TOP TEN TIPS FOR FLYING YOUR SINGLE LINE KITE

1. Appropriate Flying Areas:  Choose an area free from trees, buildings, power lines and airports.  Obstacles such as those noted will cause erratic winds.  Power lines cause death to  the kite and to the flyer.   
2. WIND:  You must have wind to fly your kite.  If the wind is very light, you may be able to long line your kite.  Have a friend hold your kite down wind and facing you.  Attach your fly line to the kite and reel out about 30' – 60’of line.  Stand facing your friend, pull on the kiteline to let your friend know to let go of the kite.  Keep pulling until the kite reaches higher wind.  It then should take off and you will feel its pull as the wind catches the sail. 
   (See Beaufort wind scale)
3. SET UP:  Most kites have "set up " instructions printed on the label or packaging of the kite.  Always read the instructions for locating the spars into or on your kite properly.  The kite cannot fly correctly if these instructions are not followed.
4. FLYLINE:  Use appropriate line strengths for your kite.  Large kites have stronger pull due to their large surface area and smaller kites have smaller size line requirements.  Too heavy line will not allow smaller kites to climb due to the weight of the line.  Always wear gloves to avoid line cuts.
5. LAUNCH:  With your back to the wind, let the wind carry your kite aloft.  Allow the kite to carry the line from the reel.  Light winds will require pulling on the line and letting the line out. As you pull on the line, the kite rises, as you let the line out the kite may fall a little to catch up to the new amount of line.  As the kite climbs you feed it line until you reach the point where you can feel the kite catch the wind.
6. ADJUSTMENTS:   the majority of kites can be adjusted to suit different wind ranges.
   
   1. Strong winds can cause a small kite to loop and dive erratically.  The line becomes taut and the starts to sing.  Bring your kite back down to the ground, you can adjust the bridle point by moving it towards the nose.  Only a quarter inch adjustment can tilt the kite sail to allow it to dump the wind better and fly steadier.
   2. Light Winds can cause your kite to wobble from side to side, fail to climb and fall out of the sky.  By moving the bridle point away from the nose of the kite, you can bring more of the sail of the kite into the wind.  With more sail area for the wind to make your kite fly efficiently.
7. FLIGHT:  Sometimes your kite will catch a gust of wind and take a dive.  Do not pull on the line when this happens, feed the kite line, this action will allow the kite to reset itself.  Other times your kite may wander into another kite's territory and wind itself around another kite.  Calmly walk over to the other kite with your line and allow the tangle to travel down the line to you.  Simply use your handle to unwind the line.
8. MANNING YOUR KITE:  You can stake your kite or tie it to a tree or log on the beach.  It is not a good idea to leave your kite flying without someone watching.  A sudden gust of wind could come up and take your kite with it as well as what it is tied to.  Or the wind could die suddenly leaving your kite to drop to the ground.
9. LANDING:  Reeling your kite in when you are finished flying can be done in several ways.  All of which are done to preserve your flying line and the reel it is on.  It is a good idea to take the pressure off the flyline while reeling it in.  This is simply done by walking towards the kite while reeling in the line.  Sometimes it is imperative to get the kite down as quickly as possible and this is done by walking down the line laying it on the ground as the kite comes down, then reeling in the line.  Leave slack on the line as you wind them in on the reel.  This will keep your reel from breaking with too much pressure exerted from the line.
10. PACKING UP:  Be sure to collect all the spars from your kite and pack them neatly together.  Better pack them in the bag they came in. The next time you fly you will have everything together and ready.

Dual Line, Trick, Acrobatic or Sport Kites

Multi-line kites should be flown in an area free from people, cars, trees, pets and electrical lines.  Generally in an area of 150' in front and side to side should be allowed to learn to fly your multi-lined kite.  It also helps to have a companion on your first few flights.

