Into The Wind's Flight Blog

Kite Thoughts

2011-05-13T13:01:00.026-06:00

One of our favorite customers, Jim Nicholls from Christchurch New Zealand passed along his thoughts on kite flying (along with a huge number of pictures from his kite flying adventures) and we thought they deserved to be shared with everyone. Well, everyone who reads our blog anyway.

We always love to hear from our customers. If you have any flying advice, suggestions, tips or general feedback let us know. Sharing what you know helps make kite flying the tops! Who knows, maybe we'll even post your comments on our blog! Now get outside and fly!

Although I am a fairly recent convert to kite-flying, and left it until quite late in life to start (I am 70 years old), I now own a large collection of single line kites, and a couple of two-line ones, and have accumulated many hours of flying experience. I go out every day throughout the year when the weather is even halfway suitable. I live in Christchurch, New Zealand, and although the winters are cold, I have still managed to fly on average at least three times a week.

Almost all of my many kites have been bought from America, a lot of them from Into the Wind, as it is impossible to buy them here. Although I am no expert, I would like to pass on some thoughts and advice that may be of interest to other adults who are just starting out, or considering doing so, in the field of kite-flying.

First of all, I would say: “Buy quality.” Cheap, unbranded kites don’t usually fly well or last long. And certainly there is no back-up service if things go wrong.

Secondly, my advice would be: “Buy big.” If you start with a small kite and get interested, you will soon want a larger one, so why not start with the large one and save money and time? (I learnt this the hard way!) Flying a large kite is usually no harder, and is often easier, than flying a small one. Sure, a big kite pulls more, but even something like the 12ft Highlighter delta is very manageable for any adult or mature teenager.

Thirdly, in order to enjoy this wonderful hobby from the start, I advise: “Choose a simple style to start with.” Some exotic-looking kites can be attractive, but may be difficult to put together and to fly. If you don’t want to get discouraged, the delta is probably the best type of kite to start with, as it is so easy to assemble and flies reliably in a wide wind-range. Don’t go for anything under 7ft unless you want to quickly become bored; the 7ft Levitation is great value, and there is a 9ft version also. The delta conyne, such as ITW’s Rocky Mountain, is another good choice, but there is not the wide selection that there is in deltas.

If you fly in consistently very light or very strong winds, the Triton and the Elevation box, respectively, will probably meet your requirements better, but are not quite as simple. And when you want something a little different, there are great designs like the various rokkaku, the dragons (the Beast is my favourite, and if you can afford it the Twin-Tail is great), cellular kites such as the Star 7, parafoils including the useful Flowform 16, and special kites like the Sun Sea Sky and many others.

My fourth tip would be: “Have a selection of lines.” For example, ITW recommend 200lb line for the Highlighter, and certainly that is needed in the upper part of its wind range. But if you are trying to fly it in very light breezes, don’t be afraid to use line at half that strength, which will make it much more likely that you will achieve lift-off. Keep an eye on the wind, however, and don’t hesitate to bring the kite down and replace the line if conditions change.

My fifth pearl of wisdom is: “Don’t ignore tails and line art.” Delta kites fly well most of the time without tails, but really they are naked without them. Tails can make such a difference to the appearance of the kite, adding color, design, and movement and increasing the sheer size of the spectacle by taking up more sky. The Highlighter, at 12ft wingspan, is a big kite, but when it’s 200 feet up, it is much less impressive. With tails, it is so much better. My favourite combination is 24ft Transition tails at the wingtips and a 15ft Cube Tube tail in the centre, but it’s good to ring the changes. You wouldn’t wear the same clothes every day, so let your kite have some variety, too. Try the fascinating Helix tail, where two 20ft tubes revolve around a third, or the enormous, but easily lifted, 30ft Bubble Tube tail. All of these are on the ITW website.

Line art, or “line laundry,” is equally attractive, and can be used with any kite that produces sufficient lift, whereas there are many kites for which tails are inappropriate. Some line art is just cute, like the Henry Hound and Skippy dogs, which are very easy to attach to the line a few feet off the ground and attract great interest. Other items are simply beautiful, like the 8ft Peacock Wrasse fish (more expensive, unfortunately) or intriguing, like the Cephalopod, Hydroid and Isopod, any of which can be lifted by a medium-sized kite. Some items are a little heavy, like the Sea Pineapple, which needs quite a strong-pulling kite, so match your laundry to your kite. Some of the tails already mentioned, like the Bubble Tube and Cube Tube, also look great attached on the line. Carabiners are the very best way of attaching any of these to your line, and small ones are quite adequate.

My last piece of advice is the most important: “Just have fun!” Here in New Zealand, kites usually mean the big traction kites used for kite-surfing and kite-buggying; almost no-one flies single-line kites. Even children are not very interested, but maybe that is just part of modern life. However, I care not if I am the only kite-flier on the beach, because to me it is a most enjoyable and relaxing pastime and one that I hope to enjoy for a few years yet, and at all seasons.

Jim Nicholls

Christchurch, New Zealand.

Spring is here!

2011-03-07T15:00:00.002-07:00

If you’ve gotten your 2011 Catalog by now, you’ve seen the kite on the cover, John Baressi’s Kymera. And if not, request a catalog now, while I wait………. We enjoy working with kite designers, even when they’re perfectionists. John took perfectionism to a higher level, like he does with everything. He’s determined to take two line flying in a new direction, just as he did with the 4 line B-Series Revs. It was a lot of work getting everything just right, but we’re both thrilled with the results. Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait until May to get your Kymera, as our order has been delayed. Place your order now and we’ll ship it as soon as they come in.

George

Locals Show Your Love!

2010-03-11T17:02:00.006-07:00

Boulder Weekly has unleashed their annual survey Best of Boulder, and Into the Wind is up for Best Toy Store! Our internet customers may know us as Best Online Kite Store, but you, our beloved Boulderites know us as the best place to take your kids, visiting relatives, or dates on the Pearl Street mall. You may have gazed with wonder at our colorful kite filled ceiling, giggled at our many novelties, or stopped by for your third set of the incredibly addictive Bucky Balls. Perhaps you've dropped in for some yo-yo trick advice or to put on a puppet show for/with our friendly staff. Whatever your reasons are, we are always giving you more! Having just returned from a massive Toy Fair in New York, we have added lots of new puzzles, games, and toys to our store for you to enjoy. If you haven't been in before, now is the right time! With spring just around the corner, a Pearl Street stroll is a great way to spend a few hours, and you can visit us on the 1400 block (the first block of the walking mall if you're heading toward the mountains).
So please keep us in mind as you're filling out your Boulder Weekly Best of Boulder survey, we're in the Best Places to Spend Your Money category toward the end, past the Best Places to Dance, Worship, Eat Inside, Eat Outside, or Observe a Frozen Dead Guy. Remember this survey is exclusive to Boulder residents, but we'd love to hear from all of you, just post a review on our site! Thank you Boulder shoppers, we look forward to seeing you soon.

