Illustrated By Kite Festival Photos
As a family, we've seen many different kinds of kites simply by turning up to a large kite festival, for several years running.
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My
wife took the photo over there on the left, which captures the
ever-ascending spectacle of a long kite 'train' quite nicely... There
were a couple of these on the day, both from Taiwan.
With a site like ours, we would have been silly not to take a digital camera and capture all the highlights!
Now, scroll down this page to see close-ups of a fantastically varied collection of wonderful, colorful kites!
Different Kinds Of Kites: Pics & FactsInflatablesDifferent kinds of kites seen at festivals - a giant pink and purple sea horse inflatable kite
Invariably,
when approaching a kite festival, the first thing you spot is a giant
inflatable! They really make an impression, and it's not just the size.
Ingeniously
crafted from large numbers of nylon or polyester panels, these kites
are most often inspired by sea creatures. Like that amazing sea-horse
over there! This kind of kite inflates from the front, via air intakes
that are carefully designed to blend with the overall structure.
With
the 100s of man-hours put into these creations, it's not surprising
that they can cost quite a bit. Think in the thousands of dollars! Kite
festival organizers are well aware of the crowd-pleasing qualities of
these huge kites. Inflatables are probably the most spectacular things
in the air at most modern Western kite festivals. Not to mention an
increasing number of similar festivals across Asia, which mix large
traditional kites with more modern designs from East and West.
ParafoilsThese are single-line parafoils, not the multi-line kind flown as stunt or traction kites. See further down this page for those!
The
largest of these parafoils are great for lifting other things into the
air. Like wind socks, spinners and banners. At a kite festival, the very
biggest kites in any given category are likely to be on show, and these
single-liners are no exception.
Parafoils are characterized by
an upper and lower surface, divided into cells by vertical ribs. The
cells have openings facing the breeze to keep the large kite pressurized
and semi-rigid.
Sometimes
many bridle lines and keels are necessary to help keep the shape flat
and rectangular in the air. In fact, parafoils are really a category all
on their own, with many different kinds of kites of this general type
visible at a typical festival.
The reason these kites are so
often used to hoist other things attached to their flying lines is their
higher line tensions compared to other kinds of kites of similar size.
Particularly when the wind strength gets up a bit! A heavy-duty parafoil
will still be up there long after more delicate kites have been taken
down by their worried owners...
Not every work-horse parafoil is
plain looking. All that sail area still lends itself to some nice
graphics! We've seen plenty of quite attractive parafoils at the local
kite festival. Like the one in the picture up there.
DeltasAh, Deltas! Who hasn't seen one of these, floating gracefully in light winds, at ridiculously high line angles.
Is
it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a large Delta, most likely
constructed from fiberglass rods or tubes and light-but-strong rip-stop
nylon cloth.
The most basic Delta configuration is a plain triangular shape, with a simple triangular keel and no tail.
kinds
of kites in the Delta category. Ranging in size from small children's
toys right through to quite large and artistically-decorated designs
which can be spotted in the higher reaches of the kite cloud at a
festival.
The photo up there shows a mid-sized design with some
clever variations on the basic Delta planform. A 'Fire-bird' is
incorporated, via both the graphics and the trailing edge outline of the
kite sail.
The larger Deltas rarely need tails to fly properly,
but of course they look more spectacular with a well-designed matching
tail flowing out the back!
RokkakusDifferent kinds of kites seen at festivals - a big black Rokkaku with striking 3D geometric art work
In
terms of flying performance, these kites can give the Deltas a run for
their money. On top of that, they do tend to be more stable and reliable
than Deltas! This becomes more noticeable as the wind strength
approaches the maximum for the kite.
Like any decent Delta, a
good Rokkaku doesn't need any tail. In fact, tails just make these kites
fly at slightly lower line angles.
Roks, as they are commonly
known, originated in Japan but have been enthusiastically taken up in
the West as well. The symmetrical sail is wonderfully suited to playing
the role of artist's canvas. Check out the fake-3D pattern painted onto
the large Rokkaku in the photo!
