Types of Kites Kiting F.A.Q. Shopping for Kites

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Kites have come a long way. It is believed that they originated about 2000 years ago in China. Kites have played an important role in history. They have been used in religious ceremonies, warfare, scientific developments, fishing, and relaxation. More kite history can be found at: http://www.nationalkitemonth.org/history/kitehistory.shtml


Types of Kites

Almost all kites fall into two categories, single line kites, and multi-line kites. This refers to the number of lines that a flier controls his kite with. Single line kites may have more than one bridle line attachment point for the kite’s stability, but all those bridle lines are gathered together in a single tow point to attach the flying line. An example would be a diamond eddy kite. A multi-line kite example would be a sport kite. It’s pilot uses two or more flying lines to fly his kite.

SINGLE LINE KITES (one controlling flying line) include these categories (Descriptions courtesy of The American Kiteflyers Association’s “Rules and Guidelines for Kitemakers' Competitions” Photos are courtesy of Kite Studio. More examples of these kite types can be found at Kite Studio’s website http://www.kitebuilder.com 

• Flat, or bowed The lifting surface is a single plane, usually a simple geometric shape. The surface may be bowed, decreasing surface area and increasing drag for improved stability. Diamonds, Hexagons, Eddys, Rokkakus, Edos, Cobras, Bermudas are all examples of Flat or Bowed kites.

• Cellular The kite design, often with the help of sails, bracing, or wind pressure, forms a rigid three-dimensional structure. The wind flows through the channels formed by the sail surfaces which are also lifting or stabilizing surfaces.

• Delta Delta kites usually have triangular wings. They have spars on the leading edge of the wings that can pivot on the spreader bar. One or more longitudinal spars help the kite to keep its shape. A keel is usually used but is not always necessary.

• Figure These kites are in shapes of persons, animals, or other objects.

• Rokkaku Rokkaku kites must be six-sided and framed as traditional Sanjo-style Rokkaku. These kites are taller than they are wide and their cross spars are traditionally bowed.

• Soft and Flexible This type of three-dimensional kites depends on the force of the wind on the kite, not on a rigid frame, to give the kite its shape. These kites may change their shape depending on the force of the wind. Soft kites have no spars. Flexible or semi-rigid kites may incorporate spars, with the spars going in one direction or one plane only. Flowforms are in this category.

• Fighter Kites Small maneuverable single line kites. Without a tail, highly unstable... unless in the hands of a master. These kites are often flown in competition, scoring points for line touches and time. Check these websites for more information:

  • http://fighterkites.org/index.html

  • http://www.csun.edu/~hfoao033/fighters.html

  • http://vinebranches.net/muk/fighterkite.html

MULTI-LINE KITES (More than one controlling flying line) include dual (2) and quad (4) kites,) These are kites that use more than one flying line to launch the kite into the air and to control its flight patterns. These kites are designed for the purpose of making high-performance maneuvers in flight. The pilot must be able to control the flight of the kite through certain basic maneuvers. These types of kites are sometimes broken into two types, sport, and traction.

• Sport—Sport kites have relative little pull when flying them. They are often flown in complex patterns and competition Here is a good site that describes tricks

  • http://www.reeddesign.co.uk/tricks/index.html

  • http://www.idemployee.id.tue.nl/p.j.f.peters/kites/index.html

• Types of competition figures are found here

  • http://www.reeddesign.co.uk/iskcb/index.html

  • http://www.reeddesign.co.uk/kites/index.html

• Traction (Buggy, Kitesurfing, Snowboarding)—Traction kites are designed to be both maneuverable and to generate enough force to move the pilot.
  
  Buggy Try these sites for more information:

  • http://www.kites.org/jo/buggying.html

  • http://www.sbbb.net/

  • http://members.tripod.com/~TKOGunn1/dbbb.htm

• Kite surfing and wakeboarding. For more info go to http://www.kittyhawk.com 

• Snow Boarding. For more info try http://www.4kiteboarding.com/snowkiting.html 

OTHER WAYS TO KITE

Although Single and Multi-Line describe most kites, some have elements of both, or items that separate them.

• Miniature Miniature kites are usually smaller than 8", fly on 18" of line, and typically fly best indoors. Miniatures can be either single, or duel line. More info on Minitures can be found at http://miniatures.kitingusa.com

• Indoor Kiting Kiting can be done indoors, without a fan. Ultra light single, dual, and quad kites can do tricks indoors using the pilot’s walking speed and 360 degree movement range. Please check these sites for more info. The second site is a video of the 2003 Master’s Individual Indoor Ballet winner, and will take a bit of time to load.

  • http://www.houseofphotography.com/kramer/indoors.htm

  • http://www.kitelife.com/videos/indoor/ralfeliass_indrchlng-gmy2003mib1st.htm

• Kite Arial Photography KAP is taking photos from a kite. More info about this can be found at http://www.arch.ced.berkeley.edu/kap/  or an entire page of links at http://kap.kitez.com 

• Line Laundry This term refers to any item that a kiter attaches to the flying line of a single line kite. Other terms are line junk, or sky laundry.

• Ground Display This genre encompasses banners and ground bouncers that help decorate a field with color, and indicators of wind direction. These items are not attached to a kite, but stand, or are tethered by themselves.
  
   

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