What are Power Kites?

Power kites are specialized kites designed to pull you over land or water. They are incredibly and wonderfully addictive and are used in a variety of kite sports. Once you fly your first power kite, it’s hard to stop and you may find yourself constantly on the lookout for good wind to feed your addiction.

What is a Power Kite?

A power kite, also called a traction kite, is a specialized kite that can generate enough force (or power) to move a person or vehicle. This isn’t a new concept. The Chinese first used power kites the 13^th century to help propel canoes and boats. But modern day power kiting didn’t really begin until the 1990’s, when advancements and innovations in technology allowed power kiting to become more practical and viable. Innovations in the 2000’s helped to make power kiting much safer and a bit more mainstream.

Today, power kites are used in a variety of kite sports, including: kiteboarding, kitesurfing, snowkiting, landboarding, and kite buggying. (Find out more about these Power Kite Sports in this hub.)

Modern power kites are made mostly from ripstop nylon, sometimes with Dacron reinforcements and inflatable plastic bladders. Although they are called kites, they are much more analogous to a flying wing or airfoil.

Unlike a traditional kite with one line, power kites have from 2 to 5 lines. Two of the lines are always used for steering the kite. These lines attach to a either handles or a control bar that allows the user to control the kite. Larger kites that generate too much power to hold with your hands have 2 additional lines called power lines. These power lines typically attach to a specialized harness worn by the user, although in some cases they can be attached to the control handles. When the kite lifts or moves you, it’s done via the power lines. When used with a harness and a control bar, 4 line (and 5 line) kites can be quickly depowered – an important safety feature.

Some kites have a 5^th line that is used to increase stability, enhance safety, and assist in re-launching a kite that has fallen to the ground or water. Some smaller kites use 2 control lines and a third line that similarly acts as an added safety feature and assists in re-launching a crashed kite.

Modern power or traction kites come in 2 main types: foil kites and leading edge inflatable kites.

Foil Kites

Foil kites are made mostly of fabric, typically 2 layers of ripstop nylon. The layers are sewn with air pockets that open in the front, allowing them to fill with air and thereby give the kite its wing-like airfoil shape. The control and power lines of a foil kite are not attached directly to the kite but attach instead to a wide series of smaller lines which are attached to many points on the kite, forming what’s called a bridle. The bridle further helps the kite keep its shape and also provides better flight control.

Foil kites are usually flown over land, because if they crash in the water, the pockets can fill with air and it becomes impossible to re-launch the kite. The advantage of foil kits is that they fold up small and set up quickly and easily. And since they don’t have bladders and heavy Dacron reinforcement, they are lighter and less prone to damage during hard crashes or travel.

Leading Edge Inflatable Kites (LEI Kites)

Leading edge inflatable (LEI) kites have only one layer of ripstop nylon with Dacron and other reinforcements in high-wear or high-load areas. They keep their shape by using inflatable bladders made from TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane) that are sewn into compartments in the leading edge and the struts that extend from the leading edge to the rear of the kite. When inflated with a hand pump, these bladders provide the kite with a semi-rigid skeleton or frame. These kites almost always use a control bar instead of handles, and they have either 4 or 5 lines. They are the primary type of kite used over water, because the inflatable bladders keep the kites shape and float, allowing the kite to be more easily re-launched after a crash.

More About Power Kites and Power Kite Sports

That wraps up this introduction to power kites.

To read about the cool sports that use power kites, read this hub:

• Power Kite Sports: Intro to Kiteboarding, Kitesurfing, Snowkiting, Landboarding, and Kite Buggying

And just for fun, check out the videos and read this hub about 2 kiteboarders jumping over a giant pier in England.

For more information about power kites, do a google search or check out these Wikipedia pages:

• Power Kiting
• Foil Kites
• Leading Edge Inflatable (LEI) Kites