“The use of means never before heard of for the doing of things never before done, cannot fail to excite considerable interest; and the more especially so if the objects accomplished wear any features of public utility.” - George Pocock, The Aeropleustic Art, or Navigation in the Air, by the use of Kites, or Bouyant Sails

“Fascination with kites in the days before the mastery of the skies through powered flight is understandable. It was an opportunity for communication with the broad firmament of heaven, even as the fowls. But when shining ships pass every hour, high above the limits of any kite, and manned flight to the moon appear on television, why do mankind’s first experiments in aerodonetics yet arouse our curiosity and excite our imagination? - Neil Thorburn, Super Kites III

“The freedom of art and artists is still severely restricted by the artists’ common habit of regarding their own navels. Art in general has spent a lot of time and effort looking at its own navel. In order to reorient artists’ concern and to reestablish touch with and influence on life, we raise our eyes and look at the world beyond the limits of “art”,…” - Otto Piene, More Sky, (under the heading of “kites”)

“However it originated, the kite rapidlyaquired religious, magical, and ceremonial significance in many of those parts of the world to which it spread. In at least some civilizations, including the Polynesian, kites seem have had some function as symbols of an external soul.” - Clive Hart, Kites an Historical Survey

“At one end of the spectrum, kites have delighted and inspired children and playful adults for centuries. That is no small matter.” - Tom Crouch, The Genesis of Flight

“Simplicity and low cost do not imply inferiority. Kitemakers should look at the shopping bag as Michelangelo looked at a block of marble.” - Margaret Gregor, More Kites for Everyone

“The kite is an aircraft, and as such it is governed by the principles of heavier-than-air flight, and it is only through an understanding of these basic principles that it becomes possible to devise new and beautiful configurations that embody the grace and efficiency of absolute simplicity.” - David Pelham, The Penguin Books of Kites

Highest Altitude for a Single Kite – On April 12, 2000, Richard Synergy flew a kite which he had designed and constructed to an altitude of 4,422 meters (14,509 ft) above take-off point. The kite had a total surface area of 25 square meters (270 ft). Synergy traveled to Northern Canada in order to fly the kite in an area that allowed kite flying to such extreme altitudes.

America’s Oldest Continuous Kite Festival – The Zilker Park Kite Festival has been running in Austin, Texas since 1929 and takes place each spring. The 2012 Festival will be the 84th Festival.

The Oldest Recorded Western Kite Still in Existence – The oldest kite still in existence is a Dutch Peartop paper kite owned by Peter Lynn. The kite is currently thought to be at least 237 years old – it was created at least as early as 1773. The kite was found between the ceiling and floor of the first and second stories of a Dutch rowhouse, and pages from a book published in 1700 were used in the kite’s construction.