Power kites and traction kites have only been around since the 1970s. That's not a long time compared to some other categories of kite, such as Chinese kites or Box kites. However, quite a bit of traction kite development has taken place, so it's interesting to see just how far this kind of heavy-pulling kite has come. It's use in a wide range of sports has exploded since the turn of the millennium!
1970s
A very significant early power kite was the Flexifoil. Way back in the 70s, it was a 2-line design by Ray Merry and Andrew Jones who worked in England. Flexifoil is now the name of a kiting company.
1980s
An improved foil design called the Sparless Stunter was being sold, by the late 80s. Designed by Ted Dougherty, it had 6 cells and a square outline. However, it was soon overshadowed by even more advanced kites...
1990s
Ted Dougherty also designed the Quadrifoil, which appeared soon after the Sparless Stunter. The Quadrifoil traction kite was one of the very first 4-liners in the history of power kites. Rectangular in outline, it was first seen in competition in 1990. This name became a brand, and many later versions of the original Quadrifoil were sold as the Competition C1 and C3. There was also a Q2000 range and lastly a Competition X range of Quadrifoil kites. All these later kites were roughly elliptical in outline, and weren't actually designed by Ted Dougherty.
While all this was happening, a kite designer from New Zealand called Peter Lynn was just as busy. Peter came out with the 2-line Peel kite in 1991. Being made in fairly large sizes, right up to 10 square meters (1080 square feet), the Peel was most often used for traction. Unlike most kites used for traction, the Peter Lynn designs are not parafoils. People were still buying the Peel kite in the late 90s.
Another kite which was sold in the mid 90s was the QuadTrac, again by Ted Dougherty. A 4-liner, construction and sales were handled by a company called Skynasaur. The kites themselves were often referred to as 'Skynasaurs'.
Later in the 90s, one of the original designers of the Flexifoil kite continued his success with a range of 4-liners called Skytiger. Sticking with the rectangular outline like the Flexifoil, the Skytiger kites were reliable and stable traction kites. The original range was eventually followed by the 'Hi' series. The new kites were designed to pull even harder, for a given sail area.
Some designers were developing traction kites for pure speed. These were a bit trickier to fly though! A good example of this was the Predator, by Peter Mirkovic of Sky Kites. In the late 90s, this was the most successful design in the U.K., being used a lot in buggy races.
2000s
Probably the most interesting development in the new millennium was how paraglider manufacturers entered the traction kite market! In particular, a well-known French company called Ozone. This company has built paragliders since the early days of the sport so it's no surprise that the kites they produce are very high quality.
Another development was the introduction of 'depowerable' designs that flew on all 4 lines, with smoothly adjustable pulling power during flight. Earlier designs without this feature flew on just 2 lines, with the remaining 2 lines being used for steering and a limited amount of depowering.
Power kites have become more specialized in recent years. Take for example, 3 kites from Ozone that were available in 2007. The Ozone Fury is 'entry level' meaning nice and stable for new kite flyers. The Yakusa is designed specifically for buggy racing. Another design, the Access, is sold as an all-rounder although it was originally designed for snow kiting. With its extra line, it can be de-powered instantly in an emergency. For example, if you are hit with an unusually strong gust of wind.
Hope you enjoyed this short history of power kites. How much further can designers push the limits of lightness, strength and super-accurate construction? We've seen relaunchable kites, depowerable kites, the 5th line, so what might be the next big thing?
Tim Parish and his family are rediscovering the joys of kite flying. They log their kiting fun on their My-Best-Kite.com website, and also research the kiting world. This site will introduce you to many kinds of kites and kite flying activities, including power kites and traction kites of course!
Disclaimer: All information on this site is
provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice
provided to you by any health care or other professional or
organization.
