By Tim Parish

These tips assume the kite itself is in good condition and flies well. Even in that case, things occasionally get interesting. Oh yes! All sorts of unexpected things can happen when you're kite flying with a single liner. Part 1 covered 4 issues. Here are another 4, with a little discussion and suggestions for each.

Last Second Saves Or Cushioning The Impact

Sounds dramatic hey? This kite flying situation usually occurs when the wind is really a bit too strong. Most of the time it's OK, but then a stronger gust comes along... There goes the kite, looping and diving. Oops, now it's heading directly for the ground, and fast! Don't panic. One of 3 things can happen, if you know what to do. The kite will either...

* recover by itself, in the slower air near the ground, or
* recover with a little help from the flier, or
* hit the ground softly, with no damage done - with a little help from the flier!

Those last 2 points involve the flier, that's you, thrusting the reel or winder at the kite. You don't have time to let line out, you just shove the reel or winder at the kite, without letting go. You can take a step or 2 towards the kite too, which will make this action even more effective. The idea is to suddenly take all the tension out of the flying line. Kites just flutter and float if left to themselves for just half a second or so.

Getting The Kite Flying Well Above Tree Height

Always a good idea when kite flying in a park, provided the line is not actually near any trees. This goes for other obstacles as well, such as houses and other buildings. The air is much smoother up there, and your kite will behave much more predictably. About the only spot where this doesn't apply is on a wide smooth beach with the sea breeze coming in off the ocean!

Thermaling!

Oh yeah, make use of that rising air! Single line kites often get caught up in thermals, which float them up to very high line angles for a short while. However, it's fun to recognize what's happening and make more use of it. Some kite pilots have the opportunity to fly very high in places where air traffic regulations aren't as strict as they are here in Australia. Large delta kites are commonly used to explore thermals.

Even limited to 400 feet above ground, as I am, it's always a pleasure to occasionally bump into a thermal while kite flying. It's a buzz to let the string slip through my fingers just fast enough to climb the kite almost vertically until there is no more line to let out! There are some kite pilots who actively search the sky for thermals by maneuvering their kite. Single-liners aren't directly steerable, but there are some ways of helping them drift this way or that. Pulling a bit of extra tension into the line will help a delta accelerate in the direction it happens to be pointing, for example.

Winding In Without Tension

A must unless the kite is hardly pulling at all due to weather or the size of the kite. To be convenient, this requires 2 people. One to pull down the kite, and the other to wind on line off the ground. This way, the line goes onto the reel with very little tension, and the reel will live to fly another day! Don't try struggling to bring down a hard-pulling kite while winding onto a plastic reel loop by loop. The reel might be totally crushed by the experience! ;-) I once got caught out this way, while kite flying with just an average sized Delta. Despite trying to wind on with reduced tension. Even a small amount adds up with each loop.

If a second person is not available, it's still do-able but not quite so convenient. You have to lay out line as you pull down the kite. Not in one great heap, since that is a recipe for an enormous tangle! Just lay it out in a regular pattern. Alternatively, just walk out towards the kite, pulling it down as you go. After the kite is down, walk back to the reel and wind on all the line as you approach the kite a second time. Hey, it's good exercise! The older you get, the more you need it I'm finding...

By Kadence Buchanan

In many cultures around the world, the custom of kite flying has been passed from generation to generation almost as a ritual. Kites have been introduced more than three thousand years ago in China and from there the kite flying experience traveled throughout Asia, Europe, and later in America, Australia and other countries around the globe. From the years of Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Graham Bell to the World War II, kites have been used in scientific experiments or as lifting tools for military purposes. Today, kite flying and its contemporary successors, like kite buggying, kite sailing/surfing, or kite jumping, are considered to be joyful, relatively inexpensive and unique recreational activities practiced around the world, almost all year around.

