Learning to fly a Power kite

Learning about Power kites…
Kites today come in many shapes and sizes. And the traditional triangle design kite is still being used today, but modern design and technology gives us many different chooses including box shaped kites, cylinder shaped kites and parafoils. The shapes and designs are endless.

Stunt kites combine modern design with precision control, allowing you to not only launch your kite, but actually control them in virtually any direction you wish, Power kites are impressive in size and take the sport of kite flying to the very extreme.

Traction kites & power kites
Power or traction kites have 4 lines and connecting to handles or a control bar, and have similar controls to quad line kites although usually mush slower in responding due to their enormously large size, and reverse flight is not possible on some designs but still have break feature and are capable of landing. Quad line power kites make up for their decrease in speed and manoeuvrability by generating the greatest amount of power possible, capable of picking up a person over 30 feet in the air with very little effort, or pulling a person at speeds over 50 mph in a buggy or on a land board and catching extreme air time and free style tricks.

Large power kites can be extremely dangerous and should always be flown with the greatest respect and caution, and expert training for this type of kite should be sort from a kite school.

Lift, Drag, and Gravity…
A kite and an airplane are heavier than air objects that are flown by the lift created by air in motion over their wings. An airplane relies on thrust from its engine, whereas a kite is tethered in place and needs moving air (wind) to fly.

Learn more on how a kite flies by tackling lift, drag, gravity and thrust.

 

Wind moving across the sail of a kite creating pressure. Lift results from this wind pressure being deflected along the face of the kite. In other words, the wind pushes up on the kite. Think of the wing pressure like a hand, pushing the kite up into the sky and holders there. If the hand is removed, the kite will fall.

At the same time, the wind passing over the top of the kite creating an area of low pressure, like a vacuum, along the back of the kite. This creates a pull from behind

A kite is affected by thrust, drag and by gravity.

Drag is created by wind resistance on the kite's surface. Drag can also result from turbulence behind the kite. Gravity is the downward force created by the weight of the kite. Thrust is that power of the wind which creates lift.

To fly, a kite needs to have enough lift to overcome gravity and drag.


SB Kites is the only kite school in the Dorset coastal area which offers land based power kite lessons, kite buggy lessons and kiteboarding lessons.

Kev and Sue are ready to teach you, your friends and family all aspects of power kiting, bugging and kite boarding enabling you to continue the kiting safely wherever you are. We are experienced kiters with the correct insurance, as well as sports first-aid certificates, and one of our instructors is passed by the criminal records bureau.

Power kiting is a physical sport, so before the lesson, we kit you out with the appropriate safety equipment. We use a range of kites, boards and buggies for our clients and are happy to advise on the kites, boards and buggies that are right for you.

The majority of kite lessons will take place in Poole and Bournemouth, and we choose the best flying days to help you learn to fly! At SBK we can teach you the control of a power kite in one easy lesson - no experience is necessary. There are no minimum fitness requirements, and we tailor each of our courses to suit all abilities.

Contact Kev now, on 07706 445145 and speak to the man who can teach you to fly...