FIGHTING FOR THE SKIES

By: David Mils

I had the incredible opportunity to attend the Weifang International Kite Festival in Shandong province China in April 2024. There were over 500 Kiters registered at this event from 59 countries. Many were from China and the rest of Asia, but there were kiters from all over the world. I have been flying Fighter Kites in the North American style for about three years and registered to compete in the Fighter Kite competition.

I met fighters from all over the world, but the most unique was the young man, Jiang Man, from Beijing who had dealt with cerebral palsy from childhood. He has difficulty standing and his movements appear awkward. However, I quickly realized the extraordinary skill he has flying various kites: two line, four line, fighters, etc. I saw him fall once but still maintain control over his kite. He sometimes had an assistant flying jointly to help maintain his balance. I gave him a simple diamond kite that I had decorated with a dragon. He certainly has the spirit of the dragon.

Fighter Lai Haujing from Hong Kong told me more about Jiang Man: many years ago Jiang Man’s father had given his young son a simple kite for entertainment. Rather than letting cerebral palsy defeat him, Jiang Man progressively got better and better flying kites. Today he is a world class kiter. On the day of the Fighter Kite competition, there was a very light and fickle wind.

Different styles of reels were used by the various Kiters: Panying, Korean, Indian, etc. I was flying in the typical North American style using a Yoyo spool and pulling the line by hand; this was a disadvantage in the light wind. I had trouble trying to keep my Fighter Kite airborne and bowed out quickly. The kiters using reels were able to pull line fast enough to maintain and fly fairly well. In the Fighter Kite competition, kites occasionally flew a distance of 200 m. When a kite was cut out of the air, Runners would quickly retrieve the Kite and string. This is especially important for safety reasons when manjha string was used.

The winners of all the various classes of kiting were announced on stage at the flying field the next day. For Fighters, Lai Haujing from Hong Kong was 1 st , Shin Yongsoo from Korea was 2nd. The young man from Beijing, Han Jiang, came in third, but he was the real winner. The camaraderie among all Fighter Kite pilots was immense. Although I did not win any prizes, I met kiters and gained friends from all over the world.

Learn more about North American fighter kites at NAFKA. They have kite plans, videos, photos, and a weekly zoom meeting you can join in on to help further your experience.