Kite
For other uses see Kite (bird) or Kite (disambiguation). |
Yokaichi Giant Kite Festival held on the fourth Sunday every May in Higashiomi, Shiga, Japan |
A
kite is a flying tethered man-made object. The necessary
lift that makes the kite fly is generated when airflow over and under the kite creates low pressure above the kite and high pressure below it. In addition to the lift, this deflection generates horizontal
drag along the direction of the wind. This drag is opposed with the tension of one or more
lines held by the operator of the kite. Kites held with more than one line can be steered by pulling the different lines with different strength.
In addition to kites that are mainly flown for
recreation,
art or
practical use, there are
power kites or traction kites. These are steerable kites designed to generate substantial excess lift and a pull that can be applied in related activities such as
kite surfing,
kiteboarding or
kite buggying.
Materials
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Art kites at a German Kite Festival |
Kites require lightweight, but strong
twine, as well as paper or tightly-woven cloth to fly. Kites typically consist of one or more spars (sticks) to which the paper or
fabric sail is attached, although some, such as
foil kites, have no spars at all. Classic kites use
bamboo,
rattan, or other strong but flexible
wood for the spars, and use paper or light fabrics such as
silk for the sails. Modern kites use synthetic materials, such as
ripstop nylon or more exotic fabrics for the sails,
fiberglass or
carbon fiber for the spars and
dacron or
dyneema for the kite lines.
Kites can be designed with many different shapes, forms, and sizes. They can take the form of flat geometric designs, box kites and other three-dimensional forms, or modern sparless inflatable designs. Kites flown by children are often simple
geometric forms (for example, the diamond). In Asia, children fly dried symmetrical leaves on sewing thread and sled-style kites made from sheets of folded writing paper.
Chinese kite designs often emulate flying insects, birds, and other beasts, both real and mythical. The finest Chinese kites are made from split bamboo (usually golden bamboo), covered with silk, and hand painted. On larger kites, clever hinges and latches allow the kite to be disassembled and compactly folded for storage or transport. Cheaper mass-produced kites are often made from printed
polyester rather than silk.
Tails are used for some single-line kite designs to keep the kite's nose pointing into the wind. Spinners and spinsocks can be attached to the flying line for visual effect. There are rotating wind socks which spin like a
turbine. On large display kites these tails, spinners and spinsocks can be 50 feet long or more.
Modern acrobatic kites use two or four lines to allow fine control of the kite's angle to the wind. Traction kites may have an additional line to de-power the kite and quick-release mechanisms to disengage flyer and kite in an emergency.
A recent addition to the kite family is the
rotorkite. This type of kite consists of a rotor or rotors much like the rotors found on
helicopters and
autogyros. In a proper wind the rotors spin and create lift. This type of kite requires two control lines, one for each hand.
Practical & cultural uses
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Chinese dragon kite more than one hundred feet long which flew in the annual Berkeley, California, kite festival in 2000 |
Kites have been used for military uses in the past, both for delivery of messages and munitions, and for observation, by lifting an observer above the field of battle, and by using
kite aerial photography.
Kites have also been used for scientific purposes, such as
Benjamin Franklin's famous (but dangerous) experiment proving that
lightning is
electricity. Kites were the precursors to aircraft, and were instrumental in the development of early flying craft.
Alexander Graham Bell experimented with very large man-carrying kites, as did the
Wright brothers and
Lawrence Hargrave.
Another practical use to which kites have been put is for
fishing.
Kite flying is very popular in
China,
Japan,
India,
Bangladesh,
Thailand, and many other Asian countries. In some countries, 'kite fights' are held, in which kite fighters try to snag each other's kites or cut other kites down. In
Afghanistan this is known as
Gudiparan Bazi. Some kite fighters pass their strings through a mixture of ground glass powder and glue. The resulting strings are very abrasive and can sever the competitor's strings. However, this practice is dangerous since the abrasive strings can also injure people.
In recent years, multi-line kite flying has developed into a
sport, with competitions for precision flying and for the artistic interpretation of music.