1. INSTRUCTIONS:  Read the instructions enclosed with your new kite.  You will learn how to set up your kite correctly.  Sport kites are equipped with kite specific parts and correct placement of those parts will assure optimum performance.  The kite is only as good as its flyer. 
2. SAFE SETUP:  Locate an area to fly your kite that is generally flat.  Assemble your kite in a place that is out of the wind.  Locate the wind direction and position your kite so that you will be flying with the wind blowing onto your back.  Place your kite about 80-120' down wind of where you will be standing to fly. 
3. FLY LINES: You will find two handles containing fly lines with your kites.  Lay out the lines, starting at your kite bridles, parallel to one another and ending in the position where you intend to stand to fly.  It behooves you to take a screwdriver or some other implement to stake your fly lines, at the handles, to the ground.  Straighten and untwist any kinks in your fly lines.  Also take note whether the lines are of even lengths.  If the lines are uneven, just adjust by winding up or cutting the excess line and retying.  Lines will stretch somewhat as you fly.  Adjusting your lines is part of flying multi line kites.
4. BRIDLES:  Bridles are those lines that are attached to the kites.  They are connected directly to the frame of the kite and are adjustable for different winds speeds or to allow for more radical tricks.  Most kites include booklets with illustrations that indicate correct tow points for different wind speeds.  Take note of these instructions and you will get more out of your kite.
5. TOW POINT:  Tow point is the area on the kite bridle, a knot or a loop where fly lines are connected to the bridle.  This point is usually factory set for maximum performance under normal wind conditions.  The factory setting is usually marked with a black mark.  By moving the tow point 1/2" on either side of the mark can make a difference in the reaction of your kite to the wind speed.  On multi-line kites the tow points must be at the same spot on both or all bridles for the best performance.
6. LAUNCH:  Upon completing your initial checklist of Kite and fly line setup, you are ready to take your first flight. Flying your sport kite starts with a launch or sending your kite up and into the wind.  Once you have grasped the handles and checked behind and around you to make sure there are no obstructions or people, take a step backwards and pull you handles down towards your knees and to your side.
7. CONTROL:  When your kite is airborne, steer the kite around keeping your hands side by side and at the same level.  Get a feel for the wind and the amount of pull of the kite. Keep your fly lines parallel to one another.  Steer the kite to the far left then to the far right.  This allows for you to get an idea of the wind window that you have available to sail your kite in.  If at any time you feel the kite overpowering you, walk toward s the kite to give the lines slack.  Another technique is to pull the kite to the far right or left where it loses wind.  The kite will then float to the ground.  Larger kites (7-9' wingspans) have quite a bit of pull and are somewhat slower.  Smaller kites (2'-6' wingspans) are much faster.  Be prepared for both.
8. MANUEVERING:  After you are familiar with the kite and the type of wind you are flying in, try making a few turns.  Pull the right line a bit and notice the kite will go towards the right with more control than just steering with both hands.  Try a circle.  Sustain the pull with your right hand and you will notice the right line will twist over the left line. Push with your right hand and you will notice the right line unwind and your lines will again be parallel.  Try this with your left hand.  With practice you can combine fly line push and pull maneuvers to make squares and circles.
9. WIND WINDOW:  Generally speaking, the 'Wind window" is the area your kite will fly in with the greatest pull being directly in the wind.  You can test your wind window by flying to the extreme right and find the point where your kite loses it's pull and falls out of the sky.  The same happens when flying to your left.  The area in between those two points is your horizontal wind window.  The same test can be done to find your vertical wind window.  Flying within "your " wind window allows for your best novice performance.  During your learning period, it is best to keep your kite downwind.  When you have grasped the subtleties of the wind, you can experiment with all the outer edges of the wind envelope.

SAFETY:  NEVER FLY RECKLESSLY!  YOU COULD HURT SPECTATORS AS WELL AS ANIMALS OR VEHICLES.  STAY AWAY FROM CROWDED AREAS.  SAFETY IS FIRST AND LAST WHEN FLYING KITES.  MANY REGIONS HAVE LOST THEIR RIGHTS TO FLY IN PUBLIC DUE TO THOUGHTLESS OR UNAWARE FLYERS. ãGasworks Park Kite Shop 2003