Quad Line Kites

In addition, four line kites allow the sail to be twisted, causing it to spin like a propeller. Four line kites have caught on far more than three liners and so have benefited from more development and refinement.

Quad line kites are by no means a new invention. In 1822, George Pocock used two large arch-top kites flying in train and controlled by four lines to draw a carriage at speeds of up to 20mph. On one occasion, he overtook the Bristol to Malborough stage coach. On another, he committed a serious breach of etiquette by overtaking the Duke of Gloucester's carriage. The indiscretion having been noticed, he slowed to allow the Duke to pass, which he did, graciously acknowledging the gesture.

Amongst modern four line kites, two main classes have emerged: the Revolution and its cousins, and four line parafoils.

The Revolution, or "Rev" for short, consists of a horizontal spar beneath which are suspended two triangular sail sections, side by side. One pair of lines is attached to each triangle, at the bottom and the middle of the top. Each pair of lines is controlled by a handle which can be rocked back or forwards to control the angle of attack of that triangular section. Here's a nice photo of 2 Revs in flight together. Fairly detailed plans exist on the net for Rev-type kites, such as Peter Peter's.

The Symphony is similar except that it has sail both above and below the spar, as in this photo (24k). A similar kite is Bob Neitzke's Golden Gate Bridge (12k), held together entirely with structural adhesive tape.

Quad line parafoils are not dissimilar to other parafoils, but have their bridle legs brought together in four groups, which again are controlled by two handles. Large examples are used for traction. They have the advantage over two line kites in this application in that the pull can be controlled by tilting both handles together. The Quadrifoil is an example. Here is a picture (©QUADRiFOiL) (23k) of the Quadrifoil C-1 from their extensive home page.

Quad line flying is quite different from flying a two line kite. Rather than pulling the lines together to control speed, the handles have to be tilted together, and rather than pulling them differentially to perform a turn, they have to be tilted differentially. Experienced two line flyers normally take a little while to adjust as they have to counter all their acquired habits. Since a quad line kite can be made to go backards as well as forwards, if it crashes upside down, it can be relaunched as easily as the right way up (provided you can work out which way to turn the handles!) A four line kite can do things no other kite can, and it's an experience not to be missed.

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