Different types of flying kites (such as water kites, bi-media kites, fluid kites, gas kites, kytoons, paravanes, soil kites, solid kites, and plasma kites) have niche applications. In nature, some animals, such as spiders, also make use of kiting.
Aerial photography
William A. Eddy, the maker of Eddy-kite fame, lifted cameras to take photographs of cities and landscapes. Today kite aerial photography (KAP) is the hobby of many enthusiasts, is a tool for surveying land and animals, and a mode for artistic expression. Professor Charles Benton illustrates how KAP can grow in one's life. Scott Haefner has one of the most extensive collections of KAP photographs; he shares his technology. San Francisco. Those who do KAP are called Kapers KAP.
Teaching
The kite is frequently used along with a vehicle for teaching aerodynamics, mathematics, physical education, and problem-solving.
Transport
Long-distance travel across the land, ice, and sea started centuries ago, but today significant tasks of moving people and goods from point A to point B are occurring; this is so in part from the advances in kites and kite systems designs and technology, a better understanding of winds, and use of computers and GPS. In 1889 kite sailing was carefully instructed via controlling large kite systems towing boats.
Using kites to reduce the work done by an engine in propelling a cargo ship is an idea that is gaining traction as a result of increasing fuel prices and environmental concerns. For example, SkySails GmbH have developed technology that they estimate can reduce fuel usage by 10–35% per day on average. A trial on board the MS Beluga resulted in fuel savings estimated to be worth £800 per day.
Free-flight cross-country hang gliding kites both in the hang glider style and the paraglider style are permitting trips of hundreds of miles; records are recorded by the FAI. George Pocock (inventor) was an early pioneer in kites for transportation. NASA continues to explore free-flying kites for delivering goods to the earth surface and non-earth planet surfaces, including Mars. There are several projects for using very large kites to sail cargo ships currently underway: KiteSail and KiteShip along with a series of patents and improvements in control of large ship-carried kite systems aim to save significant amounts of fuel. Kiting one's kayak is getting a significant following A. Kinsman – kite kayaking tutorial..
Kite yachting may have started with Benjamin Franklin's pond pull. English Channel crossing.
Anne Quemere has crossed the Atlantic Ocean solo using power kites. And on 4 November 2008, she started her bid to cross the Pacific Ocean under power kites as sailing power to pull her in her small boat called Oceankite.
Cargo
The German company SkySails has developed ship-pulling kites as a supplemental power source for cargo ships, first tested in January 2008 on the ship MS Beluga Skysails. Trials on this ship have shown that, in favorable winds, the kite increases fuel efficiency by up to 30%. This system is planned to be in full commercial production late 2008. Kites are also available as an auxiliary sail or emergency spinnaker for sailing boats. Self-launching Parafoil kites are attached to the mast.
MS Beluga Skysails is the world's first commercial container cargo ship which is partially powered by a giant computer-controlled kite measuring . The kite could reduce fuel consumption by 20%. It was launched 17 December 2007 and was set to leave the northern German port of Bremerhaven to Guanta, Venezuela at 1700 local time (1600 GMT), 22 January 2008. Stephan Wrage, managing director of SkySails GmbH announced: "During the next few months we will finally be able to prove that our technology works in practice and significantly reduces fuel consumption and emissions." Verena Frank, project manager at Beluga Shipping GmbH, SkySails GmbH's partner further stated that "the project's core concept was using wind energy as auxiliary propulsion power and using wind as a free of charge energy".