Over 150 years ago, a 15-year-old boy, Homan Walsh, launched a kite from one side of the Niagara Gorge and landed it on the other. This might seem like a small feat nowadays, but back then it made history.
This 1848 kite landing was part of the quest to figure out how to begin construction of what is now known as the Whirlpool Bridge. After Walsh's success, cables and other materials were flown across the gorge with the aid of kites and construction commenced.
Kite enthusiasts everywhere now commemorate this event with the annual Niagara Kite Festival, and this year, engineering students in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics are working hard on designs for their entries in the Niagara Kite Festival.
Richard Dutton, professor for the school of engineering and applied sciences, came to his students a few weeks ago and asked if they would be interested in participating in this festival for the first time since 1992.
Dutton's students jumped at the chance to show off their skills and compete with people from all over the world including Japan, New Zealand and Germany.
There are 30 to 40 teams competing to be the first to fly their kites over the 800-foot gorge. If they succeed in this task, they will become part of a rare, incredible sight-a Japanese kite arch. The arch is made up of 200,000 kites and flies over the gorge in a spectacular display of every color imaginable. Being part of the arch is a huge honor few have participated in.
"Japan won in 1992. They used the Indian fighting kites," Dutton said. "The Japanese flew the kites across the bridge then, just above the whirlpools.
There will be kites present in every style, from the much-acclaimed fighting kites, to the kites everyone remembers from their childhood.
The teams competing this year consist of a minimum of four people, two on each side of the gorge, and teams compete in two categories. The first is a traditional kite-flying competition and the other involves more complex mechanics.
The kites are built from preexisting designs, but a lot of time and effort is put into making the kites.
The UB team has spent about seven hours with their two kite designs, both in the traditional style. Each design is built to handle different weather conditions, so the team is prepared for any conditions in their four-hour window to land the kite on the other side of the gorge.
One kite is made of a lighter material for the chance that there is not much wind, while the other kite is built of a sturdier material, in case of a heavy wind.
As with any weather-based competition, there is the chance that there will be no wind in which case competitors will simply display the kites, Dutton said. This would be a big disappointment to the students, but the crowds would still get a show, he said.
This festival even happening is history itself, according to historian Meg Albers.
"Homeland Security and parks never give a chance to fly kites due to homeland security," Albers said.
Since Sept. 11, Homeland Security has been tight, so for them to allow an opening for cross-border kite flying for even a couple hours is monumental.
There was a push for this festival originally because many people wanted the kite festival for fun. Still, others wanted it for the challenge.
"It's a challenge, wanting to get the arch and reenact an historical event," Albers said.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
