public events (not as silly as it sounds)

• kitebiking, using your feet to steer and your hands for the kite (you'd be stupid to try this)

• wet stunting, flying your kite underwater in tidal currents while scuba-diving (I wasn't serious, but then I saw some pics of people actually doing this!)

Think I'll stop before it gets too silly. As you can see, just about any way of moving across the earth's surface might be tried by a keen traction kiter! The history of power kites extends back to the 70s. Using big kites to pull you along isn't a new idea!

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Surfing Kites

C Kites, Bow Kites and OthersWho hasn't been down to a beach and noticed board-riders being drawn along by large surfing kites? Now, it's not just seagulls and swimmers that are a common sight at beaches. A large proportion of the explosion in extreme sports after the year 2000 is the kite-surfing crowd! This is just a very quick introduction to the kites used by these surfer dudes. This is, after all, a Kite Site, so I'm choosing to focus on the engine of this sport rather than the sport itself.My family saw quite a bit of kite surfing action in a short space of time in 2007, at the Adelaide International Kite Festival. The breeze was howling, and the surfers were loving it! Whitecaps on the ocean, and board riders getting airborne all over the place. We watched from the jetty in Semaphore. Are you curious about these big made-for-water traction kites? If so, and if you haven't had the chance to chat about them with a kite-surfer, here's an introduction to the 4 main categories being flown today. Also, a special focus on one of the most popular surfing kites within each category.For the popularity info, I relied on some enthusiastic members of a big Australian water-sports forum. That's not a world-wide survey, but I'm hoping their opinions aren't radically different from the rest of the kite surfing world!

The C KiteIt's obvious isn't it? A big 'C' shape on the end of those long lines! These were the first surfing kites, and they were designed to float if they came down in water. A pretty essential feature for a kite used in the ocean, and achieved by means of an inflatable spar running along the leading edge. That's the front edge of the kite. Hence these kites are also known as Leading Edge Inflatables, or LEIs which is less of a mouthful.These kites were also designed to be easily re-launched from the water if necessary. On some designs, there are shorter vertical spars which are inflatable too. Actually, it seems surfers talk about 'struts' rather than 'spars', so we'll use that word from here on! Why are LEI surfing kites still being used when at least 3 other types have since been developed? One reason is that they respond in a quick and direct way to control inputs from the board rider. Perhaps the biggest reason is just that they are fairly simple!

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Everyone likes a kite that just keeps on going with a minimum of wear, tear and other failures. I asked around in the forum about which kites appeared to be the most popular. Overwhelmingly, in the C Kite category, the choice was... The Slingshot Fuel.Now for some basic facts on this design.

• Flying Lines - 4, attached to a bar• A fifth line, attached to the leading edge, enables

the kite to be brought down in a hurry, if needed• Leading Edge and other struts interconnected so

they can all be pumped up in the one operation• Struts integrated into the canopy for lighter weight

and greater strength in flight• Sizes from 7 to 17 square meters of sail area

On that last point, the size is selected according the combination of surfer weight plus the expected wind strengths. Big surfers need bigger kites, and riding in lighter winds requires bigger kites too. To cover the full range of weather conditions, a keen rider might have a 'quiver' of 3 surfing kites. The Naish Torch also got some mentions in this category.

The Bow KiteThe Bows were the next generation to come out, and their big selling point was the fact they could handle much bigger wind ranges than the LEIs. They were de-powerable, meaning that the rider could alter the kite's angle of attack to the wind, to a large degree.Never mind the aerodynamics, the bottom line is that the pull generated by the kite can be easily reduced, while keeping the kite in the same area of sky. One thing that made this possible was the flatter curve of these kites, compared to the deeper C shape of the LEI. Another practical result of this was that you didn't need 2 or more surfing kites to cover all wind conditions! However, there were a few downsides to the early Bow kites. They tended to be a bit harder to fly than the LEI, and pulled more heavily on the rider's arms as well. Hence they could be fairly tiring to fly, particularly in strong wind. Finally, if a Bow hit the water it could be trickier to re-launch than the equivalent LEI.

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And which one was our forum kite surfers' favorite? The Cabrinha Crossbow. Again, here's a few basic facts...

• Flying Lines - 4, attached to a bar with a pulley system

• Full de-power by pushing the bar away, past a certain point - so the kite drops to the water

• Leading Edge and other struts interconnected so they can all be pumped up in the one operation

• Struts integrated into the canopy for lighter weight and greater strength in flight

• Sizes 7, 9, 10.5 and 12 square meters of sail areaThe BEST Waroo also got plenty of votes, followed by the Ozone Instinct.

The Hybrid Kite, or SLE KiteBy 2006, kite designers really excelled in striving for the best of both worlds. They managed to combine the easy re-launching characteristics and moderate bar pressures of the original C kites with the 100% de-power ability and higher performance of the early flat LEI kites. Hence the term Hybrid, which just refers to the combining of 2 things together. Kite design in this case. A noticeable feature of these Hybrid surfing kites is the Supported Leading Edge or SLE, where a series of bridle lines attach to various points across the kite's leading edge. Hence many riders refer to these kites as SLEs. The handling of these kites has been developed to the point where even beginners can soon master the required flying skills. Apparently there's a lot of these SLEs around now, but in March 2008 the forum poll showed up a clear favorite... The Slingshot REV.A few facts about this one...

• Flying Lines - 4, attached to a 'Directdrive' bar with no pulleys

• Full de-power by pushing the bar away, past a certain point - so the kite drops to the water

• Sizes in 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 and 15 square meters of sail area

Other Hybrids that got a few mentions were the Flexifoil Atom and North Rebel designs.It's worth mentioning here that a typical new inflatable kite of any type comes with the following items:

• User Manual • Carry Bag• Pump• Repair Kit

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The Parafoil KiteThe parafoil kite, or just foil as many abbreviate it, is much different to the other 3 types already mentioned. This type is much like a parachute, in that it is completely flexible and relies on many bridle lines to hold its C shape in the air. Like most land-based kites these days, rip-stop nylon is the usual sail fabric. These surfing kites have upper and lower surfaces, with ribs sewn in between to form cells. When in flight, air pressure inflates the cells, giving the kite a wing-like shape that generates lift. Just like an aircraft wing. What about when one of these kites hits the water? The designers have taken care of kite-surfers here by providing an extra feature. Inlet valves! Air can force its way in while the kite is flying, but otherwise the valves stay shut, keeping the kite inflated. Hence, it doesn't sink once it hits the water, and can be re-launched fairly easily. Parafoils designed for water in this way are known as closed cell foils. Since you don't need a pump to inflate a foil, these are also known as self-inflatable kites. The latest surfing kites of this type have wide de-power ranges, just like Bows or SLEs. Hence they can be flown in a wide range of wind conditions. It seems that not all the guys in the forum like parafoils, but among those who don't mind them, one design stands out.... The Flysurfer Pulse 2.A few basic facts about this kite...

• Flying Lines - 4, attached to a bar• Full de-power via a 5th line, to dump lift in

emergencies, or to land the kite• Sizes in 6, 8, 10 and 12 square meters of sail area

Honorable mentions must also go to the Peter Lynn Venom, Flexifoil Blade III and the Flysurfer Speed in this category!

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ConclusionThis has been just a glimpse into the world of surfing kites, from the perspective of a non-surfer. It's a snapshot of the surfing kites being used by Australian riders in 2008. If you knew nothing when you arrived on this page, I hope you now have at least some appreciation for these specialized power kites!

Many thanks to the real experts from the kite-surfing forum at Seabreeze.com.

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Kite Racing

A Fast Growing Kite SportIt seems that a small number of people have been kite racing on land for quite some time. Indeed, this became popular enough for manufacturers and designers to take notice and produce special racing traction kites. For example the Ozone Yakuza and the PKD Combat. However, in 2005 a very significant new direction was taken in the traction kiting world. A big sailing club and a kite surfing organization got together and experimented with sending kite surfers around a course. It was an interesting melting-together of a sailing regatta and a kite surfing competition. Top riders from other countries also started to experiment with course racing. Many were looking for 'somewhere else to go' after having been immersed in the freestyle kite surfing scene for years. Meanwhile, in the United States, the level of involvement and enthusiasm finally resulted in a national competition being organized in 2007.By this stage, many different approaches had been tried, with regard to technique and also equipment. For example, boards with a hydrofoil underneath were very quick upwind, but proved slow in other directions. 'Directional' board designs proved to be much more competitive than other types. Boards with too many fins were slower, and so on.

Kite Racing - The SpectacleWhen run close to shore over relatively short courses, kite racing is a real spectator sport!As the riders wait for the start, a gaggle of colorful water kites weave around above the waves as they jostle for position. Just as in a sailing race, the starter's gun goes off and it's a race for the line. As riders pick up speed, long white trails appear behind them as the boards carve through the water. If the conditions are challenging, the occasional rider might come off the board and hit the water while others skim past! The most skillful round the marker buoys closely, hardly dropping any speed as they smoothly make adjustments to the kite which is powering their progress. Because of the boards' small size, kite surfing is actually faster than any other motor-less water craft in light and medium wind. Including windsurfing boards! The riders try to fly the largest kite that they can handle in the conditions, in order to extract maximum pull from the kite and therefore maximum speed through the water.

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The Racing KitesThis is a kite site after all, so here's a quick roundup of the type kites that have been used in kite racing. Generally, the so-called flat inflatables are the ones to beat, when riders use them to their full potential. These kites can be fully de-powered if necessary, which is good for safety. Apparently, speeds approaching 50 knots are not unknown! Inflatable refers to the hollow leading edge spar which is pumped up with air. This helps the kite keep its shape in the air and also prevents it from sinking if it happens to hit the water. Hence the term LEI or Leading Edge Inflatable has been part of the kite surfer's language almost since the sport started. Because of their shape in the air, these kites are also known as C-kites. They can be relaunched from the water. Any old LEI kite will get a rider around a race course, but of course manufacturers have always been under pressure to come up with faster and better kites. Hence the first generation of 'Bow' kites made an appearance in 2005. With less curve than the C-kite, these became known as flat LEI kites. They had performance advantages over the standard LEI kite, but were more of a handful to operate, for a number of reasons. The second generation of flat LEI kites in 2006 solved most of the Bow kite's problems and in 2008 are still the kite of choice for kite racing. They are called Hybrid or Supported Leading Edge kites, SLE for short. The bridle is more complex, with attachments at various points along the leading edge of the kite.

Photo courtesy of Brendan Lally.

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Kite Boarding On Land

A Collection Of Action PhotosSo you can see various types of traction kites in action, here are a series of photos. With a few comments to give some insight into the sport...Kite boarding means 'Kite Surfing' on the ocean to many people these days. However, I'd like to focus on Kite Landboarding here. That's sort of like skateboarding with a kite, across dry ground. Getting wet is for fish. And ducks. ;-) All it really takes to get into kite boarding over land is some open space, a traction kite and a land-board of just about any kind. Oh, and some basic power kite flying skills of course. The idea is to get the kite overhead first. Then, when you are on your board and ready to roll, the kite is brought down to generate some sideways pull like a sail. With the kite moving in the same direction as the board, you are on your way!Here's some reasons why newcomers to traction kite sports might prefer land boarding over kite surfing out on the ocean waves...

• it's a lot easier to learn • most people get the hang of it in under 2 hours • the equipment is cheaper • you don't have to get wet! • power kiting skills can be picked up while you learn

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The best place to do kite boarding is any large flat area with constant wind and no obstructions. However, with some care, any open space can be used. You just don't want yourself or the kite to crash into anything. In particular, things to avoid include power cables, buildings and other people. Here's a summary of the types of areas kite boarders can be seen at.

