In Photos: Meet the 70-year-old truck driver who is also a “kite doctor.”

As their interests grew, Mr Yap and Ms Mok began traveling abroad to take part in international kite festivals.

In September, they were at the International Kite Festival in Malacca, Malaysia, where they flew an inflatable kite in the shape of Singapore’s tourism symbol, the Merlion.

While observing kite flying, CNA TODAY observed that the age-old method of unwinding and pulling the kite lines or strings is still used to fly simple traditional kites, regardless of their size.

Long, complex traditional kites such as Mr Tan’s dragon kite, as well as inflatable show kites, are attached to the ground and usually fly without much supervision. They also typically attach a “pilot” kite to the main kite to provide lift for initial flight.

Some kites require very little wind, while others may require strong wind.