Frequently Asked Questions

A:

• Perhaps there's simply not enough wind for flying a kite. This is likely to be the case if you can't feel the kite pulling on the line. Just wait for better conditions, and go out when there's more wind! Alternatively, you could attempt to re-live your childhood and excitedly scamper across the field, towing the kite up as you go...

• Perhaps you can feel the kite pulling, and it moves left or right but just doesn't climb no matter what you do. That is the symptom of a towing point set too far back. Just shift it forward towards the nose of the kite a little, and try again. Keep adjusting by a small amount until the kite willingly climbs into the air. Learning how to fly a kite has a lot to do with understanding this adjustment.

A: 

• Let's assume you're not trying to fly immediately downwind of your house or some other huge obstacle! Looping is usually caused by trying to fly when the wind is too strong for the kite. The first thing to try in windy weather is to shift the towing point forward a little. This reduces the pressure on the kite and might be enough to keep it in the air.

• Be aware that shifting the knot way too far forward in almost any kind of wind will make the kite unstable! Lots of quick little loops and no satisfaction.

• If you have shifted the knot several times without any success, it's time to add a tail. Or, if the kite already has a tail, add some more! Keep adding tail until the kite stays in the air, or you run out of tail material. If the kite is still misbehaving, pack up and wait for a less windy day!

A:

• Holding the central axes of kite, examine whether the weight of both sides are balanced. Try to increase the weight for the lighter side, maybe it could work.
• Check if both sides have symmetrical structures. The asymmetry of area, angle, hardness and softness of framework can cause the unbalance of wind power that results in side-flying.

A:

• In this case it sounds like there is enough wind, but the towing point has been left too far forward. Perhaps the last time it flew, it was adjusted for very windy weather! No problem, just shift the knot back towards the tail a bit at a time until you are happy with how the kite is flying. Make small adjustments, or you could end up with the kite not flying at all!
• If shifting the knot doesn't help, then the wind is just not strong enough to carry the kite to its maximum height. The tiny amount of lift it is generating is equal to the weight of the flying line plus the weight of the kite. It's a delicate tug-of-war between the kite and the line. The weight of the line does add up, as you let more and more of it out.