• parks• sports fields• farmers' fields• large outdoor parking lots• hard-packed sandy beaches• school grounds• dry lake beds

Photo courtesy ofNick Hubbard.

Oh, and don't forget airfields and airports, if you can get past the security guys. Just kidding! There's some clips on YouTube of some Russian guys doing their stuff with large aircraft parked in the background. Now that's actually true!

Kite Boarding Competitions There is a competition circuit for land boarding, although it is much smaller than for kite surfing and is likely to stay that way for a long time. Maybe forever. The kite land boarding comps show off almost everything that you might see competitors doing over water. Here's a summary of the types of stunts that can be done.

• ramp jumping• rotations in the air, for example 180 or 360• flips, both forward and backward• grabbing the front or rear of the board while

airborne• 'board off' moves which involve spinning or

flipping the board in the air while the rider's feet are not touching it

• a variety of ground tricks such as sliding, doing 'wheelies' or riding facing away from the kit

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Kite Skiing

Flying Across Flat Snow And Ice(all photos under Kite Skiing courtesy of Bob Childs, except last one)Kite skiing is an exciting winter sport that's been popular for some years in Europe. It's also getting a lot more popular in the U.S. In fact, any country these days with a decent amount of snow has a few kite skiers skimming around somewhere! The Americans thought of it first, with just a few pioneers in the 80's experimenting with square parachutes and ordinary downhill skis. The frozen lakes of the U.S. East Coast and Midwest regions were ideal for this. Some of the early parafoil kites of this era were also used. Interestingly, parafoils are still the ideal kite for this! However, Europe was where kite skiing really took hold and first became a recognized sport. Many of the people who tried the new sport were kite surfers. They already had the kite skills needed. Now they had a whole new option available during the cold winter months! These days there is a competition circuit, world champions, the whole bit. At the highest level of competition, riders from Europe and the US come together to compete.

However, snow-kiting is not all sedate sailing along chewing up the Ks (or miles). With all the under 30s involved in the sport, particularly the snowboarders, there's plenty of people 'getting air' high off the ground. All sorts of tricks and stunts can be done while the kite is flown high, supporting the weight of the skier during a jump. It's not unknown for some skiers to find a snow-covered golf course and launch themselves off the bunkers! All this is pretty physical, and does have some risks.What's a perfect day for skiing with kites? Try somewhere not far from the arctic circle, mid-year, where the sun shines for 16 hours each day, with an average temperature of -10°C (14°F) and consistent winds of around 30 kph (20 mph) or so. Perfect! If the breeze gets up a bit more, a skilled kite skier can really zip along. 100 kph (60 mph) is not unheard of. Can you imagine how fast that would feel, so close to the ice!

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So You Want To Snow Kite

Which Kite To Use?A wide range of kites can be used to snow kite. We all know there isn't much friction out there on the snow or ice, particularly if you're wearing skis or skates! So in theory, just about any kite with a bit of pull will get you moving. However, from a practical point of view, some kites are much more suited than others. In fact, some traction kites are made specifically for powering across snow and ice. As a general rule, 'de-powerable' 4-line parafoils are the ideal snow kite. Some people with a sailing or kite-surfing background use the term 'sheetable' instead of 'de-powerable'. This kind of setup takes care of the 4 most important aspects of a snow kite:

• steerable• soft, flexible construction• reverse launchable• variable power

It's pretty obvious that you need some sort of steering ability. Just like the mainsail of a sailing boat, you need to position the kite according to whether you are running downwind, crosswind or trying to make progress upwind. On top of that, if you're more adventurous, you might be into getting 'big air' off the ground. This involves flying the kite high and piling on the power. The ground drops away, and you're just hanging on, floating in air! Some snowkiters use C-kites, or Leading Edge Inflatables, rather than foils. See the photo below...

Photo courtesy of Juozas Šalna.

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Can't resist a few words here about a kite-surfing video I saw recently. This guy got caught in a massive updraft and came sailing over the beach, heading inland, dangling from the 100 foot lines of his surf kite. He managed to steer it back towards the sand, but ended up hitting the deck quite hard. Must have broken 2 records at once - the 'biggest air' ever, and the smallest paraglider ever to do a beach landing!

Like any aerial hobby where you fly something into the air, it's going to hit the ground hard once in a while. With practice, the crashes happen less and less. It would be frustrating and expensive to always be replacing spars, so a soft flexible design makes the best snow kite. Parafoil designs are ideal, although even these vary in how much punishment they can take. What happens if you make a mistake and the kite ends up on the snow? That would be really inconvenient if the kite wasn't reverse launchable. That means you can get the kite into the air again, from where you are, a huge bonus. The kite lifts off trailing edge first, before you spin it around and start flying leading-edge first as usual. Unlike kite surfing, conditions on the snow can change every day. You need more power for powder snow than for when it's more icy. A big snow kite is good for light winds, but a smaller one is needed when there is strong wind. For many years, skiers had to own quite a number of kites if they wanted to kite ski in all conditions. But now there are kites designed to deliver variable power. The control bar is pushed away from your body to reduce the kite's pull, and pulled in again whenever you need more power. These kites cover the wind strength range of 2 or 3 traction kite sizes. So if you choose wisely, according to your body weight and local weather conditions, you can snow kite with just the one kite most of the time.

Does anyone out there snow kite with anything else besides foils? Yes, there is one main exception. That is the inflatable style of kite that is mainly used in water. Tubular spars pumped tight with air hold the kite's shape. It looks a bit like the letter C from a distance, so they are also known as C-kites. The nice pic of an Ozone Instinct sitting on the sand is kindly supplied by the A Wind Of Change kite shop. Some of these 'tube kites' have been modified so you can snow kite with them. They are de-powerable too. However, if you slam it into the ground one too many times and an inflatable spar springs a leak, you're in trouble! Get out the pump, if you remembered to pack it...

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What's the difference between ordinary 4-line foils and the de-powerable variety? The ordinary type have 2 steering lines which hold nearly all the tension most of the time. The other 2 lines are rigged to the rear edges of the kite, which act as brakes. Like on the PKD Buster over there. Photo kindly supplied by WindPower Sports. For stunt flying, these brake lines can be used for more precise control of the direction the kite flies. But for snow-kiting, they are a good safety measure. The brakes can be used to slow the kite down or even stop it flying altogether.

A de-powerable kite is flown on all 4 lines at once, so it's angle to the wind can be altered. Just like the mainsail of a sailing boat.'Sheet' the back edge of the kite in, and it slows down and pulls like crazy. 'Sheet' the back edge away from you, and the kite speeds up but has less tension in the lines. Hence some people call them 'sheetable kites'.

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History Of Power Kites

Flexifoil -> Ozone Access -> BeyondHere's a short history of power kites. A number of different types of power and traction kites came onto the market over the years.

1970s A very significant early power kite was the Flexifoil. Way back in the 70s, it was a 2-line design by Ray Merry and Andrew Jones who worked in England. Flexifoil is now the name of a kiting company.

1980s By the late 80s, an improved foil design called the Sparless Stunter was being sold. Designed by Ted Dougherty, it had 6 cells and a square outline. It was soon overshadowed by even more advanced kites...

1990s Soon after the Sparless Stunter came the Quadrifoil, also by Ted Dougherty. One of the very first 4-liners in the history of power kites, the Quadrifoil traction kite was rectangular in outline and was first seen in competition in 1990. This name became a brand, and many later versions of the original Quadrifoil were sold as the Competition C1 and C3. Power kite history also records a Q2000 range and finally a Competition X range of Quadrifoil kites. All these later kites were roughly elliptical in outline, and weren't actually designed by Ted Dougherty. While all this was happening, another kite designer called Peter Lynn was just as busy. Peter came out with the 2-line Peel kite in 1991. Being made in fairly large sizes, right up to 10 square meters (1080 square feet), the Peel was most often used for traction. A popular kite, it was still selling in the late 90s. Another kite which was sold in the mid 90s was the QuadTrac, again by Ted Dougherty. A 4-liner, construction and sales were handled by a company called Skynasaur. Towards the end of the 90s, one of the original designers of the Flexifoil kite had even more success with a range of 4-liners called Skytiger. Sticking with the rectangular outline like the Flexifoil, the Skytiger kites were reliable and stable traction kites. After the original range came the 'Hi' series. The new kites were able to pull even harder. Around about this time, some traction kites were designed for pure speed. A bit trickier to fly though! A good example of this was the Predator, by Peter Mirkovic of Sky Kites. In the late 90s, this was the most successful design in the U.K., being used a lot in buggy races.

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2000s How did the history of power kites change in the New Millennium? Well, the most interesting development was probably how paraglider manufacturers entered the traction kite market! In particular, a well-known French company called Ozone. These guys build aircraft so it's no surprise that the kites they produce are very high quality. Power kites these days are specialized like never before. Take for example, 3 kites from Ozone. The Fury is 'entry level' meaning nice and stable for new kite flyers. The Yakusa is designed specifically for buggy racing. Another design, the Access, is sold as an all-rounder although it was originally designed for snowkiting. With its extra line, it can be de-powered quickly if you are hit with a strong gust of wind.

That's it for my history of power kites. Will paraglider manufacturers end up dominating the scene? Let's wait and see... Talking about paraglider manufacturers, the photo below is of an Ozone Fury!

Photo courtesy of Stef´ G.

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BOX KITESAnd A Few Interesting VariationsBox kites come in so many different types these days! You don't have to see many of the ads these days to realize that. In fact, the term is used rather loosely now. It almost means the same thing as 'cellular kite'. The creativity in designing kites these days is amazing. Some are designed to fly stable, others will tumble if you release the line tension for a while.Flying boxes with small wings are more stable and have even more lifting power than the traditional box. Some look nothing like the traditional square designs. A cellular design called 'snowflake' is a good example of that. Cellular kites are made up of many hollow cells, stacked next to each other. In these designs, the cells don't necessarily have flat sides. I've seen examples of hexagonal kites that gently rotate on their axis as they sit in the same spot in the air. Others have parts that slowly rotate in the wind. There must be dozens of unique designs around now, and who knows, that might turn into hundreds or thousands in years to come.

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The list below shows where the modern box design has come from. Despite that, plenty of people still fly these designs for fun! In some cases, these kinds are still being used for practical purposes too, like hoisting cameras or ham radio aerials.

• Hargrave• Traditional• Cody• Triangular• Hexagonal• Tetrahedral

The history of the box-style kite is an interesting one! Its lifting abilities and stability led to many practical uses. The generally accepted inventor of the box kite was an Australian called Lawrence Hargrave. The main features were the 2 long straight spars running the full length of the kite, the diagonal braces which made the whole structure rigid, and the flat cloth sails giving it the unmistakable 'box' appearance.

The so-called traditional box came about after somebody simplified the Hargrave design. Also, it's square rather than rectangular. The traditional design only needs the 4 main spars and 4 diagonals, plus the sail material. An interesting historical example is the so-called Gibson Girl box kite, which was used by downed air crews during the Second World War. In flight, the Hargrave looks a bit like an old biplane, but the traditional square design flies on one corner.This is because the bridle is attached to just one of the long spars.

Over there on the right is an example of modern Cody Kites. The Cody's eye-catching design with 2 square inner cells and bat-like wings is well known amongst many kiting enthusiasts all over the world. Both modern and historical Codys are like 2 box kites side by side, with some extra vanes and winglets added for more lifting power.The idea behind this design was to make something that performed just like a Hargrave, but with even more stability and control.

