Takes
Four windy afternoons
Needs
A small kite, a winder of light line, an open hill
Result
It holds in a steady breeze. Gusts still win.
The kite came folded in a paper sleeve, small enough for a coat pocket. The idea was simple: take it up the hill behind the houses, let out the whole line, and watch it sit up there like a full stop in the sky.
The first afternoon it spent more time on the grass than in the air. This entry is the four checkpoints that got it from the grass to the end of the line.
Read the wind before unwinding anything
On the first day I launched as soon as I reached the top, into a wind that was swinging around the trees. Now I stand still for a minute and watch the long grass. If it leans one way and stays leaning, the wind is steady enough.
The best spot turned out to be ten steps down from the summit, where nothing upwind breaks the air into pieces.
Launch from the hand, not from a run
Running with a kite looks right and works badly. What worked was holding it up by the bridle with a few metres of line out, back to the wind, and simply letting go when a gust arrived.
If it dives, drop the line slack for a second. It usually rights itself before the ground does.
Let the line out in short lengths
Let out a little, wait for the kite to climb, then let out a little more. Paying out too fast lets it sag, and a sagging kite drifts down into the lighter air near the ground.
On the third afternoon the whole line went out and the kite settled at the end of it, small and bright against a clear sky.
Bring it down before it brings itself down
When the wind starts to drop, wind in steadily without waiting. Walking toward the kite while winding keeps some tension on the line and stops the last few metres from turning into a knot.
I have not lost it yet. I have untangled it from one fence.
Finished note
It flies. In a steady breeze it will sit at the end of the line for as long as I stand there, which turns out to be a good way to spend an afternoon. Gusty days still end with it on the grass. Next I would like to try a second, larger kite on the same hill and see whether it is calmer or just harder to hold.