Kite Lingo

[Nemik]

Hello everyone I am new here... It's been about 5 years since I've flown my kites so I am getting back into it.

I was wondering if some of you guys could help us beginners understand some of the standard and maybe not so standard kite talk. I read the forums and websites and understand about half of what is said and I know I'm probably not the only one.

So if you guys have some terms or lingo that you can impart the meanings to us beginners, and post them here that be great.

Thanks all for your help

[quaa714]

Hello everyone I am new here... It's been about 5 years since I've flown my kites so I am getting back into it.

I was wondering if some of you guys could help us beginners understand some of the standard and maybe not so standard kite talk. I read the forums and websites and understand about half of what is said and I know I'm probably not the only one.

So if you guys have some terms or lingo that you can impart the meanings to us beginners, and post them here that be great.

Thanks all for your help

Perhaps a better way to do this would be for you to list some terms you've heard but don't get.

[Penny Lingenfelter]

Mouth breathers = People who are looking up at kites going... oooohhh... awwwww while they trip over all the lines on the field.

Kites certainly have thier own jargon.

Bridles, = The line connected to the kite like a bridle on a horse.. You lead it around with this and it spreads the pressure around on the kite.

Adjustments= This can be knots moved around on the kite bridle or leaders.

Leaders= Hmm, the line that is connected from your handle to the kite... unless some call the line from bridle to line that can be adjusted.

Leading Edge= The long front/forward part of the Rev.

Wind window=How far from right to left and up and down the wind will allow you to fly. In competition it's important to use as much of it as you can.

Wind edge, To the edge of the wind right, left or above.

Stake=What you carry to poke into the ground and hang your handles on so the kite doesn't get blown away. (very helpful to have one of these)

Lines,= Your Kite string. 90 x 90 would be 90 ft. by 90 lbs. or vise versa... 90 lbs is the measure of stress the line can take.

equalize = Makiung your lines the same length.

Stand offs=Parts of the kite that hold it's shape.

noks and caps= Connectors that attach to the spars.

Spars = Kite poles or sticks.

Ballast= Kite weight so it will do tricks.

Tricks= moves the kite can do besides laying on the sky and flying.

Kite police= Who they send after you when you fly someones kite or buggy to long... Time to get your own.

not to mention Kite moves.

Inverted= upside down.

Slide turns= The kite stays in postion, but slides around.. so facing up ^ it would stay like that while it slid in a circle.

My post sometimes end up being just gibberish as I get side tracked, but I remember one that John wrote that even made me go.. huh? What did he just say? We have to be careful with out lingo.

It's a quick answer and there will be more following. Give us some that make examples that make you go hmm?

BB Penny ~ who says welcome back to kiteflying.

[cerfvoliste]

So if you guys have some terms or lingo that you can impart the meanings to us beginners, and post them here that be great.

Thanks all for your help

If you make it to a couple "Safety Meetings" you will be well on your way....\

Rx

[Nemik]

Hey thanks for all those terms that's great they really helped allot of questions I had

Im glad to be back flying again...

I don't if there are any safety / kite meetings where I am, not sure correct me if I'm wrong but I don't know of any in Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Something you said brought up a question

Penny Lingenfelter you said

"Leading Edge= The long front/forward part of the Rev. "

- What is a "Rev"?

also

- What is an inhaul line?

- What are outhauls?

- What and where is a yoke?

- What is a Dynamic Bridle as opposed to a normal bridle?

- What is a trailing Edge

Oh and I like your definition for Kite Police... sounds like my brother, he would always say you can borrow my kite but whenever I would he'd be there 10 minutes deciding it was his turn. Technically we both paid for it so it was our kite we all know how that turns out LOL

Thanks for all your guys help so far.

[Penny Lingenfelter]

Hi again,

OMG.. you were gone 20 years? Well, Rev's came out 20 years ago.. but they hadn't taken over the kite world yet, I guess. They did win a few awards for it's invention though.

Rev is short for a Revolution kite.. which is a *4 string kite using two handles giving it brakes, reverse and speed control in any direction. Fly as slow as youlike, or as fast as you can. Stop and hold it for as long as you like.. and there is wind. Way KEWL! Nothing like it! It has revolutionized the stunt kite world. 5 Year olds to 105 can fly this.

OK... inhaul line?... lol, I guess they had to name the lines ,or this is probably the bridle. to technical for me.. I'm just a kite flyer. I have top lines and bottom lines on my Rev. Keep it simple. A trailing edge would be the back wing.. or back of the kite... I'm guessing here. lol

I can give you a 3 minute kite lesson on a Rev, and have you flying, but I can't tell you who's calling what a yoke.

Ok, now some serious kitefliers should jump in here. Keep asking questions... we'll find someone who knows the answers.

BB Penny~ flying like she means it for the fun of it. (BB means Best Breezes--though no wind is great for Rev flying too.)

www.myspace.com/penny_lingenfelter

Hey thanks for all those terms that's great they really helped allot of questions I had

Im glad to be back flying again...

I don't if there are any safety / kite meetings where I am, not sure correct me if I'm wrong but I don't know of any in Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Something you said brought up a question

Penny Lingenfelter you said

"Leading Edge= The long front/forward part of the Rev. "

- What is a "Rev"?

also

- What is an inhaul line?

- What are outhauls?

- What and where is a yoke?

- What is a Dynamic Bridle as opposed to a normal bridle?