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Although the first box kites were rectangular, similar kites with 1 less or many more main spars will still fly. In the case of 1 less, that makes a triangular box kite. A simple triangular design looks and flies very similarly to the traditional square box, with the bridle attached to one of the main spars. They take a bit more breeze to fly though, for the same size kite. The triangular Box is often modified with the addition of wings, to make it a more efficient lifter. Sometimes people suspend cameras, or even scientific instruments.

Ham radio enthusiasts still use the French Military kite to hoist long aerials into the air.

Ok, what about adding more spars... A few kite designs these days are based on the hexagonal concept. Yes, 6 main spars! The whole thing starts to look less like a box and more like a barrel. The pic over there on the right shows a design pretty close to a traditional hexagonal kite. It's by Helen Howes, a pro kite maker who runs the charming little RaindropKites site in the U.K. In theory, you can have as many spars as you like. In fact, it is possible to go all the way and make a circular kite that looks like 2 wide pieces of tubing floating in the sky.

Box Kites In ActionCreative people have done huge amounts of development on the box concept. It seems half the fun with box kites these days is inventing a new one! Some people...

• keep the basic 4-spar box design• merge the basic box design with the delta or other simple kite layout• create cellular kites using many 'boxes' of various shapes• design for special behaviors such as tumbling or rotating in various ways

Not many box kites these days are used for scientific or other practical purposes, at least when compared to how many of them are being flown for fun! The latest designs get shown off at kite festivals, and then sold off through kite shops both real and 'virtual' on the Internet. Since the whole idea for most of these kites is to look at them, it's not surprising that lots of bright colors are used in the designs.

Now for a few examples, one for each category in the list above...

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An interesting variation on the basic 4-spar design is the Explorer Box. Despite the classic 4-spar construction, this kite has triangular panels that give it a really unique look. It's designed so the bridle can be easily attached to any spar. This gives 4 different looks to choose from, when flown. Like many modern kites, the spars are fiberglass and the sails are rip-stop nylon. A typical example of merging the basic box with other elements is the B-Box beginners' kite. This one is based on a triangular box actually. The addition of simple wings and 2 tails makes it a nice easy stable flyer. It handles gusty winds well. Easy to set up, and also made from ripstop nylon with fiberglass spars. How's this for a cellular kite which Lawrence Hargrave would just shake his head at I think. The Lotus Box is a spectacular-looking kite with many triangular cells arranged in a circle, with extra sails on the outer rim. Look closely, and you can spot the basic triangular box kite in there! So it really is a box design. With so many spars, the manufacturer has made them out of graphite to keep the weight down. Here's a good example of special behavior. The cleverly designed HQ Roto Kite rotates around it's axis while maintaining it's position in the sky. Eye catching hey? According to the makers, it's a 'a reliable flyer with light pull'.

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A History of Box Kites

From Hargrave To The EO6Early in the history of box kites, they were used mainly for lifting. Lawrence Hargrave, the inventor of the box kite in 1892, used to link several together and even hoisted a very trusting human under the largest of them! Samuel Cody, from the United States, later extended the rectangular box concept and made some winged box kites that were designed for the military. Cody patented his man-lifting system in 1901. The idea was that a human observer could provide an advantage on the battlefield, by observing the enemy from a great height. The wings and vanes made the kites even more stable and suited to lifting heavy objects. Actually, somebody did once go up under a Cody kite to more than 2000 feet of altitude! Too bad the airplane was invented not many years later... A whole bunch of perfectly good Cody kites ended up in moth-balls. On the topic of airplanes, notice how similar the oldest of biplanes were to box kites. The planes were basically box-kites with a tail and an engine added. No coincidence. Take for example, the Bristol Boxkite, a famous old aircraft. The earliest plane inventors, including the Wright brothers, tinkered with kites while they planned and dreamt about what they really wanted to build! Later in the history of box kites, during the early twentieth century, they were used for measuring atmospheric conditions such as wind velocity, temperature, barometric pressure and humidity at a range of altitudes. These were large, with oiled silk sails and steel lines. Nice and stable with great lifting power. Another military application that can be found in box kite history is the emergency kits issued to pilots in the Second World War, in the 1940s. Called the Gibson-Girl Box Kite, it could be flown by a pilot lost at sea, with it's line acting as the aerial for a radio transmitter. So if there was no wind, I guess the pilot had to paddle his life raft like a lunatic, while trying to make the radio call at the same time. I'm getting exhausted just thinking about it. Just about the whole time all this military stuff was going on, and up to this day, radio enthusiasts have used box kites for hoisting up aerials to a great height! I guess ham radio isn't as big as it once was, but there you have it, another application for box kites.

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Another application that has been going on for quite some time is KAP, or Kite Aerial Photography. Designs based on the box kite are nice and stable in the air and so are ideal for mounting photographic gear. Mind you, these days weight isn't such an issue with lipstick cams and similar tiny devices being available! There are even some kits around that include kite, camera and other necessary bits and pieces. Since the year 2000, the history of box kites has seen a general trend for greater and greater variety in the weird and wonderful. Spectacular, colorful, multi-celled, tumbling and rotating works of aerial art! An example is the EO6, a commercially produced kite that is unstable in light winds. The flier has fun by deliberately slackening and pulling the line to make the kite tumble and change direction.

Home-made designs can look a little plainer, like my Dowel Box for fresh winds, below... But it's still a blast to see your own creation scooting around up there, hauling the line tight in a fresh breeze!

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Gibson Girl

The Box Kite, Not The Radio!I won't even mention the original Gibson Girl, this being a kite site. Instead, let's just perpetuate the kiting myth of the Gibson Girl Box Kite. You see, it was actually the hand-cranked radio transmitter in a sea-rescue kit that was given that name.

Photo courtesy of Craig Wilson.

During the Second World War, a downed U.S. Navy crew-member would loft the kite to get the aerial up to a working length. If a friendly craft was within range, and picked up the Morse SOS signal, the guys in the sea stood a chance of being rescued. In light winds, the aerial could be lifted with a balloon instead. A short while after starting this page, and seeing a few photos of the war-time kite, it struck me how the dimensions were so similar to my own MBK Dowel Box. Standing on end, the historic box kite is just above door-knob height. About as long as the 1.2 meter (4 feet) long MBK Dowel Box. The gap between the upper and lower cells is slightly less than on my design. Even the original metallic spars look quite thin and spindly, as do the 5mm (3/16") dowels on the Dowel Box kite. However, the Gibson Girl was made of relatively heavy and strong materials and thus was a moderate to strong-wind kite. Quite a contrast to my original Dowel Box which was capable of floating overhead in a thermal, but hated even fresh wind!

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Specs And Other DetailsThe American version of this historic kite was the latest, and followed the original German and English versions. The Germans actually used a winged Box based on the French Military kite! As usual, the details are spread far and wide over the Web in all sorts of sources. Also as usual, I have thrown it all into a melting-pot and boiled it down to just one info-packed list, for your convenience...

• Color: Bright yellow for maximum visibility. • Longitudinal spar length: About 1.2 meters (48 inches) • Cross pieces: Pre-fitted, to be later folded and snapped into position like an

umbrella. • Spar material: Aluminum. • Sail material: Silk probably - can anyone correct me on this, or confirm it? The

military would have used plenty of silk for parachute manufacture. • Flying line and bridle: Silk probably, since very similar to the sail material apparently.

It was even the same bright yellow color. • Cell panel dimensions: About 0.4 meters (along spar) x 0.5 meters (15 inches x 20

inches)• Wind Range: 13 - 64 kph (7 - 40 mph)• Adjustable bridle: Recommended towing point position was marked onto the sail for

a low (7 - 20 mph) and a high (15 - 40 mph) wind range.• Military serial number: Kite M-357-A

While looking all this up, I came across some first-hand accounts of guys who actually owe their life to this kite. Fascinating. And yes, the image near the top of this page is of an original Gibson Girl kite. It's still in almost as-new condition, after having been packed away for more than half a century.Military enthusiasts like to collect these things!

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Modern Cody Kites

A Great Old Design Lives OnIt's just amazing that Cody kites can still be so popular, given their early origins. Over 100 years old now, the double-box design with bat-like wings and horns is still flying proudly all over the world. From it's man-lifting origins, kite lovers now painstakingly construct and fly many varied examples of this design. Not everyone tries to be authentic in either dimensions, spar material or sail material, so there is great variety! Most Codys are flown purely for the fun of it. On the other hand, sometimes the stable, high-lift Cody box is used for KAP (Kite Aerial Photography). Another common use for high-lift kites is hauling up 'line laundry', like inflatable figures, windsocks, ribbons and spinners. Big, small, plain or fancy color schemes, the design is always recognizable. Of course, the best modern materials are usually used except if someone is trying to construct a perfect replica of the original. Modern Cody kites with their graphite spars and nylon sails are even more efficient than the originals! What I personally find surprising is how such a complex kite could have such a following. Sure, some modern retail versions are quite simple to put together, but the more authentic creations are another story! Some people just like a challenge while others have deep respect for Cody himself, particularly in England where most of his work was done.Talking about retail Codys, have a look at the 2 over there on the right, sold through Amazon. The expensive one could not really be called a 'toy'. Rather, it is a nice piece of aeronautical engineering that will stay in the air over a wide wind range.

Retail And Home-Built Cody KitesLet's have a look at a real contrast with the original big Cody War kites. A small, easily rigged 'contemporary Cody'. There's a picture of one over there. But it's still unmistakably a Cody isn't it! As with the originals, modern Cody-style designs sometimes have a top-sail as well, for more stability and a little more lifting power.

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Also like the originals, some keen kite-makers make their own versions that are just as fiddly to set up and break down! Some people like to stack their Codys up in the air by flying several at a time. Usually all the same design though, unlike the old man-lifting system. Also, as I mentioned earlier, some people use them for Kite Aerial Photography or sending up 'line laundry'. What about prices? I've seen retail Codys anywhere from under US$25 to around US$500! But this might soon be out of date info. Point is, there's a large price range for this type of kite in the shops. There are as many different-looking Cody boxes as there are keen builders of this design! Just to give you some idea, I've come across a site that features Codys with sails that are...

• polka-dotted• glowing• appliqué• bright pink• patterned and striped• like the US flag, with over 200 red, white and blue panels

Codys come in all sizes these days. Here's a very nice large Cody that we saw at the Adelaide festival some time ago... Yes, it's another view of the same kite featured at the top of this page.How's this. You can buy a Cody Kite Plan for US$3. If you carefully follow the instructions it takes about 3 hours. You are then the proud owner of a tiny craft that weighs just one gram and has a 25 cm (10 inch) wingspan! So small, it can be flown indoors at walking speed. For this sort of thing, just search on the Internet for 'miniature kites'. Now for the other end of the scale. Dan Flintjer has been designing and building Cody box kites for years. I've seen a photo of his biggest Cody. It's black, and the little toy soldier standing near one corner turns out to be a real person when you look closer!A massive kite, it stands nearly 7 meters (22 feet) high and has a 10 meter (33 foot) wingspan.

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Here's another absolutely magnificent modern Cody kite replica...

Photo courtesy of Kyknoord.

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The Classic Cody Kite

An Oldie But A GoodieThe picture of a Cody kite down there is one of Cody's earliest experimental designs. Cody made quite a few, but I won't list all the variations and details here.It's easy to see the origins of this kite's basic construction lay in the Hargrave double box kite. Cody was after even more lifting power and stability though. Also very influential was the old American Blue Hill Meteorological kite design of the time. Some of the original kites are still in existence. I know of one Cody kite in particular, a smaller model with side-sails that lean outwards at the top rather than being absolutely parallel like a classic box. Here's a few notes on the materials.

