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Concept
Sport kite
Summary
A sport kite, also commonly known as a stunt kite, is a type of kite that can be maneuvered in the air.
A related kite, also controllable and used for recreation, but capable of generating a significant amount of pull and used for providing movement, is the power kite.
One common configuration for a sport kite is a roughly triangular "delta" shape based on the Rogallo wing, with two lines for control. Another common configuration is a W-shaped panel based on the Hadzicki wing, with four lines for control. These kites are normally constructed from lightweight ripstop nylon or ripstop polyester with spars made from carbon fiber tubing. The flying lines are made from braided ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene, which is light, does not stretch under tension and stays slippery even when wrapped many times.
Dual-line sport kites are controlled by the pilot adding and releasing tension on the right and left lines. A pilot may pull on the right-hand line to turn right, pull left-hand line to turn left, pull equally for straight flight, push the left-hand line to release air and turn right, and so on. The pitch can be controlled by walking/running forward or backwards, giving the lines different amounts of tension. Using a combination of pulls (to add tension or direct kite motion) and pushes (to give slack and let float into motion), complex tricks and patterns can be flown. These range in difficulty from turns, loops and landings, to maneuvers where the kite is flipped and turned end over end, wrapping the lines or floating on its front or back. During diving maneuvers sport kites may reach speeds of , while in stall type maneuvers they can remain nearly motionless. This type of stall allows for various other acrobatic maneuvers to be performed.
Quad-line kites are controlled with a pair of handles, each with two lines attached to the top and bottom and attached to the kite correspondingly. To control the kite the pilot applies tension to the four lines, typically all four lines have some tension with some lines drawn back more than the others.
Official source
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