We just found out through the grapevine that Gary Engvall has been elected with 54% of the vote to be the next President of the American Kitefliers Association. Gary is a great guy, and is one of the most hard working kiteflyers I know.

It is our hope that the new President will take the steps needed to bring new blood and a new energy to the AKA. We are here to help in whatever capacity we can.

As a side note, our good buddy Terry C. (known as TeeCee around the internet) is now the Region 4 (South East) Regional Director… He brings a LOT of enthusiasm to the post, and is a major ParrotHead to boot. He is really dedicated to growing the sport and enjoyment of kiteflying to the region.

We would like to wish all the new officers good luck in the coming year.  

About a year ago, I wrote a post concerning a discussion over at the Gone With The Wind Kite Forum about organized kiting : Maybe Kiting Wasn’t Meant to be Organized. This is kind of an update to that post. I welcome any and all comments. Its free and easy.

Apparently this year there is a fairly competitive election going on for the presidency of the American Kiteflyers Association, where there seems to be some serious debate going on regarding the status-quo of the organization, and where it should be going in the future. Both of the candidates running have some vocal supporters. I personally have my pick, but since I’m not a AKA member, I can’t vote… but I’m certainly interested in seeing what becomes of it.

>> read the rest of this post.

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!

Adventures on YouTube have uncovered this gem.

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.