Flying Kites

I must apologize, I have not had much to say this month. It's not from a lack of energy, but a lack of things to talk about! I remember a while back I wanted to discuss kites, and just a few days ago the temperature went up to 67 farenheight, and the wind was good enough to fly my kite.

Kite flying is one of those things that you do at an early age; and it never gets old as you get older. Part of the highlight of my Ocean City MD, vacation is to actually go kite flying. Most people know about kites and how they work, so really I don't have any real way to explain how they work (see wikipedia). Ive bought numerous kites over the years, and as I enjoyed kite flying, I wanted to go bigger and bigger. Right now my largest kite is a 9.5 foot Delta kite, just your simple triangle design, but the thing is over 10 feet in length and width! (Taller than me standing up). I have a nice windsock for it too; that extends to about 25 feet and makes for good stability.

Kites come in many different colors, shapes and sizes. You have cheaper than $5 "fly 'em once" kites, then you get up into the $30.00-$40.00 range for advanced nylon types. Nylon is much stronger, and is easy to sow if it does tear. This happened to my 4.5 foot Delta, but my 9.5 Delta has performed with no damage to it, despite rigourous 30mph+ winds (really worth the $90 USD I spent on it). The strength of the line is also very important. Usually if you visit a kite shop, there are trained employees there who know what they are doing. If you ever visit one, ask about getting a line wound on a spool that is circular in shape, not like a spool spool. The reason for this is, as an engineer I can tell you that the sphere (or circle) is universally the strongest shape. The line will strain less, tense less, and it will be easier on yourself to reel in your kite. The more expensive kites do handle well, but if it is too windy, don't do what I do and let the kite go out all of the way. If the line snaps, you will be chasing the kite probably for miles (has not happened to me yet).

Its the perfect thing to do at the beach! On the beach the winds coming in and around shore are pretty much linear, and you won't get too much turbulence. Try and get out in the early morning or late evening (with sunlight out) to fly the kite. I almost gurantee 99% of the time there will be enough wind to fly. To be polite to others, try not to fly your kite when you have people relaxing on the beach. If you can find a large gap where no one is, and there are people just walking the beach, have fun!