Peter Powell (kite)
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Peter Trevor Powell (29 June 1932 – 3 January 2016)''The Times'' Obituary - Peter Powell, 8 February 2016. p48 was a British kite maker who developed a steerable kite in 1972, using dual lines. The kite that made him famous is known as the "Peter Powell Stunter". It became an international bestselling kite in 1976. Very early on, Powell's kites had spars made of ramin (''
Gonystylus ''Gonystylus'' is a southeast Asian genus of about 30 species of hardwood trees also known as ramin, melawis ( Malay) and ramin telur (Sarawak). Description Ramin is native to Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, the Philippines, and Papua ...
'') which were later replaced with aluminium tubing and, later still, by glass fibre spars. Originally they all came with black plastic sails, though later blue, red and yellow sails became available. The kites came with a long, hollow polyethylene tail that was inflated by the wind. The tail added stability as well as looking good when performing stunts.


Early life

He was born in
Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...
, England. at SO Glos online magazine
Retrieved 5 January 2016 His parents toured with an
Ideal Home Exhibition The Ideal Home Show (formerly called the Ideal Home Exhibition) is an annual event in London, England, held at Olympia . The show was devised by the '' Daily Mail'' newspaper in 1908 and continued to be run by the ''Daily Mail'' until 2009. It ...
show and he served in the
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
where he trained as a mechanic and maintained
Gloster Meteor The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies of World War II, Allies' only jet aircraft to engage in combat operations during the Second World War. The Meteor's development was heavily reliant on its ground-breaking turb ...
aircraft. He then ran a business with his brother painting road markings.


Kite production

After Powell developed the "Peter Powell Stunter", he was producing and selling about 300 kites a week. This changed when the kite was featured on an episode of the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
News and current affairs television programme '' Nationwide''. Demand for the kites soared to 25,000 a week. Two factories were opened, followed by a further three with production reaching 75,000 a week.Peter Powell at BBC News Gloucester
Retrieved 5 January 2016 Powell won the silver diploma for his kite at the Exhibition of New Inventions and Techniques in Geneva in 1975. In 1976, the Peter Powell kite was elected toy of the year by the
British Association of Toy Retailers The Toy Retailers Association (formerly British Association of Toy Retailers) is a trade association that represents its members in the UK & Ireland. It promotes the role of the toy retailer and the value of toys to the consumer. It represents ab ...
. Millions of kites were sold as flying steerable kites became a craze. The popularity of all types of multiple-line kite flying today can be attributed directly to Powell's development of a modern dual-line kite. Powell often took his kites around the country and sold them from the back of his car. In 1974 (approx) he was selling them on
Paignton Paignton ( ) is a seaside town on the coast of Tor Bay in Devon, England. Together with Torquay and Brixham it forms the borough of Torbay which was created in 1998. The Torbay area is a holiday destination known as the English Riviera. Paignt ...
sea front for £10 each. He advertised by simply flying the kites Several decades later, as other companies created similar products, his sales declined and the company tottered on the brink. One day, according to an account from his sons, "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.'" However, in 2014, Powell and his sons Mark and Paul reopened a Kite store at the Cheltenham Shopping Centre focusing on a MKIII version of the kite.Kite King Peter Powell opens new store Cheltenham
. Retrieved 5 January 2016


Personal

On 3 January 2016, he died at the age of 83 after a stroke at his home in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. He has two sons, Mark and Paul who carry on his kite legacy.


References


External links


Article and interview with Peter Powell (video) on bbc.co.uk

US Patent US3954235 filed by Peter Power on Aug 21, 1974

US Patent US4076189 Filed by Peter Powell on July 16, 1976


See also

* Kite flying * Stunt kite *
Windsport A windsport is any type of sport which involves wind-power, often involving a non-rigid airfoil such as a sail or a power kite. The activities can be land-based, on snow, on ice or on water. Windsport activity may be regulated in some countries ...
* Kite types *
Kite applications The kite can be used for many applications. Different kites such as water kites, bi-media kites, fluid kites, gas kites, kytoons, paravanes, soil kites, solid kites, and plasma kites have niche applications. Some animals, such as spiders, also ma ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Powell, Peter English kite fliers People from Gloucester 2016 deaths 1932 births People from Cheltenham