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AeroStar Sportkites will
be closed from Thurs 12/23 until Tues 12/28. All e-mail inquiries and
order requests will be addressed after this time. I hope everyone
has a great and relaxing Holiday! |
Due to a rush on some last
minute Christmas orders, I was just recently able to finish the Sano SS
discussed below. Several people requested an actual photo of the
completed kite. You can now see it on the Finished
Kites page. Definitely a great looking color scheme with awesome
performance to match! |
Would you like to treat
yourself or a loved one to a Sano SS for Christmas? If yes, then
check out the Finished Kites
page! Only one available and this kite is so new that, well, it's
still being fabricated. But, it will be completed and ready to ship
around 12/16/04. Sure beats the typical 6 week wait for a custom! The
Sano SS has been met with rave reviews and is one of the most
sophisticated and tunable designs currently available. This
particular sail is also one of the rare four color motifs that have been
made. |
The three new PC-31 colors
now being stocked have already proven to be quite popular with AeroStar customers. In
fact, within days of receiving the fabric order, I was busy building sails
that used all the new shades. Pictured
below are the first production AeroStar kites that feature these
colors. Both are the new ultralight Sano SSL design. The kite
on the left is not only the first to use Mango (Golden Yellow), but the Plum
(Dark Purple) as
well. The remaining SSL uses Slate (Bluish Grey) along with previously available
Sky and Midnight Blues. Now that
I've seen these shades in actual kites, I couldn't be more pleased!
All have a very striking appearance and open up a lot of interesting color
combo possibilities. |
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Another new Sano SS video
has been uploaded to the Video Clips page.
Special thanks
goes out to Wayne Knott of Dream
Weaver Kites for permission to post his video. Wayne took a
different approach on this clip and did a superb job of editing. Not
only do I find this video addictive, but it also gets me psyched up to
fly! |
The new PC-31 fabric
colors are now available! Had a difficult time selecting just a
couple. In the end, I opted to add three new shades to include Mango
(Golden Yellow), Plum (Dark Purple) and Slate (Bluish Grey). As
stated in the August updates, both Fl. Green and Fl. Pink have been
discontinued. This brings the
total available color choices to thirteen (plus Rainbow is also an option
on certain models). All of the Sail
Colorizers have just been updated to include these new colors.
Here is my personal favorite - a Mango/Plum/Purple Sano SS! |
Several new pictures have
recently been added to the Customer
Photos page. If you are an AeroStar customer and would like to
have your photo included or updated, feel free to e-mail a JPG
attachment! |
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During the early morning
hours of Friday, September 17th, the remnants of Hurricane Ivan moved into
the Pittsburgh area. By days end, Western Pennsylvania received an
all time record rainfall (6 - 8 inches in less than 24 hours). Rampant
flooding ensued and a State of Emergency was declared for all counties in
the immediate area. And yes, the AeroStar Sportkites' workshop was
hit pretty hard. Fortunately, no equipment or kites were damaged
thanks to heeding the warnings and making prior preparations. The
entire weekend was spent cleaning up the mess. Hope to be back up
and running by tomorrow. To those of you scheduled to have kites delivered
this week, outgoing orders may be delayed slightly. Your
understanding is appreciated. As
bad as my personal situation was, it could have been much worse.
Only miles away, there are literally hundreds of homes and businesses
destroyed. Many communities still have no utilities or safe drinking
water. My prayers go out to all of those who have been devastated by
this natural disaster. |
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Thanks to the efficient
sail design and ShapeShifter™ tuning options, the Sano SS has
exceptional light wind performance. In fact, many owners have said
this kite feels like an ultralight. To
push the light wind envelope even further, I was anxious to make a dedicated UL configuration based
on the Sano platform. And finally, this is now a reality! By
using lighter weight sail materials and spars (including the awesome new
Sky Shark P90s), almost 2 ozs. was trimmed from the
already svelte standard model. So,
how does it perform? The best way to describe this kite is that it's
like crossing a ZeroStar SUL with a Sano SS standard. The reduced
mass is immediately noticed resulting in more floaty axels and pinwheels. Yet, still very easy to do
backspins and multilazies. Rising backflips and hovers can also be performed in considerably
less wind. For sure, an accomplished flyer will have no problem
indoors. Needless to say, I'm really excited about this one! This
new UL version will officially be called the Sano SSL (L = Light). If you would
like to get on the order list and obtain pricing information, please send
an e-mail promptly. Just like the standard SS, I anticipate high demand
for the SSL as well. |
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1. Two new Sano SS
videos have been uploaded to the Video Clips page.
