What the Kite

Wind

How to read the wind for kite flying

You can judge wind well enough for kite flying without any instrument. Watch the trees, the grass and the flags, check the forecast, and learn where clean wind flows and where it tumbles.

The wind ladder, rung by rung

The Beaufort scale was first devised for sailors in the early 1800s and later adapted with signs you can see on land. Each force matches a speed range and a set of clues. Speeds below are rounded.

Sweet spotCan flyStay downShaded rungs: the usual flying range
  1. 7

    Near galeabout 32 to 38 mph, 50 to 61 km/h

    Whole trees move. Walking into the wind is hard.

    Stay on the ground.

    • Diamond: Stay down
    • Delta: Stay down
    • Sled: Stay down
    • Box: Stay down
    • Parafoil: Stay down
    • Rokkaku: Stay down
    • Dual-line stunt: Stay down
  2. 6

    Strong breezeabout 25 to 31 mph, 39 to 49 km/h

    Large branches move. Wires whistle. Umbrellas are hard to use.

    Most fliers pack up. Line and frames can break.

    • Diamond: Stay down
    • Delta: Stay down
    • Sled: Stay down
    • Box: Can fly
    • Parafoil: Can fly
    • Rokkaku: Stay down
    • Dual-line stunt: Stay down
  3. 5

    Fresh breezeabout 19 to 24 mph, 29 to 38 km/h

    Small trees in leaf start to sway.

    For strong-wind kites and experienced fliers.

    • Diamond: Can fly
    • Delta: Stay down
    • Sled: Can fly
    • Box: Sweet spot
    • Parafoil: Sweet spot
    • Rokkaku: Can fly
    • Dual-line stunt: Can fly
  4. 4

    Moderate breezeabout 13 to 18 mph, 20 to 28 km/h

    Dust and loose paper lift. Small branches move.

    Strong steady pull. Sturdy kites shine here.

    • Diamond: Sweet spot
    • Delta: Can fly
    • Sled: Sweet spot
    • Box: Sweet spot
    • Parafoil: Sweet spot
    • Rokkaku: Sweet spot
    • Dual-line stunt: Sweet spot
  5. 3

    Gentle breezeabout 8 to 12 mph, 12 to 19 km/h

    Leaves and small twigs keep moving. Light flags stand out.

    The easiest wind for most single-line kites.

    • Diamond: Sweet spot
    • Delta: Sweet spot
    • Sled: Sweet spot
    • Box: Can fly
    • Parafoil: Sweet spot
    • Rokkaku: Sweet spot
    • Dual-line stunt: Sweet spot
  6. 2

    Light breezeabout 4 to 7 mph, 6 to 11 km/h

    You feel wind on your face. Leaves rustle.

    Good for deltas and other light-wind kites.

    • Diamond: Can fly
    • Delta: Sweet spot
    • Sled: Can fly
    • Box: Stay down
    • Parafoil: Can fly
    • Rokkaku: Can fly
    • Dual-line stunt: Can fly
  7. 1

    Light airabout 1 to 3 mph, 1 to 5 km/h

    Smoke drifts, but flags and leaves barely stir.

    Only very light kites, and only with patience.

    • Diamond: Stay down
    • Delta: Can fly
    • Sled: Stay down
    • Box: Stay down
    • Parafoil: Stay down
    • Rokkaku: Stay down
    • Dual-line stunt: Stay down
  8. 0

    Calmabout under 1 mph, under 2 km/h

    Smoke rises straight up. Nothing moves.

    Too still for any kite.

    • Diamond: Stay down
    • Delta: Stay down
    • Sled: Stay down
    • Box: Stay down
    • Parafoil: Stay down
    • Rokkaku: Stay down
    • Dual-line stunt: Stay down

A rough guide based on the Beaufort wind scale. Weight, size and design vary, so the range printed on a kite's packaging or plans takes priority.

Reading a forecast

Weather forecasts usually give a steady wind speed and a gust speed, plus the direction the wind is blowing from. A forecast of 10 mph with gusts to 25 means the kite will fly in gentle air and then get yanked hard every so often. A small gap means smooth, steady wind. A large gap means bumpy air that can break spars or pull line through your hands.

Forecast wind is usually measured about 33 feet (10 meters) above open ground. Near the ground, among buildings or trees, it is often lighter. Higher up, where your kite flies, it is often stronger and steadier. That is why a kite that struggles near the ground can settle once it climbs.

In the United States, the National Weather Service publishes local wind and gust forecasts. Other countries have their own national weather service.

Finding the wind direction

  • Stand still and turn your head until you feel the wind equally on both ears. You are now facing into the wind.
  • Watch flags, smoke, tall grass or the ripples on water.
  • Drop a little dry grass and see which way it drifts.

To launch, stand with your back to the wind. The kite will rise downwind of you.

Clean wind and turbulence

Wind flowing over trees, buildings, hedges and hills tumbles and swirls on the downwind side. That turbulence makes a kite dive, spin and stall. Many fliers allow a distance of several times the obstacle's height before the wind smooths out again, and up to about ten times is often quoted.

The best wind comes across open water, wide fields and gently rising slopes. On a beach, an onshore wind blowing in from the sea is usually smooth. An offshore wind blowing from the land toward the sea is often gusty, and it carries a lost kite out over the water.

The wind window

Picture a quarter of a sphere downwind of you, with you at its center. That is the wind window, the space where a kite on a line can fly. Straight downwind, low in the window, the kite pulls hardest. Overhead and out at the edges to the left and right, the pull drops off. A single-line kite settles near the middle and high up. A dual-line kite can be steered around the whole window, and fliers use the edges to rest or slow down.

If the kite flies well and then suddenly drops, a lull or turbulent air is the usual cause. Pull in a little line to give it airspeed, or move upwind to cleaner air.