by Jeff MacInnis

Some three decades ago, a great bird flew in from the east to light on foreign soil. Soon, a fledgling fighter community clawed its way to the edge of its nest and began to spread its wings over North America.

Flying in Sonora, Mexico  Photo by Ginger Posey

Considered queer ducks by the status quo, the dedicated few took off as a splinter group in the kiting community. For a number of years this group's passion for the flat little kite was a mysterious and easily kept secret from the world at large.

After a time, via a slowly but steadily increasing number of neophyte fighter kiters, the purest kite of all, would quietly make its presence known to the western kiting world. Although the beauty, flight characteristics and battle capability were demonstrated at kite gatherings and festivals there were reservations: the western public was uncomfortable with disposable kites and discarded manjha. Officially sanctioned events began to discourage the use of cutting line proximate to other kiting activities. Fighter pilots politely complied, but not without some dispute in the ranks.

While multi-line sport kite fever raged, the fighting affiliates were forced to chose between two children, the kite or the cutting line; which would it be? Enthusiasts, pilots of repute, kite gods and their bodhisattva came and went while popularity for the fighter waxed and waned. Simultaneously, in some quarters, manjha was being replaced by practice line, and a game of non-cutting 'tag' began to evolve.

Players exploring new variations of the old game out-maneuvered their opponents' kites, crossed and touched flying lines in a predetermined manner; from either above or below. The first flyer's line to touch an opponent's line was awarded one point. At the end of the contest, the flyer with most accumulated points was determined the winner.

Although the paper Indian still dominated the fighter scene, the new game brought about changes in flying style. Inspired by competition, equipment experienced a metamorphosis. The new game dictated that a fighter kite must be agile, quick and very maneuverable. More and more attention was focused on flight characteristics, and less on abrasive flying line. As a result of the lighter non-manjha flying line, smaller kites replaced the larger kites required to lift the manjha line skyward.

Kite fights no longer took place at great distances. It was soon realized a distinct advantage was gained by deploying shorter lengths of line for this type of aerial combat. Also, the smaller sizes of the Indian fighters were fast becoming a favorite because of their nimble performance at closer ranges.

In a quest for ever-increasing performance demands, a handful of clever pilots became amateur engineers and skilled kite builders. Two thousand years of development and the availability of modern materials joined hands to make a perfect marriage.

The stage was set for a new game! 
                                                                                               Ocean Shores '98 - AKA 
                                                                                                Photo by Brian Johnson
One very interesting by-product of the ever-changing western style fighter kite was its propensity to invoke the serendipitous. The zippy little kite demanded so much attention, it was impossible for pilots to "break the trance" and keep a kite aloft - even when flying alone. Fun flies and practice sessions no longer required a flying partner/opponent.

In retrospect, it was fortunate for the survival of the species, because most fanciers of the flat kite were on their own, scattered about like rare and solitary birds of prey.

After years of kite fighting history in North America, a new generation of fun loving and free thinking fighter pilots still remained on the far-reaching peripheral of the kiting scene. That was all soon to change. Much like several Falcons in a chance encounter, a small clutch of initiates began to take notice of one another. On a cold and wet October morning in the Northwestern United States, seven determined kite flyers gathered together with the intention of meeting on a regular basis. They came, they flew; they wore gaping grins.

Solid information available to the newly formed Northwest Fighter Kite Association was spotty and incomplete with regard to the finer points of western style kites, but was steadily on the rise. Members freely exchanged snippets of knowledge as friendly competition enflamed the desire to improve the art and sport of kite fighting. Very soon it became apparent western fighter kiting was being re-invented, re-developed - and improved. As it happened, the northwest coast of the United States became a "hot bed" of fighter activity.

The club's enthusiasm was so contagious; folks could not help but notice. We're having a blast, and others want in on the fun. Curious onlookers are handed a flying line, then we tell them, "You don't have to join to be a member." Finally, propagation of the fighter kite in the West is a reality.