Face to Face with the Mylar Dragon Kite

2009-10-27T13:20:00.016-06:00

In the last few months, we've had a couple of customers review the Mylar Dragon Kite, a kite we've sold ever since Jim and George opened Into The Wind in 1980. In our first black and white kite catalog in 1981 we carried two 45-ft. and two 25-ft. Mylar Dragons. Back then, we also carried three 5-ft. and 6-ft. Mylar Octopus Kites. Many people understandably think that Dragon Kites and Octopus Kites refer to the designs on the kites (and sometimes they do). But to us, a Dragon Kite has a relatively small rounded head and a long, usually tapered, tail trailing behind it. An Octopus Kite is a variation on the dragon with the tail slit into fluttering 'tentacles.' Typically Octopus Kites are 10-ft or shorter in length and Dragon Kites are 25-ft or longer. Back in the day, White Bird Kites made taffeta Dragon Kites that were 100-ft. and 150-ft. in length! The 1981 catalog says this about Dragon Kites,

"A traditional kite in the East, the dragon is now one of the West's most popular kites. The combination of an unstable flat kite for the head with a large, stabilizing tail causes the dragon to dance in the sky. One of the easiest kites to fly, it is a favorite with children. Both Dragon and Octopus kites are rustling, shimmering, kinetic sculpture in the sky."

The dragon design is a derivative of a centuries old Asian kite traditionally made out of rice paper or silk called a Serpent or a Thai Dragon. The rice paper limited the length of the tail on the Dragon to 10-ft. But the "new" Mylar plastic technology took this old design and extended the tail to 45-ft.

Without a doubt, one of the most spectacular qualities of the Mylar Dragon Kites is their low price. In 1981, the 45-ft. Mylar Dragon sold for $8.00. That same kite today is $9.95 with 300-ft. of flying line included. For 30 years they've essentially remained the same price. And for this entire time they've been made by the same company, now conveniently located in Colorado. Neil Rose, founder of Quicksilver Kites, manufacturer of Mylar Dragon and Octopus Kites, has been at the helm since 1975. He started his own company in San Francisco after working for another company manufacturing Mylar kites. Andy Anderson, the owner of the San Francisco based Little People was making the Mylar Dragon out of his home in the early '70's but couldn't fill the demand. He contacted his friend Neil Rose, asking for his help to run the fledging company. It was then that Neil left his career in the banking industry for this "alternative life style" trying to meet the demand for this "hot" product.

As Neil remembers it, "Dinesh Bahadur, one of the earliest kite retailers opened his Come Fly A Kite store in SF on Ghirardelli Square in 1973 and was selling the kites like hotcakes." Dinesh passed away last year but Rakesh, Dinesh's brother, said that other than the Mylar Dragons, the store's kite selection consisted mostly of paper fighter kites, Chinese silk bird kites, and some plastic kites imported from Gunther in Germany. It wasn't until a year or two later that the first fabric kites would be made and sold and those would be cotton cloth kites from the Nantucket Kiteman. White Bird, one of the first companies to use "high tech" materials like taffeta and fiberglass, was started in 1973 and began selling kites in earnest a few years later.

With a limited selection of kites on the market and Dinesh's great marketing skills there was virtually infinite demand for the 45-ft. Mylar Dragon Kite from around 1973 to 1985. Dragons were flying everywhere in San Francisco, from the beaches, to the wharf, to the Marina Green and downtown alongside the cable car routes. Rakesh says he flew kites in and around San Francisco 12 hours a day, every day, "advertising" the kites for his brother's shop. The original Mylar dragons, which were made from aluminized Mylar, meant that the kites could be flown at night creating a shiny spectacle. Given that, it's no surprise that these reflective and highly visible flying wonders sparked the interest of tourists visiting California. Aside from the interest in the 45-ft. Dragon Kite, originally the only product sold, aluminized Mylar itself was probably responsible for some of the buzz and not just because of its flashy properties. Lander struts and footpads of the Apollo 11 spacecraft were wrapped with multiple layers of insulating metalized gold Mylar foil and spacesuits too have reflective coatings of Mylar built into them. Mylar was to the '70's what tie dye was to the '60's. Well, Mylar and gold lame', that is.

If the Mylar used in the dragons was "space age," the rest of the materials used in the kite were more down to earth. Rattan was used for the spars in the early dragons. Because of the irregularity of this spar material there was no product consistency. After the kite was manufactured it was put on a table and the job of one employee (although Neil says they were all "hippies" back then and didn't exactly think of themselves as employees) was to decorate the kite with the felt marker. For this reason, in the early days, no two kites were alike. One of Neil's contributions to the process was to create a template out of chipwood that could be used with a roller and marker ink so that the designs would be more consistent. However, even that was subject to interpretation or more likely, suffered from lack of attention. Neil remembers seeing one of his dragons on display in the front window of a San Francisco store that was selling hundreds of them. This particular kite had been inked so far off-center that the design barely made it on the kite. But despite the imperfect printing, the store still couldn't keep them in stock. George Emmons, owner of Into The Wind, recalls seeing Mylar kites in a San Francisco kite store displayed like a fountain with the heads flowing out of the base comprised of the ripples of Mylar tails.

Back then, there was virtually no quality control except for being careful of the tails. Neil said that in those days, sending out imperfect kites seemed like a good tradeoff for getting a couple hundred more out the door. The unfettered demand inspired duplication and during this time about 20 or so companies sprung up to fill the requests of the San Francisco tourists who saw the kites flying all over the city. The limited vending licenses available in the SF tourist areas inspired cut throat business practices as all these companies tried to make a buck from the "fad." Some of the smaller fly-by-night companies used scissors instead of hot knives to cut the Mylar and those kites were short lived. According to Neil, "The trend was unrivaled with the sense of unlimited potential for this rudimentary product."

