Kites Are Flying Sky High

My kite rises to celestial regions, My soul enters the abode of bliss. --Buddhist monk, 9th century A.D.

Kites have dared the heavens for thousands of years, pacifying the gods, protecting souls, relaying lovers' messages, celebrating the seasons. Frorn the Chinese Han dynasty through the space age, kites made of leaves, paper, silk and now plastic have also been used to catch fish, spy on enemies, send signals, divine the weather, explore the atmosphere, photograph the earth, tow boats, advertise corsets, drop bombs and loft men and women into the wind. In the past decade the kite, the honorable ancestor of all aircraft, has colored American skies in vast numbers, dazzling hues, and sufficient shapes, sizes and forms to fill catalogs of bliss.

Sales of kites soar higher every year, seemingly resistant to economic downdrafts. Manhattan's Go Fly A Kite, the first kite store to open in the U.S., in 1965, grossed over $1 million last year; today there are more than 90 such stores nationwide. Valerie Govig, 43, editor of Kite Lines, the only U.S. magazine devoted to the pastime, sees "an increased sophistication and appreciation of kites as an art, a science and an adult sport." An estimated 150 million kites will be sold this year. People turn out in ever greater profusion for such events as the Great Boston Kite Festival in mid-May and the Smithsonian Institution's March Kite Carnival in Washington, D.C. Across the U.S., kite-ins are sponsored by towns, school systems, civic groups, museums and radio stations (notably, and naturally, Chicago's WIND).

Kite flying is no childish pastime. It demands skill, ingenuity and an attention span rarely possessed by the young. Some of the great kite innovators, after all, have included such mature fellows as Leonardo da Vinci, Ben Franklin, the Wright brothers and Alexander Graham Bell, whose tetrahedral model once lifted a man 168 ft. According to Wyatt Brummitt, author of a 1971 book called--what else? --Kites, it helps a kiter to be "slightly nutty." Brummitt, 81, adds that enthusiasts must also have "a little imagination and a little sense of serenity to enjoy the sense of extension." A major attraction of kiting is that it is a peaceful pastime in which competition evokes more ahs than urrghs. It can also be one of the least expensive of sports. The traditional two-stick diamond costs only about 500; its major maker, the 56-year-old Hi-Flier Manufacturing Co. in Decatur, Ill., sells millions of them yearly. An exotic 45-ft. dragon made of Mylar costs only about $8, while a large tetrahedral model sells for $20. (On the other hand, fancier, higher-flying kites can cost up to $2,000.) A 500-ft.-long, 30-lb.-test string costs about $1.25.

Unlike almost any other sport, kite flying involves no standardized equipment or rules; it appeals equally to the mystic and the scientist, the fresh-air buff and the do-it-yourselfer who devises and builds his own bird of balsam and plastic. The variety of kites aloft can make a city sky look like a sociocultural anthology of man's immemorial urge to fly.

There are ornate Oriental models fashioned to resemble peacocks, eagles, swallows, phoenixes, butterflies, bumblebees, grasshoppers, cobras, octopi, dinosaurs and dragons. There are Anglo-American kites, like reproductions of clipper ships and World War I Sopwiths and Fokkers, and the two-string Peter Powell, that can loop the loop, hedgehop, do dipsy doodles, roller coasters and figure eights. A skilled practitioner Like Will Yolen, 70, author of The Complete Book of Kites and Kite Flying, can handle 30 kites on a single string.

Some of the most spectacular kites in action are the parafoil models designed by Florida's Domina Jalbert, 73; they can ascend at least three miles. The ancient Eastern sport of kite fighting is also finding popularity in the U.S. This gentle combat, in which the string is coated with powdered glass so that it can saw an opponent's line, has enjoyed an official season in Thailand since the days of King Mongkut, of The King and I fame. Kite combat has had a powerful promoter in San Francisco-based Dinesh Bahadur, 32, who before opening a string of kite stores in the U.S. was national kite-fighting champion of India and holds seven world records (including lofting the smallest model ever, a postage-stamp-size dragonfly that rose 200 ft.). Bahadur, who holds degrees in political science, history and English literature, reverts to Indian mysticism when it comes to explaining the kite cult. Says he: "It's close to being in love. When you're in love, you can't explain it, but the two lovers know what's going on. The kite touches your heart and soul through your hand."

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