A blog detailing our collection of Peter Powell kites, and chronicling our flying of these kites. Plus a bit of PP kite history thrown in. Our collection to date stands at 77 kites and can be seen here. I am keen to expand the collection, so if you have an old Peter Powell kite, whether made in the UK or the US, gathering dust and looking for a new home, why not get in touch? Depending on the kite (does it bring something new or different to my collection?), its condition (is it flyable? how much TLC does it need?), and the price you ask (+ shipping if from outside the UK), we may well be able to do a deal.

Monday 24 July 2023

Nastie One

If you see this label for a dual-line kite, "Peter Powell" isn't the first name that comes to mind, is it?

But strange though is may seem, there is a Peter Powell connection .... The Nastie One was made by the Caribbean Kite Company, the US arm of Peter Powell kites once they became 'independent', and is the kite in my collection which is clearly the furthest away from the classic Peter Powell Stunter. 

Here's Nastie One on the ground ...


I readily admit it's the ugliest kite in my collection, but how does it fly? It took me a lot of bridle adjustment before it would even take off ...


Strip away all the applique stuff, and you've got a kite of which the sail shape and dimensions, including the position of the stand-offs, are virtually identical to Skyraker. And it very much flies like one: it needs a decent pressure in the sail and doesn't like tight turns. 

If you name one of your kites Nastie One, it suggests there is also at least a Nastie Two, doesn't it? Yes, there was indeed a Nastie Two! It was said to be green, and that's all I know about it; despite a lot of googling and using the wayback machine, I couldn't find a picture anywhere. However, this single-line kite was marketed by the CKC under the name 'Frank':

Look at the hands of 'Frank' .... they're almost identical to the hands on the Nastie One .... And 'Frank' is green .... So it's possible that the Nastie Two looked similar to 'Frank' .... Maybe one day I will have a pair of Nasties to fly together; I will certainly keep my eyes out for that!