Speaking of quality, that brings me back to the original focus of this blog, the two recent reviews on our website for the 45-ft. Mylar Dragon: kitey72 writes, "This Kite is Horrible, no wonder it's 10 dollars!!! It started tearing within minutes of me opening it, and it was only 6mph winds. DO NOT BUY THIS!!!!!!!!!" Without a doubt, that is the downside to this inexpensive kite. With just a small cut in the edge of the film, the tear will extend at lightning speed to the other edge of the tail, severing it, much like plastic wrap. However, if this initial cut can be avoided, usefulbard's unsolicited reply is more typical of the experience flyers have with the Mylar kites,

"With all due respect to kitey72, I beg to differ. This kite is magnificent. It instantly becomes the center of attention once you get it up in the air, which isn't very hard to do. If you can get a steady wind of 5-10 mph, it'll lift itself right off the ground. It's also surprisingly [sic] stable and very easy to fly. That said, there are a few things to bear in mind. First, make sure you have plenty of open space to fly it in. It does, after all, have a 45-foot tail. Second, beware of inconsistant [sic ] or dying winds. If you suddenly lose your breeze while this kite is in the air, the result is not going to be pretty. Third, and most important of all, mylar is not ripstop nylon. You have to be gentle with this kite when you're taking it out, storing it, or transporting it. It doesn't take kindly to being manhandled. The good news is that if you do get a tear, a bit of clear scotch tape is all you need to patch it up. So, in summation, this kite is a bit more high maintenance than others, but it looks beautiful and is a joy to fly. On a more personal note, my father owns a 45' Quicksilver dragon kite (with the dragon print) which he purchased in San Francisco in the 1970's. It was always one of my favorites. When I recently went shopping for a new kite of my own, I was pleasantly surprised to find a similar design (or so I thought at the time) being sold on this website. The meager pricetag [sic] was equally pleasant, so I decided to order one. When it arrived, it turned out that it was, in fact, identical to my father's kite, right down to the Quicksilver monogram. He and I both thought that was pretty cool."

Besides quality control, the other element Quicksilver lacked in the '70's was a business plan. With brisk sales, there was little need for a marketing strategy so market expansion and new product innovation happened on the fly. (Pun intended.) "Hey, maybe we should make a $5 Mylar Dragon!?!" With that, the genesis of the Mylar Octopus happened and later, the 25-ft. Dragon also became part of the product line. Even if a business plan had been a necessity it still may have been impossible since none of the Quicksilver employees, Neil included, knew anything about business. Nevertheless, the outside success of the company led buyers at larger retail stores to believe that Quicksilver had it together. Neil remembers instances when "real" companies would call to place orders and he would put his hand over the receiver and yell to the rest of the staff, hippies that were working there, "Anybody know what Net 30 means?" And nobody did.

For the first six or seven years the dragons were produced with aluminized Mylar and although the kites included the regular cautions about kiteflying (avoid thunderstorms, power lines, trees, etc.) it wasn't until a couple of accidents happened that PG&E realized the danger these kites could cause, arcing between power lines causing voltage conductors to break, and the extent of the liability was known. In early 1979, the Consumer Product Safety Commission banned the manufacture, distribution and sale of aluminized polyester film kites. The ban applied to any kite containing 10 inches or more of this type of metalized material, including dragon, box and fighter kites. When the hullabaloo about aluminized Mylar happened Quicksilver tried different ways to get around it but eventually eliminated it from the kites entirely.

Working with the plain Mylar involved figuring out a way to incorporate the design onto this new material. It didn't take long to figure out that the printing industry had the capability to print on the non-aluminized Mylar. Between 1975 and 1980 this evolution to printing on plain Mylar left two primary players in the market, Spectra Star and Quicksilver. All of the Mylar Dragon and Mylar Octopus kites we carry today are manufactured by Quicksilver.

Since 1952, when DuPont announced the development of Mylar and Francis Rogallo, one of the earliest kitemakers, immediately saw how superior it would be for his kite, the five-dollar toy Flexikite which became one of the first products to use the plastic material, to the '70's Dragon Kite craze, to 1993, over 40 years later, when biologists used large black and white Mylar kites to coax condors farther into a nesting sanctuary in Fillmore, California, Mylar kites have been part of the evolution of kiting. Through it all, the inspiration for Neil Rose to continue making Mylar Dragon Kites has been the metamorphosis that happens when 100-lb boxes come in the back door filled with raw materials to be transformed into lightweight flowing kites that are sold out the front door. Many times he's been aware that staying in this business may not be the best financial decision but "making" a product has an unmitigated magnetic appeal. For the last 20-25 years, the products, and Quicksilver itself, have remained unchanged but 2010 will revolutionize all that with the introduction of a new but still inexpensive Mylar kite. And this one comes in nine different colors! Stay tuned...

Lights, Camera, Action!

2009-08-20T09:02:00.014-06:00

We've added over 25 new videos to show off just how cool the kites and toys we carry are! As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words:

Original 13" Aerobie
The Guinness World Record holding flying ring; how far can you throw?

Kid's 10" Aerobie
Just like the original Aerobie flying ring but for smaller hands.

Incredible Bubble Thing
One of our most popular bubble toys makes GIANT bubbles.

X-Zylo
Another great flying toy that soars as far as you can throw.

Air-YO
The hybrid of a disc and a Yo-Yo.

Prism EO6 Box Kite
The competition winning box kite, that collapses down to an easy to transport size.

ITW Crystal Spinner Box Kite
Our own box kite the center panels spin in flight.

ITW Wisp Light wind Stunt Kite
One of my favorite light wind stunt kites. The day I flew this, and shot the video, the wind was only 1-2 mph and the Wisp was precise and fast!

Silver Fox Trick Kite
What can you do with a Trick Kite? This fantastic video will show you some fantastic moves.

Prism Nexus Stunt Kite
One of Prism's most popular stunt kites. The Nexus is a great all-around flier.

Prism Nexus 5-Pack
A stack of Nexus kites with tails have 5x the power. You'll put on quite a show.

Prism Zephyr Trick Kite
The quality and detail of the Zephyr are inspiring (and it's a pretty amazing Trick kite as well)!

Beamer IV 3 Beamer IV 4 Beamer IV 5
The Beamer series of quad line power kites has only gotten better. Check out this exciting video!

Prism Stowaway Diamond
Prism's Stowaway Diamond flies just like a diamond should, right out of your hand.

ITW Jewel Train
Into The Wind's own Jewel Train, a stack of 6 hyperactive little diamonds come trained together.

Rainbow Paradise Flower
One of our most popular lawn ornaments adds some color to your life.

Power Flower
The kinetic energy powered spinning lawn ornament that doesn't need batteries. Let the wind do the work!

Aerobie Orbiter Boomerang
Aerobie's Orbiter boomerang comes back every time.

Aerobie Football
A football with fins for that perfect throw.

Aerobie Dogobie Disc
The Dogobie Disc is perfect for playtime with your best friend.

