Why you shouldn't say,"go fly a kite" to a kite flyer.

As a kite flyer i believe i've heard all the kite jokes i can take. Now i know it's just me, probably and so no big deal to others, so why not let it go? Well, it's just so annoying that this is all people can think of to say when they learn you fly kites. 'So, when someone told you to go fly a kite, you took them literally?' Uh, sure.

Of course this is NOT what happened at all, and i guess the main reason i don't like these jokes, is once again, kites are not taken seriously. At all. They are a joke, and that's the end of that.

Here's a great short speech why we should take them more seriously here.

I love that Saul has taken this challenge and who is better qualified to take this seriously than the founder of Squid Labs, Make Magazine, Makani Power, and a MacArthur Foundation winner as well as an avid kite flyer.

Of course we have Peter Lynn, but Peter is and has been so far off on the edge, that even though many of us know he is a serious scientist and engineer, it's hard to take him seriously when he's circling a table or washing his socks in your sink.

It's just sad that in the U.S. anyway, the most anyone seems to come up with, unless you are at Burning Man, is some lame ass kite joke, which, there are three. We've heard them. All of them. Gads i wish someone would tell me a new one, but they won't because in the scheme of things kites are not that funny to kite flyers! If you doubt that we think they are funny, watch this and see if this is not some serious shit!

If you watched that, did you see the part where the 200lb man was flung through the air like a toy!?! Or where the speed was over 70mph!

I rest my case!

Rant hat off.

New World Record!

Date line April 3th, 2009Ivanpah Dry Lake, Primm NVStateLine Nevada.

On Friday the 3rd day of April, on a very windy day, Arjen van der Tol a dutch rider sponsored by Libre Power Kites, riding an Xxtreme Apexx Buggy , while flying a 3.3 Spirit kite, shattered the old record shared by himself and Luc Stanek.
Mr. van der Tol had set the bar fairly high one day earlier by tying the old record held by many years by Luc Stanek at 72.8 mph.
Using four(4)gps units for accuracy and redundancy, the North American Buggy eXpo recognizes Mr. van der Tol's amazing feet of 124 kph or 77.05 mph!
On Ivanpah Dry Lake Bed in the Mojave Desert where many wind land speeding records have been set and broken, it was just March 26th, 2009 on the same lake bed where Richard Jenkins a brit, in his Greenbird wind powered speedster went 126.1 mph, shattering the old record of 116mph set ten years ealier by the Iron Duck at 116mph.
What Arjen van der Tol did, might be even more of a feet however when you consider he did it riding a three wheel kite buggy, steering with his feet, while harnessed to a four line kite flying from handles! Dressed in Moto-cross gear with streamlined helmet, wearing what many in the sport call perma-grin Mr. van der Tol was elated to learn he had gone so fast, as his gps was obscured by dust. He wasn't sure till he rolled to a stop in front of a cheering crowd of enthusiast who had just witnessed his amazing feet as he bullet trained across the playa floor.
We wish Arjen and his team mates all the best of luck with future conquests and look forward to seeing him and many others come back to this BLM administered public property to try and top the record, but imagine that it might take quite a bit more luck and skill to go this fast with just the wind and a small kite!

This is the gps set up

with one on the seat tube so the pilot can see it. This was a shot just before the record, as they are all reading 121!

Copy Kites

This is something that has gone on forever, but if anyone thinks that it is not something that effects us all, they really have never had it happen to them.

I make kites and derive my entire living from kiting. When a design i created is copied, several things happen right away.

One, and foremost, i just lost a sale.

Two, the power of my origination is diluted. That is to say for those who don't know who originated the design, the idea or concept of ownership has been brought into question. Now the thief knows what he/she stole. The buyer may not.

Three, if the copy is poor in quality, it reduces the overall quality of the kite pool which then starts the downward spiral of loss of quality all around. If the sale price is low, it will make the uneducated think that the originator my have taken advantage of them.

People say, well how can we tell, and why shouldn't i buy a cheaper kite if i can, and all sorts of rationalizations.

It's not that hard to find out if something is wrong. If the deal seams way to good to begin with that should raise a flag. If you've never heard of the people or company that is a tip off.

Most of the people making kites today have been doing it for well over 20 years. New designs and designers are encouraged.

Copies stifle innovation.

Please, please don't mention patents and copyrights. While my designs are all copyrighted, legally, they give me very little protection. Mostly my designs are protected by the amazing people in the market. Some copies do get made and passed along, but overall we've had amazing luck with our designs, but not all.

I may at a later date expose some of the thieves and let the court of public opinion speak to it, though many folks have many varied opinions on the subject.

Make no mistake, those who steal know it, and those who have had their designs stolen, know it too!

If anyone for one second thinks that the Octopus Kites that our being made by the company KEWO is not a direct copy to Peter Lynn's Octopus, well, you really don't know what it's like to have the food taken off your table.

Here's a link from David Gomberg's site.

Here's one of the blatant offenders.

Also a discussion here.

More soon no doubt!

Return of the Bernina!

I have no idea if these things are dated, but someone asked me for a picture of this machine, so here it is along with a partial view of one of the sewing rooms!
At long last the berinina 317-N has returned to Jordan Air Kites. It's been helping out at KiteMan Productions and has now returned to help make some super califragilistic kites!