Millions of kites were sold as flying steerable kites became a craze. In 1976, the Peter Powell kite was elected toy of the year by the British Association of Toy Retailers. Powell won the silver diploma for his kite at the Exhibition of New Inventions and Techniques in Geneva in 1975. Two factories were opened, followed by a further three with production reaching 75,000 a week. Demand for the kites soared to 25,000 a week. This changed when the kite was featured on an episode of the BBC News and current affairs television programme Nationwide. Kite production Īfter Powell developed the "Peter Powell Stunter", he was producing and selling about 300 kites a week. He then ran a business with his brother painting road markings. His parents toured with an Ideal Home Exhibition show and he served in the Royal Air Force where he trained as a mechanic and maintained Gloster Meteor aircraft. The tail added stability as well as looking good when performing stunts. The kites came with a long, hollow polyethylene tail that was inflated by the wind. Originally they all came with black plastic sails, though later blue, red and yellow sails became available. Very early on, Powell's kites had spars made of ramin ( Gonystylus) which were later replaced with aluminium tubing and, later still, by glass fibre spars. It became an international bestselling kite in 1976. The kite that made him famous is known as the "Peter Powell Stunter". Peter Trevor Powell (29 June 1932 – 3 January 2016) was a British kite maker who developed a steerable kite in 1972, using dual lines. Peter Powell at the 1st AKA Convention in Ocean City, Maryland in 1978.
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