A. Use what's recommended. Wanting to take some high-altitude photos, I replaced the line on my reel with some that was twice as long, but half as strong. But that original 250-pound line was recommended for my 13.5-foot DC, and twice now I've had this kite snap the replaced 150-pound line. One of my greatest KAP disasters was having to chase my runaway kite as it drug my camera across a golf course. The result was a mangled camera and mount. I've learned my lesson and now use only the recommended line.

B. Reel in your line. Don't just gather it up, even if it's getting dark or raining. You'll spend weeks trying to untie the knots you've created.

C. Walk your line down. Don't use your reel to pull your kite down. It builds up a great deal of pressure that can break your reel. Instead, secure your line to an anchor, then hold the line as you walk toward the kite to bring it down. Use at least gloves. They'll save you a lot of pain. Sometimes I attach a pulley to my line and walk it down with a hook attached to an ax handle. A belt loop makes convenient place to carry this hook or an anchor.

D. Select your reels carefully. I've used three different types of reels and found Strato-spools the most satisfactory, especially for the 250-pound line needed for my 13.5-foot C.D. I like the control I have with the brake and crank handles, although I found the small patches of leather for its brake to be inadequate. I used the reel for the first time on a very windy day. As the reel spun out line, I tried to apply the brake. Smoke began pouring out from it, and in a moment the pieces of leather shot out into the field before me. I replaced those original pieces with a section out of an old belt that I cut to the full length of the reel. Another thing to watch for is avoiding being whacked by the Strato-spool's handle as it spins around. I've raised more than one welt from this. Now when I let out line, I keep the spool horizontal on the bottom of the reel.

My second choice is the hoop spool, which functions acceptably and is much cheaper. I carry a nine-inch spool with 1,700-feet of 150-pound line for my 9.5-foot D.C. It does require more strength to control. A strong gust can rip a spool out of your hands. Wearing heavy gloves will help you hold on to your spool as well as prevent friction burns.

I've had a hard time managing my Windbreaker hand-cranked reel. Because of its off-center handles, the line tends to wind from side to side and become knotted.

E. Mark your line. To help me know how far out my kite is, I mark my line every 100 feet. To measure my line, I first run a 100-foot tape measurer along the curb in front of my house. After tying one end of a new spool of line to my reel, I roll out the line to the end of the tape. I put a one-inch long black band on the line to indicate each 100 feet and red for each 500 feet. After marking the first 100 feet of line, I reel it in and mark the next 100 feet. I continue the process until the whole line has an appropriate mark every 100 feet.

F. Note what material you're using. Dacron seems to be a good basic material for single-line kites. Because it's synthetic, I take a match to the ends to melt the strands and keep them from unraveling.

G. Know at least these two basic knots. The knot I use most is the bowline (shown). Begin by making a loop toward the end of your line. Take the end of the line, move it up through that loop, run it around the line, pull it back down through the loop again, and tighten.

Once you've created a secure loop with this knot, fold that loop in two to create a lark's head knot. I use this to attach my line to my kite. I believe it to be easier and stronger than metal spinners.

The Boy Scouts have at least one excellent book on tying these and many other knots.