• Sails - very fine cotton cloth which has become very stiff over the years• Binding tapes - also very fine cotton cloth• Spars - all longerons and cross stays are bamboo• Rigging lines and bridle - all these are hemp, 2 millimeters (1/12 inch) in diameter

However, in his bigger kites, the sails were usually silk. Also, more use was made of American hickory for the spars, since this material has greater strength than bamboo. Like the early Hargrave kites, the sails were tensioned up to be drum-tight.

If you're interested in building a Cody kite for yourself, it's possible to work direct from copies of the original plans. For example, the Drachen Foundation in Germany can supply copies of the original blueprints of Cody's Mark III kite. This kite was designed and constructed for the Ministry of War, England. If you're not ambitious enough to tackle a real Cody, try contacting Nico van den Berg for a simpler modern version of the Cody box kite. Or just purchase a simple retail Cody and scale it up and substitute your own materials and construction ideas. Why haven't I quoted contact details for the above sources? These things tend to go out of date over time, so I'll let you do the detective work! Easy to do on the Web these days anyway.

So what did Cody actually do with most of his kites? Fly them in the park to amuse his grand-children? Well, no. He was mainly interested in man-lifting and multiple kite systems. Cody was the inventor of a clever system of sending up a whole train of his kites. That's called kite-stacking these days. At least a couple of copies of Cody's multiple kite system have been constructed for doing rather impressive displays at kite festivals! Here's a quick description of one of these man-lifting systems...

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Highest up is a small pilot kite to steady and guide the line. Following this are a whole series of lifter kites which, you guessed it, provide most of the lifting force. In strong winds you don't need as many, so this aspect of the system can be altered according to the weather. Last of all, closest to the ground, is the carrier kite. Under the carrier kite is suspended a chair or basket for the passenger. I don't know why the word 'passenger' is often used, since this person is actually in charge of controlling their ascent and descent via a system of lines and brakes. At least that was the case in the original system.

History Of The Cody KiteNow for some background on Cody himself, who was born in 1867 and died in 1913. That's him over there on the horse. His full name was Samuel Franklin Cody, and to this day he is highly regarded in England for being a real pioneer of aviation in that country. In fact, Samuel Cody is now referred to by many as the 'Father of British Aviation'. In September 1993, a small band of enthusiasts formed the Cody Museum Trust to keep alive the memory of Cody the Aviation pioneer. The Trust became the Cody Society at a later date. But we're getting off topic here, back to the kites! Somewhere around 1898, when Cody was taking his Wild West show around England, he became interested in building kites. He competed with his step-son Leon to make and fly the largest kites possible. They also attempted to fly these kites as high as possible. Finally, in 1901, they patented the winged box kite design we now know as 'the Cody kite'. It's design drew on the Hargrave double box kite and also the American Blue Hill Meteorological kite. In December of 1901, Cody offered this design to the War Office which at that time was involved in the Second Boer War. To prove its suitability for aerial spotting, he flew it at various locations around London, at heights up to 600 meters (2,000 feet). A number of other accomplishments followed. He mounted a large exhibition of his kites at Alexandra Place in 1903. Later on, he even managed to cross the English Channel in a canoe, towed by one of his kites. The French kite surfers on the other side were surprised and shocked to see him coming over the horizon. Ok, I added that last bit... History can get a bit dull after a while, just trying to keep you awake. :-) The British Navy sat up and took notice after this, and even paid him to look into using kites as observation platforms. A few demonstrations followed where he hoisted an observer up into the air under a large kite. In 1908, Cody himself flew off the deck of the battleship HMS Revenge, in another man-lifting demonstration. Cody's achievements were not the end of his man-lifting kite system. Since then, enthusiastic people have re-created the system, and demonstrated it.

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For example, Nick Morse built a replica Cody kite system for a BBC documentary in 1977. It was used successfully for man-lifting at the first two Scheveningen kite festivals in 1977 and 1978. Another system was later built by Berry Kramers and others. A Dutch man-lifting team has flown it many times, in different locations around the world.

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Triangular Box Kites

From Conyne Kite To Prism TriadTriangular box kites are not quite as well-known as the traditional square box, but they are nearly as old. Like the square box kite, the triangular design has been used for many practical purposes as well as for pure fun flying. The simplest type has just 2 cells. That is, 2 sets of sail cloth are wrapped around a set of long spars with a gap in the middle. Just like a traditional box kite, except there are 3 long spars forming 3 sides instead of 4. The triangular type of kite represents the fewest number of sides that a box kite can have. Kites built in this style can actually have any number of sides. For example, hexagonal and octagonal box kites have 6 and 8 sides respectively. These too have been built and flown for many years. What do you think a box kite with a very large number of sides might look like? That's right, a couple of hoops! A few kites like this have been built and flown.

The Triangular Box Kite Sprouts WingsJust like the traditional box kite, the triangular type was eventually modified with wings to lift better. This was first done in 1902 by an American called Silas Conyne. This idea also inspired the French Military kite of the early 1900s. These kites had some similarities to the more complex Cody military kites, except they used 3 instead of 4 main spars for each cell. Kite enthusiasts still fly winged triangular box kites today. Not surprisingly, they are often referred to as Conyne or French Military kites. The wings of the French Military design were quite short. A single short spar extended out from the top of the kite on each side, forming the pointed tip of the wing. Eventually, as delta kites began to be developed, someone had the idea of merging the 2 ideas. The resulting Delta Conyne could fly at higher line angles and also stay up in lighter winds. If you see someone flying a triangular box today, chances are it will be one of the Delta variety! Some even have two sets of cells in the middle, like the Double Conyne Box kite.

An Unusual Modern Triangular BoxHere's a modern kite which is technically a triangular box, but doesn't have much else in common with the kites discussed so far. It's the Prism Triad, a kite with 41x41 cm (16x16 inch) sails. It has just the one cell, not 2 so that's just 3 sail panels arranged in a triangular box. The panels are tensioned and kept in shape with 6 flexible rods, 3 around each opening of the cell.

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The Prism Triad is a very light wind kite, completely unlike most box kites. This is achieved by using the latest materials, including MicroCarbon for the frame. The kite weighs just 43 grams (1.6 ounces)! For extra appeal, the Triad is designed to be easily flown in trains. You can hitch together as many as you can afford, all in a line stretching up into the sky. Another feature of this design is its tendency to tumble down through the air when the line tension is reduced.

In the 21st century, just about any kind of kite is available from a shop, either on or off-line. Various kinds of triangular box kites can be bought. They are made from the usual modern kite materials such as rip-stop nylon or mylar for the sails and fiberglass or carbon fiber for the spars. To keep costs down, these kites are usually small to average sized. However, people who like to build their own often opt for really big sizes! Particularly if they are chasing altitude records, or hoisting heavy photographic gear. Large Delta Conynes are also popular with the KAP crowd. KAP stands for Kite Aerial Photography. The high lift of the delta plus the stability of the triangular cells make the Delta Conyne kite a good choice for KAP. People tend to experiment with other configurations too. For example, hitching 2 box kites side-by-side under a delta wing, forming a Double Conyne box kite. Here's a fine example of a big Delta Conyne...

Photo courtesy of Takeshi Iwamoto.

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In Conclusion

The original simple triangular box with just the 2 cells is not seen much now. However, its influence is considerable. These days, triangular box kites are most often seen as...

• components of large complex multi-cellular kites• lifters of photographic equipment, in various Conyne

configurations• colorful shop-bought Delta Conyne kites being flown for fun

Photo courtesy ofSchnitzgeli.

Talking about complex, how's that yellow 3-celled design up there on the right... Inspired by the French Military kite, but with more wings and more cells!

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The French Military Kite

A Classic Box Kite VariationThe classic French Military kite is still made from time to time by box kite and ham-radio enthusiasts around the world. Some people have called this design a cross between a Diamond and a Box kite, since the 2 'wings' do look just like the 2 halves of a Diamond. In between these 2 wings is a simple 2-celled triangular box kite.This design is also known as the Pilot Kite. Actually, there's a bit more involved in making such a triangular design rigid, if you're making one from scratch.That's interesting since a simple square box kite has more sides, so you would think it would the more complex to brace! Names, Names, Names...Now, you might have heard of the Conyne. This is a more general term for any box kite with wings, as far as I know. Of all the winged box kites, perhaps the Delta Conyne is the most popular. Instead of the 2 halves of a Diamond, it's the 2 halves of a Delta. At least, that is the way it looks from a distance.

In The ShopsIf you are interested in buying a French Military Kite (FMK), there are at least a couple of designs which have made their way into many of the online stores. One of these is an even more purpose-built lifting kite - the Double FMK (DFMK). Up there on the right is an image of a typical shop-bought Double French Military kite. A flat section is attached between 2 triangular 2-cell kites, for some serious pulling power. Both the Single and Double versions have rip-stop nylon sails and fiberglass spars. Perhaps the Double design sells pretty well because I had a hard time finding a decent picture of a Single... I can imagine how that flat center section makes the DFMK more efficient than the Single, also. Our Dopero kites have that feature, and they are certainly more efficient than the simpler Roller kites they resemble. For a unique box kite that's even less common than the Delta Conyne, why not try the FMK! Something to fly on those windier days. The FMK makes a great sight just by itself, and of course has ample lifting power to pull up long tails and tubes too.

Oh, does the French Military really use this kite? Not any more, but they did use it for reconnaissance, over 100 years ago!

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Ham RadioIf you thought this hobby went out with WWII, or perhaps the 60's, think again. It seems that there are still a number of keen radio enthusiasts to be found, raising up long wires to transmit and receive signals. You can probably guess what's coming next... Yes, the French Military kite is quite suited to the task! Stable and strong. If even more lifting power is required, for example if winds are a bit too light or the aerial is heavier, more than one kite can be attached to form a 'train' along the flying line.

There's an old factory-built French Military kite in the photo, from the 60s actually... Of course hoisting long pieces of wire high into the sky is never done when there is any threat of lightning! My closest brush with lightning was while sitting in an office, quite close to a brick wall. All of a sudden a bolt of lightning struck and destroyed the power transformer which was located in a metal box just 2 or 3 meters (7 - 10 feet) on the other side of the wall. Can you imagine the noise! I never want to get any closer than that.

Photo courtesy ofJoost J. Bakker.

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ASIAN KITESBeginning With Kites From China...Chinese kites have been made and flown for many centuries as a part of the national culture. According to historical records, this has spanned more than 2300 years. For a long time, most Chinese kites have been flying works of art. Real art, as proven by the fact they could be found in many art collections around China. A good example was when the Yanhuang art museum in Beijing ran a kite exhibition. History aside, people in China fly kites these days for very similar reasons to anyone else in the world.It's fun, it can be recreation for the whole family. Also, for some there is the satisfaction of actually building the kite. Traditionally, kite flying was believed to be good for people's health, and this view is still held by some. A bit like some Westerners regarding laughter as being beneficial, who hasn't read something about that at one time or another. Some of the traditional benefits of Chinese kite flying include...

• relieving 'internal body heat'• building up health• improving eyesight• relieving eye strain

In the West, the Chinese Dragon kite has had great influence. As a result, everyone from children to experienced kite-makers are flying very modern Dragon kites! Some of the traditional bamboo and silk hand-painted creations made today have hardly changed from those flown many hundreds of years ago. There's a small one in the picture at the top left of this page.Also going back several centuries are kites made in Japan, a close neighbor of China. Each traditional design here is associated with the region in which it first appeared.