- What is a trailing Edge

Oh and I like your definition for Kite Police... sounds like my brother, he would always say you can borrow my kite but whenever I would he'd be there 10 minutes deciding it was his turn. Technically we both paid for it so it was our kite we all know how that turns out LOL

Thanks for all your guys help so far.

[windofchange]

Inhaul lines - usually a section of the bridle line that runs from the center of the bridle to the inside spine of the kite, usually the lower inside line.

Outhaul - basically the opposite of the inhaul. Section of bridle that runs from the center to the outside of the kite.

Bridle - The line or network of lines that are usually permanently attached to the kite. You would attach your flying lines to these lines, usually at one point. Some kites have multiple bridles. A dual line stunt kite usually has two bridles, one on each side of the kite.

Yoke? - Usually used to attach a team of Oxen to a plow/wagon/etc... I would assume that if it was referred to on a kite this would be the attachment point where the bridles come together and attach to the flying line.

Leading Edge - This refers to a section of the kite for identification. The leading edge is usually the section of the kite that is leading during normal flight. Usually the top of the kite.

Trailing Edge - Opposite of Leading Edge. This refers to the section of the kite that is trailing or bottom of the kite during normal flight.

Dynamic/static/3-point/turbo bridle - These are different types of bridles used mainly on dual line stunt kites but can be used on any kite in various configurations. There are some very good resources on the web regarding the different types of bridles. One that comes to mind is: http://wardley.org/kites/bridle/ It would take way to much time and space to go into all of this in this post. The link pretty much says it all.

Rev - Short for Revolution. A manufacturer of kites specializing in quad line kites. Arguably the best quad line stunt kites in the world. If you don't already have one of these, may as well buy one now cuz once you fly one you will probably end up having one or more in your bag along with your other kites.

A few others that you may come across:

Yo-Yo Stoppers - These are small tabs/connectors attached to the leading edge of the kite that protrude out from the leading edge. Their purpose is to catch the line in roll-up style tricks (the "Yo-YO" is the most common). These stoppers keep the line from running all the way down the leading edge and ruining the trick.

Yo-line - This is a line that is attached from one side of the bridle/flying line to the other and placed at an exact point so that the kite can roll up. It serves the same purpose as Yo-Yo stoppers. The downside is that you can only do one roll up with this line as compared to multiple roll-ups with the stoppers.

Trick line - This is a line on a dual line stunt kite that runs from one wingtip, usually to the spine of the kite, then back to the other wing tip. This line is used to help keep your flying lines or bridles from snagging on the wing tips or tail of the kite during tricks. It also helps from crushing the sail during roll-up tricks.

Heavy setting - usually referred to as a way a kite is set up for flight. By letting the nose of the kite (leading edge) out or away from you, the kite has less forward drive and will feel "heavy" on the lines; if the kite is set to heavy, the kite will launch, stall and then drop back down onto the ground. This setting is usually preferred for stronger winds when doing various stunts or tricks.

Tail weight/nose weight - Ballast or weight that is attached to the kite at the tail or nose to get the kite to perform some tricks better in different winds. Most common is to place weight on the tail of the kite so that it flips faster for "roll-up" type of tricks. Easiest way to add weight is to tape or velcro a Nickel or two onto the kite. One Nickel weighs 5 grams (easy to remember).

Fade/Flare/Turtle/JL/Insane/Slot Machine/etc... - These are all names of various tricks you can do with different kites. For more information on these types of tricks and how they are performed, check out Randy Greenway's site here: http://sportkiteflyer.spaces.live.com/PersonalSpace.aspx?_c=

Slack Line - This is a style of flying, usually referred to trick flying. Slack line flying is when you allow the kite to fly/flip/trick in the air by allowing the lines to go slack at various times.

Old School - This usually refers to tricks that have been around for a long time. It also can refer to kites that are older/no longer made. This term can also be used to describe a newer kite and its abilities; eg... The kite flies very "old-school" and tricks very well but is also capable of the newer ones.... It can also help describe people who know all of these terms and use them regularly.

Nylon/PC31/Icarex/Poly - Different types of material used in the sails of kites.

Carbon/Graphite - Both actually mean the same thing and usually refer to the material used in the framework of the kite. Carbon or "carbon fiber" is lighter and stronger than all other materials. (that I know of)

Fiberglass - Another type of framework used. Not as strong or light as Carbon but is more affordable and flexes more.

Ram-air / Foil - A type of kite, usually a soft skinned kite with little or no framework structure. It gets its shape from air pressure inside of the kite which inflates the kite, creating the air foil shape allowing the kite to fly. These kites are usually used for power kiting sports and are not as precise or agile as framed kites. A close comparison to these style kites would be a parachute.

Framed kites - refers to kites that have a rigid frame structure.

SLK - Single Line Kites

Dually - Dual line kites / 2 line kites; BSLK - Big Single Line Kites; Show kites - Usually giant sized single line kites (eg... Peter Lynn Ocotpus)

Quad - Quad line kites / 4 line kites

Line Laundry - anything that is attached to the kite or kite line and lifted into the air by the kite. eg: tails, streamers, banners, etc...

Sled - A style of single line kites, usually a single skin kite that is square in shape with battens or pockets on either side. These kites are usually used for lifting streamers or other "line laundry" into the air.

If you have any others, post em up and we'll help ya out.

[sirrom]

Thanks Kent.

Very nicely done.

I was surprised that I new as much as I did.

[Nemik]

Thank you so much this helps allot, No one ever taught me all that I was just handed a kite and said go! Thnaks if I think of anything else I will post it here. Thanks to all you guys and I will check those links out