What makes a kite fly is the same dynamic that makes an airplane fly. In fact, Wilbur and Orville Wright developed their first airplane design by studying kites. Airplanes create their own wind by using an engine to create speed. As you run with a kite, you also create your own wind. Air currents strike the face of the kite and push it backward. If you hold the kite tipped forward, the wind will push up on the tipped face of the kite like a wedge. There is also a reduction of pressure, the Bernoulli effect, on the upper surface of the kite. The best wind for flying is about 8 to 20 miles per hour.