kHiTe catches up with Jon Trennepohl of Sky Burner kites and Sky Shark rods from the USA.

kHiTe: Jon, for those new to the kite scene could you say a little about yourself and Sky Burner kites?

Nice to have a chance to talk to you.

I have been involved in kiting for 15 years now. Started out with opening a kite shop. I have to say that sport kites were the main draw that got me interested in kiting.

Jon in his Shop

After a year with the shop I was unable to find sport kites that would fly in the lower wind ranges that we had here in Michigan. At that time they were all made for the big winds that they got on the west and east coasts of the USA. Lots of Fiberglass tubing and heavier parts were used. So I started designing a new sport kite that we could get a lot more use out of and had better flight characteristics using pultruded carbon tubing and lighter parts. Sky Burner kites was then born. Our goal has always been to build the highest quality sport kites using the latest technology available.

I have competed on the US sport kite circuit for 14 years. I still have the retail store, manufacture Sky Burner kites, distribute Sky Shark Tubes around the world and I am the US Distributor of Level One Kites.

I also design kites for Premier Kites here in the US. I have been fortunate enough to travel to various countries around the world promoting, teaching and entertaining people by flying kites to music which is what I love to do most.

kHiTe: Last year the ADX made quite a stir in the US, is it available in the UK & Europe?

ADX 2004

Yes, the ADX has done well here in the US. It has also done well in Germany. Level One Kites is our distributor in Europe so yes it available. We don't have a distributor in the UK but if someone wants one we can certainly get them one.

kHiTe: So what has Sky Burner got new for 2004? - I noticed you had updated the Wahoo.

Wahoo 2004

The Wahoo was our most radical kite. It was updated with a new frame and bridling which enhanced all it's flying characteristics. We think it's even more fun now.

Yo-Yo Kit

I also developed an easy yo-yo stopper kit that people can add to their kites to be able to do the latest roll up tricks. We are currently working on a new kite that we hope to bring out later this year. It will be called the Delta Drive so stay tuned.

kHiTe: We will keep a keen eye out for that one. I must say the website is looking great as well.

Thanks very much. Wayne Brunjes, who works with me in designing kites, did our web site. He also did the new CD Rom for us. We think he did a great job. He worked very hard on it.

kHiTe: Now you are not just Mr. Sky Burner but Mr. Sky Shark too. Can you tell us a bit about what tubes you are offering now.

Just to give you a little background on how we got to use Sky Shark tubes.

We were always looking for new materials to improve our kites. In 1993 I discovered some wrapped carbon arrow shafts that were tapered and talked the manufacturer into putting build ups on the large ends so we could internally ferrule them together to use them in sport kites. We came up with the name G-Force and were the first to start using tapered wrapped tubes in production sport kites. We then went on to develop another line of wrapped carbon tubes called Black Diamond tubes. I was then contacted by Erez Borowski and was asked to be the world Distributor for Sky Shark Tubes which at the time were on the verge of what I thought was a major breakthrough in wrapped carbon tubing for kites. They were using smaller ID mandrils for thicker walls with new materials for the same stiffness as other tubes of same weights. The durability went way up and I still think they are the best in our industry today.

Sky Shark

We currently offer a full line of tapered tubes for kites. We also have the new generation P series tubes which are wrapped straight tubes. These tubes are very versatile in that they can be cut and ferruled anywhere along the tube. They come in 5 different weights and are outrageously durable. The new P90 is the newest and has been very well received. It's a great weight and still has the durability. We also just developed a new tube for Tim Benson for his new Airbow kite.

kHiTe: The P90 sounds fantastic I can think of a couple of kites that I would put that in right away - one of which is the Addiction from Premier kites - which I believed you had some hand in designing?

Yes, Wayne and I designed the Addiction last year for Premier which is a great starter trick kite. The P90 would be a great re-frame for the Addiction. Premier will be coming out with a new kite which we designed that will be framed in the P90's called the Night Hawk.

kHiTe: Another one we will keep an eye out for. Do you think Kites like the Addiction are helping more people get into Freestyle and Sports kites?

Certainly because they are designed to do all the latest tricks with unbelievable durability and at much less expensive price point.

kHiTe: We were glad to award the Addiction a kHiTe star in our review .
Any thoughts about the future of the Sport?

I think we are seeing a rebound right now. I think people are getting back to being outdoors and more active. They are I believe looking for less expensive hobbies and things to do with their families. I think and hope people are ready to get out from behind their computers. They are a part of our everyday existence but no longer a novelty. I do believe that kiting now offers something for everyone.

Mr JT and an ADX

There are kites for kids, power kites for buggying and kite surfing, dual line and quad line kites for every level of flyer and price range. I think one of the things that really hurt us here in the US is that there is no longer any magazines directed at sport kite flying. It would be great if we had more avenue's to promote our sport. I see team flying making a comeback and that is definitely a good thing. It's very exciting visually for people to watch.

kHiTe: Thanks Jon for your time, it's been appreciated.

It's been my pleasure. Hope to see you on the field sometime soon.

 

kHiTe: Well it's a long walk to Michigan, but I will bear it in mind! Hope to see you in Europe again some time soon.