Aerobie Squidgie Disc
A soft disc for playing catch with kids or kids at heart.

Aerobie Superdisc
The Superdisc is the 13" Original's big brother, try and break the record for the longest throw.

Aerobie Rocket Football
A smaller version of the Aerobie Football but just as fast.

Aerobie Superdisc Ultra
The big version of the Superdisc gives your throw some extra stability.

Larks Head Knot
Describing how to make the Larks Head Knot has always been a bit of a challenge, but this useful knot is now the star of it's own show.

Kite FAQs

2009-08-14T15:33:00.005-06:00

Navigating on our website under "Kite Information" there is a tab called Kite FAQs. Most of the questions and answers are geared to kite novices who are just beginning to fly kites. But every now and then, one of our customers, who, as I've mentioned in previous blogs, knows as much as we do, will review our Q&A's just to keep us on our toes. JB Holdway sent us an email regarding this intothewind.com FAQ:

Q: How do you feed the line onto the reel evenly when you have a lot of line out and want to pull your kite in?
A: Keep some tension on the line when winding it in, as loosely wound line tends to tangle. When winding onto a spool with your hand, turn the spool over from time to time and wind in the other direction. This keeps the line from being twisted so many times that it tangles. This same rule can apply to winding line in on a reel to keep it evenly distributed. In any case, never struggle to reel in your kite. Reeling in line under strong tension could damage the reel. In strong winds, walk your kite down or pull the line in with your gloved hands, while moving around to avoid piling up line in one place. Then wind the line onto your reel.

In the email to Into The Wind, Holdway wrote this:
From all the informative links and posts I've read there are at least two very different ways to use a hoop spool. The first, as implied by your FAQ answer, is to deploy the line by letting it spin the spool on its axis. The second (better?) method, is to deploy the line off the end over one flange, ie. parallel to the axis of the spool. There's even an instructional video on the web showing the over the flange deployment as the preferred method.

Your advice is to alternate windup in both directions to minimize inducing twist. I certainly agree if the deployment is allowed to spin the spool. However, if the deployment is off ONE of the flanges then the alternating wrap up method might make twist a problem, maybe not. Maybe your alternating wrap up might work for both methods.

Anyway, with the axial (over the flange) method, wrap and unwrap should always be over the SAME flange. With that method there will be no twist in the deployed line. This suggestion is based on several kite links and posts.

So, please consider editing you answer to reference both methods.

Before we modified the answer to our FAQ we wanted to check with an expert and who better, when it comes to information about kiteline, than Daniel Prentice of Shanti Kites. After reviewing our question, answer and our customer's suggestion, Daniel agreed with JB Holdway. But he added a couple of caveats: First, to keep track of which side of the hoop is which, it's important to mark the hoop. And Holdway's method of course, works best when the line is used by only one person who knows what's going on rather than several kitefliers using the same hoop. He also pointed out that if a swivel is being used to connect the kiteline to the kite, then twist will "swivel" out of the line when you reel in the kite and either technique will work. When George (Into The Wind owner and kite guru) looked over the answers, he added that the swivel won't do much good if the kite has been landed (our recommendation to avoid line being wound in under tension). So it's probably best to pick a method, either method, and stick with it. We've updated our FAQ accordingly, referencing both options.

If you have an FAQ answer update or if you have a Frequently Asked Question that you'd like to see us add, get in touch. (If we don't know the answer, we can always ask our customers ;-)

Into The Wind Customers Know Kites

2009-07-22T11:26:00.005-06:00

I think it's fair to say that we learn as much from some of our customers as we share with them. Not too long ago, a kiteflyer posted a review on our website about the Canard. He said, "What a GREAT kite. But 150-lb. line??? That's absurd." And he's right. It's taken us a little time to fix our Canard line recommendation and a little sleuthing to figure out how it snuck in there in the first place. In our 2009 Into The Wind print catalog, we recommend 50 to 100-lb. Dacron line depending on conditions and that's reasonable. But the manufacturer, Premier Kites, suggests 150-lb. in their 2009 print catalog which is most likely where we picked up the information for the website.

After checking with Val, the General Manager at Premier, he admitted that the 150-lb. line recommendation was probably an error. But he also said that as kites get more expensive (the Canard is $108) Premier tends to be more conservative in their line recommendations because losing a $100 kite is more painful for a customer than losing a $20 kite when a wind gust causes the kite line to snap. Not only that, he said that you can't always count on the knots that connect the line to the kite and the reel being tied correctly. And any time a knot is tied in the line, the overall strength of the line is diminished. So providing a little extra strength to begin with can be beneficial and compensate for the strength lost by the necessary knots.

To give you an idea of the effect that tying a knot in the line has on line strength, I'll remind you of some tests we requested years ago. In 1991, we asked Ashaway, our line manufacturer, to perform some tests for us on stunt kite line and the value of sleeving. Sleeving is a hollow braided line, usually Dacron, that you put onto the ends of your stunt kite flying lines where knots are tied to help maintain the strength of the line. Tests that Ashaway performed indicated that sleeving improves the knotted strength of Spectra from 45% to 65%. In other words, tying a knot in unsleeved Spectra effectively makes 100-lb. Spectra more like 45-lb. Spectra. By sleeving the Spectra and protecting the low melting point fiber from friction caused by tying a knot, the 100-lb. Spectra line maintains 65% of it's strength. In short, tying a knot in line reduces the strength of the line. But how much the line is diminished depends on the knot that is tied and how well it is tied.

Even with that knowledge, the 150-lb. line recommendation for the Canard may still be overkill. But flying the Canard on 30-lb. line is a risk we wouldn't suggest our customers take even in the lightest winds. However, Val summed it up best when he described the Canard as a "kiteflyer's kite." Because of the finesse required to fly it, it's a wonderful second kite but can be more challenging for a first time flier. The aerodynamics of the Canard allow it to respond to give and take of the line, much like a fighter kite. Kite connosoiurs can get it to glide on 50-lb. test line in really thin air. Val describes it as "deep sky thermaling." He says it's one of his favorite kites and George Emmons, owner of Into The Wind, shares the sentiment.

Val did offer one hint about assembling the Canard. He said that when putting the kite together the rigging lines can get twisted and knotted creating a nightmare. According to Val, the easiest way to avoid this problem is to remove the kite from the case and pop off the clear vinyl tubing pieces that cover the nocks. White marks on the bridle lines will help you to correctly tension the kite again. When the kite is assembled, replace the clear vinyl tubing pieces and fly. Or should I say, glide.

