Skyblazer

If you have been following this blog, you will know that the US arm of Peter Powell Kites produced and marketed a range of dual-line deltas. Several of these are already part of my collection: a Wing, Skylite and Skyraker.

One delta which is shown in several ads in KiteLife in 1989 and 1990 is a Skyblazer:

Needless to say I very much wanted to have this kite, with its almost Mondriaanesque sail pattern, in my collection, and I'm happy to say that that quest has finally resulted in success!

Here's my Skyblazer on the ground ...

... and in the air!

I flew it in 2-5mph winds, and it flew fine once the wind went to at least 3-4mph. With those low winds, flight is slow and serene. The official wind range is given as 3-20mph, but I wouldn't want to fly to kite in more than 8-9mph; it looks and feels very much like an ultralight. Generally, the kite responds well to input, but has quite a large turning circle. It really feels like a kite from the late 1980s/early 1990s, but I did manage to squeeze one axel out of it. Yes, just the one ...

The Skyblazer's wing span is 2.44m, and a smaller version (with a wing span of 1.73m) was also produced. This smaller, faster kite is often referred to as the 'Baby Blazer'. I haven't been able to find a picture of this 'Baby Blazer, but did come across this ad, again from KiteLife:

Could this possibly be a 'Baby Blazer'? Guess I don't have to say I want one in the collection, right?

Peter Powell t-shirt, with double twist

Mk I and Mk II Peter Powell kites pop up on eBay quite regularly, but it's rare to see other PP items listed. So I was surprised, and pleasantly so, to check into eBay not too long ago, and stumble across a listing for a vintage Peter Powell t-shirt.

Even though it's not a kite, it would still make for a very nice addition to the collection, wouldn't it? I decided to have a punt, and as the end time approached, found myself in a bidding war with, what appeared to be, a rather determined person. With just a handful of seconds left, I decided to pull out, as I had already let myself go quite a bit higher than what I had originally decided my max bid would be. The dangers of bidding on eBay!

So I didn't get the t-shirt; win some, loose some! The twist became clear the next day: I had been bidding against Paul Powell! As I told Paul when I found out, if I had known he was the determined bidder, I'd have pulled out immediately. Best place for the shirt is obviously at home, and I was genuinely pleased it went to Paul.

I said 'double twist' in the title of this post, didn't I? Turned out that the seller didn't have one PP t-shirt; he had two.

The second one is now mine ...

... all mine ...

... my preciousssssss ...