Different Types of Kites



Kites are made of think materials such as paper, silk, or

other thin material spread over a framework. Kites require

flexible tails for lateral and directional stability because

they have only one plane surface. Popular kite making

destinations are China and other East Asian countries. This

practice of making kite is centuries old.



Alexander Wilson of Scotland first tried to use a kite in

1749. He used it to store meteorological data. Lightening

was studied by Benjamin Franklin in 1752, with the help of

kites. In 1893, Lawrence Hargrave, an Australian, used box

kite to carry out the studies related to meteorology and

aerodynamics. To make experiments, Alexander Graham Bell

used tetrahedral kites. Kites are of many types:



Bowed kites are stretched to form a bow like a Japanese

Rokkaku kite. This improves their strength to a point where

a tail is not required.



Foil kite are soft kites consisting of numerous cells spread

uniformly in which some or all are open at the front for

enabling air to inflate the kite taking on an aerofoil

section. Some kites are made, for use on water, having

limited air inlets present in the centre of the foils'

leading edge. This allows the air to go in and water out.

Internal hole in the sides of the cell help the entire kite

to inflate. Thus this kite gets inflated very slowly in

comparison to other kite having open fronted foil.



Stunt kite are of special type as these fly high into the

sky on two lines. The flyer can enjoy acrobatics such as

flips and twirls while he is flying the kite. Stunt kites

can fly with the maximum speed of 100 MPH.



Airfoil kite has an airfoil shape to lift the kite upwards.

It is also known as parafoil kite. These kites have chambers

filled with air that provide shape to the kite at the same

time lift the kite up into the sky. They do not use the

conventional frame of sticks that is rigid. The name

"parafoil" is given because they have "parachute" and

"airfoil". The absence of frame allows them to be folded

and stored in packs. Power kite is a classic example of

airfoil kite.



Yageur Fecuent is the proprietor of

Kites LTD, your

one stop shop for all your kite needs. Find your kite at

http://www.kitesltd.com