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"From its origins in Asia thousands of years ago, the sport of kite-flying has spread all over the world. Today, kite-flying is more popular than ever, both as a relaxing, fun sport and a form of mental exercise. And, unlike many other sports, it's never too early, or too late, to start making and flying your own kites." (Baker)
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I was always fascinated with kites as a kid, but I could never seem to get one flying long enough to satisfy my appetite. Dad taught me that you had to run to get the kite in the air. I remember seeing the Peanuts cartoon with Charlie Brown perpetually running to get his kite to fly only to have it end up in a tree. While I don't recall extracting any kites from the trees, I do remember running a lot. The breezes where I lived were not very good for kite flying and I soon tired of the effort. I also remember when a unique kite came onto the market that you would blow up before you flew it. It was easier to launch into the breeze and soon I would have it flying overhead.
After I grew up and away from kites, I joined the U.S. Navy and found myself stationed in Florida. On a particularly dull day I went for a drive of exploration and ended up in St. Augustine, Florida where I rediscovered my love of kites. My flying experiences started all over again and my running days were over. I bought a single-line, delta-wing kite and in no time I had it in the air. Since that time I have flown many different single and dual line kites and I have a collection of kites ready to be flown whenever I decide to stop along a beach and put one or more in the air.
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- History of kites:
- Invented in China
- Benjamin Franklin's famous experience
- 20th century revival of popularity
- Types of single-line kites:
- Diamond
- Keeled
- Stacked or Eddy Train
- Delta and Delta Box
- Box and Winged Box
- Star and Chinese Dragon kites
- Sled and Parafoil
- Dual-Line and Quad-Line Stunt Kites:
- Diamond
- Delta
- Other shapes
- Miscellanous trivia and glossary
- Kite Links
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Sources for my pages include:
- Baker, Rhoda and Miles Denyer. Flying Kites: Simple Step-by-Step Kite making projects. Edison, New Jersey: Chartwell Books/Quintet Publishing Limited. 1995.
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