Kite flying

Kite flying is the activity of flying tethered man-made objects in wind. 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 designed for the purpose of flying themselves there are power kites or traction kites. These are designed to generate substantial excess lift and a pull that can be applied in related activities such as kite surfing, kiteboarding or kite buggying.

Technology

Materials

Kite flying requires lightweight, but strong twine, as well as paper or tightly-woven cloth. 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.

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

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.

Kite festivals are a popular form of entertainment throughout the world. They include small local events, traditional fetsivals 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 areas. 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 city of Ahmedabad and Jaipur are famous for its kite fighting from the rooftops of the city. In some Indian cities, kite flying is an imporant part of various celebrations, including Republic Day, Independence Day, Lohri, 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.

Technology

Materials

Practical & cultural uses

Types of Kites

External links

See also

Gourt Home::Gourt :: Kite flying

Technology

Materials

Practical & cultural uses

Types of Kites

External links

See also