Let’s Go Fly a (Sport) Kite

I would imagine that most people at some time have had a go at flying a kite, maybe as a youngster with a parent or perhaps with their own children.  Many will have seen, or possibly actually tried, flying a 2-line steerable stunt kite with varying degrees of success.  In my late thirties I was bought a stunt kite for my birthday and not long after that a kite store opened in Cardiff.  Attracted by the range of kites displayed I then got to know the shop manager who I discovered, flew stunt, or sport, kites in competition.  Up to that point I had not known that kite flying was any more than a casual recreation.  It was not long after that I was persuaded to give competitive flying a go. Little did I guess where it would eventually lead as I discovered and subsequently participated in sport kite competitions at National, European and World levels.

Commonly when I mention that I was a competition kite flyer people think that it must be something to do with flying your kite the highest or possibly kite fighting that is popular across Asia.  But the format of sport kite competition is more akin to that of ice skating with performance being judged on the accuracy of flying some set figures followed by a freestyle routine then a ballet routine interpreting a piece of music. These are a few examples of compulsory figures that you might be required to fly in a dual-line individual event:

To fly with the necessary precision is a combination of the equipment used, flying technique and practice (lots of it!).  A modern precision sport kite will typically have a delta shape with a tip-to-tip wingspan of 7-8 feet, have a sail made of non-stretch ripstop nylon or polyester material and a carbon fibre frame.  To maintain an efficient aerodynamic 3D shape the sail will be braced by standoff rods connected to the frame.  With these features kites can be efficient and light enough that they can be flown indoors!  So, it is not necessary to wait for a particularly windy day to go out and fly.  The kite in this video clip is being flown when there was barely any wind at all.

(On one occasion I flew a kite inside the greenhouse at the National Botanic Garden of Wales which went quite well until I stumbled and had a close encounter with a cactus!)

Competitions will proceed when the wind is within the range of 2 to 30mph. Consequently, competitors will usually have at least 3 models of their kite – an ‘Ultralight’ for low winds (<5 mph), a ‘Standard’ for medium winds and a vented version for stronger winds (>15 mph) which will have part of the sail replaced by gauze panels.

The flying line used is also important being made from braided polyester line which is very lightweight for its strength (therefore less drag) and doesn’t stretch when flying.  The resulting effect is like flying the kite on two wires rather than on elastic so the kite responds immediately to the flyers control.  These lines are also very slippery so they don’t lock up if you spin your kite in one direction multiple times.

In terms of technique a couple of things that really improve precision are moving on the ground and the method of turning the kite.  Moving backwards when the kite is climbing, and moving forwards when the kite is diving, leads to a more consistent flying speed which makes the shapes flown more even and precise.  Compulsory figures often require crisp angled turns so instead of, say, pulling your right hand back to turn to the right (which results in a curved turn) punch your left hand sharply forward and then back like a boxer’s jab.  This gives a sharp angled turn. (And vice versa for a left turn!).

Individual flying is fun but hopefully you have a friend or two who might also be interested.  So then we get to team flying which opens up many new possibilities and, for me, is the most enjoyable type of flying.  Team flying is also a competition format, for pairs or teams of 3 or more flyers, and follows the same procedures but with rather more involved compulsory figures such as these drawn for a 4-person team.

Flying together needn’t be too difficult to get started. It helps a lot if the kites are matched to fly at about the same speed and the flyers need lines of the same length.  Stand next to each other and start simply with ‘follow the leader’ manoeuvres and once you get used to your lines overlaying the lines of the other flyer(s) move on to split or parallel shapes and then progress to flying complete loops where your lines completely wrap around each other. In the event of the inevitable mishap just all move forward towards your kites, this will slow them down and lessen the chance of a breakage when they hit the ground.

The routines that experienced teams put together can be quite spectacular.  As an example, this video of the Red Bull team shows how dynamic a dual-line team kite display can be.  Note how the 4 flyers (or ‘pilots’) move and how the choreography has to deal with four pairs of flying lines interweaving.

Whilst dual line kites can be flown with a high degree of precision there is another modern kite design that is even more capable – a quad line.  A quad line kite is controlled by 4 lines and the flyer uses a pair a curved handles with a line attached to the top and bottom of each one.  This configuration allows the flyer to tilt, twist or rotate the kite in any direction.  This enables a range of moves that are difficult or impossible with dual line kites such as flying backwards, upside down, sideways or hovering.  The leading competition quad line kite is the ‘Revolution’ with its characteristic bow tie shape.

This short clip shows a Revolution quad line kite in action.

Because of the high level of control that is possible quad line kite routines have quite a different feel to them and the transformation of geometric patterns in the sky can be very precise.  A simple example of this is a routine by my team ‘The Flying Squad’.  This routine was designed so that we could include as many flyers as were around and who wanted to join in with us.  In this instance there were 12 of us.  (So that’s 12 times 4 lines per flyer – 48 lines to manage).

The degree of control that is possible with a quad line kite particularly the ability to hold them stationary anywhere in the sky enables many flyers to fly together though it is very challenging.  I’ve flown in groups of over 40 kites and this video below shows 24 of us flying together at the Portsmouth International Kite Festival.  Particularly tricky to coordinate and fly are the segments where the kites counter-rotate and in the cascade where an individual kite weaves its way down through several others.  This was a scratch group with no practice together before the display, so the first 4 minutes shows the organisation and set-up that’s needed (you can skip this bit if you want!).  It all goes quite well until an ambitious move causes a problem so ignore the chaos towards the end of the video.  As I said, so many flying together is a challenge!

I’ve found that going out to fly a sport kite for a while is a great restorative.  As well as being in a relaxing outdoor environment, you must focus on what you are doing.  So, as a result, whatever stresses and strains life has for you are pushed aside for a while. Below are a couple of clips where I was recharging my batteries and just enjoying where I was flying.

If anyone is tempted to give stunt kite flying a go, Gower Kite Shop at Pitton Cross campsite stocks Spirit of Air kites and would have something to get you started. But if you do, please be considerate of other people – a fast-moving kite and its lines can be quite a hazard so be careful. And if anyone is interested to learn more I would be happy to help out.

[Note – Thanks to my friend Dave who took the videos of me flying on Achmelvich beach in Scotland.]

Geoff Strangeway (Pitton)