Patrick de Koning, kite maker from the Netherlands specializing in using kites for manlifting, stopped by the Drachen Foundation study center for a visit while vacationing in the area and gave Drachen staff the opportunity to learn about his endeavors.
"Aviation started with more than the plane, " de Koning says. " I wanted to lift because it wasn't difficult and dangerous." De Koning became interested in kites around the age of twenty, beginning with building stunt kites. Because he didn't like the roaring noise they made, he moved on to making deltas, then the Conynes that he now uses for manlifting, following the French model.
Soon becoming interested in manlifting, de Koning commissioned friend Cocky Eek to be lifted. Dangling beneath the kites, Eek seems to fly herself in the ephemeral Tyvek dress that she created for this purpose, moving her arms to make its train bend and flow far beneath her. Their first attempt in 2001 was a wild success, the kites lifting Eek over 140 meters. Here, the wind was too great, pulling those holding the tether along the beach and leaving de Koning hanging in the air. He now tethers his kites to a large commercial truck.
The manlifting is usually done with six kites, though de Koning himself has built a total of seven for this purpose. Each attempt requires at least thirty-five people to set up and guide the tether. "I don't have to have a steady crew," says de Koning. "It's not complicated to get people to participate in this experience; they can touch it.they are a part of it."
Though he hasn't been yet lifted himself, needing to supervise from the ground, he has more ambitious plans for the future that he prefers to keep a secret. What drives de Koning to pursue the adventure? "The place, the performance of just flying, the excitement, the collaboration."