The first and most obvious piece of advice is to always read the manufacturer's instructions before assembling a kite for the first time. Even if it is not your first kite there could be some differences in assembly compared with other kites you have handled. It is also important to know what wind conditions best suit the kite you are about to fly - an extreme example of this would be trying to fly a high wind, vented kite when the wind is very light - it just won't work! Another point to make here is that if the manufacturer gives a recommended wind range of 4 - 20 mph, for example, you should try flying in 6 - 15 mph for your first few flights, when it will generally be easier to control. Your ability to fly in light winds will improve with experience and near the top of the kite's wind range it may be flying too quickly or pulling too hard for you to maintain good control.

Assuming that you have the kite correctly assembled and the wind is suitable you are now ready to fly. The site you have chosen should be free of obstructions (trees, buildings, park benches etc.) and people, with a good clear area behind you to allow a smooth flow of wind and space to walk backwards if neccessary. Flying downwind of a large tree or building, for example, will make controlling your kite difficult at best, impossible in the worst case. The further you can move downwind of these obstructions the smoother the wind will be. You are responsible for flying your kite in a safe manner so do not fly in close proximity to people or animals and be aware of hazards such as power lines and roads. If you have to fly anywhere near a road or power lines ensure that they are upwind of you to minimize risk.

The flying lines should be attached to the kite in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions, then wound out to their full length with the kite positioned downwind. A good tip is to take a ground peg with you to hold the kite in position whilst it is on the ground. Once you have checked your flying area is clear of people and obstructions you launch the kite by pulling firmly on both lines, with a step backwards if the wind is light. At this stage it is essential to maintain even pressure on both lines to allow the kite to fly straight up in front of you. By pulling on one line you can turn the kite in that direction. The thing to understand here is that the kite will continue with this turn until you move your hand back level with the other hand, at which point it will fly in a straight line again. Experiment with flying in a straight line, making a turn, then flying straight again. The positioning of your hands level is known as the 'neutral' position, you will need to find out how responsive your kite is to your controls and how quickly you need to move your hands back to the neutral position once a turn is made. With practice it should be possible to fly four straight lines, linked by four right angle turns to produce a square. Once the lines have twisted around each other fly the turns in the opposite direction to take the twists out. If you continue to twist the lines in one direction they will eventually bind up due to the friction and you will be unable to turn at all. This will usually result in a crash. If it looks inevitable that the kite will crash, stop pulling on the lines and take a few quick steps forward to reduce forward speed and therefore the impact with the ground.

Another good manouevre to try is the 'figure eight', which can be flown vertically or horizontally (and is then called an 'infinity'). This move contains several elements of stunt kite control - big, carved turns, straight lines and speed control. It also crosses the flying lines over each other in one part of the move, then immediately takes the kite the opposite way to uncross them. One of the main things to concentrate on is keeping a reasonable distance from the ground on the carved turns, this can be improved by walking forward on the downward sections to slow down the forward speed of the kite. To maintain an even speed throughout the move it may then be neccessary to walk backwards to increase the kite's speed on the upward sections. This is referred to as speed control.

Once you have gained some degree of control over the kite the next step is to learn to land it safely. At this point it is worth introducing the concept of a 'wind window', the area of the sky within which the kite will fly. This area, roughly speaking, is a semi circle with the widest part at ground level. From your position you should be able to fly an equal distance to the left and right and a similar distance straight up in front of you. The actual size of this semi circle will vary according to the ability of kite and the length of line that you use. However, what you will always notice is that the kite will slow down and then stop completely as it approaches the egdes of the wind window, which we use to our advantage to land the kite safely. Fly the kite kite from right to left with the wingtip no more than two feet from the ground. If you feel confident enough with this you can steer closer to the ground as the kite moves across in front of you. The easiest way to land is to watch as the kite slows down, then steer it towards the ground so that all of the left side of the kite (leading edge) makes contact with the ground at the same time. You can ensure that the kite is flying slowly by taking a couple of quick steps forward before contact is made with the ground. If the kite lands squarely on the leading edge it will not be damaged; damage is most likely to occur if the wingtip makes contact first, so ensure that the kite has both slowed down and lands squarely.

The disadvantage with the previous landing is that it can be difficult (but not impossible) to relaunch from this position. A better option is to follow the previous instructions but at the point when the kite has slowed down considerably make a quick pull on the right hand line followed instantly by a push with the left hand. The right hand pull will turn the kite so it is pointing upwards, the push with the left hand will stall it momentarily and prevent it from flying upwards. At this point you need to take one or two very quick steps forward; if the rest of the moves have been fast enough and the kite was flying close enough to the ground it should now land on the two wingtips in a controlled landing. The timing for this is critical - each part of the landing needs to happen a split second after the previous one to make a clean, smooth landing. The end result is that the kite is safely landed and is now ready to be relaunched. Because it is at the edge of the wind window it may be neccessary to take a few steps to your left to get more wind on the kite before launching.