Kite surfing has developed into a competitive sport with several professional world circuits.
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Some of these tails, spinners and spinsocks are about 50 feet long each. They are attached to the kite's kite line to create a "show." The rainbow-colored wind sock near the bottom of the picture spins like a turbine. |
Kite festivals are a popular form of entertainment throughout the world. They include small local events, traditional festivals which have been held for hundreds of years and major International Festivals which bring in kite flyers from overseas to display their unique art kites and demonstrate the latest technical kites.
The Indian festival of
Makar Sankranti is devoted to kite flying in some states where it is a public holiday. This spring festival is celebrated every January 14 (or January 15 on leap years), with millions of people flying kites all over northern
India. The cities of
Ahmedabad and
Jaipur are particularly notable for their kite fighting festivals. Highy manouverable single-string paper and bamboo kites are flown from the rooftops while using line friction in an attempt to cut each other's kite lines. The activity is not without risk as the line is treated to be abrasive and flyers can, and occasionally do, fall from the rooftops. In some Indian cities kite flying/fighting is an imporant part of other celebrations, including
Republic Day, Independence Day,
Raksha Bandhan, and
Janmashtami.
In
Greece, flying kites is a tradition for
Clean Monday, the first day of
Lent.
During the
Taliban rule in Afghanistan, kite flying was banned, among various other recreations.
In
Pakistan, kite flying is a ritual for the spring festival known as
Basant. However, kite flying is currently banned as some kite fliers engage in kite battles by coating their strings with glass or shards of metal, leading to injuries and death.
In
Guyana, on Easter Weekend thousands turn out for mass kite flying. In the capital city of Georgetown the massive sea wall protecting the city from the Atlantic ocean is filled with throngs of families picnicing and flying kites of all shapes and colors.Many participate in kite flying competitions.
Weifang (Shandong,China) promotes itself as the Kite Capital of the World. It hosts an annual International Kite Festival on the large salt flats south of the city.
The world kite museum in Weifang is the largest kite museum in the world, the buliding has a display area of 8100 m². There are several Kite Museums in Japan and others in England, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand and the USA.
 |
These ram-air inflated Peter Lynn kites are shaped like an octopus and squid and are more than 40 feet long. |
|
A simple geometric kite with a tale. |
*
Flat kite*
Bowed kite*
Cellular or box kite*
Centipede kite*
Geometric kite*
Scott sled*
Rogallo wing*
Power kite*
Tetrahedral kite*
Foil kite*
Lantern kite*
Weather kite*
Trick kite*
Stunt kite*
Kite tugs*
Rotorkite*
Indoor kite*
Rotating kites*
Chicago's Third Annual Kite Flying Festival Photos at SnapGalaxy*
Weifang World Kite museum*
American Kitefliers Association*
List of notable Kite Museums and International Festivals*
Fighter kites of India*
KiteHistory.com*
Processed results of kite aerial photography - USGS San Andreas Fault*
Kitefliers*
Cerf Volant | Paraski*
Kites and Kite Flying*
Gudiparan Bazi*
Kite Index*
Giant Kite Festival in Higashi-Omi (Yokaichi), Japan*
Giant Kite Festival in Saitama, Japan*
Giant Kite Festival in Sagamihara, Japan*
Giant Kite Festival in Zama, Japan*
Kite Artist*
The Virtual Kite Zoo*
The Kite Society of Great Britain*
Bill Wilson's personal kite blog, kite building information and news*
Bob White's Kite history site and personal kite journal*
Flickr Kite Aerial Photography group*
Kitebuilder.com forums - excellent kite building resource*
Fractured Axel - A Friendly UK based kite forum for sport/freestyle flying*
Pakistan bans kite flying - WikiNews Dec 2005*
How to make and fly kites*
Kite Festival, Lincoln City, Oregon, US (summer and fall editions, look for updated link under "Festivals and Events")See also
*
Kite surfing*
Kite buggying*
Kiteboarding*
Windsports*
Kite fishing
