Joel Scholz

Kiting has a handful of people who are Giants in the field.  Joel Scholz is among the top.  Not only has Joel designed hundreds of kites, but he is also one of the handful of kiters that has managed to make a living doing so, and has traveled the world. 

Joel was always interested in things that interacted with the wind.  On Spring Break in his early years of teaching Joel attended a kite festival at Zilker Park where he first saw adults flying kites.  Following the ideas he had as he read David Pelham’s The Penguin Book of Kites Joel made a kite and entered the Zilker’s Kitemaking Contest earning a third-place trophy.  He continued to attend Zilkers (also known as ABC Kite Fest) and learned about the AKA and the world of adult kite fliers.    

After a few voluntary career changes, the economy was forcing Joel to once again choose another career.  Joel took a leap of faith, borrowed money and started his kite making business Sky Delight Kites.  From that decision Joel found his true career and passion.  He also met his wife Bonnie.  Bonnie was recruited by a seamstress hired by Joel to sew Angelfish Kites.  Bonnie met Joel for the first time when she took in an armload of finished skins for Joel to frame. 

As the business model changed, so did Joel, transitioning from making his own kites to licensing his designs.  Joel has licensed his designs to companies like Go Fly a Kite, Premier, HQ and others.    

Some of his designs include the F-16 (3D fighter jet kite), Neptune (a dual line kite), Beautiful Evil (a Quad-line), the Triangulation Kite, and many, many Bird kites. 

A more complete interview can be found here…. Joel Scholz – Sky Delight Kites  The Man Behind the Magic An Interview with Joel Scholz, Founder of Sky Delight Kites by Ziggy Santa Maria of the San Diego Kite Club