5 kites that made world records
Kites have been a long-lasting pastime for people of all ages all over the world especially here in Bangladesh, where we have an entire festival dedicated to kite flying. Although for most folks this is just casual afternoon fun, there are those who take kite flying to the next level and push boundaries on what kites are capable of and more. In this article, we will look at five record-shattering kite stories that will definitely inspire you to get your kite flying on!
Paper Giant
Starting things off, think of the biggest kite you've ever seen. Probably some artistic or something flown during a fair or an event. But for two people in Kuwait, Abdulrahman Al Farsi and Faris Al Farsi, this was not big enough. They created the world's biggest kite back in February of 2005 for Kuwait Hala Festival which was flown in Flag Square in Kuwait City. The largest kite was 40 metres broad and 25.475 metres long.
Reaching new heights
Usually during casual kite flying we want to prevent our kite flying away and being a speck in the sky, but for one man in Australia, Robert Moore, this was exactly what he wanted to achieve. He set the world record for the highest altitude reached by a single kite in September of 2014. The kite has reached an astounding 4900 metres up into the sky. That's half the height at which commercial jets cruise at!
Speed on a string
Anyone who's ever flown a kite, knows they can pick up quite a bit of momentum. Despite this, in 1989, on a very windy September day in Maryland USA, a man named Pete DiGiacomo recorded the fastest flying speed by a single kite. The kite reached speeds of up to 193 kilometres per hour. That sort of speed is on par with some sports cars. This record has been unbeaten for a while and who knows when this will be beaten, if ever at all.
The more the merrier
Speaking of amazing sites, we would be foolish if we failed to include the record for the most number of kites flown simultaneously. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency organised an event in 2011 for Palestinian youngsters. Many children gathered and flew 12,350 kites simultaneously on a beach in the Gaza Strip. They had to remain in the air for at least 30 seconds for it to count. Even though 2000 kites were disqualified, the remaining ones remained in the air, forming a strong and cohesive image.
Endurance is key
Finally we turn to fortitude. How long have you flown a kite realistically? If your answer is maybe an hour, then this next record will definitely impress you. An enthusiastic team from Edmunds Community College in the USA set the world record back in August of 1982 for the longest continuous flight of a kite by a group of people. They held the flying kite for a whopping 180 hours and 17 minutes! The entire project took a week to organise and they took turns in holding the kite to make the record.