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  • Home | Peter Powell Kites

    Welcome to Peter Powell Kites the Worlds Original Stunt Kite. Est. in 1972 Peter Powell Kites soon became a household name and in 1976 Won Toy Of The Year outselling Lego and would go on to sell millions around the World. Our latest Kite the MKIII has all the charm of the World-Famous Peter Powell Stunter but with a modern twist. 1/7 Welcome to Peter Powell Kites. The World's First Dual Line Kite. Est. 1972 & Reborn In 2014 With The MKIII Be Back Soon 'shop is under maintenance' Be Back Soon! Be Back Soon! Be Back Soon! Be Back Soon! Contact Us Shop All Our kites are as original as the person that flies them. To create your own click here MKIII Flying High peterpowellkites #letsgoflyakite #madeintheuk Workshops Bespoke Design Kite workshops ideal for Schools, Scout Groups, Care Homes and more. As long as your pupils, groups, or residents are as creative as we are then we have a workshop for you. With multiple designs and colours to choose from, you are really only limited by your own imagination and with printing available we are able to customise your kites to meet your requirements. They make for an ideal gift and are great for corporate events because you watch your logo reach for the skies for all to see and when the day's finished the kites are a gift that can keep on giving as each time they are flown your logo will be on show. Corporate Days Are you planning an event and would like to make a lasting impression? Then we would love to hear from you! With stackable kites and long tails, customised in your branding and company colours we are able to provide live demonstrations whilst interacting with your colleagues and clients. Be Back Soon 'shop is under maintenance' Contact Us Be Back Soon! Be Back Soon! Be Back Soon! Be Back Soon! Our Story

