Learn
Learn to Fly
Bud started flying kites with his dad, his grandfather, and his Aunt Cookie. Sharon sewed her first rokkaku from a pattern she found because she couldn’t afford to buy one. It flew out of her hands the very first time.
That’s what kiting does. It grabs you.
Between the two of us, we’ve got over 35 years of building, flying, repairing, teaching, and competing. We’ve brought kites to schools, corporate events, and kite festivals from Alberta to the Atlantic. We’ve answered just about every question you can imagine -- from "which kite is best for my six-year-old?" to "how do I stop my Spectra lines from slipping?"
This section is our way of sharing what we know. Whether you’re just getting started or you’ve been flying for years and want to go deeper, there’s something here for you.
The History of Kites
Kites go back over 3,000 years. They’ve been used to measure weather, string suspension bridges, and lift people off the ground. Bud once stood on the same grounds where Alexander Graham Bell flew his 3,393-cell tetrahedral kite in 1907. History has a way of feeling very real when you’re holding a line. Start here to understand where all of this came from.
Getting Started with Kites
Never flown a proper kite before? This is your starting point. We cover the basics: what a wind window is, how to read conditions before you unpack anything, and how to choose a first kite that won’t fight you. One thing we tell everyone: don’t run. Let the wind do the work. It always knows what it’s doing.
Intro to Single Line Kites
Deltas, diamonds, box kites -- single-line kites are the classics. They go up, they stay up, and there’s a quiet joy in watching something you launched find its place in the sky. We’ll walk you through the different styles, explain why the tail is doing more work than you think, and help you figure out which one belongs in your bag.
Intro to Dual Line Sport Kites
When you pick up a second line, everything changes. You’re not a passenger anymore -- you’re a pilot. Loops, dives, figure eights, high-speed passes through the power zone. This guide walks you through the steering basics, explains the difference between framed and foil kites, and gets you ready to actually fly, not just stand there holding on.
Intro to Stunt Kites (Dual & Quad Line)
Four lines open up a world that two lines can’t reach. A quad-line Revolution kite can hover in place, spin on its axis, and fly backward. Bud and Sharon have both competed in kite-fighting competitions where the goal is to cut your opponent’s line with friction alone. This guide covers the mechanics of quad control and the slack-line tricks that make stunt kiting a pursuit you never really finish.
Kite Knots
Your kite is only as secure as what’s holding it to the line. We’ve seen kites walk away from people because of a knot tied in a hurry. This guide covers the knots every flyer needs to know: the Larkshead for attaching flight lines, the Prusik for fine bridle adjustments, and a few others worth having in your hands before you need them.
Sleeving Lines
If you’re flying high-performance sport kites on Spectra, a knot tied directly into the line can cut its breaking strength by up to 50%. The fix is sleeving -- a short section of hollow braided Dacron that protects the line at the connection point. It’s not complicated, but it’s the kind of thing you want to know before it matters.
Kite Flying Safety
Kiting is genuinely joyful -- and it stays that way when people fly responsibly. Power lines, turbulent air, crowded parks, incoming weather: these aren’t things to worry about, just things to be aware of. We’ll walk you through the common sense guidelines that keep flying fun for everyone around you.
Weather Links for Kite Flyers
Reading the wind is a skill, and it takes time to develop. Sharon will tell you she can look at the tops of the trees and know whether it’s worth unpacking. Until you get there, the right tools help. We’ve put together a list of the weather apps and resources we actually use -- built around what prairie flyers need to know.
Kites in the Classroom
Sharon spent years teaching before kiting became a full-time life. She uses kites to cover aerodynamics, physics, geometry, history, and creative writing -- all through building and flying. We’ve run workshops for schools, corporate groups, and community events across Alberta and beyond. If you’re interested in bringing a session to your school or organization, get in touch.
If you’re not sure where to start, just reach out. We’ve been answering kite questions for a long time and we genuinely enjoy it. Come find us in Bentley, or give us a call at 403-658-5483.
As Bud likes to say: fly a kite, just for the health of it.