Kiteboarding Closeout

2009-07-16T13:30:00.005-06:00

We're clearing out our inventory of kiteboarding products once and for all. All products are new and in limited supply. When they're gone, they're gone. We have the following kites and accessories available at 30% off the regular price:
Item #58301 7.5 m Ozone Frenzy Quad-Line Kite - Regularly $975 On Sale $680 (1 available)
Item #58302 10 m Ozone Frenzy Quad-Line Kite - Regularly $1,129 On Sale $790 (2 available)
Item #58303 12 m Ozone Frenzy Quad-Line Kite - Regularly $1,270 On Sale $889 (1 available)
Item #57804 10" Hammerhead Kite Spreader Bar - Regularly $22 On Sale $15 (6 available)
Item #57805 10" Spreader Bar Pad - Regularly $19.95 On Sale $13.95 (4 available)
Item #57801 DaKine Tabu Harness Medium - $78 On Sale $50 (1 available)
Item #57802 DaKine Tabu Harness Large - $78 On Sale $50 (1 available)
Item #57803 DaKine Tabu Harness Extra Large - $78 On Sale $50 (1 available)
Item #58306 Nero Helmet Small - $69.95 On Sale $48.95 (1 available)
Item #58307 Nero Helmet Medium - $69.95 On Sale $48.95 (1 available)
Item #58308 Nero Helmet Large - $69.95 On Sale $48.95 (1 available)
Item #58401 MBS Comp 6 Mountain Board - Regularly $399.57 On Sale $279 (2 available)
Item #58403 8" Replacement Inner Tube for Mountain Board - Regularly $7.75 On Sale $5 (10 available)

These clearance products must be purchased by phone, email or in our retail store at 1408 Pearl Street in Boulder, Colorado. They can not be purchased at intothewind.com. Please contact us if you have questions or if you need additional information.

It's hip to be a Square Flyer.

2009-06-19T14:04:00.006-06:00

George Peters began making kites when he was living in Hawaii in the '70's. But it wasn't until he moved to Boulder that he linked up with Into The Wind. He says, and George Emmons, Into The Wind's owner, remembers it the same way, that having a kite store in Boulder was "a big incentive to start making kites with a vengeance."

When George's kites appeared on the Into The Wind scene in 1983, they came on with a bang, gracing the cover of that year's catalog. In fact, George designed that cover and used a variation of it for his product brochure for some time afterwards. That first year, the Cloud Bird sold for $185, the same price it is in our 2009 catalog. I guess you could say that making the Cloud Bird in China has taken 26 years off the price of a George Peters' original. George Peters' Dragonfly now sells for $95. In 1983 it was $185. And the $99 Twin Tail Dragon was $150 when George made it himself.

Over the years, we've carried George's products off and on. If it were up to us, we would have sold his entire line every year. Unfortunately, it was all too easy for demand to overwhelm George's one-man production capabilities. The 1984 Into The Wind catalog carried a smattering of his products and introduced George's version of the traditional Japanese Rokkaku. The catalog cover that year featured Into The Wind's co-owner, Jim Glass, flying the custom Into The Wind Rokkaku that George Peters designed for the fledging company. That image became the Into The Wind logo for many years to follow. (It was converted to a drawing that is still on the cover of the Into The Wind Pocket Guides that we include free with kite orders.) In 1993, the graphic made it's way onto a limited edition t-shirt in front of a screened, glowing sunset fade.

Although we did carry other Rokkakus from other kitemakers, George's kites disappeared from the catalog entirely for the next ten years. In 1994, he hired a sewer and we convinced him to let us sell his Flying Fish banners. The following year, the George Peters Indian Fighter made its debut. The Indian Fighter left the catalog in 1996, but was replaced by George's Square Flyer in assorted patterns and colors. (We currently sell not only his Indian Fighter which is still made in the USA, but three different designs of his Square Flyer made in China.)

The 1997 Catalog was full of firsts and many of them lasts: it was the only Into The Wind catalog printed in the Slim Jim format instead of the usual digest size. It also was the only catalog where George Emmons surrendered the layout to a graphics company which resulted in a catalog cover that pictured a conglomeration of 16 kites (hinting at the chaos you'd find inside the covers). And, it was the only catalog where we purchased a couple of "stock" kitefliers (up until then, and since then, all of the catalog photos with models have been taken by George E.). But on the positive side, it was one of the few catalogs with a dedicated designer section which included kites from Italian designer Maurizio Angeletti, Texan Joel Scholz, Jim Rowlands and Martin Lester of the U.K., David Ti's wind creations, one whimsical offering each from Stan Swanson and Peter Lynn and a page devoted to George Peters' Buzz Bee, Dragonfly, Cloud Bird and Square Flyer. After 1998, George took a breather again until 2007 when his Sky Bird once again found its way onto the cover, this time made by Into The Wind in China.

When I told George that I was going to do a little blog about his kites he emailed, "I'm flattered." But I think we're the ones that have always been flattered. From the very beginning, Jim and George were enthusiastic about selling his exotic designs in their new, tiny kite shop on East Pearl. Over the years we've been honored every time we convinced him to let us, once again, include his products in the catalog. And finally, he paid Into The Wind the ultimate compliment when he agreed to let us make his kite designs, in China no less.

Now that he's not making kites himself, George has tons of free time. (That's a joke.) To find out what he's up to check out the Airworks Studio Blog and while you're at it, think about picking up a Square Flyer. We'll make all three designs of the $35 George Peters 2009 Square Flyer $28 until July 15th just to get you in a George Peters frame of mind.

It's that time of year.

2009-06-17T12:22:00.007-06:00

Hi everyone! This spring we have been busy receiving and inspecting a ton of ITW kites. This has kept me extremely busy as my primary responsibility here is quality control. Even so, I thought I would take a moment to blog about this to let you know how important quality is to Into The Wind.

The process of making kites begins with George and Mary Ann working hard with designers such as Christoph Fokken, George Peters and Dan Leigh. Prototypes are made, adjustments are requested and the kites are approved for production. We know that we are making excellent kites, but we still take the time to guarantee this even after they are shipped to us.

Here is an example of our process:

Depending on the quantity of a specific kite received, I will randomly pick 12% or more of them to inspect. We never inspect less than 12% of a shipment and frequently, we inspect 1/4 or more of the kites we receive.
We have created checklists tailored to each kite design in order to make the review process efficient. I assemble a kite, compare it with the checklist and make sure my random samples are correct. Some of the things we look for are:
Each kite design has different specifications. Currently, there are 53 different worksheets that list each kite's review points. (We make more than 53 kites but the same worksheet can be used for different diamonds or deltas.)
Each style of kite has different needs, a delta's spreader should not be too tight, but a box kite's spreaders should be just tight enough. These are small, but very important details I look for when inspecting our shipments from China.
If the kite is a new design or if we have changed something since the last production run, one of the kites is given to George who personally test flies it. With George's stamp of approval, we know it is a good kite and we can ship it out to our customers. Any kite that has been test flown cannot be sold as new. It then goes into our "Bargain Bin", give us a call and we will let you know what we have in there!

