Tied to the Sky

Sky Shark Performance Kite Framing

We take great pride in providing a reliable Canadian source for quality perforce kites and accessories.  We stock a good supply of SkyShark air frames that are ideal for kite repairs and kite customization / upgrades and projects.   We found this great information on the SkyShark website and thought you might be interested.

Sky Shark™ Competition Air Frames are world renowned as the very best competition tubes. It is no wonder, the best flyers in the world use Sky Shark™ Air Frames. The facts speak for themselves, there is no equal to the weight to stiffness of Sky Shark™. The consistent quality of the fibers and tubes offer un-matched reliability and performance. Sky Shark™ is committed to bringing the the very best to kite flyers of all abilities. Whatever level of kite you fly or manufacture, use the very best products, Sky Shark Kite™ Products.

The "P-Series"

The Sky Shark™ P Series Straight Competition Air Frames. These tubes can be cut and ferruled anywhere using a solid carbon rod. They can also be ferruled with any of the New Tapered tubes except the 2PT. These tubes work great for building sport kites as well as single line kites.     All of our P series tubes are non-tapered, with the same inside diameter as tapered tubes. You can join any P series tubes with the tapered tubes. These tubes are made in much the same way as our wrapped tapered tube with the exception of materials used . The P-series also use a different layering of materials which makes it possible to cut the tubes anywhere and ferrule them without breaking out the wall, unlike the tapered tubes.   A common question is "what is the difference between P-series tubes and the tapered tubes?" Weight verses stiffness. Example 3pt, at 12.5 grams, has the stiffness of the P-200 at 14.5 grams.Which is more durable? The P200. The 3pt is an ultra light performance tube wind range 2mph to 12 mph or more depending on design. The P-200 could take winds up to over 20 mph and not break. It would lack the performance of a stiffer tube, but can take it, unlike the 3pt. The P series tubes also have a smooth finish and this year come in either a black or the original gray carbon finish except for the p90 and p400 which only come in the grey.

•  (Ferrules-- You should always use solid .2400 rod in all tubes with the exception of 2pts, P90s and 2ps which you could use lighter 2400 tube ferrules.)
  
  

The "PX Series"
We have a new series of tubes the P1X, P2X and P3X.  The new tubes have a new woven look, they are very much the same as the old P series tubes, same ID and OD. The big difference is the tubes are made with a higher modules of carbon which makes them 15 to 20 % stiffer that the old P series tubes.

The "PT Series"

These tapered air frames are exceptional. We have increased stiffness up to 50%. What's the secret? New material combinations! All of the Sky Shark PT series tapered tubes are made on the same mandrels. This means that all of the inside diameters are the same, at .244 I.D. You can use a .2400 or 6mm ferrule across the range. 

(source: http://www.skyburner.com/skyshark/ss-products.html )

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Rev Kite Order Going In!

Hey friends,
Just a heads up that we have a fresh shipment coming out of Revolution Kites very soon!  If you are looking for that something special now would be a great time to talk with us to get it included!
Remember - we fly Rev Kites and we can set you up with the package that you want!  We can customize frames, handles, line sets and we can also help you get a custom sail!   Contact us or call us Toll Free 1-877-382-3956

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Multi Kite Bag by Revolution Kites - Smart, Secure and Efficient

Back by popular demand - The Revolution Multi Kite roll-up bag. Folks, these are VERY well made. More than a simple bag, it is packed with quality features. Heavy duty construction, attractive embroidery, beefy, durable clips and more. The outside also boasts a nice shoulder strap and good-sized zippered pocket ideal for car keys, sunscreen and various odds and ends.

Open this case up and you will be impressed with the efficient design - Space for at least 5 kites with a fold-over velcro cover to keep your gear in place. Each slot has quality mesh on the bottom so you can see what kites you have with you, and reduces the chance of the pockets to fill with sand/dirt or grass. There are also plenty of velcro mesh pockets for line sets and flying handles. I love this bag because you can see what you have at a glance. Reduces the instances of getting to the flying field and discovering that you forgot your handles or your vented Rev! (I know I'm not the only one to do this!!!)   

