The first few minutes of flying a kite-train are perhaps among the most memorable moments of one’s life: releasing the kites one by one and handing them over to the gentle breeze while watching your colorful train grow longer and longer is a satisfying, thrilling and yet a meditative experience. Depending on how many cars your train carries, it should take around three to ten minutes to get every kite in the sky. Once you get all the kites flying, you will be amazed at how far up you have gotten! But the fun is not over; now it’s time to gently maneuver the kites from side to side and watch them paint the sky in the background with their colors.
How to arc your rainbow in the sky:
No special skill or previous experience is required to fly a kite-train and even one person alone can do it by following the steps below. Of course it would be more fun if one or more people join the party and help out. The following steps however remain the same.
- Hold the entire train in one hand and identify the first kite. It is the kite that has a line not attached to any other kite. The first kite will be the last to fly.
- Press the entire train against your chest; the first kite will be the one closest to your body. Let the last kite go and immediately hold on to the line that connects it to the next kite.
- As soon as the kite flies, it starts pulling the string in your hand (the one connecting it to the next kite which you should be holding). Let go of the next kite and immediately hold the line that connects it to the one after.
- Repeat this process. As you let each kite go, make sure there is no entanglement in the line. If you pack the kite carefully after each use, there should be no major entanglement and you should be able to get rid of any small ones easily with your free hand. Make sure you clear any entanglement before you let go of the kite.
- When you reach the first kite, first hold the beginning of the line firmly and then let the first kite in the air.
Your train is now complete!
How to recollect and pack a kite-train:
When it is time to repack your kite-train for next time, follow the following steps carefully:
- Pull the line between the first and second kites gently towards yourself. This disengages the first kite and you can hold it against your chest.
- Before letting go of the string that you are holding (the one connecting the first and second kites), grab the line between the second and third kites with your other hand.
- Let go of the first string, and start pulling the line between the second and third kites to disengage the second kite.
- Repeat this process As you collect each kite, make sure you leave the collected lines on the right side of the kites. This makes it easier to fly the kite next time, than if some lines are on the left, and some on the right of the kites.
- When you collect the last kite, straighten the kites, their tales and their lines as much as possible.
- Wrap the tails around the kites leaving the end of the tails on the left side of the kite so they are on a separate side from the lines.
- Place the kite in its original packing and it’s ready for next time!