Special thanks
goes out to Joe Aull and Rob Autrey for permission to post these
videos. You guys both did an excellent job of flying and producing! 2.
In the near future, there will be some shuffling of available sail colors.
Because of low customer demand, Fl. Pink & Fl. Green will be discontinued. There is still some fabric left in these shades, but very limited. Still
undecided as to what colors will replace these. Right now, leaning
towards two of the four PC-31 candidates shown below. Once a final decision is
made (and your input would be appreciated!), an announcement will be made here. |
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1. The Stryke
Fighter Colorizer Page has been completely overhauled. You can
now model color layouts for the new appliqué options plus the Rainbow
Tri-Panel sail as well. Hope you like these updates! 2.
The first batch of production Sano SS kites have been delivered. The
feedback received thus far has been overwhelmingly positive! If you
are contemplating getting one, an on-line Sano
SS Review by Joe Aull is now available. Like all of Joe's evaluations,
this article is very thorough, insightful and well written. While
there, check out the rest of his website too - really evolving into one of
the better kiting sites on the 'Net! 3.
A Sano SS Gallery has been started! This
page shows some completed kites owned by AeroStar customers.
Additional photos will periodically be uploaded. Seeing these kites
should help determine what custom colors you want for your own Sano
SS! |
1. Sano SS #001 (shown below) has now
been posted on eBay! The auction ends on 6/2/04 and you can view the
listing here.
Happy bidding! |
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2.
The auction for Sano SS #001 is now closed. Thanks to everyone who
participated in the eBay bidding. The proud winner is John N. from
the state of Washington. Congrats and I hope this Sano brings you
many years of flying bliss!
3.
Spring is a time of renewal, so it also seemed appropriate to give this
website a fresh appearance. Hope you all like the new cleaner
layout. Plus, some additional revisions are planned in the near
future.
4. The Sano SS
Product Page has just gotten a complete overhaul. Decided to
change the presentation a bit compare to the other AeroStar models.
Of course, a kite this special and unique is deserving.
Enjoy!
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1. The Fluorescent Orange sail color
will no longer be stocked. In its place is another shade of orange
called Flame. If you thought the Fl. Orange was bright, wait until
you see this! All of the AeroStar
Colorizer Applets have been updated with this change. However,
keep in mind that computer monitors just can't duplicate the intensity of
this color. But, if you like vibrant sails that get noticed, you'll love the Flame
Orange! |
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First production AeroStar kite made
with Flame Orange. |
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Thanks to everyone who is waiting patiently for the Sano SS. Doing
things right takes time! A few solid color Sanos were made for those
who just couldn't wait for the paneled version. Below is the latest
model just finished - a "Stealth" Sano for Steve from BC,
Canada! |
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3. Ok, more exciting Sano news!
About two weeks ago, the sail design was finalized. After carefully
configuring the panel layouts and seam allowances in CAD, this data was
used for making the sail templates. Below is a photo of the
computerized cutting machine and the resulting Sano templates: |
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4. Testing of the 10 panel Sano
SS is now completed and the performance is simply outstanding. So,
after 5 long months, this kite is finally finished!
Due to the high demand for the Sano, I simply will not be able to fulfill
all the requests in a reasonable time frame. In addition, I'm still
keeping busy making the other models in the AeroStar line. Guess you
could say I'm spread too thin!
For these reasons, I will be investigating the possibility of having the
Sano sails mass-produced. Then, I will handle the airframes, bridles
and cases plus do the final assembly and inspection. Fabrication of
these sails will still be in America and of very high quality. More
details will be released if an agreement is finalized. 5.
While the details are worked out for Sano mass-production, I will
personally be handcrafting the first batch of Sanos myself. The
exact number has not been determined but, as it stands now, there will be
a very limited number.
If you would like to obtain one of these kites in your choice of custom
colors, please see the Sano SS
Product Page. There you will find pricing and a link to the Colorizer
Applet. While not inexpensive, these custom Sanos are an excellent
value given the level of craftsmanship, quality of materials plus the
tuning options and exclusivity of the ShapeShifter™ system.