Folks, if you don't have 5+ Revs to fill it, you can carry many of your dual line kites in it as well. This Multi Kite Bag by Revolutions packs your gear safely, securely and smartly and is ideal for travel - car or airplane. Efficient and well thought out for the flying field!

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Glide Kites - Zero Wind Elegance

No wind? No problem!   Glide kites are hugely popular for just this reason.   A combination of single line kite flying and the skill and interactiveness of stunt kite flying these tethered gliders float, spin stat all dive and glide on a puff of wind or a simple tug on the line.    This incredibly graceful for of kite flying is don up close and personal which makes it ideal for small spaces and indoor flying!

One of our favourites is the Skate from the good folks at Into The Wind.  The Skate is a Paul de Bakkers design. Paul de Bakker's Skate is flown by many top indoor competitors. Adding grace and elegance every place you fly, it turns kiteflying into performance art. Its nose pocket accepts one to three coins, allowing you to tune it for indoor or outdoor conditions, add weight to the nose to make it glide. Remove the coins to fly it as a kite in 0 to 6 mph winds.

See it in action!

Skate Specs.

Wing Span: 162cm

Height: 123cm

Sail: 0.6 oz. Ripstop Polyester

Frame: Micro-Carbon rods

Line: 100ft x 50lb Dynema included.

Wind Range: 0 - 9kph

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Kite Jargon - Know your Kite Terms

Like many things in life; our professions, hobbies,etc.  there is a jargon that a community uses to communicate. Jargon is the technical terminology of a special activity or group.  As we learn the kite jargon, we can get a better understanding of our hobby of kite flying.  One of the challenges of serving folks well, as a Canadian kite store is helping people find the language to communicate what it is they need or want to do - whether it is anatomy of a kite, kite parts, and kite flying; basic kite flying to more advance kite flying tutorials.

There are a variety of terms that are used in the sport of Kite flying.  Here is a short list to give you some common lingo and their meaning!

Bridle:  the lines which connect to the kite sail and frame to help support the kite and/or to orient the kite at a proper angle to the wind.

Carbon / Graphite:  Stunt kite frames are made of carbon fiber which is relatively are rigid  material and light weight.    Can be in a rod or tube form.  Popular graphite products include: Sky Shark, Icone and Revolution. Wrapped or extruded.

Centre T:  Where the spar for the spine and lower spreaders are joined.

Dark Side (The): An affectionate term for those Kite enthusiast who have embraced flying the quad-line stunt kite by Revolution Kites.

Dual Line: Refers to two line trick or stunt kites. The two lines allow for the control of the kite. (There are Quad line stunt kites as well)

Dyneema kite line: A brand of synthetic fiber used in making performance kite line. It's best advantage is it's very strong and yet very thing and doesn’t stretch much.  Not all spectra lines are created equal!  Spectra fibre is used to make popular premium flying line.  These brands may incorporate unique braiding of the fibre, coating with agents to reduce friction and sometime to make them resistant to UV and salt water.  All of which enhance performance and line life significantly.

Fiberglass: This is a kite material which combines strength and flexibility with relative light weight. It comes in several forms from solid fiberglass rods and hollow tubes.

Flying Straps: A loop made of webbing that attaches to your kite line.  You then slide you hands into the loops to hold the kite while you fly. These are ideal for performing the modern slack line kite tricks. See them here

Frame: The skeleton of the kite.

Freestyle: "Freestyle" kite is typically a good performer, capable of a wide range of tricks while still very stable and predictable. Freestyle is performing a variety tricks of one after another in succession.

Foil Kite:  Foil kites look like a parachute and use the wind itself to give structure to the kite.  These kites can be two, three and four line kites  in a wide variety of sizes.  These kites can genrate a great deal of power.  Obvoiusly the larger the kite the more power / pull with the same wind speed.  You will see smaller recreation ones to the very large which pull the pilot in a buggy, a snowboard or kite surf board.

