Peter Lynn is a remarkable man. A skilled engineer with determination, he has spent his life being dissatisfied with the world and trying to change it.

He is known to most of us for his work in kite flying. He has filled the skies with thousands of giant inflateable animals, a concept that was unthinkable when he started flying.

He initiated the modern world of traction kite flying, with his kite buggy, which blossomed to deliver the entire world of kite surfing which has eclipsed the once prevalent field of wind surfing.

He designed the last six of the world's largest kites.

Dig a little deeper and we find that he has been designing and building sailing boats. Boats with planing hulls, multiple hulls, hydrofoils, moving sections, sails, kites, all to explore innovative ways to push forward the art of exploiting the ancient interface between air and water.

He has a huge collection of smelly old engines and has spent years trying to deliver the promise of the Stirling heat engine,

He has made all this possible by running successful businesses to finance his tinkering, whilst bringing up a large family of children into fine and successful adults.

But what shall we remember him for?

What is the pinnacle of his career?

I think that it is the development that he has announced today:

A Pilot kite that needs a pilot kite.

Postscript

As you might imagine, Peter was quick to respond to my blog. He writes:

I don't deserve the credit for this; it belongs to George Pocock. 184 years ago he noted that flying a small "pilot" kite (his naming) above the main kite has multiple advantages.

To my view these advantages aren't only that the the lower kite can be crap, but that, in technical terms, ( which may be a bit too edumacated for sum on this address list) it can fly lower - that is, not be on a line length such that when some adjacent scum bag flying on kevlar cuts it out of the sky it goes so far that the locals steal it before you get there.

And, that the lower, (larger), kite then becomes self launching (which some of you have expressed difficulty with doing manually).

And, really technically, it allows the design of the main kite to avoid being compromised by having to fly solo in exteme winds that only occur very occasionally (except in Germany).

I think George 's idea is a winner!

In his honour we should call it a Pocock not a Pilot.

Credit where credit is due. I would be happy to refer to a Pilot as a "Pocock". But in honour of advancement that our man has brought to the art, a pilot for a pilot should be named a "Peter".

Andrew