I admit I am biased, but I think quality control is the most important step in our kite making process. It gives us an opportunity to make improvements for future production runs while also guaranteeing that the kites are ready to fly now.

That's about it for me. I have got to get back to some Sweet 16s that aren't going to Q/C themselves! Oh, and that kite that is folded just perfectly in its case... yeah, I looked at that one.

Answer the call of the wind.

2009-05-29T10:23:00.007-06:00

New technology has been good to kite flying. Early kites were paper and bamboo or wood, elegant and capable, but not very resilient. Over time, we've had the fortune of graphite and fiberglass framing materials and nylon sails that last longer with more vivid colors. And now that kite fittings are almost entirely standardized, repairs are leaps and bounds easier than ever before. New streamlined designs continue to improve upon the basic stunt kites, deltas, and diamonds each year. And even wind meters (anemometers) have become more reliable and less expensive, making our kite outings more satisfying and less crash-laden with detailed information about the conditions in the flying field.

Just after the three-day weekend, we received an email from Bob at goingApps.com that was nearly a blog entry in itself, and definitely worth sharing with all of you, our kite fliers and readers. He brought to our attention a new technology in wind meters for the iPhone set. For only $0.99 an iPhone owner can download the new Wind Meter application that turns your smart-phone into an instant anemometer. It reads winds in miles or kilometers per hour, feet or meters per second, knots, and even provides Beaufort Scale readings. Amazingly, the app uses the microphone on the iPhone, reading the decibel level of the wind hitting it to calculate an estimate.

And while we haven't tried it ourselves yet... Kitelife Magazine has an impressive testimonial. Apparently, this little app is blowing up on online kite forums as being accurate to about 1 - 2 mph of a dedicated wind meter. We've got at least one employee here with an iPhone, so we'll be checking this out hands-on as soon as we can.

The app is available through the iPhone App Store, but if you (like many of us here at Into The Wind) don't yet have an iPhone, here's a link to our selection of digital wind meters on our website.

Keep watching the wind!

Bring it back home.

2009-05-14T15:37:00.011-06:00

We love all the great kite reviews that are posted to our website, including many that reference ITW products. But the one that we received this week is bittersweet. We're delighted that our customer purchased a Kids Delta and had a splendid time flying it for two hours! But if a delta is looping and diving or if its flight in any way resembles "a space ride" then it's being flown in too much wind. Deltas fly best in light winds, part of the reason that they're so popular. Deltas that have larger wing spans with more sail area (think: more lift) fly in the least amount of wind. Our Sweet 16 Delta will fly in 3 mph of wind, the Kid's Delta in 5 mph. The Beaufort Scale makes it easy to figure out what the winds are like by common indicators. In 4-7 mph of wind, a Light Breeze is characterized by "Wind felt on face. Leaves rustle. Weather vanes move." Fortunately, most deltas can also fly in more wind. The upper wind range for the Kid's Delta is 20 mph. If "Small trees in leaf sway slightly" or if "Wavelets form on ponds and lakes" it's time to take the delta down and switch it for a box kite or soft parafoil. With its two 10-ft. nylon tails the Kid's Delta will do its best to fly in winds over 20 mph (and many times it will even survive ;-) so you'll have a happy ending to your kite story too.

News Flash: ITW Displays Kites at Local Market

2009-04-28T17:05:00.008-06:00

Into The Wind and Sunflower Farmer's Market, a local grocery store, are helping each other out. For the spring and through the summer Into The Wind kites will be displayed at the Sunflower Market on Arapahoe and 25th Street. Among some of the kites displayed are the beautiful designs of George Peters, our local Boulder kite artist.

As you walk into the east doors of the Sunflower Farmer's Market to peruse the produce, gaze upon the Sky Bird soaring over the apples. See the Dragonfly inspecting the purchases over aisle 6. Kites are not only fun to fly but make funky decorations. Many of our employees can agree with that.

Having our kites on display not only makes the market look great but it's also a reminder of kiting as an activity for everyone! Into The Wind has displayed kites at other local businesses before. We feel it's a great way to help other local companies.

In case you were wondering...

2009-04-17T10:08:00.012-06:00

Since we've started our spring cleaning project we have come across quite a few interesting items. Nothing scary, but then again we aren't quite through yet.
Probably the best find so far are some kite cases we had made from one of our first shipments from China. Three of the five sizes are made of a heavy pack cloth, and also have a fold over flap that snaps shut. One is a dragon case, which is nearly impossible to find anywhere else. The fourth and fifth cases are lightweight ripstop nylon with a fold over flap, perfect for small kites. Now we have a case for nearly every conceivable kite size and priced to fit your budget as well!
Check out our cases and do a little spring cleaning of your own by organizing your kites.

Flying Times eNewsletter

2009-04-10T12:27:00.007-06:00

This week's accomplishment was sending out an eNewsletter. After a seven month hiatus, this was quite a feat. My goal is to send out one a month for the remainder of the year. But considering that doing one EVERY month in 2009 was my ITW New Year's resolution...it'll be interesting to see if this actually happens. Seems like there's always those fires that flare up that require immediate attention.

If you're not currently an eNews subscriber, sign up for the eNews here to get future issues. You can also see past newsletters, including the one from earlier this week at this link. Just remember that these are archived eNewsletters that may include discontinued products, sales that have ended and items that are no longer in stock. We still have plenty of Go Fly A Kite products on super sale too that were listed in the blog a few weeks ago! It has been updated to reflect items that have been sold. Any item still listed is still available. Or at least it was a few minutes ago...

Kite Festival Photos

2009-04-08T16:24:00.004-06:00

Rakesh sent us a few photos taken at the Santa Barbara Kite Festival last weekend. Wind... sun... kites.... Rakesh... Does it get any better?

Santa Barbara Kite Festival

2009-04-02T17:02:00.004-06:00

Rakesh Bahadur called today to remind me of his annual kite festival to be held this coming Sunday, April 5th in Santa Barbara. Rakesh and his family have been involved with kiting for years as kite store owners, then kite distributors and of course, kite flyers and promoters. This is the 24th Annual Santa Barbara Kite Festival. Rakesh will be the featured flyer for the kid's Kite Tail Chase, the most popular event at the festival. If you're in the area stop by to fly a kite or chase a kite tail.