Types of Chinese KitesIt's interesting trying to classify these kites, since the Chinese themselves have come up with so many different ways to do this. Maybe that's not so surprising since it's a big country and they have had so long to do it! I've found a few commonly used kite groups, let's start with the most general first.

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Ok, there are two major categories. Kites with detachable wings and those with fixed wings. The detachable variety are easy to pack away, and are often given as presents. A very Chinese thing to do, I know, I have a Chinese mother-in-law! The kites with fixed wings tend to fly a bit better, at the cost of being less convenient to transport around. Other people will tell you there are actually four categories. Those being...

• Centipede (multiple flat sections stacked together plus a 'head')• Rigid Winged (paper or silk tightly stretched over rigid spars)• Soft Winged (flexible structures behind just one spar)• Flat (just like the name says)

Spectacular long Chinese Dragons are an example of the centipede type of kite. Fussier people will say 'no, actually there are eight different groups of Chinese kites being flown today'. I'll just list these off here...

• Dragon (otherwise known as Centipede, as already mentioned)• Rigid Winged (as already mentioned)• Rigid Winged with Strings (musical, the strings vibrate in the breeze)• Soft Winged (as already mentioned)• Soft Winged with Strings (those vibrating strings again...)• Flat (as already mentioned)• Box (I wonder how traditional these are? They were invented in Australia!)• Freestyle (doesn't sound very traditional either...)

If you drop the last 2 categories, you're back to something pretty close to the 4-category list. Those musical types of kites originate from just a few particular localities in China. Are you ready to go 'over the top' in kite classification? According to one source I came across, there are no less than 300 varieties of kites in China! This system takes into account groups of kites such as human figures, fish, insects, birds, animals, written characters and so on. There is a range of standard sizes too, ranging from extra large right down to miniature. The biggest take a team of men to fly, the smallest are just the size of the palm of your hand. At a kite festival I went to recently, the commentator mentioned a Thai kite festival where she saw a military tank anchoring a ridiculously big Asian kite! Traditional kite handicraft has flourished in three Chinese cities in particular. They are Tianjin, Beijing and Weifang. Another location not to be missed if you are traveling in China and have an interest in kites is the city of Xian. This old city is the capital of Shaanxi Province, with a history going back no less than 3100 years according to some sources! Let's see, my home city of Adelaide was established sometime in .... the 1800s - no comparison! Even in the West, making Chinese kites to a high standard is sometimes attempted by some keen artistic types.

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Kiting in East and West has really started to melt together. Want an example? A traveler in Xian captured this photo of Western-style Diamond kites decorated with traditional Chinese designs...

Chinese kites with Western influence.Courtesy of Will Clayton.

Kites can be seen flying during the day and at night at various locations around Xian. Sometimes these are of the spectacular centipede variety.

Modern Western kites are getting fancier, and some certainly make an impressive, colorful sight in the air. Calling them 'art' has been controversial for some time...But there is a growing connection between art and kiting in the West. Especially since the 1999 Millennium Exhibition in the U.S. where some very well-known artists were invited to create an 'art kite' as an exhibit.Also, some years later, there was the WindArt Kite Festival in Florida U.S.A. Kite-makers and artists came together to create original, flying works of art.

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The Western Dragon Kite

Fancy 3D And OthersThe modern Western Dragon kite is an entirely different beast to the traditional Chinese variety. However, a large and detailed one is still a great head-turner! Particularly if it is of the 3D variety. These colorful and spectacular designs, often with a rather looong tail, appeal to adults as well as children. Perhaps to women more than men - I know my wife wants one! I guess you could classify these kites into the Novelty category.On the other hand, most Novelty designs are tiny things aimed at the kids kites market...

Western Influence On The Dragon KiteI believe there are some traditional Chinese kites which are 3-D, where a little model of a creature is constructed from fine slivers of bamboo and then covered in silk or paper. A flat kite with straight spars is then attached to the 3D model which allows it to fly. However, the 3D Dragon kites available in shops or online these days are quite different. Most of these kites are made with appliquéd nylon sails and fiberglass spars. Dragon designs come and go, but here are a few examples that have come onto the market in the past... The Shrek 2 3D Dragon Kite at the top left of this page features an inflatable body! It was worth about US$60 and supplied with 36 kilo (80 pound) flying line and a carry case. Inspired by Chinese ideas, but hardly a traditional Chinese kite.Even if some of these kinds of kites are actually made in China! Here's another one. The 2 meter (6 feet) Dragon Delta Kite from New Tech. Like it's name suggested, it was actually the familiar Delta sail with a dragon body attached underneath for looks! Not only that, but the makers have added a colorful long flat tail, like a Pennon kite, as well. Talk about a mixture!

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Photo courtesy of Jon Clegg. Check out the above photo, taken at a kite festival in Texas, USA. It features a great-looking 3D Dragon kite, with many other festival kites in the background.

The Flat Dragon KiteThese are popular with kids, and widely available from shops. The general configuration is a Pennon (round top) or Delta outline, with a matching long flat tail. Not as narrow as a simple streamer tail, and decorated to be an integral part of the 'creature' represented. That's right, they are not necessarily Dragons as such, although any one of these is still referred to as a Dragon Kite. Pennon kites are a type that originated in Medieval times. In contrast to 3D and centipede Dragons, this kite is quite simple. It's flat, with a curved spar forming the top edge and a straight spar down the middle. A long, wide, tail traces out the kite's flight path in the air. Sometimes the tail is tapered along its length. There are usually short tassels attached to each end of the curved spar as well. These are mainly for decoration. The archaic European variety had a parchment sail and the common cloth materials of the day were used for the tail. These days, the bamboo spars are most often replaced with flexible fiberglass rods. The sail material is usually rip-stop nylon and sometimes brightly colored Mylar film is used. A wide variety of designs can be painted on, not just dragon faces! But they are still called 'Dragon kites'. A typical one measures 41 cm (16 inches) by 38 cm (15 inches) with a 5.5 meter (18 feet) tail. Designs with much longer tails are available too.

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Flying A simple and easy single-line kite, perfect for beginners. I might get one for my little boy when he grows up a bit! Having said that these kites suit beginners, the Pennon-style ones aren't quite as stable as say, a single-line Delta or even the traditional Diamond shaped kite. Flat dragons tend to swirl around in the wind, which is great since it really shows off the tail. The people who sell these kites do such a great job of describing how they look in the air, that I'm going to simply quote a few phrases I've spotted! Here they are...

• '... 18 foot tails paint the sky with fluid color.'• '... long tails streaming across the sky and shimmering in the

sun ...'• '... brightly colored fabrics dancing with the wind ...'• '... color and spectacle of these super long kites.'• '... a mesmerizing dance as their long tails gracefully float in

the breeze.'• ... long, lovely tails which cascade across the sky in dazzling

color. • ... an amazing show with their flowing 30 foot tails ...

Get the picture? :-) To give you some idea of the variety in store-bought dragon kites, here's a few names of currently available kites. All in alphabetical order, because I'm an orderly kind of guy...

• Alien• Butterfly• Butterflies• Chimp• Cobra• Dolphin• Dolphin Skydancer• Dolphins• Dragonface• Flamingo• Frog• Hippo• Koala• Patriotic• Rainbow Star• Red Eyed Tree Frog• Red Organza• Sailboat Skydancer• Shark• Sunburst• Shooting Star• Seal

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History Just a tiny bit of history on this type of kite. As I mentioned earlier, they are based on the medieval Pennon Kite. Way back in 1405, a book on military technology was written which contained some illustrations. One illustration showed a Pennon kite, according to the caption. Enough was known about flying kites at this time that 3 different bridle arrangements were described, for flying in various wind conditions. The modern kids kite below features a relatively short tail. However, the tail is flat, and integrates with the rest of the Delta-style design. Despite being 2D, a Dragon creature is painted on, including the tail. So it really is a 'Dragon kite'!

Photo of Delta-style Dragon kite courtesy of Guy Schmidt.

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Dragon Kites

Big Or Small, They Can Pull A CrowdWhat do the words 'Chinese Dragon Kites' mean to you? It seems that the most well-known variety is the centipede style of kite. This type consists of a large head and a long train of small disks that form the tail. Some of these dragon kites are very big and very expensive, since a lot of labor goes into making them. Most are mid-sized, but still not cheap compared to children's kites.Like most authentic Chinese kites, Dragons can be displayed as works of art. Particularly the centipede kites, since they are so intricately made! Regarding the authentic Chinese kites over there on the right... Many people buy these for their artistic value, and hang them up in a bedroom or something. But they should also fly well, if carefully launched in light winds.

Centipede-Style DragonsThe large centipede style kite is an amazing thing, whether it is hanging in the foyer of a large building as a piece of art or flying with its tail pointing at the clouds. Up close, you can see great detail in the fine bamboo framework of the head in particular. Raw silk is used for covering, and this is precisely and painstakingly painted by hand. Being Chinese, bright red is used a lot but plenty of other colors are used as well. The tail sections are just a series of smaller flat kites. These are constructed from thin bamboo strips covered with raw silk and then hand painted. Each tail section has a thin bamboo rod running through it, with a feather attached to each end. Did I mention how all the bamboo lengths that make up the framework get created? Apparently, each piece is individually bent into shape over an open flame! Then they have to be fastened together securely. No wonder the whole process takes so long. Plus the fine detail in the painting, done with a small brush, would take some time as well. The craftsmanship in these kites is just mind-boggling. No wonder it can take a team of artists up to 2 months to create one, using traditional techniques and tools. If you ever buy a dragon, chances are it will come packed in an embroidered presentation box. See, even the box it comes in is 'arty'! Probably the best known place of manufacture for these kites is Weifang, the home of traditional Chinese kite making. Kites are exported from there to all around the world. A little bit of trivia... Kite teams often fly traditional Chinese centipede kites to mark the Lunar Year of the Dragon!

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Flying Dragon KitesWhat kind of wind does it take to fly these things? Surprisingly, just a soft breeze of 3 kph (2 mph) is enough for some of the best large dragons to stay off the ground! All those light little tail sections all pulling together generate a lot of lifting force. The head is just for looks. Photo courtesy of Wenna...However, you might need a decent breeze to get the smallest dragon centipede kites to fly.Are you a kite-geek? Let's talk wing-loading! Painted raw silk weighs the same per unit area whether used in a small or large kite. Plus, aerodynamic performance of any flying thing gets worse on smaller scales. What about when it's really windy? No problem. These kites can be flown in a 40 kph (25 mph) breeze, which causes the tail to rise almost vertically into the air. As you can imagine, in these conditions you need some help with a large centipede kite!The bigger the kite, the more people are needed to keep it under control. You can also tether it to heavy machinery like a truck or something. A flying centipede dragon is an impressive sight, with the long tail snaking skywards, and tail section feathers fluttering in the breeze. Like a live creature, gently moving about on its leash. The smallest dragon kites are pretty easy to get into the air. Just attach the bridle and hold it up for the breeze to catch the tail and take it up. The larger kites, while still easy to launch, take a bit more organization with connecting things up, laying out the tail and so on. Flying a traditional Chinese kite of any sort in wet weather is not a good idea. That's because hand-painted silk is not water-proof! Flying in turbulent air can also be a problem, so keep well away from buildings and trees. Of course, as I've already mentioned, you don't have to actually fly your kite! They are genuine works of art, and many people have a dragon kite displayed somewhere in their home. Could be interesting in a 1 bedroom flat though... Also, some businesses have a large one hung up somewhere to attract attention. Gets more people through the door I guess.

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HistoryJust a couple of notes here on some aspects of the Chinese dragon that go back a long time. Firstly, nearly all authentic dragon designs have the following features...

