Kite design has recently seen a revival as a result of the development of sports such as kite buggying and kite surfing. As a result, kites and their accessories have become significant business opportunities in many countries. Since the aerodynamics of kites has not been explored in much depth, research has been started to support a local kite development company. A key instrument in this research programme is a vehicle-mounted test rig, designed to measure the performance characteristics of two-line and four-line kites. This paper outlines the requirements, describes the design and operation and gives some results from the test rig. Future developments are discussed.
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