How low can we go?

2009-04-01T14:49:00.003-06:00

As part of our Spring Cleaning event here at ITW, we're trying to move out assorted Go Fly A Kite products. We've added even more items to the list posted on the blog a few days ago and lowered the prices on everything. Check out the killer deals and get your limbo rock on.

My Parallel Life

2009-03-26T14:08:00.012-06:00

That's what I'm always reminded of when I think of Jim Christianson. He started as an intern at Go Fly A Kite around the time I started working for Into The Wind. He devoted many years of service to GFAK, becoming General Manager when the founder, Andrea Skwarek, sold the company to Jakks Pacific in 2002. When Jakks reorganized last year, phasing out the separate GFAK division in Connecticut, Jim took the opportunity to launch his own company. Sky Dogs became a reality in 2009. Although Sky Dogs is the new kid (or should I say, pooch) on the block, the company is comprised of familiar faces. Dodd Gross, another long-time kite flyer and designer joined Jim along with a few former GFAK coworkers. Since they're just getting started, we didn't have a chance to test fly any of their new designs in time for the 2009 catalog. But we hope to add their products as they become available. In the meantime, we're going to clear out some of our parts for, oldie but goodie, GFAK products. Here's how it works. The parts are free! You only pay for the shipping. If you request just one or two of the parts we have, we'll charge you the $6 minimum shipping. If you get carried away and order the whole lot we'll charge you $14 for shipping. Here's what we have:

6 New Unopened Get'n School'd VHS Traction Flight Training Videos featuring Paul Menta
3 Stealth Stunter Nocks
1 Boomer Stunt Kite assorted parts package (lineset on handles, bridle?, 5 spars, fittings)
1 Mini Edge Stunt Kite assorted parts package (line on handles, 5 spars, standoffs, fittings, bridle?)
1 Bandit Stunt Kite assorted parts package (4 spars, lots of fittings)
1 Unknown GFAK Stunt Kite assorted parts package (4 spars, standoffs, bridle, fittings)
1 T-Rex 4 1/2-ft. Delta frame, flying line and 2 tails
2 Blue 59" Ripstop Nylon Kite Cases printed with "Joel Scholz Signature Series for GFAK"
2 Cardinal Windwheel wings only
1 Damsel Fish Windwheel body only
1 Sea Lion Windwheel body, with most if not all hardware including ground stake, but only some spinning ball panels
1 Flamingo Windwheel body with 5 of 6 tail fins, and partial hardware
21 Cat Windwheel Canary bird wings
3 Reef Fish Spinning Wings
3 Flower Windwheels each with 3 rainbow wheels and 3 stake petals/fins but no hardware
1 Lighthouse Windwheel body with 6 Yellow Fins but no hardware and no vane
6 Assorted Windwheel Fins: 1 each Pink, Blue, Yellow, Lime, Orange, Teal
12 Assorted Windwheel Fins with Streamers: each Pink, Purple, Grape, Blue and 2 each Turquoise, Yellow, Lime and Green
8 Biplane Windwheel Props: 2 Purple, 2 Blue and 4 Green
6 Piglet Windwheel Flower Petals, Assorted Colors
4 Dragonfly Whirler Wings

The fine print: If you purchase multiple items, shipping will be adjusted to a reasonable amount.

We also have some Go Fly A Kite kites and wind products that are in various stages of disrepair, some samples that we've never carried, some kites that don't fly to our standards (think: room decoration or fix it up project) that we'll sell "as is" for the prices indicated to move them out of here. The prices below include shipping:

3 24" Diamonds (1 each Dora the Explorer, Sponge Bob & Spider Man), photo samples $10
3 Mini Super Flyers (1 each Dora the Explorer, Sponge Bob & Spider Man), new samples $10
1 Tie Dye Pinwheel Complete, new sample $10
1 Marilyn Mermaid Windform (3-D Windsock) used for display $10
1 Fred Flounder Windform (3-D Windsock) used for display $10
1 Golfer Guy Windform (3-D Windsock) used for display $10
Buy all 3 Windforms for $25 (includes shipping)
2 strings of 10 Fish Lanterns (14" fabric fish with a string of 10 blinking lights that fit inside each fish) $12 each string. Buy both strings for $20 (including shipping).
1 Winnie the Pooh Windwheel Complete $8
2 Neon Flower Twists, 1 used for display, 1 used for photo $10 for both
1 Classic Deluxe Twisterwheel, new sample $10
1 Valentine's Breeze Thru Flag, used for display $8
1 Panda Bear Shaped Flat Kite, sample $10
1 Teddy Bear Shaped Flat Kite, sample $10
Buy all 4 Shaped Flat Kite samples for $30
1 Pikachu Critter Kite, sample $10
20 pairs Handles (1 pink/1 blue) with sleeved Spectra or Dyneema (50-lb.? 80-lb?) $14
1 pair Mini Edge Line on Handles (1 pink/1 blue) with about 100-ft 50-lb. Dacron line $6
2 Go Fly A Kite light up display signs, new in box , 24" x 12" $14 for both
1 Powerfoil 4.0 (2003) Dual line foil, flown often by our staff back in the day, $14

Products are represented as accurately as possible but let us know if you don't receive what you were expecting. We'll keep these items around for the next couple of weeks but then they'll head to kite heaven. Please call us or send an email to order these products (they can't be ordered on the website).

Kite Links

2009-03-20T14:16:00.002-06:00

Here are links to a couple of kite related articles that caught my attention this week and that might be interesting to you as well. The first is an article from the Los Angeles Times that reports that the ban on kiteflying in Pakistan was lifted for a day, for either economic reasons or to temporarily distract protestors, depending on who you believe. Either way, I'm not complaining.

The second is a link to an article I came across when I was trying to determine for the blog earlier this week, exactly how much stronger the wind can be at altitude. This article from an August 2008 edition of The Observer discusses the ongoing testing of large kites to generate power in the Netherlands, a project called the Laddermill.

Heading into the weekend, it seemed like a little good news was in order. Fortunately, kites are almost always associated with fun and whether it's the intended purpose or not, a distraction from what's going on in the world doesn't hurt now and then too.