Ground Stake: A handy tool which allows you to stake your kite handles or flying straps to the ground while you walk to reset or adjust your kite for launch.  This tool helps to ensure your kite doesn’t blow away.

Icarex:  A brand name of a type of ripstop fabric made from polyester fibers. It is lighter and more fade resistant than nylon ripstop fabric. 

Kite Party: Informal gatherings of kite flyers, who meet to fly kites, socialize with other kite flyers  and get their Kite on!

Leading edge:  The name for the part of the kite which runs from the nose to the wing tip.

Line Set: The lines which are used to control the kite. They come in a variety of test weight and lengths. Stronger weight lines being used for stronger winds and bigger kites.  Line sets are made of a variety of fibres.

Quad Handles:  Handles made specifically to fly quad line kites like those made by Revolution.  Lines from the top and bottom of the kite are attached correspondingly to the top and bottom of the flying handles which changes the shape of the wing and creates flight. See Them here

Quad line: Kites with four lines for control. Not only can you maneuver left and right, but you can fly sideways, spin like an airplane propeller, and forward or backward in the wind window.

Ready to Fly / RTF:  Many kites are sold with everything you need to get started.  Ready to fly means all you have to do is assemble the kite, attach the included line and add wind!  Many high end kites are sold as Kite only.

Rip-stop:  Typically used to make kite sails.  It can be made of nylon or polyester.  Hence ripstop nylon or ripstop polyester. Rip-stop is the process that weaves smaller fibers with larger fibers creating squares of reinforcing fibers in the cloth which make it resistant to tearing. The idea being that a tear will stop at one of the reinforcing fibers.

Sail: The cloth material of the kite. The material is usually made from rip-stop nylon, polyester, Icarex.

SkyShark: Is a brand of high quality performance carbon fibre tubing used to frame performance kites. Made in the USA.

Sleeving: A cover which encloses the ends of flying lines and helps to preserve strength and prevent wear.  Typically where the line sets are tied.

Soul Flying:  This is term referring to a style of stunt kite flying where you express yourself freely with your kite - Whether to music or to silence, precision or full on tricks you are in effect flying your Heart via your kite!

Spar: A generic term referring to the framing material used as the frame of a kite.

Spectra®:  A brand of synthetic fiber used in making performance kite line. It's best advantage is it's very strong and yet very thing and doesn’t stretch much.  Not all spectra lines are created equal!  Spectra fibre is used to make popular premium flying line.  These brands may incorporate unique braiding of the fibre, coating with agents to reduce friction and sometime to make them resistant to UV and salt water.  All of which enhance performance and line life significantly.

Spine: The center rod that runs lengthwise down a kite.

Spreader: The spars which run horizontally across the span of the kite holding the wings open. 

Stand-offs:  Are typically carbon or fibreglass rod which holds the trailing edge of the sail back from the lower spreader.  You may be able to fine-tune the performance of your kite in different wind conditions as their position affects the amount of lift the kite generates and thereby it's speed, turning, and precision.

Tail: Attached to the kite for visual effect or to cause drag on a single line kite.  Made of Ripstop or plastic.  Also a term to describe the lower end of the spine.

Tow point: The part of the bridle where the flying lines are attached using a Larkshead knot.

Winders:  For ease of use, lines are stored on winders.  With line(s) together, wrap the lines around the winder fairly snuggly. Some flyer prefer wrapping the lines in a figure eight motion, others prefer a simple wrap.  With care, either will work just as well.

Wind range: The range of wind speed that a kite will fly well in. Can be given in Kph, mph, or beaufort .

Wind window:  A 180 degrees in which the kite flies.  It’s size is determined by the length of the flying lines. At the edges of the window the kite will slow and has a tendency to stall and makes for a great place to land.

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Looking for A FreeStyle'er for the Lower Wind Days?

