Windy? "Let's Go Fly a Kite"

by Kurt0326 | May 2, 2015 | (0) Posted in Just Fun

Hello again. Last month ands Boy Scout camp out, I was introduced to a new hobby and I want to share it with you all. I got to fly a kite for the first time.  I know what some of you might be thinking that, this doesn't belong on Flite Test. But if you take the time and look at the banner at the top left of this page and you will find the Flite Test mission statement.

 

Entertaining, Educating, and Elevating the world of flight.


A bold mission, even if they mainly stick to radio control topics. So anything that has to do with flight is acceptable. Though I can't wait to see Josh Bixler pushed out of a plane for a sky diving episode... but I regress. Now with that out of the way, we can move on.

Have you ever had that beautiful day when you get all packed-up, drive (possibly many miles) to your favorite flying field for an entire day of awesomeness that is R/C; only to find that the conditions aren't right for a safe flight on your favorite aircraft? So do you just pack-up in defeat? Or are you going to make the best of a not so good situation? Well, being the consummate Boy Scout I am always trying to "be prepared" for anything. If you’re like me, I'm usually bringing my kids along with me. So make this a lesson for them too. If life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. In other words, make the best out of a bad situation.

Okay so the weather isn't good, but it will clear up soon. You might need to occupy your time until weather conditions improve. Maybe it's a deck of cards for that rainy day. Or maybe, you can fly a kite on that windy day. "Oh how boring that sounds." you think? How about trying something like this?

What I am flying is a 1mx3m Style p.3 self-inflating Parasail kite with 150ft of 300lb test string. One of the best things is that the whole thing stuffs in to a small sleeping bag type bag no bigger than a bread box. So it is easily stuffs in to a car for a spontaneous fun in the sun or on hand for a windy day at the flying field.

Like R/C there are many different designs for kites. Every kite has its own limits to what wind it can handle. You can also adjust for wind with the line length. For instance on this kite I'm flying, we opted for the 150ft line.

To attach the line to your kite, you have to follow the instructions for you particular kite. They are very easy to control. With in 10 minuets of flying I was confident in my flying abilities and started simple stunts. You simply pull the corresponding string. Pull right to turn right and pull left to turn left or both to gain height. As shown in this diagram.

 

 You also have to keep in mind of the wind window:

As shown you can control the kite in any direction. Closer to the ground you get some really good wind to do the stunts that these are known for. They can really take you away, as you saw in the video. It's also a really great workout too. If you get tired and need a break for a minute or two you can simply pull it up high to reduce the load on the line. When you feel that you have had enough you simply pull it over to one side and let the wind set it on the ground softy.

As you can see this is lots of fun. Might just be as fun as flying RC, but that could be going too far? Well, judge for yourself. The kite I was flying costs $134 USD. So it doesn’t cost any more than a small ready to fly plane at your hobby shop. I’m sure some of you out there have spent more on a motor. So give it a try. I have one on my Christmas wish list already. You can find these in many stores like this one at www.oceanshoreskites.com . There are so many different types of kites to choose from too; single, dual, triple and even quadruple strings. Still for the kids even the cheap single string kites are perfect to pass the time with. 

So when those windy days got you down? Turn that frown upside down! You might not be able to fly your R/C but you can still have fun! "OH Let's go fly a kite, up to the highest heights!"

Thanks for reading!

COMMENTS

Theflyingfoam on May 11, 2015
cheeper alternatives can be great too! I have been flying this kite and its a blast! it may not fly quite as great as the more expensive ones but its cheep.

http://www.banggood.com/Nylon-Line-Soft-plus-material-Parachute-Rainbow-Sports-Beach-Kite-p-939629.html
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Kurt0326 on May 12, 2015
The link you posted isn't working right.
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fl_rider on May 15, 2015
Great windy day fun!! I have a Flexifoil Sting 1.7m quad line kite that is a blast to fly in 20 to 25 mph winds. It drags my chubby tail all over the field.
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apnewton on May 12, 2015
Excellent. Kites got me into RC planes. KAP or Kite Aerial Photography with RC controlled camera rigs. Big single line kites that can lift SLRs in the right conditions.
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CJGFX on May 12, 2015
Great artical... I've been flying kites for childhood and still love flying them, especially with my kids... I have a couple of power kites for the laugh of being dragged along and a couple of stunt kites for precision flying...
If its too windy to fly RC, you can fly a kite!!!!!
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Kurt0326 on May 12, 2015
Thank you. The other thought I just had was, if there happen to be an upset person and they yell in a fit of rage, "Go fly a kite!" you could reply, "Gladly sir, you have a nice day too." :)
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1959cutter on May 12, 2015
a couple years ago i built a couple of inflateable ram air kite/canopies out of ripstop sailcloth.
i sent up a camera and flew them for a few years,but mostly they sat in their bags,so i boxed them up and sent them to Josh B at flitetest to see if they could use them for cargo chutes or just for the kids to play with.
i have been hoping they would do an episode on the jalbert parafoil or those type of kites.
i used to skydive and was interested in rigging and deployment devices.
another sport that can be done in wind is landsailing,you have to build your own boat,and use an old sailboard sail(craigs list),but what a speed rush!
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Fairmont Flyer on June 15, 2015
Have you heard of land boarding? People would get these GIANT kites (essentially mini paragliders) and they would get on a board with big offered wheels and clamps for your feet and 'jump' between 5-30 feet into the air! I'll give you a link to some pictures of them. ;)
http://www.kiteboarding.com/proddetail.asp?prod=ozone2014_chrono_size_bar
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Huggs on May 14, 2015
Andre - this is dangerous. Kite are a bigger money pit than RC!
There are many, many different and gorgeous dual line stick kites. Just because you have a nice dual line stunter doesn't mean you don't "need" another that maybe flies a bit differently and looks different. It never ends!
Prism makes some great kites. I think I have 8 or so.....
Also Quad line kites like a Revolution or Deca.
Single line kites like Indian Fighters or a Rokaku are a blast.
I even have one three line kite.
Traction kites like you were flying and then a buggy to ride in. You "need" a variety of different sizes for different wind conditions.
There are also very lightweight versions of most stick kites for indoor flying.
Line sets....... (not cheap for quality Spectra)
Wind toys!
Oh - don't forget boomerangs.....
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Fairmont Flyer on June 15, 2015
You should see the kite I have... It is huge! Haven't even been able to fly it because I'm worried get flown into a tree! (Not really... Not enough wind where I live.)
http://prismkites.com/products-pk-tensor31.php
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dgrayisme on May 12, 2015
I always have a kite, cheapo box kite from Harbour Freight, and an umbrella in my flight kit to ward off wind and rain when I go to the flying field.
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Windy? "Let's Go Fly a Kite"