dean jordan started flying kites at the ripe age of 7 and never stopped. When his parents wouldn't buy him any more(they cost $.25!)he built his own. Flying and building kites off and on his whole life, dean was educated in the US Navy, dean jordan is a major shareholder and Vice President of KiteShip Corporation. A kite builder and competitive kite flyer from a very early age, Mr. jordan holds a number of records, achievements and trophies in the field of sport kiting, even though he says he only competed for a chance to fly in front of an audience. Mr. jordan has been among the world's few professional kite designers, flyers and demonstrators since he was a teenager; he derives all of his income from kiting.
As a professional designer, Mr. jordan personally developed many of the innovative features and details of stunt kites during their heyday in the 1980's. Mr. jordan's company, Jordan Air Kites, was the first to build ultra light kites and the first to design and build hyper-lightweight kites for indoor (windless) kiting in the 1990's. Mr. jordan also designed what was to become a world standard for single-line large ram air kites, the Jordan AirForm kite.
In the field of traction kiting, Mr. jordan was amongst the first to perfect kites for kite land sailing (kite buggies),and has rubbed wheels with some of the best. Later a strong demand as a test pilot, trouble shooter and design critic for numerous kite making companies, both on land and on water.
Mr. jordan studied under master kite
designer Peter Lynn
in New Zealand, helped Bruce Flora create his Kiteman
Productions kite extravaganza company in Florida and has trained
professional dancers, skaters and entertainment performers in the
physics and art of kite flying in Japan, Russia, South America, and
throughout Europe and America. dean has used kites as his calling
card all over the world.
Mr. jordan stays active within organized
kiting by being a member of the American Kiteflyers Association, as
well as helping to run the North American
Buggy eXpo and event held every March/April on Ivanpah Dry Lake
using traction kites.
In 1998 Mr. jordan was invited to join KiteShip Company on a consultancy basis to design, fabricate and fly at that time the world's largest ram-air traction kite. He joined KiteShip permanently in 2002 as its Senior Vice President and a major shareholder, though he still consults in both stunt kiting and exposition flying, worldwide. His major application at KiteShip are as test pilot, trouble shooter, kite designer, and kite builder. Also logistics coordination, computer and networks coordinator and general dogsbody.
Meanwhile, he has become a member of the World's Largest Kite Team, The Mega Moon Team from Japan, and recently went to Kuwait to fly with the other team members of the two other World's Largest Kite Teams.
He has also become a character in a
series of books about to be published by his friend Rick
Kinnaird!
While the KiteShip project is on hold, dean is back at it again, with new designs, plans, and schemes to bring peace to the planet through the use of kites. Stay tuned as the adventure continues!