We have a gently used KFX LW in yellow. We have used this kite to demonstrate the amazing flight characteristics and performance of a legendary kite from a legendary kite maker! These kites are handmade in France with an attention to detail and innovation.                                            The KFX doesn't miss a beat with the latest tricks - Backspins, Multi-lazies, Yo-yo's, She'll take it all in stride! Looking for smooth precise arcs and angles and forms? Say "Hello" to the KFX!A new kite is always a learning adventure and the KFX is no exception.  This classic from R-Sky kites will awaken your inner FreeStyler in jaw-dropping ways! The Krystal FX will, no doubt, be the new step in that direction for you!  If you are looking for a great freestyle kite with uncanny precision, the KFX may just have your name on it!

Specs.

• Size: 210 x 90cm
• Wind Range: 4 - 18 km/h 
• Sail : Icarex Mylar
• Upper leading edge: 3PT 
• Lower leading edge: 3PT 
• Lower spreaders: 3PT 
• Whiskers: 3 mm (4) 
• Spine: 6 mm 
• Top Cross: 5 mm

SOLD!

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Graceful and Interactive Kite

One of kite flying’s best kept secrets

Remarkably fun kite in light winds, Vertical Visuals’ Roller kite climbs steeply when you take line in and glides out gently when you let line out, so you can pump it up to better wind. Sensitive to line control, it’s maneuverable, like a big, slow fighter kite that can fly steady. Made of ripstop nylon with wood spars used because flight tests determined that wood resulted in the best flight characteristics for the kite.

Specs

Height: 114cm

Depth: 106cm

Windrange: 8 to 35 kph.  

Line: Use 75-lb. Dacron line. Sold Separately

See it Here

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Flyin' with the Devil? Hold Tight!

Looking for that epic kite?  Over 10ft of wingspan this Kite will curdle the blood of any pilot. Tremendous pull accompanied by tight loops and precise moves.Looking for shear power with speed? You want to try and restrain this Devil Wing? Then be warned that your fingers could get burned. This completely revised design means fireworks for the unwary with its speed and power!  This kite is not for the faint of heart!

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Canadian Dollar & Kite Prices

As anyone who has been watching the value of the Canadian $$ versus the American has noticed, it appears as if the days of parity have disappeared for a while.  While in many ways this is good news for the Canadian manufacturing and the resource sectors, it will begin to impact prices on our imports, and yes, this includes kites!

I am preparing for my trip to the Kite Trade Association International (KTAI) meeting in Las Vegas at the end of the month.  I will be meeting with a number of kite manufacturers to see the latest, hottest kite products coming to the market.  We work closely throughout the year with our suppliers to ensure we are in the loop and you can access some great kites. 

(Watch our Facebook Page for Posts from Vegas starting Jan. 29)

Many of the manufacturers are also seeing their manufacturing costs increasing and some are being squeezed for manufacturing time forcing them to anticipate demand much further in advance than before.  Of course these cost get passed on down the line. We are seeing our product costs and the Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) of many of our kite products firming.  In addition, the Canadian dollar's relative weakness compared to US currency is putting increased pressure on kite prices in Canada.

We are fortunate for a number of efficiencies that allow us to continue to offer some of the best kites and accessories at really competitive prices - even with the US retailers. Purchasing your kites and kite accessories from the Great Canadian Kite Company will ensure:

• Competitive pricing
• Quality products & service
• In house parts
• Special / Custom Orders - Quick & Easy
• Easier exchanges and returns (See our generous Return Policy)
• Prompt After Sale Service
• No surprises like extra fees, taxes and duties
• No exchange rate shock on your credit card statement
• Your Orders don't get bogged down clearing Customs

Great Canadian Kite Company is celebrating almost a decade in the Kite business, and we have taken pride in doing the best job we can to provide quality kites and accessories at FAIR, competitive prices.  The best part continues to be the opportunity to serve many, many of you over again!  We are so grateful for your patronage!

Below is a graph showing the change in the relative value of the Canadian dollar to the US.  Typically, we as consumers do not pay this price on our credit card purchases, as the card issuers generally charge 1-5% for margin.  Check with your credit card company for further details.  

As a courtesy, here is a link to RBC to demonstrate what might be indicative of a consumer exchange rate. Exchange Calculator

Graph source: https://www.google.ca/finance?q=CADUSD

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