| In 1992... ...the kite industry was a different game than it is today. It was a virtual "wild west", with several new kite manufacturers popping up almost weekly. Most of these businesses were one or two people, working out of someone's garage, or if they were lucky, crammed into a corner of an old industrial building. These were exciting times to be a kite maker, anyone with a few yards of fabric and a handful of sticks was setting up shop. In '92 we were making parts out of hardware store vinyl tubing and other miscellaneous scrounged parts. Kite sticks came in two varieties; fiberglass, which was heavy and flexible, and carbon, which was light and stiff (and fragile) Enter Kurt and Ingrid Degener, who along with partner Reggie Durhman, had a new idea - start a company catering to the needs of the kite industry. They would offer a wide range of framing materials, along with custom made connectors and accessories. And furthermore, they would offer service, in the form of custom cutting! Reggie designed all new carbon tubes, which had not only high stiffness to weight ratios, but were also tough as nails, due to our proprietary resin system and fiber alignment. Fast forward to 2001. A lot has changed over the last several years, and Avia Sport has been there every step of the way, setting the standards with products like our G-Force wrapped tapered tubes and the APA line of custom molded kite fittings. Our carbon tubes are made specifically for the kite and hobby markets, but are made to such tight tolerances that we also service the archery industry. Our innovative micro carbon rod, which is known by the trademark Graphlite® in the composites industry, is being used in development of recreational, industrial, infrastructure and aerospace projects around the globe. |
