Yes, it is that time of year again. When the ski's are filled with "Patang" and you have to do your best to keep yours up. [more inside]
posted by hadjiboy on Jan 13, 2009 - 15 comments

Some time this month, French wine will once again be transported by sail. As the Guardian reports today, French vineyards concerned about climate change are about to make life much easier for oenophiles wishing to reduce their carbon footprint. Later this month, the Belem, a 19th century barque will sail from Languedoc to Dublin with 60,000 bottles of Bordeaux. [more inside]
posted by [expletive deleted] on Feb 24, 2008 - 85 comments

A Beginner's Guide to Aeronautics, a web-based textbook brought to you by the folks at NASA. [more inside]
posted by Upton O'Good on Oct 21, 2007 - 8 comments

Sky Sails has a new take on an old idea to save on fuel for marine shipping: kite sails. The twist? No new ships required. [more inside]
posted by bonehead on Sep 25, 2007 - 14 comments

Quad line kites can be flown in precision by teams of flyers... The advent of precision sport kites has brought kite flying into the realm of adults. You can fly one almost anywhere. You can even fly three at once! Team iQuad , flying quad line kites, demonstrates. No, you don't have to run like Charley Brown, in fact you can even fly indoors.
posted by Gungho on Jun 2, 2007 - 12 comments

Build your own ultra-lightweight kite, for zero-to-low wind conditions. (In action.)
posted by kaibutsu on Jun 2, 2007 - 10 comments

Regularly marred by casualties, the two-day Basant festival in Pakistan leaves 11 dead and more than 100 injured. Kite flyers often use strings made of wire or coated with ground glass to try to cross and cut a rival's string or damage the other kite, often after betting on the outcome. Previously mentioned on mefi, the practice was banned in 2005 because the sport has become increasingly deadly. The ban on kite running was temporarily lifted for this year's festival. In an obvious flip-side, the ban proved to be a huge loss to the kite-twine manufacturers.
posted by beta male on Feb 26, 2007 - 11 comments

The Indian Patang (pdf). Kite flying in India. Kite flying across the world. A link to the history of Kites resources. And India’s Kite flying effects on birds.
posted by hadjiboy on Feb 6, 2007 - 6 comments

Rake Art. Patterns raked in the sand, then photographed from far above with a kite. (More info on the artist's blog)
posted by Gamblor on Jul 11, 2006 - 25 comments

Kite Running Banned. For those who read The Kite Runner and who may be waiting for the movie, a bit of info from "real-life." Pakistan has banned the practice because it's too dangerous.
posted by johngumbo on Dec 10, 2005 - 30 comments

45,000 pounds + four 130 foot rotors + up to 200 mph Jet Stream winds = Energy Problem Solved
Like the monster mother of all kites, a company called Sky Windpower (which sports an excellent website about high altitude wind power) has been founded by an Australian engineer with three others to attempt to harness the near limitless windpower of the jet stream with a machine they call an FEG (Flying Electric Generator).
They're currently seeking $4 million to build a 200 kilowatt prototype but still need to get FAA clearance to fly it. The production models would generate 20 megawatts each and would be flown in farms of up to 600 turbines to generate enough power to light up two cities the size of Chicago. Power and control of the huge machines would be handled by a three inch thick tether connected to a winch on a ground station.
Man, I love Popular Science!
posted by fenriq on Aug 19, 2005 - 35 comments

Looking for a new use for that webcam? Go fly a kite! Kite Aerial Photography has caught the imagination of photographers and hobbyists around the world, and some of the results are spectacular.
posted by rory on Nov 26, 2003 - 16 comments

Kites are cool, but this kite festival site kills me. ....worth clicking on "directions". Flash for everyone.
posted by tomplus2 on May 18, 2001 - 5 comments