della Porta Kites

The della Porta kite is one of the oldest recorded Western kites. In a book published in 1589, Giambattista della Porta described a "flying sail," possibly based on traditional Chinese designs. He suggested using it for lifting fireworks or lanterns at night, and even for lifting kittens and puppies.

On Thursday we took our versions of the della Porta kite to the front pitch to see if they would fly.


There was not much wind on Thursday afternoon, but we were able to run and get the kites into the air.