Another Page with Kites
Some
really favorite kites that we enjoy...
The pictures on this page below are likely thumbnail pics
that you can click on to get a larger picture displayed by your picture
viewer. We did this to make this page load a bit faster. Not
everyone will want to see the bigger photos.
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The Hawaiian Team Kite - - 
This kite is also known as the Chevron.
It is a two-line kite. For those new to kiting, the two lines are
used to steer the kite's direction as it flies forward in the sky.
The kite is always trying to fly in the direction that its nose points.
But by pulling on the left line handle, for instance, the kite will turn
to its left. If you continue to hold the left handle in the "pulled"
position, the kite will continuously loop to the left until you move the
left handle back to the same position as the right handle. The kite
will then resume straight flight. The trick is to do it at the right
time, so that the kite goes in the direction you want it to go, instead
of straight into the ground.
This kite is one of the first Power Kites that we got
a couple of years ago. It has an eight-foot wingspan and pulls like a champ
in a high wind. It makes a lot of noise, so folks' heads turn when
they hear it roaring through the sky. For a large kite, it makes
really slick sharp turns in the sky. Ours looks just like the photo.
The Spinoff - - 
This is another great Power Kite that is fun to fly when
you want a real battle in the sky in a high wind. It is noisy and
lumbering. It flies beautifully in a brisk wind, but will glide smoothly
through the sky when the wind is light, such as 7 or 8 miles per hour.
Ours looks just like this photo.
The Wasp - - 
This is the third of the Power Kites that we fly. It,
too, has an eight-foot wingtip-to-wingtip span. It pulls almost as
hard as the Chevron and Spinoff, but makes even more noise. It got
its name because of its slightly "waspish" shape. Our Wasp is shaped
like the one in the picture, but has different coloration. Someday,
we'll take photos of our kites that we can post here.
The Maxima - - 
This kite is a masterpiece, but it's also a monster!
Its tip-to-tip spread is ELEVEN FEET! Don has been pulled off his
feet, sliding on his belly about thirty feet before steering the kite to
the edge of the wind window, where the pull is much less. This happened
only once - he didn't need a second lesson!
While on this subject, this is a good time to mention
to those new to kiting that fliers can make adjustments to the bridle lines
that attach to these kites. These adjustments can make it possible
to control the kite in a wide range of wind speeds. After Don did
his face-plow-thru-the-sod (mentioned above), he readjusted the bridle
a bit and flew the Maxima the rest of the afternoon just fine.
Our Maxima is red, orange, and yellow, instead of the
various blues shown in the photo above. Here are a couple of thumbnail
photos of ours on the ground:
The AirFX - - 
This is one FANTASTIC kite to watch and to fly! It,
too, has an eight-foot tip-to-tip wingspan, but is built differently than
the power kites shown above. This one is FAST, sleek, and quiet.
It just whispers as it zips across the sky. It turns as quickly as
desired, and is so light in weight that it can fly in winds just a few
miles per hour. This is one of our favorites to fly.
The SkyTiger - - 
Talk about Power Kites! Here are the best! These
are definitely "Tim the Toolman Taylor" kites, because they certainly have
MORE POWER! These kites are built differently than those shown above
in that they don't have spars or solid framework. They're built just
like modern parachutes, but they are bridled differently to allow them
to be controlled like other four-lined kites, like the SkyDancer shown
on the previous kitepage. Since they have a large sail surface area,
they grab a huge chunk of wind and can pull like crazy. We have a
SkyTiger 40 and a SkyTiger 60. The number identifies the square feet
of sail surface area. Depending upon the wind speed, these kites
can (and DO!) lift a flyer right off the ground. We also fly a smaller
kite that is similar to the SkyTiger, but is made by a different company.
It's a twenty square-foot model called the QuadTrac 2. When the wind
is too high for the others, this one is safe to fly.
These kites are not just used to stand on the ground and
fly around the wind window (although that's plenty of fun to do, especially
if you're in the mood for a good workout!). They are also used as
"Buggy Engines". Some kite flyers like to hop onto a gizmo that looks
like a tricycle that lacks pedals, steering handle, brakes, and, of course,
an engine. So what do we use to make it move? Yup - one of
these kites; that's why they call it a buggy engine. Here's a small
picture of a typical buggy - 
HERE
is a larger picture showing the buggy and kite together.
We are just beginners at buggying. It's hard to
find a decent piece of land to buggy on that is large, flat, closely mowed,
and is not a mud-pit. Buggying is an absolute rush!
The Revolution - - 
We both love to fly the Rev! It is a four-line kite
that is controlled just like the SkyDancer we described on the previous
page. We fly the Rev I and the Rev II. They are shaped alike,
but the Rev I has a nine-foot tip-to-tip wingspan. It flies best
in moderate winds; it is graceful and delicate in flight. The Rev
II has six-foot wingspan. We fly it in the higher winds, where it
zips and zaps across the sky, stopping "on a dime" when desired.
Since the Revs don't pull very hard, we fly them for hours at a time, enjoying
their huge repertoire of moves and practicing to be more precise than before.
Here's a thumbnail of three Revs together: 
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