On a sunny and warm summer afternoon the other day I discovered that power kiting is LOTS of fun. With nothing more than a few square yards of lightweight fabric, ultra-thin yet strong cord and a bit of wind, you can have a blast.
A friend of mine has been taking a set of kites of different sizes to Hamburg’s Stadtpark for the last three years. When the wind is strong and steady enough, he’ll strap on a harness and fly a six-square-metre kite that gathers enough wind to pull him along the grass on what looks like a fat-wheeled skateboard.
I was hoping we’d get to see him ride it when I showed up for the first time to watch how it’s done, but the wind wasn’t blowing hard enough, and was never very steady.
But we had a great time anyway. It’s easy to learn and a lot of fun.
That is, it was fun until the cops showed up.
“I think they’re not here to offer us tips on how it’s done,” I said as they got out of their van and strolled toward us.
They were friendly enough about it, but firm.
“You can’t fly a steerable kite in the Stadtpark,” they told us. “You’re only allowed to fly kites that have only one string, not two.”
Hmmm… if we can steer them, isn’t that better than if we can’t?
I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that we were right under a runway approach to the Hamburg airport, and they’re afraid one of us might trip, fall and drop not one but both handles while the winds suddenly gust up at that precise moment to rocket the kite about 1000 metres skyward to be violently sucked into a passing jet’s engine, resulting in the agonizing deaths of hundreds of people as they’re consumed in a flaming ball of fire in the ensuing crash over a populated area?
I bet it does.
So we stood around for a while, threw the frisbee back and forth for a bit, packed up the kites, and headed off to grab a pizza and beer.
My friend in the meantime has done a bit of research. Apparently, if your kite weighs less than one kilo and has no metal parts, you can fly it in the Stadtpark.
So there, cops. See you next time it’s sunny and windy.
I love the silhouette shot, and the idea of besting the cops!
The idea of the agonizing deaths of hundreds of people as they’re consumed in a flaming ball of fire in the ensuing crash over a populated area?
…not so much.
When I flew my box kite in White Rock, I let the airport folks know. There was 1500m of string, so the altitude of the kite could exceed 200m. The legal low-altitude limit for light aircraft is 500ft (you do the math). Kites (not to mentione their strings) are next to invisible from an aircraft — especially when unexpected.
I think that rules about what can and cannot fly do in the vicinity of airport are (generally) reasonable and err on the side of caution.
That having been said, I’m guessing the the rule against steerable kits has a different purpose. Single-string kites for the most part all tend to fly in the same direction. You can have a large number of them in a small space, and for the most part, no-one gets in anyone else’s way.
Now introduce a steerable kite, and suddenly an large space is denied to all others.
Off the coast of Oregon, they do the same thing on the beach — even on the water
–V
“You’re only allowed to fly kites that have only one string, not two.”
LOL! How German is that!
Couldnt you just let go of one of the strings?
Indie, that would be just too clever! But no – the kite would collapse much like the one you see about to be sucked into the Easyjet engine.
Did I forget to mention the 18.649 trillion-to-one chance against that ever happening? Oops…
A couple of years ago, I tried one at the Alster BBQ site. There were only a few people there so it didn’t seem like a problem. Also, I frequently see two and four-string kites being tried out behind the “König der Löwen” tent at the harbour. You might want to give it a try there…
When I grow up, I’ll become a kite surfer so that I can get ALL the women I want!
Here’s what I think is the true reason: Being a danger to the public… Two-string kite pilots(?) tend to use the two strings to fly crazy figures at crazy speeds. Add more than a kilo of weight, “ultra-thin yet strong cord”, and a single out-of-control figure, and you got yourself a 200ft. throat-cutting razor blade that chops everything and everybody in its way in half. Just a theory though…
Those steerably kites can reach extremely high speeds, and their owners usually tend to pull all kinds of crazy stunts with them. If they lose control or accidentally let the kite drop too low they can cause some seriously nasty injuries. The town I used to live in as a kid introduced similar restrictions after a toddler was hit by a low-flying kite and almost died.
I’ve been reading your blog for awhile but I don’t think I’ve ever left a comment. I love your irreverent sense of humor and your wit. And the wonderful pictures of your travels.
In spite of the comments, the power kite looks like a lot of fun! Of course I said that about canyoning in Switzerland too . . .
Power Kiting really looks like fun!
Thanks for the introduction.