So what is all the excitement about. Kites are kids toys. Two bits of bamboo in a cross shape covered with material, a paper tail and a length of string. If this is your idea of kites, you are mistaken.
Kites were the precursors to aeroplanes. The Wright brothers Flyer was not much more than an under-powered box kite, with some of the side panels removed, and a stabiliser at the front. Many great men and women spent years developing kites to a very advanced level, but since the aeroplane arrived the glamour of manned flight has overshadowed this development, and it has been mostly forgotten.
Recently, thanks in part to Peter Powell the kite has made something of a comeback. Kites that you could steer were much more exciting than anything readily available before, and coupled with modern materials like ripstop nylon, carbon fibre, fibreglass, and the materials available to other sports, such as archery and fishing, the kite suddenly became, modern, exciting, and available.
There are so many different types of kites that the mind simply boggles at the variety. Single line, dual line, triple line, quad line, rigid, flexible, fast, slow, power, traction, rotating, water relaunchable for surfing, indoor, etc, etc.
And, far more important, (to me at least), is what does a guy who is hooked on model flying do when he is on holiday without any aeroplanes - he flies kites of course.
Kites usually pack into small rolls that can be hidden in the corners of suitcases, or in my case trailer tents, with the minimum of fuss and increase in weight. In addition there is something quite magical about flying kites at the seaside, with the sand, sea and open sky.
Over the years I have bought loads of different types of kites, but have only recently started to photograph them. Some, such as the flexifoils you have to have help to photograph as they will not fly unaided whilst staked to the ground. So at the moment I only have a few pics. However, I will add more as soon as possible.
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This must be the most amazing kite ever. It is not efficient, it is not fast and it is not manoeuvrable, but it is very beautiful.
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This is an old set I bought several years ago, from Brookite. They are very elegant in the air, but from the flyer's point of view rather disappointing as all you can see is a single kite, all the rest being hidden from view.
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Not a kite at all, but very attractive all the same. A common site at kite festivals but very uncommon elsewhere. The photo hardly does the spinner justice, the real beauty is in the spinning action, and the effect this creates. It looks very cool on my trailer tent.
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Now these are kites. Modern, fast, powerful and very exciting. In a 20 knot wind when I fly them stacked, as they are in the picture, the pull they generate is amazing.
They are best at the seaside with a smooth onshore wind, when you can dig your feet into the sand, and lean right back. When you get too hot you can sit in the waves to cool of. Brilliant, my favourite kites off all time.
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The popcan is a small kite, beautifully made from light ripstop nylon, with light carbon fibre rods for the frame. The frame is very simple, yet clever, consisting of three longditudinal rods that support the external shape, and six internal rods in two groups of three, supporting these. The three internal rods at the back of the kite are located in fixtures that can be moved up and down the kite, leaving a variable amount the back untensioned acting as a tail. So it can be flown in a wide variety of wind strengths.
It has an amazing ability to self-launch, and if a good length of line is pulled in during flight and released quickly, it will tumble end over end in the air before the line tension is regained and it quickly rights itself.
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The Mistral is a typical delta kite, that can be seen all over the beaches and playing fields of Europe. This one is from Worlds Apart, and was a good introduction to this particular are of kite flying. It is possible to perform a wide variety of tricks outside the usual two dimensions, but all I have managed is a sort-of flat piroute. It has an annoying habit of buzzing when the wind is strong.
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This is a small example of the peel variety of four-line kites. Usually flown its larger forms, and used to pull buggies, or those skate-board contraptions, they generate enormous amounts of pull. The four lines provide great turning speed, and the ability to slow the kite by pulling on the rear lines.
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Rather like the Flexifoil this is a very exciting kite, but with the added dimension of four lines rather than two. The four lines and its amazing manuoevrability, make it both difficult to fly and, once mastered, very rewarding.
Its essentially flat shape means that it can move in any direction at any time, irrespective of its attitude in the sky. It is possible to land inverted, and then take off, or land on one edge, and then take off, or slow the kite in a dive, half loop and climb away. Propellor-like spins are possible, and whole host of manuoeuvres that I have yet to discover. I can hardly wait! Excellent.