The traditional kite flying involves flying a tethered man-made object with the help of the natural wind. The necessary lift that permits the kite to fly into the open space is generated when airflow over and under the kite creates the right amount of low pressure above the kite and high pressure underneath it. Those practicing kite flying state that running against the wind while holding the string that connects the center of the kite with the surface is a unique experience that one has to practice in order to fully comprehend. Typically consisting of one or more spars (sticks), made by bamboo, rattan, or other flexible but strong materials to hold the pressure powers exercised by the wind, classic kites use paper or light fabric sails, such as silk, and are made in different shapes and/or themes, such as birds or dragons. From the classic flat geometric form of a polyester diamond kite, modern designers have created kites that have three-dimensional forms or are made of sparless inflatable designs.

In recent years, kite flying has developed into a competitive sport where precision flying skills and artistic interpretation are required. But for the rest of the world, kite festivals have become a popular form of entertainment. These can be small local events, like traditional festivals, practiced by the local citizens for hundreds of years, to international festivities which bring in kite flyers from distant countries to display their techniques and distinct kite art forms. Moreover, with kite museums all around the world, kites are exposed to the eyes of the public and attract thousands of new practitioners every year. The world kite museum in Weifang Shandong China, the famous international kite capital, is the largest one in the world featuring a display area of more than 8,100 sq.m.

If you have never tried to fly a kite, perhaps next time you are out in the open you should attempt to have your own personal experience. If you decide to experiment with kite flying, please be very careful of the area you select to try this type of recreational activity. Remember that electricity polls or mountain cliffs can prove to be a rather disastrous and dangerous experience not only for the kite, but most importantly for you! Be careful and enjoy your new kite flying recreational activity with family and friends. Practice and see your kite flying skills "fly up high!"

By Tim Parish

These tips assume the kite itself is in good condition and flies well. Even in that case, things occasionally get interesting. Oh yes! All sorts of unexpected things can happen when you're kite flying with a single liner. There's too many for 1 article so here are just 4 issues, with a little discussion and some suggestions for each.

Avoiding Trees And Other Obstacles

This might seem a bit strange since you can't steer most single-line kites. However, kites get caught in trees often! The first thing I do when walking into a park or reserve to fly a kite is to test the wind direction. This is easily done by throwing some grass or dust into the air. Once the kite is up, it will tell you exactly where the wind is coming from. You might find you have to move a little, to give the kite the most room possible.

Despite having enough room in the general wind direction, you might find your kite flying far over to the left or right. Here's a few reasons, starting from the most likely:

* a thermal is passing through
* the wind strength has crept up and the kite has become less stable
* the general wind direction has changed
* something has failed on the kite

So, if the kite is heading over some tall trees, you need to act quickly! You can't assume that the kite will be fine and eventually return to center. It probably will, but then I've been caught out more than once! It's best to scoot across in the opposite direction, which will encourage the kite to center itself and hence fly away from danger.

Another situation is where the kite is heading over some obstacles, but it is quite high. In this case, it pays to just keep an eye on things. If anything starts to go wrong, you have time to wind in line or walk backwards so the kite ends up upwind of those kite-eaters below!

For example, if the wind dies suddenly, it's easy. Just reel in line to keep the kite in the air and also to keep it away from the obstacles. If the wind picks up and the kite starts to loop, it's trickier. Winding in will usually make the looping worse, but you have no choice. You have to act! Often, the situation improves as the kite gets lower, due to the wind being slower near the ground.

Bringing Down A Kite Quickly

This is sometimes necessary when weather conditions aren't great, but you decide to go kite flying anyway. However, with the first few spots of rain, there are no excuses. The kite has to come down quick, or you are in danger of operating a very long lightning rod! In these circumstances, just throw the kite winder on the ground and take in line hand over hand as fast as you can.

However, if the kite is large and pulling strongly, it might make more sense to just walk quickly downwind. Bring down the line as you go, hand over hand, with the winder on the ground behind you. With the kite grounded, you can take your time winding on all the line.

Towing Up To Find Faster Air

Here's a little kite flying trick that sometimes comes in handy in very light conditions. This is worth trying if the breeze won't quite support the kite at ground level. You've tried time and time again to get the thing in the air, but it keeps on sadly sinking back to earth after a promising hover or 2. All you need is just one more knot or so of wind speed!

