The Virtual Kite Zoo - Uses of Kites

• Lifting photographic or meteological instruments. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, this was an important use, but has since been superceeded by aircraft, balloons and rockets, except for amateur use for photography. Here is an excellent history of kite aerial photography.
• Lifting transmitting aerials. Marconi used kites in his early radio experiments, and in the second world war, Allied airmen were provided with a box kite and transmitter, known as the "Gibson Girl", along with their rubber dinghy. Some radio hams still use kites.
• Man lifting. Prior to the development of powered flight, the military recognised the potential of kites for reconnaisance. Warning: some kites you can make or buy today are capable of lifting you off the ground. Don't! You may come back to earth with a silly grin on your face, but there is a strong possibility that it won't stay there long - it's hard to grin with a broken neck. Try hang gliding instead, and get the proper training.
• Reportedly, a kite was used to carry the first line across the Niagara River in order to build the bridge from New York State to Canada.
• Teddy bear lifting. Those well aquainted with these bold and adventure-loving creatures report that they take to parachuting like ducks to water. A reasonable sized kite, such as a 7ft rok, will easily lift a teddy, or other stuffed fauna, to a respectably height for a drop. Visit the Parafauna Resources pages for loads of info.
• Displaying artwork or line-laundry. Many flat and bowed or dihedral kites lend themselves to decoration. Or you can attach a variety of windsocks or banners to the line at a suitable height, or to the kite itself as a tail. The Artistic Kite Group promotes kites as an art form.
• Blowing bubbles. A bubble-blowing aparatus has been reported for use with kites, but it requires an additional line to operate. There is scope for innovation in this area for anyone who can devise a method of blowing bubbles continuously using equipment light enough to be lifted conveniently by a kite. There's your challenge!
• Fishing. Kites have been used for centuries in the East for fishing. Lowering your hook and bait from a kite can have two advantages over casting: you may be able to get it further or into places you couldn't otherwise reach, and you can lower it gently, so avoiding a loud "plop" which might frighten off the very fish you wanted to catch.
• Therapy. Many peope find kite flying to be relaxing, and a good way to unwind. It also gets you out into the fresh air and provides a bit of exercise. Here's a moving story of how it brought joy to the life of an autistic child.
• Games. There are two kinds of kite race, the upwind and the downwind kite races. In the upwind kite race, contestants each have an identical large, strong-pulling kite (baskets are popular) which they have to drag upwind, the length of the course. This is purely a test of strength. In the downwind kite race, each contestant launches his kite, and at the "off", has to walk or run downwind, the length of the course, without winding in his line or allowing his kite to touch the ground. This is more a test of skill! Anthony Thyssen gives an extensive list of other games and competitions.
• Championships. National and international kite flying championships are held by STACK (Sport Team And Competitive Kiting). There are Novice, Experienced and Masters categories for individuals, pairs and teams, dual and quad-line, precision, freestyle and ballet, as well as power kiting.
• Traction. Samuel Cody crossed the English Channel in a boat pulled by a kite. George Pocock's "Char-Volant" was a kite-drawn carriage. Today, kites are used in the sports of kite-buggying, kite-sailing, kite-surfing and kite-skiing.

Pocock found that kite traction had an unexpected but welcome spin-off, when he approached a toll-gate in his Char-volant. He wrote:
"On one occasion an old inquisitive lady-like turnkey refused to open the gate to a party with the Char-volant. Hearing a carriage rattle up to the bar, she ran hastily out; but on seeing no animals attached to the vehicle, she started and stared, and after a short pause, exclaimed,'Why, gentlemen! what d'ye go by? what is it that draws you?' The kites were pointed out to her aloft in the air, and then, for the first time, she noticed the string fastened to the car. 'What', she added, 'do they draw you along? Do they indeed!! Well, what must I charge you, gentlemen? What d'ye call them?' - 'Kites, Kites!' - 'They ben't horses!' 'Oh, no.' - 'Nor mules!' 'No.' 'And I'm sure they ben't donkeys, nor oxen!' Then slowly examining every square inch of her notice board, she observed, 'Kites! Kites! Why, there be nothing about Kites on my board - so I suppose you must go along about your business!'"

Kite traction was eventually defeated not by the mighty steam engine, but by the telegraph. Telegraph wires were found to be even more of an inconvenience than bridges!

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