It had great strength and a light structure. The Wright Brothers used kites to learn more about flying as did Otto Lilienthal and Octave Chanute. Cody and his son, Leon, developed larger and larger kites and often competed against each other. Cody developed observation kite systems for the Russians and the French. Many kite designs that were developed for the military or for scientific purposes can be seen at kite festivals and competitions today.
Windsocks are a Japanese tradition that has caught on elsewhere.
In the Japanese culture the windsocks are made in the shape of a fish called a carp and they are the symbol of strength and strong will, overcoming great obstacles to achieve their goal. Like the Chinese, the Japanese have a special day for flying kites or windsocks. In China, Kite Day was on the ninth day of the ninth moon and was celebrated with kite-flying festivals. Today, we don't need a special day to fly kites and there are many kite-flying festivals throughout the year. Let's explore the aerodynamics of kites.