Authors: Ben Ruhe, Scott Skinner
Date Submitted: August 31, 2005
Article Type: Journal

“Talking about Peter Lynn poses a problem,” says Scott Skinner, president of the Drachen Foundation and a longtime, knowledgeable observer of Lynn and his work. “There are so many facets to this diamond, everyone of them an integral part of the whole.”

“First and foremost, he is the world’s expert on kite aerodynamics. No one is even close to him because of his aeronautical training, experience, and his hands-on willingness to test and quantify the results.

“In the area of kite traction, I see him as a world leader both on the theoretical and forward-thinking sides. And yet in kiteboarding, or kitesurfing as it is also known, he’s a small part of the market. But in my opinion his kites are always a step above others. He has always come from the performance side of things. The sport right now is looking for brute force. He’s trying, however, for boat-sailing type performance with his kites. I think that’s his next world to conquer: kiteboating. He’s looking for true kite-sailing, where virtually anyone with a sailboat can take one of his kites and use it as a sail, to have the ability to get higher where the wind is stronger. The downside is always taking the kite up and back. Problems are solving themselves. The market for kiteboating is huge. It is potentially the biggest market in the world for anything kite-related.

PDF Link: Journal Issue