
Rule book
Revised (V 3.22). Minor text-changes. Better explanation of format's time schedules
( that still needs lots of work ! )
Flying kites is fun. Flying steerable kites, the ones with two or four lines may be even more so. To find out who might be the "best" flyer competitions are held. It takes a lot of hours of practice to even stand a change to win. Kite acrobatics is a serious sport! Competing can be, and usually is very enjoyable and fun! And always a good way to make friends.
Rules and figures, version 3.22 2017-01-02
Revised (V 3.22). Minor text-changes. Better explanation of format's time schedules
V 3.2. Translation of V 3.22 will follow soon
No competition can be run without organiser(s), flyers, judges and public of course! But also not without -some- preparations.Here links to some information, gathered over the years
A handbook to prepare for your first competition; with a checklist for all the next.Don't forget to watch your fellow flyers, and to talk to the judges afterward; that will help you with the next one even better!
Practice makes perfect! Or at least brings you further along to road to...
On Youtube you will find many videos for virtual practice, the link above gets you to a good Revolution one!
How to prepare for the hours on the field. Checklist of what you will need. Some ideas about "how to judge".
No results without some paperwork! Examples of what judges and field directors need, that will work well. A scoring spreadsheet.
See also Downloads
Some articles I wrote (mainly for KiteLife) about competition and judging
For the festival organiser who wants to incorporate kite competitions. Most of the problems, and even some solutions
A test -for now- of compulsory animations. Will be expanded (2018-05-01)
All over the world kite festivals are held. Some are combined with competitions. All are worth visiting, or participating! For me, some are more favorite then others...
Different! Many people, many kites; one field.
Pefect beach, great people, competitions definitively worth a visit!
One of the oldest kite-festivals. Great beach, great town, many people, many remarkable kites.Big ones too!
A family affair in more than one way. Shows the hundreds meanings of "kite"
Not a real organisation! Based on the idea that flying together is even more fun than flying on your own.
A system to explain how to fly together with four line kites, without stress (except in the lines of course).
Just join and fly!
Kiting organisation based in Weifang, China. Supports -almost- all forms of kite flying. Organises and supports kite competitions.
Would it be possible to organise all forms of Kite flying world wide?
Might be by following this scheme.
Like many others I made my first kite at a young age (5) and was very proud it actually flew!
Many years later, around 1972 I flew for the first time a two line kite, the Peter Powell. Together with a friend even a 'stack' of three. A few years later, after a friend (Gerard van der Loo) started a big kite store, I regulary helped other kiteflyers with their experiments and of course flew many different kites myself.
In 1988, together with 5 other flyers we started a team (first called DUST, later The Dike Hoppers), flying two line kites. That team came 4th at the World Cup in 1991.
Early 1992 (after the team fell apart) I started judging. With the help of a few experienced international judges I could judge international for the first time at the Euro-cup in the Netherlands end of 1992.
Since then I judged at at least 70 big International events and many more National championships.
About 15 Euro-Cups ; 5 World Cups (in Australia, France, Japan, USA; two as Chief judge) and invitational events in Malaysia, France, Germany, Italy and China (since 2005 !).
All in all more than 5000 score-sheets filled!
In 1993 I made sure the text of the then current rule-book (STACK/AKA version 3) was available on the Internet (had to type it again..) and later wrote the amendments. The same year I started to collect compulsory figures for a new rule book. Together with other International judges I designed many figures (many still in use) and I was the first to design figures for pairs (two lines) and figures for four lines (individual, pair, team). In 1995 I issued a compuIsory book and started to improve the then current rule book. I also took the initiative to translate the books (in French, German and Dutch) in 1996. In 1998 I wrote a new rule book and issued it early 1999, a few months before the IRBC one. The book from 1999 is now revised completely, including two completely new compulsory books. (revised -minor changes-; added a few figures and published it 2015-01-02)
Supporting kite flyers was always (and still is) important for me. Not only with flying. I have assisted many times at the Scheveningen festival and assisted many organisers of festivals and competitions, including World cup and Euro cup. Coaching competitors to give back the knowledge I gained while watching them fly for many hours.
I developed the materials for judging (score sheets, scoring programs etc) and equipment for competitons.
I also wrote a number of articles on judging and running competition for Kite Life magazine and “Drachen Magazine” (which does not exists anymore). Of course a web site too, since 1997. To assist “kite-”people I wrote small handbooks for organisers, judges and -of course- flyers.
My involvement in rules, regulations and support of competition was and is directed to make kite competitions as fair, honest and -most importantly- as enjoyable as possible!
In 1989 I became member of STACK, the World wide (but practically mainly European) competitive kite flyers organisation. Since then I have been Member-at Large, President, International Head Judge and -still- Event Coordinator [see note]. I maintained the STACK web site.
Since its start -also in 1989- I have been involved in the Dutch branch of STACK.
Note: due to lack of interest (and some negative actions of a few people) STACK International has been resolved, and it no longer exists officially in any form. As the last working member of the governing body (SIEC) I had to, and finalized that process.
Comments, ideas, remarks, about this site, about flying, judging etc. let me know! The Rule book and compulsory book will be revised every two years, next issue planned 2019-03-15. Your help and "input" are greatly appriciated!
More than 20 years ago I put 3D animations of figures/ kite flying on my website. Done in VRML97 they needed a plug-in to be viewed. Those plug-ins were not that simple to install and/or use! With html5 and java-script (x3DOM) it will be much simpler (well, more difficult to program; but simpler to view) I hope to show many of the figures soon
For now have a look at this page