Chapi-chapi

A chapi-chapi constructed from broom sticks and plastic sheet from a discarded plastic bag, on top of other kites.

Chapi-chapi is a small, two-stick kite that can be quickly constructed from cheap materials such as newspapers, broom sticks, or discarded plastic sheet. It is very popular in the Philippines. The name itself colloquially means, "assembled fast" or "quickly improvised".[1] A strong, straight stick is used for the vertical frame. The horizontal stick is tensioned into a bow in order to provide greater support for the paper or plastic sheet. A very long bottom tail is almost always necessary, while the side tails or fins are optional.

A woman flies a chapi-chapi constructed using newspapers, in Rizal Park.

This kite, with a simple two-point bridle, has moderate lateral roll and flutter (oscillation), that some kite fliers prefer in kite fighting, over stable, quiet flight. Unlike the diamond-shaped Malay kite[2] and Eddy,[3] no extra strings are used in the edges for the frame, making the chapi-chapi easier and faster to assemble but relatively more fragile. The chapi-chapi is quite similar but not identical to the Thai "female" kite called pakpao,[4] to the Patang or Indian fighter kite,[5] and to the Nagasaki Hata or Matt Star fighter kite.[3][6]

The kite shown in the 1999 Filipino film Saranggola was a chapi-chapi.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Fadul, J. (2009). Kites in History, in Teaching, and in Therapy. Lulu Press. ISBN 978-0-557-03771-1
  2. ↑ http://www.inquiry.net/OUTDOOR/spring/ The Eddy and Malay Kites
  3. 1 2 Bowed and Dihedral Kites at the Virtual Kite Zoo.
  4. ↑ Thailand Collection 1
  5. ↑ http://www.salome-online.com/manjha/indien.html Indian Fighter Kite
  6. ↑ http://www.salome-online.com/manjha/star.html Matt Star Fighter

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, October 28, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.