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=Stunt Kites= media type="custom" key="5316387" =**Courtesy** : [|c2thew]=

During the second world war, //some// naval antiaircraft gunners were trained using steerable 2 line kites that flew like modern stunt kites with two control lines. A pilot on the ground would fly the kite around, making it hard to hit. I've seen a photo, the kite itself really looked like a diamond stunter. A fairly big one, standing about as tall as the man holding it. The concept was developed by Paul Garber, a U.S. Navy Commander. Perhaps the history of stunt kites starts right here!
 * The Beginnings**

However, until the 1960s, 2 line stunt kites for the general public weren't to be seen. These kites really started to become more popular in the 70s. Most kite flyers have heard of the //Peter Powell Stunt Kite//, which Powell came up with in 1972. At last it was much easier for anyone to buy and fly a stunt kite. His design was a diamond with a very long, inflatable tail. The idea at the time was to trace big patterns in the sky with the tail! Surprisingly, this design is still popular today.
 * Decades of Popular Stunt Kites**



A lot of manufacturers came out with //delta shaped// stunt kites in the 80s. Watching or competing in kite flying contests became a cool thing to do. At this point in the history of stunt kites, team flying became a spectator sport with stacked kites performing colorful precision maneuvers in the breeze. People flew deltas, diamonds or flexifoils, depending on their preference. Apart from the still-popular Peter Powells, these kites had names like Hawaiians, Hyperkites, Flexifoils, Trlbys, Rainbows and Skynasaurs.

Flexifoils were similar to the parafoils which had been invented in the early 60s, but had a flexible spar running the entire length of the leading edge. These flexifoils flew really fast through the air!

Any history of stunt kites would not be complete without mentioning one particularly notable design of the period, the Mirage. This was a cleverly designed tailless delta that managed to win a lot of contests in the mid to late 80s. The design was inspired by the writings of two kite experts, David Pelham and Peter Ianuzzi. In those days, flyers would do 3 compulsory maneuvers rated 1-10 plus a 1-3 minute freestyle demonstration. =Information provided by Tim Parish= Tim is a Delphi software developer nearing retirement, and has built two SBI website businesses around his passion for motor-less flight.