Kites are a fun healthy activity for the whole family. Instantly transforming a normal beach outing into an exciting fun filled experience your kids will never forget.
People around the world have been flying kites for centuries, lifting their spirits higher and higher as better designs became available over the years. Kites are a hobby, a colorful sport, kinetic art, a science experiment, a social event, and fun for the whole family at the same time. Fun for kids and adults, they are also a joy to watch them dancing in the sky. Some people even do battle with their kites, to see who can knock the other person's kite out of the sky, although you risk damaging your kite with this game. In general, for most of us, it's a peaceful relaxing activity and the opposite of a battle. Stress relief is generally the goal, not warfare.
The American Kite Fliers Association ( AKA) is the largest association of kite fliers in the world having over 3000 members in many countries. The AKA sponsors stunt kite flying competitions and festivals of kite fliers both nationally and internationally. "The AKA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to sharing kiting with the world."
You can learn more at their website:
SELECTING YOUR KITE
One of the things that makes a kite so interesting is the spectacular variety of designs and colors available. There are diamond kites ,delta kites, stunt kites, wheels, windsocks, easy flairs, bird kites , little buggery shaped kites and even, my favorite, "sea creatures". Best of all, they are quite affordable so you can stockup and bring backups in case you lose or destroy one (which can and does happen). Hold on tight to that line! It might be smart to secure the line to a fence or a post to be sure it doesn't fly away and escape, or in the case of "sea creatures", it may SWIM away into the clouds.
TYPES OF KITES
DIAMOND KITES
The diamond kind is probably the most familiar of them all, because Benjamin Franklin famously flew one with a key attached to attract lightning for his experiments. These kites are normally made of paper or cloth. The diamond kite usually incorporates a tail, which helps keep it steady in the air and creates more movement for your visual pleasure. These kites have ability to move in the air by jumping and dipping aty our bidding. Diamond kites are a good choice for children and beginners because they are one of the easier ones to fly if you're just starting out on your kite adventures.
STUNT KITES
These are for more advanced usual and includes double lines which enable much more control of the movement up there. With two lines controlling the kite, you can do tricks and stunts to amazing your friends, but probably isn't the best call for your first kite. You will want to work up to the stunt kites and practice first with a more standard diamond kite to develop your skills. Favored by professionals and daredevils, these stunt kites are more of a challenge and require more skill and dexterity. If you're looking to dive bomb into other kites and destroy them, this is your ticket, but more often these kites are used to provide much more control for some aerial acrobatics to wow the crowd.
KITE APPLICATIONS
In the past kites were used for spying in wartime, but nowadays battery powered drones are preferred for obvious reasons. A kite is much more limited in range, stability and control. Still, you could conceivably attach a gopro camera and get some stunning imagery up there, but again a drone is probably preferable for this activity.
Kites are a big hit at the beach, lakes, in the desert, over blooming meadows and are a hoot at festivals and parties, just don't let go of that string or you may be chasing your kite over hill and dale and you might even lose your kite completely.
Try to avoid flying into the clouds as you can easily lose your kite. Clouds are known KITE EATERS and are best avoided. In addition, you can't enjoy the visual spectacle if your kite is swallowed by a cloud. Some people like to toy with the clouds and tickle them with their kites, but clouds are known kite eaters and best avoided if possible. Clear blue skies are best for this sport. Rain and snow are obviously not good kite flying conditions, so check your weather report before loading up the car with your kite collection.