• a 'centipede' tail structure which represents a snake• deer horns, which represent long life and good luck• catfish whiskers, which represent wealth• tigers' eyes, since the tiger is strong and rules over other animals• a human beard, which symbolizes intelligence and talent

Secondly, many of the dragon kites that are flown or displayed around the world today were produced by Imperial Dragon Kites of Shanghai, in China. This company is old by anyone's standards! Can you believe they have been manufacturing this kind of kite for nearly 2 centuries!

Other Dragon Kite DesignsOK, we've covered the 2 main types, but I've noticed one other type of traditional dragon kite. Of all the many categories of Chinese kites, there is one for 'hard flat kites'. This category covers all flat kites that consist of curved and straight bamboo spars covered with silk or paper. Hence the outline of one of these kites can be complex, with some curved edges and some straight edges. The image of a creature is painted on by hand, giving a fairly realistic impression of the creature flying through the air. In the case of an ornate oriental dragon, this results in something like the Medieval Dragon kite in the picture over there. Finally, I believe there are some traditional Chinese kites which are 3-D, where a little model of a creature is constructed from fine slivers of bamboo covered in silk or paper. A flat kite with straight spars is then attached to the 3D model which allows it to fly.

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History of Chinese Kites

Ancient Muyuan To Modern FreestyleThe history of Chinese kites stretches over thousands of years, so I'm dividing this up into blocks of 1000 years! China has a very long literary tradition, so the facts below are based on a number of specific events that are recorded in ancient Chinese books. Some scholars with an interest in the history of Chinese kites have done all the hard work, so here's a nice simple overall history.

1000 BC to 0 BCSomewhere between 770 BC and 221 BC large wooden kites called muyuan were invented for military purposes. This period actually contained 2 separate periods of Chinese history, the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC - 476 BC) and the following Warring States Period (475-221 BC). Kites were seen as technology, and it seems the first ones were invented in the province of Shandong. There is a record of a certain master of joinery named Mu Zi who developed a man-lifting kite over a period of 3 years. It was called the Wooden-Black-Eard-Kite. At least one more kite of this design was made in later years, by other craftsmen. There is a record of further development of these kites during the Chu-Han War of 203-202 BC. Besides spying on enemy positions, kites were sometimes used to deliver urgent messages. Not sure how, maybe a guy suspended from the kite cranking out Morse code on a Chinese lantern? ;-) Just trying to lighten up this deathly-dull history for you!

1 AD to 1000 ADThe first century AD contained the prosperous Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). During this time all kinds of people discovered the simple enjoyment of kite flying. The traditional bamboo and paper, or bamboo and silk style of kite had its origin way back here. Later in the history of Chinese kites, people came up with more designs and new ideas, such as the musical kite. There's a record of a palace worker in the 900s AD who fixed bamboo pipes to a kite. When flown, the pipes would make a sound in the wind, like the zheng, a stringed instrument. Ever since then, the word for kite in Chinese has been fengzheng.

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Maybe there were some simple kites flown by ordinary people in this period. However, the 900s are known for the introduction of silk-covered kites with beautiful and detailed hand-painted designs. These kites also carried many ornate accessories such as streamers and ribbons. So much went into these kites that it's likely they were only made and used by the royalty and aristocracy of the time. In a word, these kites were expensive.

1000 AD to 2000 ADThe history of Chinese kites after 1000 AD saw kites becoming more popular in all levels of Chinese society. If you couldn't afford silk, you could always use paper! Some time after this, kite flying became a seasonal activity. Most flying was done during and after Chinese New Year and through to March or April. For some areas of China, the winds were better for kite flying at these times. Finally, there sprung up a belief that kite flying was good for your health. This was around the time of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Other somewhat superstitious ideas were around at this time too. For example, letting go of the kite string might get rid of back luck or illness as the kite drifted away. On the other hand, picking up a kite lost by someone else would bring bad luck! By the late 1900s, the Chinese had organized large kite flying festivals where the whole range of kites were on show. The keenest kite makers would show off their best kites. Just like other kite festivals around the world. It's hard to beat large Chinese Dragon kites for sheer spectacle! One of these was over 300 meters (1000 feet) long and won first place in an International Kite Festival held in Italy. The same kite can still be seen in the Weifang Kite Museum.

Since 2000 ADAlthough all the traditional forms of Chinese kites can still be seen, some Chinese kite makers are getting more adventurous these days. New innovative designs, 'art kites' and novelty designs are appearing. This is just like the Western kite scene. With travel and communication so easy these days, I guess Eastern and Western kite making is bound to merge together even more in the future! The history of Chinese kites features yearly festivals. These are still popular, for example the World Kite Festival at Weifang, in Shandong Province. Shandong?! Hey, that's where the very first kites that we know about were constructed and flown. How about that. Full circle. To see the artifacts of Chinese kite history purely as art, you can see a great display at the International Kite Museum, also in WeiFang. You can walk down the halls and visually take in much of the history of Chinese kites.

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Two Japanese Kites...

Much Copied And Adapted In The WestTo really do justice to the entire world of traditional Japanese kites would take a much larger e-book than this one! Each different region in the country, called a Prefecture, tended to come up with it's own designs. This all happened during the Edo period from the early 1600s to the mid 1800s. The kites' names often refer to objects, folk heroes or creatures. Besides the variety in decoration, it's amazing how unique Japanese kites are in terms of overall design. That is, the shape of the frame and sails. Quaintly, the Japanese refer to the frame as the bones of the kite! The big majority of them were, and in some cases still are, made from split bamboo for the spars and Washi paper for the sails. Washi might just be paper, but this hand-made mulberry-based product it is very strong and ideal for kites - as long as you don't get it wet! I'm just going to focus on a couple of designs which have been much copied or adapted in the West. You are likely to see at least one of these types at any large kite festival around the world! Apart from these 2 designs, I wouldn't be surprised if other traditional Japanese kites have been copied too, from time to time.

The Sode DakoThe shape of the Sode Dako looks somewhat like a Japanese kimono laid flat. In fact, 'Sode' means 'sleeves of a Kimono'.

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Photo courtesy of Schnitzgeli.

Like some other Japanese kites, and many other Asian designs too, this one lends itself to having a 'hummer' strung across the upper horizontal spar.The hummer makes musical noises when aloft in fresh breezes. This feature doesn't seem to have been copied in the West though.Traditionally, Sodes were built and flown to celebrate the birth of a son, and to ensure his future happiness and health. In general, the larger Japanese kites need more complex bridle lines. At the small end of the scale, I've seen a child's paper Sode with no bridle at all - just a hole over the vertical spar allowing the flying line to be tied on directly!

Larger Sodes would work well with a 4-point bridle, with 2 lines from each horizontal spar. This helps to relieve the stress at the center of the horizontal spars, in fresher winds.Most of the biggest Sodes seem to have 6-point bridles. That is, lines run from the center and each tip of both horizontal spars. This gives even more rigidity, allowing for the use of even lighter spars than would otherwise be possible. More rigidity also helps the kite to cope with stronger winds.

This example of a modern Sode kite is by Janneke Groen, who is well known for her artistic Sode kites. She specializes in appliqué and patchwork techniques.Janneke, who comes from The Netherlands has been putting her eye-catching flying works of art on show at kite festivals since the 1990s. It was at one of these festivals that Roy Reed. took the picture opposite.Modern Japanese kites like this one usually employ fiberglass or carbon fiber rods for spars, and use rip-stop nylon for the sails. The 4 narrow tails on this particular design help to keep it stable. However, I suspect they are very much a part of the kite's artistic concept!

An interesting addition is the bracing of the upper horizontal spar which I presume is there to improve the flying characteristics of the kite. That's the line going out from the nose to the tips. With a bit of ingenuity I guess it could be made to double as a pair of hummers! Tuned to 2 different notes perhaps...

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Being a decent sized kite, Janneke has chosen to go with the full 6-point bridle. The bridle lines are clearly visible in the photo, and the bridle appears to be very long. Usually, with this kind of bridle, the 2 groups of three lines reduce to just 2 lines before being connected to the flying line itself.

The Sanjo Rokkaku

Photo courtesy of Jeff Attaway.This design is so named because it originated in the region of Sanjo. It's more commonly referred to as the Rokkaku. Many non-Japanese abbreviate the name even further to just 'Rok'. The interesting thing about this design is how popular it has become in the West. There's an example of a non-traditional Rok up there in the photo. The traditional Japanese kites were actually fighters, where people would try to knock each other out of the air by various devious means. Kite battles with the Rokkaku are still organized from time to time, all over the world.. In the West, versions of this kite are constructed with more modern materials, and when organized battles take place, the rules are different.

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When it comes to bridling, there are some similarities to the Sode. Bridle lines are attached to various points along each horizontal spar. A common arrangement on these Japanese kites is the 4-point bridle which just has 2 lines on each horizontal spar. Some commercially available kites have names. Like the one in the picture on the left, the LoonDance. How's that for an elaborate design!This modern Rok is screen-printed by hand, which still takes some time due to the number of colors. Other larger designs by this same company are hand-painted, which would add even more hours. Not to mention $s!At about 1.5 meters tall (60 inches), this is a medium sized

Rok. Thanks to Boreal Kites, of www.gothicdesign.ca, for permission to show that photo. The materials are not exactly run-of-the-mill. The sail fabric is 3/4 oz. Contender Nylite, which I presume is a specialty nylon cloth, while the spars are spiral-wound epoxy tubing. Sounds exotic! According to the makers, this Rok likes winds of around 10 kph (6 mph), but can be adjusted to fly in much stronger breezes. The photo shows a standard 4-point bridle being used.

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More On The Rokkaku Kite

Some BackgroundThe Rokkaku kite is a traditional Japanese fighting kite that in the 21st Century is still quite popular in the West as well. The Rok, as it's often referred to in the West, is a tailless bowed design, hexagonal in shape. Although there are differences between East and West, Rok battles involving individuals or teams are still being organized in various parts of the world. Here's an interesting little snippet I picked up... Have you heard it said that the Delta is the easiest type of kite to fly, hence good for beginners?Heard it myself once, over the PA system at a festival! Well, the whisper is... Once someone owns a Rokkaku kite, they never go back to a Delta!The frame of a Rokkaku kite looks similar in shape regardless of the overall size. The thickness and strength of the spars are just scaled up or down depending on how big the kite is. Most Roks are just under 2 meters (6 feet) in height, since this is the most common size in a kite battle. My little 29 cm 1-Skewer Rok is very much the exception! Here's some of the variations, or lack thereof, in Roks you might see flying today...

• overall size of both traditional and Western Rok-inspired kites doesn't vary a whole lot, in general

• the basic outline is always the same, with minor variations in proportions• traditional construction materials hardly vary at all, which contrasts with the variety

of modern kite-making materials• traditional Rokkakus are designed to fly without a tail in all conditions• traditional Roks are artistically decorated and shop-bought versions are available in

very vivid modern designs• the number of bridle points varies, with more being used for flying in stronger winds• traditionally, the sail was hand-made paper but these days rip-stop nylon is

commonly used for RoksHere's a few comments on each of the above points. Size. Most plans and write-ups for Rokkaku kites feature a vertical spar around 1.8 meters (6 feet) long. This is because the most commonly accepted size for Rok Battle kites is 6 feet. Kites bought from stores vary a bit more with one well known shop selling sizes from 1.2 meters (47 inches) tall through to 2 meters (78 inches) tall. There's that 6 foot measurement again! There also seems to be the occasional bigger home-made Rokkaku kite, say 7 or 8 feet tall, flown for recreation. And of course, the Kite Aerial Photography crowd have always loved their super big, stable Roks!

