This glossary will explain many of the more common terms, including the parts of a kite and the materials that they are made from. And as you gain more experience you will begin to use these words yourself and truly understand their meanings.
(a)
Airfoil: a curved surface which causes the air flowing across it to provide lift.
Angle of Attack: The angle of the wing surface relative to the wind. Too much angle results in a kite that stalls or won't lift, or causes the kite to be overpowered. Too little angle results in not enough lift.
Anhedral: The downward bend of a wing. This is the opposite of Dihedral. This is sometimes used to add stability to a kite as in a sled kite.
Appliqué: Ornamental shapes and figures cut from one fabric and sewn to another.
Aspect Ratio: This term refers to the width of a wing relative to its depth. A wing that is wider than it is deep is known as a high aspect ratio wing and a wing that is deeper than it is wide is known as a low aspect ratio wing. For example a diamond kite has a low aspect wing.
(b)
Batten: A lightweight spar used for stiffening or adding to the curvature of a sail or wing.
Beaufort Scale: a scale for gauging wind speed by observing conditions on the ground.
Beaufort Scale: a way of measuring wind speed, ranging from a gentle breeze to gale force.
Bowed: bowed kites have frames that cross the kite, left to right and top to bottom, but do not surround the sail.
Bowstring: the string that secures the curved spar of a bowed kite.
Box kite: A kite with a box shaped framework, often a single line kite. The two most common shapes of box kite are rectangular boxes and tetrahedrons.
Bridle Leg: Each line going from the tow point of a kite to the sail is known as a bridle leg. Kite bridles may have only two legs or many legs.
Bridle: the string or strings that join the flying or control line to the rest of the kite. On some kites, the bridle can be complicated and may look like the complex lines of a parachute. A simple bridle will control the angle the kite flies at, whilst a complex bridle may also hold the kite in a certain shape.
(c)
Camber: The curve of a sail or wing that creates an airfoil, it is this curve that creates the lift which makes the kite fly.
Centre ‘T’: where the spine and the lower spreader cross
Chord Line: The length of a straight line connecting the leading and trailing edges of a wing. Often referred to when talking about aspect ratios of wings.
Cover: this it the fabric of a kite or the material that covers the frame. It can be made of paper, cloth or nylon. It may also be called the sail.
Cross Spar: The spar, stick or fiberglass pole used to spread the wings of a kite sail. It may also be called a spreader.
(d)
Dacron: A modern synthetic fiber used to make the cover or sail of a kite, and often used to make the flying lines. It was originally used to make fishing line and comes in strengths dependent on the weight it can hold.
Delta Kite: a popular kite that is triangular in shape. It has a single spreader, a spine down the middle, and rods along the leading (front) edges of the kite. They can be used in various wind conditions and most sports kites tend to be Delta Kites.
Dihedral: a bend or curve in the kite that helps keep the kite stable. Also may be used to describe the connector that forms this bend. The dihedral helps to stabilize a kite.
Downwind: the direction the wind is blowing.
Drag: the resistance of a kite to the wind, which is affected by the weight of the kite, the materials it is made from and its surface area.
Drogue: a cone shaped "cup" open at both ends. It helps keep the kite stable.
Dual line kite: Usually a Delta shaped kite, with two lines for control. These are often used as sports or stunt kites.
(e)
End cap:Hard plastic or vinyl parts attached to the end of spars.
(f)
Fiberglass: A material composed of glass fibers in an epoxy matrix. This is an excellent kite building material as it combines strength and flexibility with relative light weight. It comes in several forms from solid fiberglass rod to hollow tubes.
Fighter Kites: These are usually small maneuverable kites that are flown on one line. To steer the kite the flyer must pull or slacken the line.
Flat: These kites have a frame that holds the sail completely flat, and often surrounds the edge of the sail. Dragon or serpent kites are often flat with long wide tails.
Foil: Are dual skin kites - air enters between the skins at the front of the kite and inflates the kite. When inflated they have a profile that resembles a wing. This generates a lot more lift than a usual single-skinned kite. These kites have complicated bridles.
Frame: The rigid structure of the kite to which the sail or cover is fastened, often made out of wood or fiberglass. Parts of the frame include: spar (a rod that goes roughly side-to-side; spine (a rod that goes front-to-back); spreader (a rod that holds other rods apart); riser (small rod that lifts part of the kite out of the flat plane). The frame may also be called the “bones”.
(g)
Graphite: Composed of carbon fibers in an epoxy matrix, this is a modern kite material. It is lighter and stiffer than fiberglass though sometimes not as durable and it is more expensive.
(h)
Handmade paper: One of the earliest materials used to make kites, and still used today in many cultures.
Handles: Often plastic or soft padded handles attached to the end of the kite line which the kite flyer then holds.
High Aspect Ratio: This is a wing that is wider than it is deep. These wings are more efficient than low aspect ratio wings, providing greater lift and having lower drag than a low aspect wing. A wing that is 4 times wider than it is deep is said to have a ratio of 1 to 4.
Hummer: a device fitted to kites that whirrs and hums in the breeze.
(i)
Icarex: A trade name used to denote ripstop fabric woven from polyester fibers. This results in a cloth that is somewhat lighter and more fade resistant than nylon ripstop fabric.
(k)
Keel: A triangular piece of cloth used instead of a bridle to attach a line to the kite. It can provide stability, the main disadvantage being that it usually provides a fixed tow point and will not allow you to adjust for wind conditions the way a bridle will.
