Authors: Ed Grauel
Date Submitted: May 31, 2000
Article Type: Journal

Evaluating Kite Performance:

When one acquires several kites, it is likely that one or two will be more favored and get the most flying time. While it is normal to have favorites, the reasons why this is so may not be easy to understand or express in words. The purpose of this article is to try to explain what makes some kites favored over others.

There are three basic ways to evaluate a kite: by objective means, by subjective means, or both. First, the objective, or non-judgmental-seven methods in all.

*An important test of any kite is its wind tolerance: what minimum amount of wind is necessary to lift the kite from the hand without moving backward? A related test concerns the maximum amount of wind the kite will take before power-looping, diving, or becoming erratic. If the maximum figure is divided by the minimum figure, the result is an M/M ratio. Any such ratio which comes under 3.0 would be considered a poor showing; a 3.0 to 4.0 ratio is passable; 4.0 to 5.0 is average. Anything above 5.0 would be excellent. For example, if a kite has a minimum wind requirement of 4 mph and a maximum tolerance of 20 mph, the resulting M/M is a satisfactory 5.0. These M/M ratios can be used to compare one type of kite with other completely different types.

PDF Link: Journal Issue