The Kite Field Plan

Read the day at the gust, rate the line for the pull it will really take, set a stop line for the lightest flyer, and let out only as much line as your field allows

KiteMix's free Kite Line Tension Calculator works out the pull at one wind speed. A forecast gives two, the average and the gusts, and pull grows with the square of the wind. While writing this plan we checked our own calculators and changed two of them: our Beaufort lookup put 32 mph in force 6 (experts only) although our own table lists it under force 7 (do not fly), and our tension calculator counted lift but not drag and rounded its line rating down. Both now err the safe way. The Kite Field Plan reads each day at the gust, works out the pull at that gust and at the top of a Beaufort band, rates the line at three times it, and sets a stop line for the lightest person holding the line. In the worked example (an example, not a promise), a 1.5 m2 delta pulls 2.2 kgf at a 10 knot average and 4.3 kgf in 14 knot gusts, 1.96 times as hard; it needs 31 lb line, and a 30 kg child is under the stop line at 14 knots but not at 20. Then it fits the line to the field: a kite can come down anywhere within its line, and a 50 m ceiling planned at the steepest angle allows 57 m of line. It is a planning aid, not flying lessons or aviation advice, and its stop rules are cautious rules of thumb. Never fly near power lines (if a kite snags one, let go and call the utility), roads or airports, or in a thunderstorm; check your local aviation rules; wear gloves and keep bystanders clear. It does not teach traction kiting, kitesurfing or kite-lifting: learn those from a qualified instructor. Included: 23 printable pages, seven steps, a day card, a field sheet, a kite and line register, a gust pull reference table, a quickstart, and a personalised sheet worked on the figures you entered in our calculators.

Look inside

Two full pages from the plan, exactly as printed. Click either to read it at full size before you decide.

What is in it

• The Gust Decides: each forecast read at the average and at the gust, with the Beaufort force and verdict
• Pull Grows With the Square: your kite's pull at the gust and at the top of each Beaufort band
• Three Times the Gust, Rounded Up: the line rating each kite needs, and when heavier line only adds sag
• Stop Before It Pulls You: a stop line for the lightest person holding the line, and the biggest kite for them
• The Kite Can Land Anywhere Within Its Line: the fall circle, and how much line the clear ground allows
• Plan the Ceiling at the Steepest Angle: a ceiling set after checking aviation rules, and where to mark the line
• Any Red Line Means Pack Up: the go or pack-up card for the day, with power lines, roads, airports and storms
• The day card and the field sheet, printable
• The kite and line register, printable
• A gust pull reference table by kite size and gust, and a one-page quickstart

The plan picks up where the free Kite Line Tension Calculator leaves off. The calculator works out the pull at one wind speed; the plan reads the day at the gust with the Wind Speed Converter and the Beaufort Scale Guide, works out the pull at that gust and at the top of a Beaufort band, rates the line at three times it, and sets a stop line for the lightest person holding the line. With the Kite Altitude Calculator it works out how much line your field allows: the kite can come down anywhere within a full line length, and a ceiling is planned at the steepest angle the kite climbs to. Never fly near power lines (if a kite snags one, let go and call the utility), roads or airports, or in a thunderstorm; check your local aviation rules; wear gloves and keep bystanders clear. The plan does not teach traction kiting, kitesurfing or kite-lifting: learn those from a qualified instructor. The worked figures are examples.