Flying kites is an interesting hobby that is really popular around the world.  Kites are wind gliders that are tethered unto the hands of the kite operator. A typical kite involves three vital parts – the kite’s body, a durable harness and the tethers. Kites of various styles, colors and sizes are flown everywhere, whether it be in a professional kite flying competition or simply for leisure kite flying.

 

Kites can be purchased in any toy store or you can even make on your own. Tethers play an important role in successfully gliding the kite along with the wind. All kite power systems include the use of the dependable tethers. Without them, nothing will anchor the kite to prevent it from getting carried away by the wind.

 

The term ‘tether’ is just a fancy word used to refer to a line, cable or cord that links two objects together. Tethers used in mountain climbing is pretty much the same with the ones used in flying kites the only difference is that kite tethers are used to keep the kite to a ground station or to a certain tether point (i.e. the operator’s hand) as it freely flies in the sky. The tether helps to transfer the kite’s power to the ground, and is now available in many variants.

 

You have to remember that the success of kite flying depends greatly on the type of tether used. Each kind of kite line or tether available in the market today is made to satisfy a specific purpose. That said, kite lines used for flying small toy kites are not the same with the ones used for flying sport kites.

 

Tethers for Toy Kites

 

Tethers used for flying toy kites or those flown by children are normally produced out of soft cotton twine to prevent cutting the delicate hands of young kite flyers.

 

Tethers for high-altitude kite flying

 

Kites being flown in higher altitudes are the ones used by meteorologists and scientists. High altitude kites have been around since the late nineteenth century or early twentieth century. Today, Dyneema, a braided line made from UHMWPE (Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene, is the top choice when tethering kites flying in higher altitudes, followed by another equally strong line, Spectra. Aerodynamic line drag is a common problem when flying kites in higher altitudes hence why a kite tether with a smaller diameter and higher strength-to-weight-ratio is used to have better kite control.

 

Depending on the type of tether used, kite operators are advised to equip themselves with the appropriate gear to protect them from cuts or burns brought about by handling the kite line or tether. Moreover, they have to ensure that they are using stable and durable kite tethers to ascertain safe kite flying.