I’ve gotten the urge again (see my post below). It seems that I got the urge again to go out and kitefly. So I’m looking for a good location in the South Florida area to fly. I’ve tried Hollywood/Dania Beach, and apparently kites are banned there. Fort Lauderdale beach is a bit too populated, and small for my needs.

I’ve tried Tradewinds Park, but the wind is inconsistant.

Anyone have any suggestions for good flying spots in South Florida?

For me, it seems that kiting goes through a strange type of ebb and flow. When I first started kite-flying some 15 years ago, I got all into it. I bought a ton of kites, and spent almost every weekend out flying, and when I wasn’t flying… well… I was thinking about flying. Then after awhile, I just stopped. Maybe it was the expense of trying to keep up with the latest kite designs or just that life caught up to me, but I almost completely stopped thinking about kiteflying.

>> read the rest of this post.

Ever thought about writing about your kiting experience, but never had a place where people could read it? Well send it to us, and we might just publish it!

Awhile ago, I wrote an article about my life as a professional kiteflyer. This apparently got the attention of the folks at the Drachen Foundation. So much so, that they asked for permission to include my article in their Drachen Journal.

Along with my goofy photo, a slightly edited version of my article is now published in the Drachen Foundation Spring 2007 Journal. Check it out here: http://www.drachen.org/journals/journal23/Journal23.pdf

You can see the original article, with some pictures here: http://www.kitestop.com/?p=15

As you’ve probably noticed, its been awhile since I’ve updated this site. The last time I went kiting, I tried a new park here in Coconut Creek Florida, called TradeWinds park. I took my son out with a WindWing Kitesurfing trainer, and taught him how to fly a dual-line with a bar… When the wind would gust, the poor kid got yanked… it was so much fun to watch… I’ve been kiting so long, that I sometimes forget how difficult it is to learn.

The wind was a bit fluky, but he got the hang of it eventually. I was really proud of him.

I’ll be moving in the next couple of weeks, closer to the beach in Hollywood, FL… so if anyone knows of some good spots that actually ALLOW kite-flying on the beach.. please let me know. 

There is an interesting discussion on the Gone With The Wind Forum about the future of organized kite flying. Apparently over the years, there has been a steady decline in participation at both a competition and organization level. There just aren’t as many kiteflyers competing at competitions, attending kite festivals, or joining the AKA. I’ve been thinking about this phenomenon for a long time, and will probably write some stuff down in the future… but in the mean time, jump on over to the GWTW forum and see what others are saying about the situation.

Below you will find my initial comments. >> read the rest of this post.

When I received an email from Jim Martin (Region 4 Director of AKA) trying to find available stunt kite pilots in the Orlando area to fly in a lagoon show at Sea World, little did I know what I was getting into. This was a dream opportunity. How often do you get a chance to fly kites AND get paid for it. So I emailed Bruce Flora of Kiteman Productions and got a chance to live everyone’s dream job for the summer!
>> read the rest of this post.

Kite Stop is run by John and Michael Lutter. We have been flying kites since a very early age, and have been flying stunt kites since the early 1990s. We originally started KiteStop.com in 2001 as an online community for kiting enthusiasts, but it has quickly morphed into one of the premier blog sites dedicated to the sport and enjoyment of kiteflying.