  • Our Story | Back To The Future | Peter Powell Kites

    Peter Powell Kits “The World's Original Stunt Kite” born in the UK and recreated in the USA. Millions sold World Wide and we are back with a new range and new designs. Whilst we have our best sellers the MKIII is fully customisable from colours to printing your very own design, you are only limited by own imagination. Our Story The World's Original Stunt Kite born in the UK and recreated in the USA. Millions sold World Wide and we are back with a new range and new designs. Manufactured in the UK by the sons of Peter Powell. Peter Trevor Powell was born 29th June 1932 in Gloucestershire, UK. He didn’t start designing kites until he was in his 40s. Fed up with the problems of the traditional one-line kites listing to one side, he developed a steerable kite simply by adding a second line – it was the first dual line kite in the world. Appearances on the popular children’s show Blue Peter followed and for the next few years, Powell would sell his home-made kites from the back of his car on day trips to the coast. He didn’t advertise, he simply flew his kite and let the sails do the talking. The Peter Powell Stunter had been born. Ben Henderson, UK My Dad had a Peter Powell Kite, in the 80s. It’s how I learned about kites. We used to fly it all the time at Marquis Drive in Cannock Chase in Staffordshire. When production started out, the Peter Powell Stunter had spars made of ramin (Gonystylus) but these were soon replaced with aluminium tubing and, ultimately by glass fibre spars. Originally only available with black plastic sails, other colours such as blue, red and yellow soon became available. The kites also came with a long, hollow polyethylene tail that was inflated by the wind. It not only added stability but looked good when performing stunts. Gaining in sales and popularity, Peter won the silver diploma for his kite at the Exhibition of New Inventions and Techniques in Geneva in 1975. But it was 1976 that changed everything for the Powell family. Invited onto the BBC news and current affairs programme, Nationwide, a programme with over 10million viewers, sales went from 300 to 25,000 a week! Accolades continued to follow and in November 1976, the kite won Toy of the Year by the British Association of Toy Retailers. Steerable kites became the must-have item not just in the UK but all over the world, even celebrities were known to fly them. To keep up with demand, Powell first opened two factories, soon followed by a further three, with production reaching 75,000 a week at its peak. It’s fair to say that without the ‘Peter Powell Stunter’, we would not have the many types of multiple-line kite flying that we have today. Unfortunately, the hey-day of the ‘70s and ‘80s couldn’t continue. The combination of other companies producing similar products and a shift in interest towards computer and video games, sales started to fall. By the late 1990s the company had hit rock bottom. One day, according to his son Mark, "I came home… and it looked as if the house was on fire...Dad had been round all the factories, collected all their jigs for making the kite and he had a big bonfire and burnt everything to do with the kite. He said to me and Paul, ‘’Whatever you do, do not start that business back up again." Over the years Mark would share stories with his kids about the kites that ‘grandad made’. On day trips to the beach, he would buy single line kites that would fall apart after just a few minutes of play and would tell his kids how good grandad’s kites used to be - how easy they were to fly and how much more robust they were. It wasn’t long until Mark and Paul followed in their dad’s footsteps and started the process of recreating and expanding on the famous Peter Powell Stunter. Starting from scratch they began building jigs, sourcing materials and soon had the MKII prototype ready for testing. Over the course of the next two years, they worked in secret, not wanting to present anything to their dad until it was absolutely right as they wanted to make sure he was on side before going into production. In 2012, on the day the Olympic Torch came through Shurdington in Cheltenham, Mark and Paul revealed their hard work to their dad who couldn’t believe what they had achieved behind closed doors. ‘’He was gobsmacked and told the brothers I might have to go home and have a lay down!’’ Over the next two years, the father and son trio worked together to create the MKIII and in 2014 the business was relaunched, this time not just in a retail shop but also online. Hundreds of hours were spent flying the kite around the Cotswold hills, testing the kite to destruction and amending and tweaking its components to ensure it withstands mother nature’s extreme weather conditions. The new model kite has been tested in temperatures from zero to 30 degrees centigrade, in sleet and snow, full-blown gales and torrential rain and come out unscathed. Peter Powell died in 2016, aged 84. Now in the absence of their late father, his two sons, Mark and Paul, continue to produce the MKIII: the updated model of the world-famous Original Stunt Kite. It retains all the classic features of the original but with a modern twist, including Peter Powell handles, moulded from the hands of the legend himself! When purchasing a Peter Powell Kite, you’re not just buying a kite but a piece of history. "The World's Original Stunt Kite" Shop All BE BACK SOON! BE BACK SOON! BE BACK SOON! BE BACK SOON! Shop All