WSIKF '99  Photo by Karen Gustavson

Here's why:

To use an American slang term: Our kites "haul ass". Western style kites generate very fast forward speeds. How fast is fast? For example: Forty kilometers per hour is a respectable clip on a bicycle, but try maintaining that pace in the small, confined space of a cellar, the size of the space our kites inhabit. Actual forward speed comparisons between cutting line kites and short line kites may be meaningless here. At short distances the angular position of the kite in relation to the stationary pilot, changes quickly. This sense of velocity is intensified by the short amount of time a pilot has to act and/or react. A 180-degree horizontal sweep at a waist high altitude is executed in roughly five seconds (Depending on varying elements: the wind velocity range for western style fighter is between plus or minus, 0 and 30 kts. The speed maneuverability curve of the kite, up to now, is a trade-off incorporated into design parameters. Due to variances in total airspeed throughout the envelope at short distances, wide ranges of kite performance are desirable.) Downwind, ascents and dives occur at blinding speeds.

Western style fighter kites are also capable of articulate maneuvers. The theoretical operating envelope is hemispherical, with the pilot representing the center of the disk and the length of flying line representing the radius. Because a practice session or contest dictates the kite navigating this hemisphere, three-leg bridles are usually employed to accommodate 'fine tuning' of the kite (the traditional Indian/Asian fighter employs two-legs). Hover, spin, tracking capability, and combinations thereof, must be very precise.

With the action fast and furious, two kites flying downwind at a medium altitude, are very likely just trying to get somewhere in a hurry. Most often kites do battle and score on the perimeter of the envelope. This translates to kites flying proximate to terrain, grounded objects, near zenith, off to the sides and deep upwind, behind the kite's pilot.

Rules for the game are presently few and loose in an attempt to embody the playful spirit of two comrades side by side near a line drawn in the sand. Separated at a distance of roughly six meters, contestants position their kites at a medium altitude away from the imaginary downwind line. Length of flying line is determined by the individual, but is usually from between twenty and thirty meters. Over and under touches are alternated during a play session. Recently, determination of 'overs' or 'unders' in a sanctioned contest, have been decided with a coin toss, by a third party. The outcome of the coin toss is unknown to contestants until it is used to prompt the beginning of the tangle.

Now, the game is on!

The evolving battle may see a contestant's kite sailing closely enough for one or the other of the flyers to seize it with their hand, as an upwind recovery is made - in a mad dash to attempt regaining distance. Battles where line lengths exceed one hundred meters ore not unheard of, but quite rare. One exciting under ploy will reveal two kites downwind spinning just centimeters from the ground. When the time is right, one kite will break its spin to track beneath the opponent's line. This tactic is quite exhilarating given the rule that grounding of a kite results in forfeiture of one tangle. One may see kites jockeying for position straight up overhead, preparing for an abrupt 'swoosh' around the rear of an opponent's flying line for a "top touch."

Over or under tangles may ensue far off to either side, as one kite defends, the other feverishly pecks away in a series of attacks.

Offensive and defensive maneuvers change with little notice; a retreat may become an attack or vise versa. The "hunted" may be in such a compromised position that the "hunter" is instilled with a supreme sense of confidence, with over-confidence leading to eventual disaster. A flyer is just as likely to wait in hover and casually observe an opponent's kite kiss the earth. "Such is life, such is death" for the western kite fighter.

Add all of that to the proliferation of experimentation, the custom built kites made for a myriad of specific conditions/situations, newcomers popping up like so many inspired lotus flowers and we find ourselves in the midst-of-and-making fighter kite history.

If cutting contests were to be compared with ancient warriors doing combat with bamboo rockets at great distances, short line battles can just as easily be analogous to mythological gunfighters of the old American west. "We face off at 'high noon', draw pistols, and fire; quicker than greased lightning."

Even though the new western style - short line game is one of centimeters and split second timing, it is not 'all' gun smoke and bravado. The fight assumes the dignity and grace of Chinese Kung Fu or European Fencing. Before the final 'thrust home', victory and demise are preempted with flourishes of exquisite beauty and flights of fancy. Bold strokes and narrow escapes continually thrill participants and spectators in an artful and deadly ballet. Keen senses and deft hands join with the soul as the delightful dance soars above. Always looking to the sky, loving and adoring eyes gaze up, and offer smiles to heaven.

Eventually, our lofty hearts settle earthward. The generous kite momentarily halted time, shared its joy, and when we least expect, insisted introducing us to the brightest jewel in the universe; friendship. We embrace comrades at arms, we laugh to celebrate fleeting moments and when fortune permits, we return one more time with the kite to keep company with our dear friends; our dear friends and the lonesome wind.