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The current record is 14,509 ft above ground level. Sea level is not a valid bench mark for kite altitude as the height of the launch point may be any height from zero to thousands of feet above sea level. So the ground level of the tether point of the kite line, which is the same as the launch point, is the only point from which the vertical altitude of the kite is measured. If the instrument such as GPS gives altitude above sea level then the altitude of the ground from which the kite was launched needs to be subtracted from the maximum GPS altitude. If 14890 ft above sea level were reached at Cable Downs as indicated by GPS then the height of the flying field (630 ft) will be subtracted (14,890 - 630 ft) to give 14,260 ft AGL (above ground level).
The current record was claimed to be set in August 2000 by Richard Synergy of Canada at 14,509 ft. To beat the record clearly I must reach 15,000 ft above ground level. My target is 17,370 ft above ground level as this represents 18,000 ft above sea level, the maximum imposed by CASA.
Another kite record is the absolute of kite train record. This consists of multiple kites attached to one line. It was common to attach multiple kites to one line in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This was done by weather stations all over the world carrying instruments aloft to measure the atmosphere. Mostly they went to 8 or 10,000 ft but one station at Lindenburg in Germany flew train of eight kites to 31,955 ft in 1919. That record still stands after 91 years. On another occasion, a train of Eddy kites flew to over 25,000 ft. There are unverified reports of other high flights, some allegedly to record altitude but none had rock solid evidence or tangible proof. The clearest evidence is now provided by GPS date coupled with photographs, movies and witness statements. Alternatives and adjuncts to GPS are pressure altimeters and theodolite readings taken from professionally surveyed reference points. Some links to high altitude kite flights, records and history. Click on these links to take you to their sites
1890 William Eddy flys trains of Eddy bow kites to over 2,500 ft carrying instruments
1890 - 1900 Lawrence Hargraves experimenting with box kites near Sydney Australia
circa 1900 Samual Cody flys his famous manlifters to over 2,500 ft
1896 Blue Hill Observatory box kite train reaches record height of approx.12,471 ft or maybe not
1910 Train of 10 Eddy bow kites reaches 23,385 ft at Mt Weather Virginia, USA
1919 Germans reach 31,955 ft with train of 8 special box kites kites at Lindenberg
1929 - 69 Kites in altitude doldrums for 40 years as weather kites are abandoned in favor of hydrogen balloons.
1969 Gary Indiana High School students claim record of 35,000 ft with a train of 19 kites
1990 Ben Balsley and John Birks fly a parafoil "train" to 11,616 on Christmas Island
1999 Ben Balsley claims CIRES parafoil record of 10,193ft with a single parafoil
1998 Richard Synergy claims Canadian record at 4,620 ft
2000 Richard Synergy claims World altitude record for a single kite of 13,609 ft.
2004 October, Robert Moore's team flew a Delta to over 7,000 ft in Australia
2005 April, Robert Moore flew a D/T delta kite to 6,518 ft
2005 October, Robert Moore flew a delta to 7,398 ft
2007 April 2007 Robert Moore flew a 120 sq ft delta on successive days to 10,466 ft, 9,173 ft, 8,089 ft & 4,144 ft above ground level.
2007 September Richard Crawford in the USA flew a delta to 6,500 ft approximately.
2009 April - Robert Moore flew a DT Delta to 9,109 ft
2010 March/April - Robert Moore and team flew a DT Delta to 10,681 ft.
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