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Shape. Rokkaku kites all look pretty much the same in outline, with six corners, a long vertical spar, and two bowed cross spars. There are 2 widely used proportions in particular, named 4,5,6 and 3,4,5. For example, 3,4,5 means that the kite is 5 units tall, 4 units wide, and the main body - the rectangular bit - is 3 units tall. That means the cross spars are 1 unit in from the top and bottom. Construction. The Japanese like to refer to the kite frame as the 'bones', and the sail material as the 'skin'. Sounds logical to me! A modern Rokkaku kite might have pockets in the sail, into which the ends of the spars are inserted. Then the cross spars are bowed, and the kite is ready for flight. Not much to it really, a small price for having something collapsible and easily transportable. Browsing around, I came across 3 separate methods for holding a bow in a cross spar...

• The truckie's knot. Without going into detail, this is an easy way to hold tension in the line while tying it off at one end of the cross spar.

• Using one line from each end of the cross spar. A button on one and loop on the other allow the lines to be connected in the middle and hence hold the tension.

• Using a slider with 3 holes. With a slight twist, the line moves easily through the slider, but let it go and it holds the tension firmly. One end of the line is tied off at the 3rd hole, after passing around one spar end.

One clever idea used by some designs is where the vertical spar remains attached to the cross spars. However, it separates in the middle and so each section can be swung around parallel to the cross spar to which it is attached. In this state, the whole thing can just be rolled up like a mat. Easy. Being able to alter the amount of bow easily, as with the 3 holed slider, is handy. This way, the stability of the kite can be tweaked to suit the conditions. Tails. Usually, Roks are flown without tails. However, a tail can be useful in strong winds. People who suspend expensive cameras from their kite line are particularly keen to have the kite nice and stable in strong winds! Decoration. Firstly, some modern methods... Strips of different colored material can be joined together before the outline is cut. The appliqué technique involves sticking light but colorful cut-out patterns onto the sail material. Screen printed sail material can be used. These methods can be seen in both shop-bought and home-made kites. Nearly all traditional Japanese kites were brush painted with bright colored natural dyes and black ink. The shape of the Rokkaku kite really lends itself to displaying a face of some sort. I've seen everything from people to eagles' heads! Bridle. When it comes to bridles, there is some variation. Generally a 4 point bridle is sufficient for the standard 2 meter Rok. The bridle lines attach to the cross spars, midway between the vertical spar and the edge of the kite. Kites this size or larger can benefit from an extra 1, 2 or even 3 bridle lines attached to the vertical spar. This helps the spars resist bending out of shape in strong winds. Sail. A traditional Rokkaku kite used washi paper, which was hand-made. These days, rip-stop nylon or Tyvek is a common choice for the larger kites. Smaller kites made in workshop sessions often just use plastic or tissue paper.

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Rokkaku Kites In ActionEven more so than a large diamond, the Rokkaku kite is pretty versatile. Roks are used for...

• kite battles, oh yes!• hoisting line laundry such as spinners and inflatables• Kite Aerial Photography in fairly light wind speeds• other lifting tasks, such as atmospheric measuring equipment• kite rescue - that was a new one on me too!

The Rokkaku kite battle originated in Japan, like the kite itself. In the West, these competitions are organized for either individuals or teams. The idea is to force your opponent's kite to the ground. Here are the three methods used...

• Cutting - by slicing through another flying line with your own, similar to an Indian fighter kite battle

• Tipping - by upsetting another kite with your own flying line, causing the other kite to touch the ground. Takes a bit of skill.

• Wind blocking - managing to stay in the air while others run out of flying room and end up on the ground. Sneaky!

It's not uncommon to see a Rok battle at a kite festival. Sounds like a lot of fun! With their strong lifting ability and stable flying characteristics, it's no wonder people use a Rokkaku kite for hanging out their line laundry. You know, spinners, streamers, even big inflatable creations that float and dance in the wind. If you've been to a kite festival you would have seen this kind of thing for sure. Here's a delightful picture of a decent sized Rokkaku kite...

Photo courtesy ofJeff Attaway.

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Now here's an interesting lifting application. Some guys working for the Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research Utrecht (I.M.A.U.) have used a couple of Roks for scientific purposes, way down in Antarctica. Due to the extreme cold, these kites were specially designed to be rigged while the flier is wearing thick gloves.Their 2 meter and 1.5 meter Roks were used separately or stacked together, to provide the required lifting force in a variety of wind conditions. The payload was atmospheric measuring equipment, hoisted to the considerable height of 600 meters (2000 feet). Did you know that kites have been rescued from trees, by other kites? Neither did I until very recently! Kite rescue is done, I presume, by flying under the flying line of the stuck kite. If the lines cross fairly close to the tree, I can imagine how there would be a good chance of lifting it out of the branches and leaves. How about that.

Some Rokkaku Kite HistoryAt this point, I haven't yet waded through any big books on Japanese kite history, so I haven't got much specifically on the Rokkaku kite. However, there are a few snippets I can share with you...Most artistic Japanese kites were developed in the Edo period from 1603 to 1867. At this time, Japan was closed to foreigners. Different designs originated from different regions of the country, including, presumably, the Rokkaku. Since the earliest times, some Roks have been adorned with the faces of heroes from Japanese folklore. In 1649, the Sanjo Rokkaku fighting kite festival began at Niigata Prefecture in Japan. There is actually a Rokkakudo Temple located in central Kyoto. Since the rokkaku part of the name refers to the hexagonal shape of the temple, there seems to be some connection. Only historians would know which came first - the kite or the temple! Sanjo is a location in Kyoto Prefecture, hence the traditional name, the Sanjo Rokkaku.

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More On The Sode Kite

Some BackgroundThe Sode kite, or Sode Dako as it's known in Japan, is also known as the Kimono kite. 'Sode' actually means 'sleeve of a kimono'. The form of one of these kites looks similar to a Japanese kimono, stretched out flat. Traditionally, this kite was built and flown to ensure the health and happiness of a newborn boy. As far as I know, plenty of traditional Sodes still fly in Japan, along with a number of Western versions that are now available in shops.Like Chinese kites, most Japanese kites are works of art where a lot of effort is put into the decoration of the sail. Even some Western versions stay true to this ideal, with long hours of intricate sail work undertaken by the kite maker. The results are usually very different to the Japanese designs though! For example, look at that patchwork design over there, by Dr. Kai Griebenow. Centuries ago, it was common for a string 'hummer' to be strung tightly across and in front of the leading edge of the kite. When in the air, the string would make a humming noise in the breeze. This idea was borrowed from even earlier Chinese kites. The Sode kite is a good light wind flier, but often needs a tail to cope with stronger winds. Interestingly, many Japanese believe that a kite that needs a tail is poorly designed or built. It's true that most traditional Japanese kites fly without tails. Although the Kimono kite design isn't exactly popular in the West, a few notable kite makers have made them. In large sizes, and with the latest materials and modern decor, these kites do make a good impression on spectators! The frame of a Sode kite looks pretty much the same regardless of the overall size. The thickness and strength of the spars are just scaled up or down depending on how big the kite is. Although the Japanese are known for flying very large kites, I haven't heard of any huge Sodes being flown.

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However, some makers do go the other way, and make some very tiny Sode kites! These and other variations are listed and discussed a bit further, below...

• overall size of both traditional and modern Western Sode-inspired kites varies a lot• the basic outline hardly varies at all, and if it's quite different, is it really a Sode?• traditional construction materials hardly vary at all from kite to kite, which contrasts

with the variety of modern kite-making materials• an accurately made Kimono kite can fly without a tail in light winds, and a tail lets it

fly in stronger winds• traditional Kimono kites are decorated with many different designs and the few

shop-bought versions are also available in colorful designs• the number of bridle points varies according to the size of the kite• traditionally, the sail was hand-made paper but these days nylon, mylar or polyester

is commonly usedHere's a few comments on each of the above points. Size. I've seen plans and write-ups for Sode kites around 1.5 meters (5 feet) tall. There's even a commercially available design by the famous kite maker Reza Ragheb which measures 3.8 meters (9.5 feet) in length. However, the traditional variety which are still flown in Japan are generally much smaller than this. At the other end of the scale, a Japanese kite maker managed to take out the Worlds Smallest Kite Competition in 1998 with a tiny Sode design. His name was Hiko Yoshizumi, and his delicate little creation measured just 10 mm by 8mm (4/10 inch by 3/10 inch)! To qualify, it had to fly at a better than 10 degree line angle. Shape. Sode kites all look pretty much the same in outline, although the triangular tip at the nose end can vary in shape and size. Also, the left and right edges of the top and/or bottom regions of the sail are not always perfectly straight up and down as in the traditional design. These variations are just for artistic reasons. For example, the Nosey kite by Charlie Charlton has some curves and tapering in its sail outline. Construction. The Japanese like to refer to the kite frame as the 'bones', and the sail material as the 'skin'. Straight slivers of bamboo are used for the single longeron, 2 upper spars and shorter lower spar. The lower spar can be bent in the middle or bowed a little. This gives some side area toward the rear of the kite and helps with directional stability. In other words, the kite will fly without a tail in a wider range of wind speeds. Some modern Sodes have pockets in the sail, into which the ends of the spars are inserted. Hence they are collapsible for easy transport, just like many modern Diamonds or other flat kites. Tails. I suspect that typical tails for these kites are fairly simple, since most of the time the idea is to not use one at all. Not being an expert on Japanese kites, I'm not sure what traditional Japanese kite tails are like. Long streamers of tissue would work. Come to think of it, I have seen illustrations where some rectangular Japanese kites have 2 simple streamer tails.

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Decoration. Firstly, some modern methods... Strips of different colored material can be joined together before the outline is cut. The appliqué technique involves sticking light but colorful cut-out patterns onto the sail material. Printed sail material can be used. I've even come across a guy who prints out sails for his Sode kites on an ink-jet printer! Hand painting or airbrushing can be applied after the kite is constructed. There's a bunch of different ways to decorate a kite. Nearly all traditional Japanese kites were brush painted with bright colored natural dyes and black ink. This would have included the Sode or Kimono kites as well. Bridle. When it comes to bridles, they do vary quite a bit on Sode kites. The smallest kites just require 2 bridle points, where the upper cross spars join to the longeron. My MBK Skewer Sode kite is like this. The largest kites fly well on 6 bridle points, where there is a bridle point on either side of both central bridle points. That is, 3 points on each of the 2 main cross spars. For medium sized kites, just the 4 outer bridle points are sometimes used. Finally, for strong wind flying, an extra bridle point where the bottom spar crosses the longeron is sometimes required, to prevent the longeron bending under the strain. Sail. Traditionally, Sode kites used washi paper, which was hand-made. These days, rip-stop or spinnaker nylon is a common choice for the larger kites. Smaller kites made in workshops might still use plastic or tissue paper.

Sode Kites In ActionYou'll have a much harder time spotting a Sode kite than seeing, say, a Diamond or a Delta in the air. There are some examples of this type of kite in the shops, but mostly, it seems they are made by kite makers looking for something different.Also, with 2 big rectangular areas of sail, these kites are perfect for doing something really artistic! Some very well-known kite makers have chosen this style of kite to exhibit their talent for creating flying works of art. For example, Janneke Groen from the Netherlands and Reza Ragheb. When designing for looks, the bigger the kite, the bigger the impression on spectators! That might explain why some of these designer kites are so large.

