# Giant Kite



## xenon (Sep 3, 2011)

BBC News
"
An attempt to break the world record for the biggest kite ever flown is to be made at a festival in Bristol.

The kite, in the shape of a manta ray fish, is larger than a full-size football pitch and has been brought to the UK from Kuwait.

When laid flat it has a wingspan of more than 55m (180ft), a body length of 40m (130ft) and an 80m (260ft) tail.

The kite will have to fly for more than 20 minutes at the Bristol International Kite Festival to set a world record.
"

I hope this works. Although it would be a bit odd walking beneath it. I've always thought the Manta Ray has a ereily sinister look about it. If it could stay air born for any time, wonder if you could cover it in thin film photo voltaics and tether it to a mobile charging station.


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## Gerry1time (Sep 4, 2011)

Went up to the kite festival today, and they announced that they'd tried to fly it yesterday, but squally winds had ripped it to shit. They then spent 6 hours sewing it back together using industrial sewing machines that they'd brought with them, but decided conditions weren't right today either, so it never ended up getting flown properly.

A shame, but if what the announcer said that the trees around the site were causing the squally wind, then it was a bit of a fail tbf. It's not as if they didn't know the trees were there after all.


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## RoyReed (Sep 9, 2011)

Well to be fair they did fly what was then the largest kite in the world at the Bristol Kite Festival in 2009. It's shaped like the Kuwaiti flag and about 135'x85'x25'. It was one of three made by Peter Lynn (of New Zealand) - the other two were the US flag and a sort of Japanese flag with waves and (I think) a hare.











He also made a small version of the kite seen here at the Dunstable Kite Festival in 2006.


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## RoyReed (Sep 23, 2011)

Here's the full story behind the 2011 attempt to fly the new largest kite at Bristol:
http://www.tug.com/blog/2011/20110904_Bristol/

And here's some photos of it flying at Berck sur Mer:
http://tug.com/blog/2011/20110427_Berck/pearl.html


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## Crispy (Sep 23, 2011)

What an astonishing picture  love it.


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