Because air gets slowed down near the ground, chances are that you will find that tiny extra bit of wind up higher. Let out plenty of line, at least 50 meters (150 feet) and drag the kite into the air. Pull in line or jog along just fast enough to keep it climbing until it reaches a good line angle. You might be surprised to find that the kite has no trouble staying up now!

Anchoring

It's almost never necessary to actually tie a knot when anchoring a kite. All you have to do is find a roughly cylindrical object, for example a small tree branch, a pram handle or a railing of some sort. Then, put at least 5 wraps of line around the object and you should find there is no tendency to slip! Just leave the reel or winder on the ground.

Another approach is to bring along a stake, which can be hammered into the ground, before you wrap the line around it. Actually, using a stake is sometimes the only option when you are kite flying in a large open area away from the beach.

Probably the best idea when kite flying at the beach is the sand anchor. This is just a bag or bags which can be filled with sand after you arrive. No winding here, you just lodge the reel under a bag that is heavy enough to do the job. The bags weigh practically nothing and are easy to transport in your pocket or carry-bag, depending on how big they need to be.

Stay tuned for more tips in a following article...

By Milton Drepaul

In my country Guyana this time of the year is associated with kite making and kite flying. It is so traditional in my country that when I first lived away from it I was taken aback that Easter came and there were no kites.

Recently I tried to find out the origins of this tradition. Asking older people only brought vague responses about it being our way of celebrating the resurrection of Christ. When I began researching the history of kites I found out that in both China and India there were long kite traditions. Something clicked. Maybe the Chinese or Indians brought it to Guyana.

As usual there are different claims about where kites originated. In some accounts it is China. Other stories say it began with societies in the South Pacific. The Balinese have a beautiful story on the origin of kites.

Kite flying symbolizes man’s dream of flying. One of the most powerful Greek myths is that of Icarus who flew with wings but went too near the sun which melted the wax holding his wings together. Kites even have their own museums and festivals.The Kite Museum of Ahmedabad in India gives you a glimpse of the history of man’s joy of flying kites.

Kite flying has not only been a recreation it has played important roles in war and science. There is the story of Hsiang Yü who flew a kite at night to frighten the army of Liu Pang founder of the Han dynasty in China. This is the ancient equivalent of our flying black hawk helicopters to scare the Taliban.

There are accounts from 100 BC to 500 AD of generals using kites to send signals, messages and even weapons. They were used for observation and to measure the distance of enemy camps. A modern version of this is pilotless drones doing similar duties.

Many of us have read about Ben Franklin’s kite experiment in 1752.He sent up a kite in a storm to prove that lightning was of the same electric matter as the one that generated electricity. He attached a projecting metal wire to his kite. This drew lightning when an electrified cloud passed over his kite.

Kites played an important role in the development of aircraft. A major milestone in kite flying was in 1870 when an Australian inventor Lawrence Hargrave created box-kites whose stability was the inspiration for power driven aeroplanes. Alexander Graham Bell,Samuel Cody and the Wright brothers experimented with very large man-carrying kites and biplane gliders.

From my research the most popular Kite flying countries are China, Japan, India, and Thailand. I was intrigued to read about 'kite fights'. This is something I remember from my childhood. Kite fighters try to cut opponent’s kites down using various methods. The technique used in Afghanistan ( Gudiparan Baz. ) where the string of the tails of the kites are passed through a mixture of ground glass powder and glue to make them capable of cutting either the tails or the string controlling the kite is very familiar to me. Perhaps my Corentyne cousins had some Afghan ancestry!

Some interesting traditional International Kite Flying festivals I found are in Greece, India and Pakistan. Greeks fly kites on the first Monday of Lent. This is known as Clean Monday. Millions fly kites all over northern India during the Indian festival of Makar Sankranti, a spring festival celebrated every January 14 and a public holiday in Gujarat. In neighboring Pakistan, kite flying is done in Basant -their spring festival.

Today we have competitions for multi-line kite flying,precision flying and for the artistic interpretation of music.The Joy of Kite Flying continues.