On
one occasion we were fortunate enough to see a bunch of genuine large
Japanese Rokkakus at the festival. The bold artistic designs were
stunning, and we got some great photos. For some reason, owners of large
Roks are less inclined to attach long tails to their kites.
Down
the bottom of this page is a movie of a Rok battle, between a number of
small white Roks. Last kite in the air wins, with pilots trying to saw
through each others lines! Each Rok was identified by a painted Japanese
numeral. As you can tell by the background, the contest was part of a
major kite festival.
CellularsNow, I've
chosen to show a fine example of a modern Cody kite here, which is
basically a double box kite with wings. It's origins actually go back to
the late 1800s as an observation platform for military use.
All
kinds of Box kites are technically Cellulars, since there is usually one
or more closed cells at the front of the kite and a similar arrangement
at the back.
For example, take the simple traditional Box kite.
It has a single cell of rectangular panels at the front, and another
identical one at the back. Most people can imagine what a simple box
kite looks like, because they have been used in illustrations almost as
much as the extremely well-known Diamond kite!
In
addition to kites which are clearly based on the traditional Box
design, there are others which are .... well ... just plain weird and
wonderful! Some designers have gone to great lengths to construct
amazing, complex designs which utilize individual flying cells of some
kind.
Sometimes the cells aren't even straight-sided. The
variations are so great that you can't actually post a picture of a
'typical cellular kite'. There are just too many different kinds of
kites in this category. The Cody up there doesn't even hint at what some
of these cellular kites look like! If you're curious, just look up the
pages on Box Kites on this site. See the link in the side-bar, up there
on the left.
DiamondsThis, of course, is
the most recognizable kite shape in the Western world. This example
stood out from the crowd due to its bright yellow color and fun design!
Diamonds
are easy to make. They are very reliable when flown with an appropriate
length of tail, and perform well. Not spectacularly well like an
expensive large Delta, but well enough for your average week-end
kite-fancier or child flier.
The
popularity of Diamond kites has had some ups and downs (sorry!) over
the centuries. Currently, it's dominance is challenged by the huge
variety of easy-to-fly alternatives which are pushed out by the modern
multi-million-kite industry. But, the humble Diamond doesn't look like
dying just yet. A great variety of good-looking designs are available at
retail outlets both on and off-line.
Sizes range from tiny
through to mid-sized. I have never seen a truly large Diamond at the
kite festival. Maybe I should change that and take my new KAP Diamond
there one year! At 2.4 meters (8 feet) across, I'm sure it is larger
than 98% of Diamonds that are flown anywhere. Perhaps most 'serious'
kite fliers disdain the common Diamond! They do seem to prefer different
kinds of kites such as big Deltas and Rokkakus.
SledsThis
style of kite has always been of modest size, and mainly for child
fliers. To sum up the basic concept, these kites are single-surface with
2 and sometimes more vertical spars which help to keep the kite's shape
in the air.
These days, the spars are often the inflatable variety instead of rigid sticks.
See
the photo, where the kite has its 2 spars inflated by the wind. One on
each side. This has the advantage of letting you squash the kite up into
a very small space for transport. In fact, one small design was called
the Pocket Kite for this reason!
Sleds
are very convenient to fly, having almost zero set-up time. Just unroll
or unwrap, let the air fill it and away it goes! We have seen many
different kinds of kites that are basically Sleds at the kite festivals
we have attended. At the top end of the size range, Sleds can be
attractive and reliable fliers which can cope with a rather large range
of wind speeds. Now that's handy at times, for avoiding disappointment!
NoveltyLike the Cellular kites discussed earlier, it's impossible to select a 'typical' Novelty kite that represents them all.
Novelty
kites are often rather small, often humorous in concept and are
generally designed to catch the eye of the very youngest kite-fliers out
there!
