Skip to content Skip to side menu

Tied to the Sky

Wind Ranges for Kites - What to think!

Wind Ranges for Kites - What to think!

Andrea of Great Canadian Kite Company flying her Revolution kite

I remember as a kid trying to fly kites that you had to run like mad just to keep them aloft. It made for a very frustrating experience. One exception from my childhood was a delta shaped black plastic kite  - the one that you affixed adhesive eyes too. These fiery eyes made it look pretty cool, and you know, it flew pretty well! As fun as that kite was, being made of plastic it didn't last very long!

When we started the Great Canadian Kite Company (read our story here) we wanted to make sure that we sold a quality product that flew well and was built to be durable by quality kite standards. As such, the kites we have chosen are from reputable manufacturers with proven designs that fly in the stated conditions.

But even then... what does a wind range really mean? A wind range is provided to communicate the range of wind speed that the kite will fly in. So a range of 10 - 40 kph means that the kite is capable of flying in winds as low as 10 Kph to an upper limit of 40 kph.

The upper range can be a little more flexible if just flying the kite is the priority. When kites fly in winds above the range, they will often become much faster, harder to control, pull too hard and become difficult to trick. Too much wind will rip stitches and fabric, or break framing and line. It also can increase the potential for damage with hard crashes.

In higher winds you can add wind brakes or add tails, and this will often raise the upper limit.

Nexus Kite by Prism KitesSometimes, especially with stunt kites (low wind or Indoor) you see a lower wind range of zero or 5 or 8 or 10 kph. Low wind kite flying is an art as much as it is a science, and many manufacturers when establishing the lower end of the wind range have folks testing it who are really good pilots!

So can the kites fly at those low ranges? You bet! Can anybody fly them in the low range - with some practice you can learn to keep your kite aloft at the lowest wind ranges.

As kite professionals, we are here to offer you experienced recommendation on the kinds of kites and kite accessories that will get you in the air with the goal of providing the best kite flying experience we can!

Great Canadian Kite Company also have some Resources for the Kite Flyer:

Read more →

Kite Trick / Stunt Tutorials

Andrea with B-Series ProHere are a few online, Stunt Kite trick tutorials from a few different sources.  Whether you are taking to the sky for the first time or have lots of flight time, these resources are great to help you learn to nail an assortment of some of the coolest tricks.  They will demonstrate and explain step-by-step how to do some of the coolest kite maneuvers.

I find these tutorials help break down a stunt in such a way that you can get a sense of what's actually happening - with your body and with the kite.  Like most everything, this will take some practice, some perseverance and maybe a few spare parts but learning to do the tricks and combine them is a real hoot!

Kitelife.com - is a fantastic resource for Kite flyers regardless of taste.  Kitelife.com , in my honest opinion is the best place on all the web for quality kite information, tutorials, reviews, and news in the kite world.   Not only does it draw on the experience of many in the kite world, they are are friendly, down to earth folks.  Kitelife.com is worth the subscription! Check them Out

 Reed Designs:    A UK site, the animations will be added to as they have the time. The numbers after the links are the degree of difficulty according to the Tricks Party rules. Some tricks have different names in Tricks Party from those often used in the UK. For those that do, the Trick Party name is in brackets.

Randy Greenway: An amazing site for pics and video kite trick tutorials.  Randy is a Team flyer for R-Sky Kites and has a long list of achievements.  A Great Site:

Revolution Quadline Kites Tutorial: Learn how to do the very cool tricks that the pros do with the Quad line sensation Revolution Kites.  Informative videos with great explanations.

Learnkites.com - Great for the Rev Fliers.

 DPMAMA74 -These youtube vids are great.  Keeps the pilot and the kite in the frame so you can see cause and effect.  Lots to choose from.

Prism Kites: "Whether you’re a first-time flier or a hot-shot competition pilot, you’ll never run out of new moves to master with your sport kite. Below are some of the basic maneuvers and tricks in an animated format. Don’t expect to learn them all in one session, or even in one season; many will take some serious practice to master. But if you enjoy the challenge of honing your mind and your reflexes, these maneuvers are the building blocks for a whole repertoire of tricks that will give you a lifetime of joy in the sky."  Use arrows at the bottom of the illustration to progress to new manuevers.

Read more →