Sunday, October 20, 2013

You do not need wind to fly a kite!

up until a few years ago you needed at least a 5-6 MPH wind to fly a kite. Today, with lighter, stronger materials, i.e. polyester rip-stop fabric & carbon fiber spars for framing, kites can be built that need little or no wind to fly.

Indoors with a four-line kite...
A terrific ballet by Spencer Watson

A two-line kite...

A single-line kite, flown from a chair...
This one gives me chicken skin.

Outdoors with a single-line kite in zero-wind conditions...

Patrick Tan's i-flite can and is flown virtually anywhere... airport terminals, hotel lobbies, living rooms. I have one, and it's a blast to fly.

Zero-wind kites have caused a whole new category of competition to arise, and now, organizers of kite festivals have to provide a venue for indoor competition. What's next?