Kite Flying Tips
Posted On Friday, May 1, 2009
I’ve been flying kites at Sunset Beach for 30 years and as an Island homeowner would like to offer you some information and a few tips.
Safety First!
Flying any kind of kite on the beach can be dangerous because of shifting, “fluky” winds, experience level, and speed & control issues. Landing a kite or crash landing a kite in the dunes can cause problems. Climbing into the dunes to retrieve your kite causes the type of erosion we are trying to avoid. In the dunes your feet and your kite will find sand-spurs and the sand grasses will cut the rip-stop nylon many kite sails are made of. Landing a kite on the beach requires a healthy sense of awareness of the people around you and your kite’s “intended” landing spot. Think …“what is my contingency plan if I have a problem landing?” Here are 4 additional safety tips:
1. Always put other’s safety first
2. Fly at low tide so you have plenty of space.
3. If you are working on your skill level consider flying at the East or West end of the Island
Types of Kites There are 3 basic types of kites.
1. Single line. The traditional single line kite that we fly/make as kids- usually diamond shape or maybe a box kite. Now available in all kinds of shapes, sizes, and materials. Accessories include light kits for night flying, and things that can be sent up and down the kite string while the kite is in the air. Great for the beach.
2. Rokaku. This is single line kite flying designed for “kite fighting” where the object is to knock an opponent’s kite out of the air. These kites and their strings come in many different sizes, shapes, and materials. The Japanese have done this for centuries. This is a specialty form of kite flying and requires a special venue.
3. Stunt Kites. These are dual or quad line kites that are controlled by the “pilot” and are the ones you have seen doing crazy spins, dives, crashes and other “stunts” at the beach. They are a lot of fun and come in all kinds of shapes, sizes, and materials. Usually they are diamond shaped with a long tail (a great beginner kite), or delta shaped, or bat-winged shaped, or parafoil shaped. They cost anywhere from $20 to $300 dollars and come with sophisticated strings that may be 85 to 150 feet long requiring 300 feet of diameter for a safe ground pass. Great fun for the beach but requires extra attention to safety principles. Usually stunt kite competitions are broken into 3 categories:
1. Precision, speed, and acrobatic maneuvers
2. Ballet- set to music and flying “pretty”
3. Formation flying- with two-four pilot
History of the Stunt Kite -How to buy and learn to fly a stunt kite.
I learned the basic skills to fly a stunt kite safely by using a diamond shaped kite with a 40 foot tail and dual control lines- still made by Trylby. What I like about this kite, for learning the skills, is that the tail makes it stable and slows it down enough that you can make mistakes and still recover. The kite is forgiving and can take repeated crashes, comes complete as a package and is inexpensive. There are many other beginner kites out there, but I like this one. You can find it on the internet or at most kite stores or at Kligs Kites of Myrtle Beach. After you have mastered safe flying skills you can decide on a more sophisticated kite as an investment. I have about 20 stunt kites, but my favorites are still the ones I bought 25 years ago made by Top Of The Line Kite Company- The Hawaiian Team Kite and the Spinoff Kite. Four guys from California made a few dual line kites brought them to an air show demonstration, the Blue Angels were performing, saw the kites and liked them, asked the guys to make them some, and the rest is history.
Ambassadors for the Sport �“ A Final Thought.
Each of us has a responsibility to be courteous and safe- mindful and respectful of all people at the beach. Kites can be noisy and they can travel at speeds of 60 mph; Kevlar strings can hurt and cut. Please go above and beyond to be friendly, courteous, and safe. Have fun, help each other, and give our sport a good reputation so that we are always welcome at the beach.
Written By: Ted Janes, a homeowner at Sunset Properties
Safety First!
Flying any kind of kite on the beach can be dangerous because of shifting, “fluky” winds, experience level, and speed & control issues. Landing a kite or crash landing a kite in the dunes can cause problems. Climbing into the dunes to retrieve your kite causes the type of erosion we are trying to avoid. In the dunes your feet and your kite will find sand-spurs and the sand grasses will cut the rip-stop nylon many kite sails are made of. Landing a kite on the beach requires a healthy sense of awareness of the people around you and your kite’s “intended” landing spot. Think …“what is my contingency plan if I have a problem landing?” Here are 4 additional safety tips:
1. Always put other’s safety first
2. Fly at low tide so you have plenty of space.
3. If you are working on your skill level consider flying at the East or West end of the Island
Types of Kites There are 3 basic types of kites.
1. Single line. The traditional single line kite that we fly/make as kids- usually diamond shape or maybe a box kite. Now available in all kinds of shapes, sizes, and materials. Accessories include light kits for night flying, and things that can be sent up and down the kite string while the kite is in the air. Great for the beach.
2. Rokaku. This is single line kite flying designed for “kite fighting” where the object is to knock an opponent’s kite out of the air. These kites and their strings come in many different sizes, shapes, and materials. The Japanese have done this for centuries. This is a specialty form of kite flying and requires a special venue.
3. Stunt Kites. These are dual or quad line kites that are controlled by the “pilot” and are the ones you have seen doing crazy spins, dives, crashes and other “stunts” at the beach. They are a lot of fun and come in all kinds of shapes, sizes, and materials. Usually they are diamond shaped with a long tail (a great beginner kite), or delta shaped, or bat-winged shaped, or parafoil shaped. They cost anywhere from $20 to $300 dollars and come with sophisticated strings that may be 85 to 150 feet long requiring 300 feet of diameter for a safe ground pass. Great fun for the beach but requires extra attention to safety principles. Usually stunt kite competitions are broken into 3 categories:
1. Precision, speed, and acrobatic maneuvers
2. Ballet- set to music and flying “pretty”
3. Formation flying- with two-four pilot
History of the Stunt Kite -How to buy and learn to fly a stunt kite.
I learned the basic skills to fly a stunt kite safely by using a diamond shaped kite with a 40 foot tail and dual control lines- still made by Trylby. What I like about this kite, for learning the skills, is that the tail makes it stable and slows it down enough that you can make mistakes and still recover. The kite is forgiving and can take repeated crashes, comes complete as a package and is inexpensive. There are many other beginner kites out there, but I like this one. You can find it on the internet or at most kite stores or at Kligs Kites of Myrtle Beach. After you have mastered safe flying skills you can decide on a more sophisticated kite as an investment. I have about 20 stunt kites, but my favorites are still the ones I bought 25 years ago made by Top Of The Line Kite Company- The Hawaiian Team Kite and the Spinoff Kite. Four guys from California made a few dual line kites brought them to an air show demonstration, the Blue Angels were performing, saw the kites and liked them, asked the guys to make them some, and the rest is history.
Ambassadors for the Sport �“ A Final Thought.
Each of us has a responsibility to be courteous and safe- mindful and respectful of all people at the beach. Kites can be noisy and they can travel at speeds of 60 mph; Kevlar strings can hurt and cut. Please go above and beyond to be friendly, courteous, and safe. Have fun, help each other, and give our sport a good reputation so that we are always welcome at the beach.
Written By: Ted Janes, a homeowner at Sunset Properties