CALCULATING WIND SPEED FOR YOUR KITE

Stunt Kite Tips and Tricks

Measuring Wind Speed

To get an idea of what the wind speed is, you can utilize a system called the BEAUFORT SCALE.

It was invented in 1805 by a British Admiral named Sir Francis Beaufort, it uses smoke, trees, leaves etc to judge wind speed.

The scale ranges from force 0 to 12 (calm to hurricane), it is not generally a good idea for new pilots to fly in winds over force 6.

Being familiar with the scale up to force 6 will help you with your kite flying and bridle adjustments.

	THE BEAUFORT SCALE	mph	kph	force
Calm:	Leaves Still, Smoke rises	0	0	0
Light Air:	Leaves Move, Smoke drifts	1- 3	2-6	1
Light Breeze:	Leaves rustle, Wind felt on face	4-7	7-11	2
Gentle Breeze:	Leaves and small twigs move	8-12	12-19	3
Moderate Breeze:	Small branches move, Flags Flap	13-18	20-30	4
Fresh Breeze:	Small trees sway	19-24	31-39	5
Strong Breeze:	Large branches move	25-31	40-50	6