  • Instructions | Read How To Set Up And Fly | Peter Powell Kites

    Peter Powell Kites are suitable for beginners and more advanced kite fliers. The more you practice the better you will become. We often fly our kites and actively encourage others to have a go, so if you ever see the kites in the sky come and give them a try. A full list of instructions are available here showing you how to setup and get started. Instructions Whatever you do, don't let go! Pre - Flight Instructions Simply pop in the cross struts, attach the lines, skystreamer and you're away! (1) Folding the kite around your body in front of you, insert the cross struts (E) into the centre moulding (D) , bending rod as required. Ensure the struts are at the front of the kite and under the bridle bines (F) as shown in (Fig 1) . Check that the centre strut (C) is pressing against the back of the sail cloth (A) as shown in fig 3 . OTHERWISE THE KITE WILL NOT FLY! A - Sail B - Wing Set C - Centre Strut D - Centre Moulding E - Cross Struts F - Bridles with Rings G - Control Handles with 120ft Line approx H - Skystreamer 76ft approx Fig 1. (2) Attach the two control handles (G) to the two bridle line rings and secure as diagrams below: NOTE: BLUE Handle to the LEFT RED Handle to the RIGHT (3) The skystreamer (H) is attached to the FRONT of the kite with velcro pads allowing it to self inflate. Flying for the first time Fig 2. G G Beginner flyers are advised to use the full length of the control lines, adjusted equally using the line holders on the handles. This enables the kite to fly higher thus allowing more reaction time. Your helper must hold the kite by the wings, as shown in (Fig 2 & 3 ) to avoid the Kite Inverting. The skystreamer should be unrolled and lying freely by. When YOU are ready PULL BACK both control lines, the kite is automatically released. (There is no need for your helper to launch it.) Steer it into the sky by pulling gently on opposite control lines to keep the kite balanced (see Fig 5 ). Allow the kite to reach FULL HEIGHT before commencing maneuvers. Fig 3. Flying your Peter Powell Kite Fig 4. Pull LEFT to turn left Fig 5. Hands together for straight up flight Fig 6. Pull RIGHT to turn right Remember: Learning to fly your kite may be compared to ‘riding a bike’ and once mastered never forgotten! Therefore, a little time spent mastering the basic movements (Figs. 4 & 6 ) will prove invaluable. Once you have full control of your kite you can attempt more complicated stunts, such as: making it dive, hedge-hop, spin, loop the loop, spiral and figure-of-eight. For high speed trick flying you may remove the skystreamer. Get Stacked "flying multiple kites in tandem" There is no limit to the number of kites you can fly in tandem. It really depends on how strong you are and what breaking strain line you are using. We like to fly 3 to 5 kites at a time starting with what is known as a Triple Set, then increasing with single add-on kites. We have devised a very simple link up method (see Fig. 7 and Fig. 8), which does not require any clips, hooks or rings etc. but simply larks head loops. Fig 7. Fig 8. Attach the fling lines as follows: RED ( Right Handle ) Flying Line to RED knot. BLUE ( Left Handle) Flying Line to BLUE knot. When flying in high winds or flying multiple stacks of kites you may wish to attach the flying lines to the BLACK knots, which reduces the pull on the flying lines and provides a more comfortable flight. To launch, get your helper to hold the last kite and take the strain, as they would a single kite. Upon pulling the control lines the other kites in between will stand up ready for lift off. Landing is the same as for a single Kite. Packing away your Peter Powell Kite Ensure the flying lines are not twisted over each other as in (Fig 5 ). To land your Kite, fly Left or Right as far as possible, the kite will then gently drop to the ground. Wind in both Control Lines onto the Handles. Undo both Control Line loops from the Bridle Line Rings. Unplug both of the Cross Struts from the Centre Moulding and hook the Bridle Line Rings onto the Cross Struts, now remove the Skystreamer and roll up your Kite. Roll up the Skystreamer ensuring that all the twists have been straightened out, take the knotted end and roll firmly round your hand expelling the air as you proceed. Ignore any creases as these will not affect inflation of the Skystreamer next time you fly your Kite. Beginners: Beware of strong winds and use all Control Line Length Remember: Light to moderate breezes are best as the Kite will fly much slower Warning: Looping the Kite too many times in one direction will impair control due to the increased friction between the lines Note: Your Kite can be re-launched with Lines still twisted. If the wind is not strong enough your Kite will not fly WARNING NEVER EVER FLY YOUR KITE NEAR OVERHEAD POWER CABLES. THIS CAN BE FATAL. DO NOT FLY YOUR KITE WITH THE CONTROL LINES IN EXCESS OF THE AIR REGULATION LIMIT OF 200 FT (60 MTRS.), NEAR TELEVISION AERIALS / DISHES, TELEPHONE WIRES, ROADS, IN STORMY WEATHER OR ANYWHERE IT COULD CAUSE DANGER OR INCONVENIENCE TO ANIMALS OR PEOPLE. IF YOU DO ACCIDENTALLY FLY YOUR KITE INTO ANY OVERHEAD CABLES, LET GO OF THE CONTROL LINES AT ONCE AND TELEPHONE THE EMERGENCY SERVICES (999 IN THE UK) OR YOUR LOCAL ELECTRICITY BOARD Hints from Peter Powell himself: "The World's Original Stunt Kite" Shop All BE BACK SOON! BE BACK SOON! BE BACK SOON! BE BACK SOON! Shop All

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Made in the UK

Peter Powell Kites Ltd

The World's Original Stunt Kite

peterpowellkites.co.uk

  

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+44 7878 563159

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Peter Powell Stunter Made In Britain

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