Kevlar: A type of synthetic line sometimes used for flying kites. It is extremely strong with very low stretch. An alternative would be Spectra.
Kite Train: two or more kites flown from the same control line.
(l)
Laser Pro Gold: High performance kite line.
Leading Edge: Leading edge frame. The forward part of a wing that is struck first by the passage of the wind.
Lift: an upward force, created by wind pressure on the kite face.
Longeron: This is a rod or rods that run lengthwise down a kite. The center longeron is called a spine.
Low Aspect Ratio: A wing that is deeper than it is wide as in a diamond kite. Though generally not as efficient as a high aspect wing, its main advantage is that it is very stable.
Lower leading edge: The lower part of the wing struck first by the wind
Lower spreader: The spreader furthest from the nose
(n)
Nose: The tip of the kite
(o)
Outhaul: A length of adjustable bridle line usually found on stunt or sport kites that allows for the shifting of the tow points toward the wing tips or toward the center. This most dramatically effects turn rate, and other handling qualities.
(p)
Pitch: the motion a kite makes when its nose moves up or down. A kite with too much pitch will not lift as well as it might, a kite with too little pitch will stall and nosedive out of the sky.
Power Kites: stunt kites that are flown to experience the sheer power of the wind. Typically having two lines, they are usually foil-type kites that exploit wing-type aerodynamics to generate a lot of lift and/or drag.
Pull: simply, how hard the kite pulls against its anchor or the person holding it.
(q)
Quad line kite: Four lines used to fly kite. Generally a rectangle shaped kite.
(r)
Ready to Fly: Flying line is included with kite.
Reel or Winder: the object around which the flying line is stored, often designed to allow easy unwinding of the lines prior to flying.
Rip-stop: This term refers to a type of weave used in nylon or polyester cloth. The material is made of stronger and weaker fibers and the pattern often looks like lots of little squares. As the cloth tears it will stop when the stronger fibers are reached. Most quality kites are made of rip-stop nylon or polyester.
Roll: A 'wiggle' along the length of the kite where the right or left sides move up and down. A slight roll will make a kite move to the side - that is how two-line kites work.
Rotor: rotor kites are rare. They do not gain lift from sails. Instead, they spin to gain lift.
(s)
Sail: The cloth or lifting part of a kite also known as cover.
Single line kite: Kite flown with one line.
Sled: Sled kites have little or no frame. They can be folded up to a very small size and so are often sold as 'pocket kites'. They are easy to make and fly and do not break if they crash, so they make good starter-kites for children.
Spar: the horizontal part of a kite frame.
Spine: The center rod that runs lengthwise down a kite. May also be called a longeron.
Spectra: A synthetic fiber used in making fishing or kite line. It is used almost exclusively when flying dual or quad-line kites. It's best advantage being its great strength to weight ratio and low stretch characteristics.
Spreader: As the name implies this spar spreads the wings of a kite. It is sometimes called a cross spar.
Stability: the ability of a kite to keep flying on a straight course.
Stand off: Usually a small rod that connects the sail to the lower spreader. It is sometimes called a whisker.
Stand off retainer fitting: where the standoff attaches to the lower spreader
Standard kite: Kite designed to generally be flown in the 4-18 mph wind range.
Strut: extra pieces of dowel or bamboo which reinforce the frame.
Stunt Kites: kites that can be steered around the sky for entertainment purposes. The majority have two lines (pull the left line to turn left, the right to turn right), but some have four lines. The second two lines allow the kite to be stopped in the air, spun on the spot or even to be flown backwards.
Super Ultra Light kite: Kite designed for optimal performance in wind range 0-6 mph. Individual kites may be designed to excel in even more specific wind speeds.
(t)
Tail: fabric or paper tied on to the line or streamers attached to the bottom of the kite which adds to the kite's stability.
Tow Point: The place that the flying line attaches to a kite. This point also serves to adjust the angle of incidence or angle of attack.
Traction Kites: large foil-type kites that are usually designed to have more drag that lift. This means they can pull the user at great speed in a buggy, on a land-board (an off-road skateboard) or on a snowboard. Traction kites always have four or three lines to allow for braking.
Trailing Edge: the back edge of the sail.
Train: Linking two or more kites together on a single line to form a train of kites.
Turbulence: currents of wind created by obstacles in its path.
(u)
Ultra Light kite: Kite designed to be flown in wind range of 2-6 mph. Some kites may be tailored to perform best even in more specific wind speeds.
Upper leading edge: the upper part of the wing struck first by the wind
Upper Spreader: the spreader closest to the nose
Upwind: the direction the wind is blowing from.
(v)
Variable Vented kite: Kite with variable venting capabilities to allow the flier to increase or decrease exposed mesh to control the amount of wind passing through the sail. These kites are flown in the 16-30 mph range.
Vent: opening in the kite sail to improve stability.
(w)
Whisker: A small tensioning rod used to tension or batten a sail. Can be used to reduce drag or add to effective sail area or to maintain sail shape.
Wind Shadow: the area behind an obstruction (such as trees or buildings) where the wind is not blowing. The wind shadow can be much longer than the height of the obstruction.
Windspeed: the speed of air on the face of the kite.
Wingtip: the very ends of the wings
(y)
Yaw: a twisting motion made by the flat kite, where the nose of the kite turns left or right.
