Materials used to make fighter kites: In most traditional fighter kite manufacture, the skins of kites are made from a lightweight thin paper and the spars are usually made from a lightweight and flexible wood, usually bamboo. In modern American fighters, the kite skins are made from a variety of synthetic materials - mylar, aircraft insulation (orcon or insulfab [1]), nylon, and polyester sheeting. The spine is often bamboo but the bow, and often also the spine, is usually fiberglass or carbon fiber. Line used for fighter kites Historically, for most Asian type fighters, a thin cotton or hemp line is coated with a mixture of finely crushed glass and rice glue. In recent years, synthetic line has been coated with a variety of abrasives and stronger glue, also, there have been some reports of metallic line being used. Some cultures use line that has metal knives attached to hook and cut the opponents line. In line touch competition, synthetic braided fishing line, 15 to 20 lb test, is used due to its low stretch and high strength for the line diameter and weight. Waxed cotton or linen line is also used. Line cutting contests Many of these kites are flown with an abrasive coated line (munja). Most kites are flown with a set lenth of munja at the kite end. The munja is very sharp and to avoid getting hand injuries most competitors use ordinary string (sudhee)for their hand position.Some cutting involves knives of some sort attached to the tail, line, or kite. Competition rules vary by geographical area. Two or more contestants fly their kites. The person who cuts the opponents line wins the fight. In multiple kite matches, the person with the last kite in the air is the winner. The two most common types of cutting are done with abrasive coated line - release cutting or pull cutting. To release cut, once the lines are in contact, both parties start to play out line until one line is cut. In pull cutting, the flier quickly retrieves line until the opponents line is cut. There are many factors in who will win the event and include the size of the kite, the quality of the kite, the quality of the line, the quality of the abrasive on the line, the quality and size of the spool, the spool handler, initial contact, the skill of the person flying the kite, and the wind conditions. Kite fighting is very popular in many Asian countries. The usual goal of a 'kite fighter' is to maneuver his/her kite to cut the opponent's string. Bibliography |