The ship kite pictured seemed to fly quite stable in a
moderate breeze. I've seen a few different kinds of kites that are even
funnier, but this little ship was definitely an attempt at humor. After
all, ships aren't supposed to fly!
If a novelty kite flies at
all, that's good enough. Most of the ones we saw flew at very modest
line angles, but I doubt that was of much concern to their owners! A
funny kite bobbing about several meters off the ground makes the kid
happy, and this tends to make the parent happy too.
These kites
are based on just about any common object, creature or machine
imaginable. The more ridiculous the idea of one of these things flying
in the air, the better! On the other hand, sometimes it's the motion of
the kite that tickles your funny bone. Like the little red bat kite we
once saw. It flapped as it flew, and the thing was just pathetic as a
kite - but it sure made me smile at the time.
Come
to think of it, it's probably just as well that there is such variety
available in the different kinds of kites in the Novelty category. As
with cartoons, different people can have very different preferences!
TraditionalAnother very broad category, due to the fact it includes any kite made from natural materials from a non-Western culture.
We
saw just a few examples of different kinds of kites made in a way that
hasn't changed in many decades and possibly centuries. A rather special
one was the Wau Bulan from Indonesia. This kite was an impressive size,
and I was pleased to capture several close-up images of it in flight.
The decoration, as you can see in the photo, was truly eye-catching and
intricate. Not only did it look great, but this kite flew at very high
line angles too. Not to be outdone by all the hi-tech Deltas and Roks
flying on that same day!
Of course, dozens of different kinds of
kites in traditional styles are to be seen at festivals across Asia and
Australasia. To name just a very few regions that have interesting kite
cultures, there is Bali, Thailand, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, China and New
Zealand.
StuntStunt kites occupy a whole
world of their own that is distinct from single-liners, in that 2 or
more lines allow very direct steering control of the kite. These kites
go just where you tell them to - at least, when you've become a good
enough pilot!
Despite flying much lower than most of the
single-liners at a kite festival, the stunters are certainly very
eye-catching due to their constant swirling motion. Not to mention the
modern trend towards super-bright and bold color schemes!
The
photo shows a typical large Delta stunt kite. Although more complex than
a single-line Delta, these steerable kites do share some similarities
in appearance. As is obvious from a quick glance. The long tails on
these kites are purely for effect, tracing out the kite's every move
through the air.
Also
carving up the air on the day were a number of flexible stunters, which
are rather different kinds of kites to the 2-line Deltas. These look a
little like those rectangular sport parachutes that sky divers use.
These 'soft' kites are controlled with 2 lines just like the Delta
stunters but have somewhat different flying characteristics. For
example, you have to move your arms more to get the kite to turn tight,
and the pull on the lines is greater than for a similar sized Delta.
Traction
I
guess there are a lot of big kite festivals that are held a long way
from the nearest ocean. However, here in Adelaide, the Southern Ocean is
lapping the beach while the kite festival is in progress. Hence, kite
surfing is a feature.
The further down the jetty you go, the
better the view is of these surfer dudes skimming across the water and
often launching themselves into the air. Their kites are big and
powerful, requiring considerable skill to stay in control with fresh
winds blowing. It all gets a bit sedate if the winds aren't strong
enough. The day that photo over there was taken, conditions were
reasonable for these guys.
The
design of these surfing kites has changed quite a bit, with several
different kinds of kites appearing on the market over a decade or 2. A
good traction kite for use over water must of course be easily
re-launchable from water.
Some designs can fly in a very wide range of wind speeds, obviating the need to own several kites to suit all conditions.
Although
kite surfing on the ocean is the most common and well-known use for
traction kites, kite-boarding on land is popular too. All-terrain boards
or 3-wheel buggies are popular choices for getting around on sand, dirt
or grass under kite power.
The photo below features a
self-launching Diamond kite arch. Most of the other kites are
inflatables, but there's a Cody box aloft as well. Plus a black and
white keel-less Delta, another Delta with duck feet trailing behind (!)
and a seagull flying downwind.
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