Kites: Not just for kids

June 2, 2007 4:18 PM

Quad line kites can be flown in precision by teams of flyers... The advent of precision sport kites has brought kite flying into the realm of adults. You can fly one almost anywhere. You can even fly three at once! Team iQuad , flying quad line kites, demonstrates. No, you don't have to run like Charley Brown, in fact you can even fly indoors.
posted by Gungho (12 comments total)

Um, I guess two kite links a day may be a bit much, but I swear i didn't see the earlier post. I swear...
posted by Gungho at 4:27 PM on June 2, 2007

Charlie Brown.
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 4:37 PM on June 2, 2007

Linus
posted by Gungho at 4:38 PM on June 2, 2007

So the indoor version is a bit like ribbon dancing/interpretive dance, only with kites, eh?

I want them to get two people in a room, attach glass to the strings razor blades to the wings.

I want to see Close Quarters Quad Kite Combat.
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 4:38 PM on June 2, 2007

Quad kites are amazing. It's hard to even keep one in the air, but I'm told once you get the trick you have amazing control over them. Basically you can adjust the angle of the wing to the wind at any time, controlling the effective airspeed and moving the kite wherever you want.

The flying in the first video was nice, too bad about the music and editing.

Time to break out my two line...
posted by Nelson at 5:58 PM on June 2, 2007

What's the music in the link of the guy flying 3 at once? I can't put my finger on it and now it's stuck in my head.
posted by cotterpin at 8:24 PM on June 2, 2007

Thanks, Gungho, for this post! Enjoyed immensly even though I was a serial rather than multiple kitefyer as a kid.
posted by longsleeves at 8:26 PM on June 2, 2007

l
posted by longsleeves at 8:28 PM on June 2, 2007

What's the music in the link of the guy flying 3 at once? I can't put my finger on it and now it's stuck in my head.

Viens Mallika Sous Le Dome (The Flower Duet), Léo Delibes.
posted by qwip at 12:23 AM on June 3, 2007 [1 favorite]

Hey, does anyone know what happened to Ray?

I haven't seen him by Burrard street bridge since I moved back to Vancouver.

I had a Revolution once, but failed rather spectacularly to learn how to fly it.
posted by lastobelus at 12:43 AM on June 3, 2007

Last time I saw him was two years ago. He was invited to fly at the Dieppe, NB kite festival. Apparently he travels a lot.
http://www.raybethell.com/html/n_01a.htm
posted by Gungho at 5:05 AM on June 3, 2007

I have a Revolution 1.5. To me, quad-lines are amazingly easy to fly... a breeze (har!) next to dual line kites. It's amazing to have that degree of control.

A favorite trick to show people the potential of quad-line kites is to dive straight at the ground from the top of the wind window and stop suddenly a foot above the ground.

There are also three-line kites. They're something of a novelty, since you can't rotate them with any degree of control, only translate them up, down, and sideways. Still, they can be a lot of fun. Mine is the Trigon, from HQ Kites. The three lines are attached to a triangular frame you hold in your hands. The effect is almost as if the kite were at the end of a big, weightless stick perpendicular to the frame.
posted by musicinmybrain at 7:39 AM on June 3, 2007