Kite Books Galore

2009-03-18T17:41:00.004-06:00

Valerie Govig, editor and publisher of Kite Lines, a quarterly kite magazine published from 1977 to 2000, is retiring and moving. We received a letter today outlining her plans and requesting a new home for her kite book collections. Her archives are extensive including what she refers to as, "The Kite Lines Library which consists of one copy each (no duplicates) of over 838 kite books dating from 1827 and collected from 1967 through 2008. The books are arranged alphabetically by author. They are written in multiple languages (but mostly English)." According to Valerie, "The Kite Lines Library is a rare collection, perhaps unequalled in the world. I think it is safe to say that it is priceless." She is also selling back issues of Kite Lines magazine as well as her collection of out-of-print books and what she calls, "kite ephemera." She is accepting bids for the various sets of kite publications from now until March 22nd. If you would like more details or want contact information for Valerie, please get in touch with us . Like Valerie, we just want them to find a good home.

The jury is out.

2009-03-16T17:20:00.003-06:00

Jury duty Tuesday and Wednesday, then catching up with work after that, prevented me from posting on the Flight Blog last week. But once the trial was over, it occurred to me that there were some similarities between the deliberation process and a few of the calls that we receive from customers.

In fact, just last Monday a customer called and talked to Sean. He said he'd been flying his 9-ft. Levitation Delta Light and shortly after launch, in a light wind, the spreader in the kite snapped. He brought the delta down and wrapped the broken carbon spar in duct tape so that he could continue flying the kite. Not long after, the kite was flying at over 1,000 feet when the kite line broke right in the middle.

Our jury instructions from the judge explained that we had to make our decision based solely on the evidence that was presented. Since the defendant didn't testify and we later found out that the primary witness was unable to testify because he was in China, we were left with very little to go on. However, the instructions did say that we could use our life experiences to "infer" what may or may not have happened.

When a customer calls, we're in a similar situation. We can't get a firsthand account from the kite. Instead, we have the customer's observations and our experience. In the case of the 9-ft. Delta, it seemed pretty clear to us that the kite was being flown in too much wind. That's usually why spreaders break, although occasionally the spar can be defective. However, when the line snaps, it's almost always an indication of excessive wind. The problem though, is the concrete evidence; wind on the ground measured by the flyer with a wind meter versus the unknown winds aloft where the kite is flying.

It's common knowledge (at least to us ;-) that winds at altitude can be very different from winds on the ground. According to research conducted by scientists in the Netherlands, 11 mile per hour winds at 250 feet translate to 16 mile per hour winds at 2,500 feet. Keep that in mind when you take your light wind delta out for a flight. And if the spreader breaks, consider it a warning that the winds may be too strong. Likewise, if your delta pulls hard and loops or dives, it's a sign to take it down (and not just to apply duct tape) and fly another day. (For the record, we don't recommend duct tape as a kite repair solution...ever. We have tons of repair parts and can get you back in the air in no time; just give us a call.)

Aside from that, it's important to realize that wind aloft can be substantially different from wind on the ground and that you risk breaking your kite, or worse yet, losing it completely like the guy last Monday, if you exceed the kite's recommended wind range. If that's the case, we'll have a hard time coming up with a "not guilty" verdict.

The China Cycle

2009-03-05T17:16:00.003-07:00

We received the "sailing advise" today, telling us that our ITW kites are leaving China. "Sailing advise" is the lingo to let us know that the container actually made it on the ship and that the ship has actually left the port in Shanghai. The vessel, Hanjin Phoenix, is sailing to Los Angeles with our kites. Well...some of our kites. Some are still being manufactured. We ordered the 80 boxes of kites that are on their way to us on September 24, 2008. We spent the following month preparing the instructions and tags and updating the worksheets used in production. But since October 21, 2008, we've pretty much just been waiting for it to happen. It's exciting to finally have product on the way to us, especially when we're running so low on inventory of so many kites. But this gives you an idea of how long it takes for us to get product from China. By the time it hits our back door, six months will have elapsed since we placed the order. Once it's here, we'll need to inspect a percentage (usually about 10-15%) to make sure the kites meet our quality standards. If it's a new product, if it doesn't pass the QC inspection with flying colors or if it's a product that we haven't recently ordered, we'll fly it to make sure it's A-OK. (That's George's job ;-) Fortunately, most products whiz through these steps and are ready to be sent to customers within a few days. But with 22 different kites arriving, it could still be 3 or 4 weeks before it's all in stock. Of course, we'll receive the products with the most backorders first and work our way through to the in stock kites, just in time for our next shipment.

I've been emailing our factory in China to see if the rest of our order will be leaving March 10th, which is looking doubtful at this point. To complete the cycle, or more accurately, to begin it again, we're hard at work with Christoph Fokken on new products for 2010. We had a meeting with him in January at the Kite Trade Show and have already exchanged several emails and phone calls as he gets to work on prototypes. Our goal is to accelerate the process (of course, that's been our goal for the last four years, as well) so that we can have kites on the way to us before Chinese New Year, when most factories in China shut down completely. I guess that means we'll be trying to place an order sometime this summer. So if you have any spare crystal balls lying around to help us predict what will happen in 2010, by all means send them our way.

Free shipping...

2009-03-03T17:54:00.003-07:00

with an order over $200 is our way of thanking you for placing a large order with us. I know that sounds like we're patting ourselves on the back but the idea of free shipping is a new concept for us. It's not that it doesn't cost us more to ship orders over $200. (In fact, we can't figure out how companies can offer free shipping on smaller amounts, especially when they're shipping boxes the size of our kites as opposed to books or CD's.) It's our guess that they just aren't tracking their shipping charges because if they were they'd realize that the cost of shipping a parcel has changed dramatically over the last ten years. We ship most of our packages UPS but seriously considered switching to the U.S. Postal Service or FedEx this year. However, it didn't take long to realize that the UPS rates were competitive if not identical to the USPS and FedEx charges. So there was no way around it, we had to change all of our shipping rates for the first time since 2001 to reflect this across-the-board increase. It's not our intention to make a profit on shipping charges; we just want to break even. Unfortunately, we've been paying more for shipping than we've been taking in...especially in 2008. The charges for air shipments get REALLY crazy but that's the reality. (Think of it as a plane ticket for your kite.) And while there is a variable fuel surcharge that changes weekly and gets added to the base rate for every package, the other UPS charges are fixed; for residential deliveries (+$2.05 for most of our orders), delivery area surcharge (+$2.40 for many of our packages), oversized or dimensional box sizes (around $10 now and then), and additional handling (+$8 a few of our shipments). When you read all that, it sounds like we're getting "nickel and dimed" by the shipping charges but I think it's closer to "dollar and quartered." In any case, we tried to soften the harsh shipping blow by passing on free shipping with orders over $200. Take that UPS.

SOLD!

2009-03-03T17:53:00.001-07:00

Thanks to those of you who inquired about the Top of the Line parts. They're outta here.