6. Incidentally, I've had several requests for Sano SS #001.
I've been really torn in how to handle this. Should I base it on the
first request received? Draw numbers from a hat? In the end,
here is the plan: I will build the first production Sano in the near
future and then put it up for auction on eBay. This seems like a
fair way to let the person who wants this kite the most to win it.
Should be a lot of fun too! An announcement will be made here when
this auction starts. |
1. Another AeroStar
Wallpaper has been created. This new picture is titled
"Star Streak" and is ready to download to your PC's
desktop. Enjoy! |
1. Refinement of the Sano SS
prototypes is going well. See the Sano SS
Product Page for new updates about the testing and flight attributes
of this design. 2. A new video
featuring the Sano SS has been added to the Video
Clips page. Special thanks to Joe Aull and Ben Liptak for their
assistance in making this - it came out great! Once the production
version is completed, a more detailed video will be produced. For
now, this "teaser" clip will have to hold you over. 3.
Been working hard on various graphic designs for the upcoming Sano
SS. After experimenting with a few dozen layouts, shown below is the
number one pick (done up in a patriotic motif). In addition, the Sano
SS Product Page now shows some layout variations and a colorizer
link. These graphics aren't set in stone (yet!) and may possibly
change based on the feedback received. Thus far, the response has
generally been very positive! |
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1. Ok, I know it's still January, but
I'm ahead of schedule (for once!) on updating the website. There
have been a good number of order inquires regarding the new Sano SS.
But, everyone wants the #01 production kite! Not sure how to resolve
this but perhaps I'll put the names in a hat (an official AeroStar cap of
course!) and draw a winner. 2.
Speaking of the new kite, a Sano SS
Product Page has been started. Here you will see some
preliminary specs plus a potential candidate for sail graphics. Any
opinions, be it positive or negative, on the aesthetics would be appreciated.
The sail templates haven't been fabricated yet, so there is still time to
make changes! 3. An appliquéd
Stryke is available for purchase on the Finished
Kites page. I built a fighter just like this one for the Kite
Party II auction. Liked it so much that I made a matching
twin. This color combo is really stunning! 4.
Recently returned from Kite Party 2 in Huntington Beach, CA. Thanks
to Dave Shenkman for hosting this wonderful event! It was really
great to meet everyone, including a lot of my customers and the other kite
designers. I was too busy having fun to take many pictures, but
there are a few posted on the Kite Party
2 page. Enjoy! |
1. Happy New Year! My apologies
for falling behind on updating this page. There was a flurry of
Christmas orders that made the last few months of '03 quite
hectic! 2. Recently,
some customers have requested that the appliqués featured on the AeroStar
dual-liners be made available on the Stryke. After making a few
fighters this way, I was very impressed with the appearance.
Therefore, the two layouts shown below have now been added to the
production line-up. Appropriately, the designer of the 'ArrowStar'
logo (John Chilese) will receive the first Stryke made with this appliqué! |
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3. Speaking of the fighter, the Stryke
Product Page has been updated. At the bottom, you will find
photos and pricing info for all six sail options. Because of the
complex and intricate fabrication requirements of this kite, the cost for
certain layouts has increased slightly for '04. 4.
It's official, a new AeroStar kite is in the works! In fact, the
first prototype was just test flown with very encouraging results.
There are many details to work out, but this new kite will have
approximately a 7 foot wingspan and is designed to excel at technical
tricks (especially backflip maneuvers). As with all my designs,
general flying traits, precision and that "AeroStar feel" will
not be overlooked! Below is a photo of the first prototype...fancy
graphics will come later. |
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Without a doubt, the most exciting
attribute of the new kite will be an exclusive feature called ShapeShifter™.
After much experimentation, a system was devised that permits that
trailing edge profile and keel angle to be modified substantially.
Best of all, adjustments can be made on the flying field in seconds.
(No knots to adjust, spacers to add or standoffs to swap!) With
ShapeShifter, fliers can tune the kite to match wind conditions, flying
styles and whatever mood they are in for that matter! To effectively
demonstrate how the sail profile can be altered, here is a photo that
shows an asymmetrical adjustment. |
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When will this kite be available?
As most of you know, I never rush my designs into production. The
release date and price are TBD. The information will be posted
here when available. Oh yeah, the model name will probably be Sano SS (the
'SS' for ShapeShifter of course!) |
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