Some Sode Kite HistoryAt this point, I haven't yet waded through any big books on Japanese kite history, so I haven't got anything specifically on the Sode kite. However, there are some general points which would apply to the Sode design. Most artistic Japanese kites were developed in the Edo period from 1603 to 1867. At this time, Japan was closed to foreigners. Different designs originated from different regions of the country, including, presumably, the Sode Dako. The early Sode kites would have been decorated with scenes from Japanese folklore or mythology. Bright geometric patterns were sometimes used too, which makes you wonder whether some of those early designs would look out of place today, hanging in the local kite shop.

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Japanese Fish KitesFor many years, maybe decades, people around the world have known about Japanese Fish Kites. However, strictly speaking, these bright shimmering tubes are windsocks!Being light-weight, open at one end and closed at the other pretty much defines a wind-sock. Since these are such a major part of Japanese kite culture I thought they still deserved a page on this site. In Japan, May 5th each year is a time of celebration for children. Funnily enough it’s called Children’s Day!It used to be for boys only, but Japan has moved with the times so that both boys and girls can enjoy the day now. On this day, fish kites and streamers are hung from bamboo poles outside people's homes, representing the male occupants. In fact, this goes for poles everywhere around the country, and even from the occasional car aerial! As the wind blows into the mouth of the windsock, the kite wriggles around giving the impression of a fish swimming upstream. Traditionally, it is the fresh water Carp that is depicted by the kites. The upstream struggle of the fish represented the passage of a boy through to manhood. According to legend, when the carp reached the river source, it became a dragon. Hence these creations are also known widely as Carp Kites. For the sake of correctness, let's call them Carp Windsocks! The great photo below shows some pristine and very glossy looking Fish Kites, err sorry, Carp Windsocks. The traditional colors of red and blue are also present, on the far right.

Photo courtesy of Rumpleteaser.

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The Butterfly Kite

Some Observations And ExamplesJust a few thoughts here, about the Butterfly kite. To tell the truth, I can only remember seeing one actual example flying in the air. It strikes me as a rather female-friendly kind of kite. In fact, the one my wife and I saw at a kite festival was being flown by a woman. Not a child, note! I can also recall the occasional online photo or 2 of a Butterfly being flown - once again, by a woman! And how about the keen photographer who took the image at the bottom of this page .... you guessed it ...Butterfly kites are arty. It doesn't seem to matter in what exact shape, size or form they come. Butterfly kites are almost always dressed up. Sometimes purely as an artwork, whether childish or more sophisticated. Otherwise, they are made to look as realistic as possible. That takes some doing, since the living insect puts on an intricate and often very beautiful display of color. Pretty things sell better than plain things, so a decent butterfly design must be fairly easy to move off the kite-shop shelves. OK, walls or ceiling ;-) You know how they like to hang things here there and everywhere, like some sort of kiting art installation. A typical Butterfly design is just a little taller than it is wide, in many cases. Hence it should be easier to get flying stable than say a Bird kite. That's just a hunch on my part. If you have made a lot of kites, would you agree? I've certainly read some stories online of how long some Bird kite designs took to get right! Good Butterflies don't actually need tails, but often have them for looks. Also, these types are generally mid-sized. Say, less than a meter (3 feet) across. Talking about size brings to mind a group of enthusiasts who posted a photo of their giant Butterfly on this site! There's a copy of that photo down near the bottom of this page... The Butterfly kite has become one of the most popular creature-kites around, among single-surface designs. Other big 'creature' categories would have to include Bird and Fish kites. These ideas seem to have originated in China, centuries ago.

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A Butterfly Zoo

Child's Kite Kit

Photo courtesy of drachenstore.easystorecreator.net

A typical small kite for kids. This one's plain, but kids can easily add their own art-work to the sail material before the kite is cut out and assembled.

Modern Kite Shop Butterfly

Photo courtesy of kiteandwind.com

This hi-tech example flies stable without tails, and features a 3D appearance. Rich colors are even brighter when the sun shines through from behind. Marvelous!

Traditional Chinese ButterflyPhoto courtesy of chinakiteonline.com

The real thing, in pink to be in keeping with the female-friendly tone of this page! These designs have hardly changed in terms of materials, construction techniques and general appearance for hundreds of years. Amazing.

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How's that for a 3-picture summary of the Butterfly corner of the kiting world! Enjoy the photo below, too...

Photo courtesy of Judith.

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Vivid Balinese Kites

From Kids' Toys To Massive Fish KitesBali is kite-mad! Visitors tell of Balinese kites tethered in fields, 15 or 20 at a time. Mostly flown by children who make their own flying creations from scraps of plastic and bamboo. Most of the flying activity in Bali occurs during the dry windy months around the middle of the year. Strong Easterlies blow at these times. July in particular, hence the Bali International Kite Festival is held in that month! Beside the enthusiasm displayed by the local children, adults also come out in large numbers to fly on special occasions. This is when the huge traditional Balinese kites are flown. Like the one in the photo up there on the left, courtesy of Bob Harris. Some of these huge bamboo and cotton creations require a team of people to tow them up into the prevailing trade winds. An example is the Bebean, or fish kite. Despite no dihedral, the form of the sail plus the wide ribbon tail on each side are sufficient to keep it stable. The Bebean photo up there is courtesy of Bob Harris.In common with other communities that border the Pacific ocean, like the Maoris in New Zealand, Balinese kiting has very close connections to the local culture and religion. However, in contrast to this... Kites from Bali are becoming known more and more outside the shores of the island and its mother country, Indonesia. Groups of artisans churn out large numbers of beautiful smaller kites, with no 2 exactly alike. Some end up in overseas travelers' baggage, others are sold over the Internet. There's a real industry in Balinese kites developing here.

Types Of KitesHere's some beautiful examples of Balinese kites... The smaller kites from Bali are fascinating from just an artistic perspective! Great skill goes into creating the decoration. In fact, some are so heavily decorated that they are too heavy to fly. The idea is to use them around your home, hung like paintings or placed like sculpture.

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A large proportion of all these smaller kites are made to closely resemble various creatures, such as...

• birds• fish• butterflies - see that photo down below!• frogs• lizards or 'dragons'

The artwork is typically very bold and vivid. Sometimes almost photographically realistic too! For example, pink parrot feathers, painstakingly re-created with fine brushes. These smaller Balinese kites share the following characteristics...

• a small 3 dimensional body is attached to a pair of wing-like sails

• leading edge spars are usually straight or only slightly curved

• trailing edges are much more curved, sometimes with a scalloped outline as well

• a taut covering of nylon or sometimes rayon is applied over the frame

• painting is done on the 3D body and the sails to complete the illusion of a real creature - for example legs painted on the underside of the sail

• long ribbon tails are common, designed to harmonize with the rest of the designThanks to the people who supplied the pictures of the bird and butterfly kites! Your website might be gone, but you know who you are.The big traditional designs are constructed from wooden or bamboo spars and cotton cloth sails. Stylized forms of various sea creatures are common, like that Bebean in the top-of-page photo. A uniquely Asian feature of these huge Balinese kites are the hummers. Some traditional Chinese and Japanese kites have these too.Line is stretched between the ends of a bowed pole, creating an instrument which vibrates in the airflow. When 2 or more of these are used, they are tuned to harmonize. Hence these kites are interesting to listen to, as well as watch in the air. Imagine the effect with several Balinese kites up there, as the blustery trade winds sweep across the island! Finally, there is the multitude of children's kites. For the most part these are just simplified variations on the smaller artistic ones described previously. You might see butterfly kites or basic delta-style creations.

The Bali Kite FestivalThis huge international event is held in July, so no surprises there! That's when the wind and hence kite flying fever is at a peak all across the island. So much so, that there are actually problems from time to time...

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Large run-away kites can plop down in the middle of traffic, causing accidents. Pedestrians and motorbike riders can have nasty encounters with abrasive line draped here and there. Yes, just like in India, there are some keen kite fighters in Bali who insist on using the traditional technique of covering their lines with finely ground glass! The festival is a real showcase for the largest traditional Balinese kites. These creations are decorated in simple patterns of black, red, white and gold/yellow, representing the incarnations of various Hindu gods. There is even a god of kites in Balinese Hinduism! Around a couple of months of careful construction and testing go into each kite, based in a local temple. International visitors are wowed and intrigued with not only the kites themselves, but also the music and rituals that go with it. A gamelan orchestra strikes up as the majestic kites take to the sky, and entire teams are themselves a spectacle in national dress. Hummers hum, and spectators cheer - sometimes when a kite comes unexpectedly to the ground! If you have ever been to a large kite festival, you will have an idea of the sheer variety of kites to be seen. In Bali, this goes double, since the local kites have great variety in size, shape and color. Add to that the kites brought in by tourists and invited international visitors, and what a mixture results! Everything from local kid's kites to big expensive Western show kites. Here's another example of the giant traditional kites of Bali. In fact, it looks like another Bebean...

Photo courtesy of Chie.

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Wau Bulan

The Moon Kite Of MalaysiaWau Bulan is the name given to the ornate Malaysian Moon Kite. We were fortunate to see the real thing at a kite festival, in our home city of Adelaide, South Australia. The organizers had invited a Malaysian kite master and his wife to the event. They brought with them a couple of large and beautiful Wau kites. In addition, the couple brought a number of smaller non-flying kites. These were available for sale as ornaments. A word about the names.. 'Wau', pronounced 'Wow', is an Arabic letter that looks something like the kite's shape. Also, the crescent shape of the rear sail led to the name 'Moon kite' in English. Oh, one more thing - 'Wow!' does pop into the heads of English-speaking people when they see one of these impressive kites for the first time. It did for me! After a bit of research, it's clear that the kites we saw were indeed the famous Wau Bulan. I can't remember hearing any hummers though. Perhaps it would have been drowned out by the Kite Festival sound system anyway! Apparently, most provinces in Malaysia have a variation on the Wau. For example, the Wau Kuching or Cat Kite and the Wau Merak or Peacock Kite. The Bulan version is the most popular however. I was surprised at the efficiency of the Wau Bulan, since it managed to hold higher line angles than most other festival kites in the sky! That includes large Deltas which are known for their high flying angle. We saw the Wau get upset by a patch of rough air, which caused it to gently spear into the dunes at one stage. The kite was undamaged, and was soon re-launched.

The Wau Bulan - Some DetailsAs for most traditional kites around the world, the framework is made from split bamboo. Intricate floral patterns, which you can see in our photos, are cut from colored paper and pasted onto the tissue sails. Some makers prefer glossy reflective light paper for the sails instead of plainer-looking tissue.

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As a final touch, paper tassels dangle from the wing tips. One of our photos show a tassle hanging from the nose as well. On some designs, these tassels can be quite bulky. The entire process, from selection of materials through to final decoration takes quite some skill and patience, not surprisingly! Size-wise, the kites are quite large, with the usual wing-span being 2.5 meters (9 feet). In some examples, the nose-to-tail measurement is around 3.5 meters (12 feet). The ones we saw were a little shorter than this. While not flying, both the Wau kites were stuck side-by-side and upright in a convenient sand-dune. The Wau we saw flying had just a simple single-point bridle, as can be seen in the photos. No prizes for guessing which country has that flag, by the way!

I'd hate to have to make one of these in a hurry ;-)

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I hope that this e-book has provided plenty of interesting general information on some well-known categories of kites.But what if you want to try your hand at getting one of your very own creations up there one day? ..."Making Dowel Kites" has many well-tested designs which any adult or teenager can attempt. All you need are some easily-found items such as large plastic bags, wooden dowel and tape.

“What Kite Is That?An Introduction To Stunt, Power, Box And Asian Kites”

© Copyright 2008-2013, Tim Parish. All rights reserved worldwide.

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