Kite flying

Kite flying is the hobby of flying kites. A kite is an object that flies by opposing the force of the wind with the tension of a string held by the operator. See types of kites, below, for a list of different types and styles.

Types

Those flown by American children are often shaped like a geometric kite. Kite flying is very popular in China, Japan, India, and many other countries. In those countries, Thailand, and some other countries 'kite fights' are held, in which many people gather and fly kites and try to snag each other's kites or cut the other kite down. In Afghanistan this is known as "Gudiparan Bazi." Some kite "fighters" pass the string through a solution of ground glass powder and glue. The resulting strings are abrasive and able to sever the competitor's kites. Such practice is dangerous since the abrasive strings can catch on people.

Kite flying traces its roots back to early China, and the development of paper. Chinese kite designs particularly tend to emulate flying insects, birds, and other beasts, real and mythical. The finest modern Chinese kites are made from split bamboo (usually golden bamboo), covered with silk and hand painted to form an overall artistic statement within a tradition of long standing. For larger kites, clever hinges and latches allow the kite to be disassembled and compactly folded for storage or transport. Lower cost kites in quantity production may be made from printed polyester, which will have longer useful life if frequently flown.

Technology

Kite flying depends on lightweight, but strong twine. It also depends on the ability to produce paper or tightly woven cloth. Kites typically consist a one or more spars (sticks), that hold a sail of fabric taut. Classic kites use bamboo, rattan or other strong but flexible wood for the spars, and paper or light fabrics such as silk for the sails. Modern kites are made with synthetic materials: nylon or more exotic fabrics for the sails, and fiberglass or carbon fiber spars.

Kites are designed with different shapes, forms and sizes, from historic flat geometric designs, through box kites and other aerodynamic forms, to modern sparless inflatable designs.:

These kites are shaped like an octopus and squid and are more than 40 feet long.

These kites are about 50 feet long each. The rainbow color wind sock near the bottomof the picture spins like a turbine.

Modern acrobatic kites use more than one line to allow fine control in the kite's angle to the wind. In recent years, multi-line kite flying has developed into a sport, with competitions for precision flying and artistic interpretation of music.

Kite festivals are held where kites from around the world are displayed in the sky. The above picture was a Chinese dragon kite over a hundred feet long which flew in the annual Berkeley, CA kite fest in 2000.

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 Autogiros. The principle is that in a proper wind the rotors spin and create lift. This type of kite requires two control lines, one to be held in each hand.

Practical & cultural uses

Kites have been used militarily in the past, both for observation by lifting an observer above the field of battle, and for delivery of munitions. They have also been used for scientific purposes, for example Benjamin Franklin's famous (but very dangerous) electrical experiment. Kites are the precursors to aircraft, and were instrumental in the development of early flying craft. Alexander Graham Bell experimented with very large man-carrying kites.

The Indian festival of Makar Sankranti is purely devoted to kite flying. This spring festival is celebrated on 14 January (15 January on leap years) with millions flying kites all over India. The festival is a public holiday in the state of Gujarat.

Types of Kites

• flat kite
• bowed kite
• cellular or box kite
• diamond or 'geometric' kite
• scott sled (Includes construction directions!)
• rogallo wing
• power kite
• tetrahedral kite
• airfoil kite
• lantern kite
• weather kite
• trick kite
• stunt kite
• kite tugs
• rotorkite

Kites are also used in kite aerial photography.

External Links

• Fighter kites of India (http://www.haryana-online.com/kite_flying.htm)
• Processed results of kite aerial photography - USGS San Andreas Fault (http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/kap/carrizo/)
• Kites and Kite Flying (http://coda.co.za/kites_and_kite_flying/)
• Gudiparan Bazi (http://www.afghana.com/Entertainment/Gudiparanbazi.htm)
• Kite Index (http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/shortk.html)
• Giant Kite Festival in Higashi-Omi (Yokaichi), Japan (http://photoguide.jp/pix/index.php?cat=10)
• Giant Kite Festival in Saitama, Japan (http://photoguide.jp/pix/thumbnails.php?album=52)
• Giant Kite Festival in Sagamihara, Japan (http://photoguide.jp/pix/thumbnails.php?album=59)
• Giant Kite Festival in Zama, Japan (http://photoguide.jp/pix/thumbnails.php?album=58)
• Kite Artist (http://www.travelrogue.com/archives/2005/05/laddie_the_kite.html)

See also

• Kite surfing