SCIENCE OF FLYING (KITES ARE FOR LEARNING)

SCIENCE OF FLYING (KITES ARE FOR LEARNING)

The forces that are at work on a kite are the same forces that are at work on an airplane. No one should write off a kite as wasted time.

A kite is heavier than air and flys because air is in motion over its wings.  Lift is created by the wind pressure resistance along the face of the kite. The wind pushes up the kite, like a hand. As long as the kite builder remembers this, a kite can have many shapes and will still fly. Drag is created by the turbulence in the air behind the kite. Gravity pulls on the weight of the kite and the lift must overcome it. Thrust is the power of the wind which creates the lift.

None of these facts takes away the poetry of seeing the kite in the sky. It is still the surest sign of spring. With this blog post I close out April, a windy month. My all your kites fly high.