Carl Bragiel,

"The One-Man Kite Team" has been flying 3 dual line sport kites for 13 of his 16 years as a kiter. In order to perfect his show, Carl began by flying over 30 hours per week totaling close to 2000 hours in the first year alone. Before going public with his show in 1993, he flew in all weather conditions, (even in the dark) he tangled lines, ripped sails, and broke many kite frames.

Assisted by his wife Lisa, Carl is one of just a handful of people in the world who can perform this feat well. Carl is most noted at festivals for his non-stop flying, and when not in center field he is often seen flying off to the side. Their flying schedule has relaxed considerably in the past few years, and these days they mainly fly at festivals, special events, and an occasional weekend at the beach.

Kite flying isn't all they do. Carl has 3 businesses. He and Lisa raise llamas, he is a residential painting contractor, and he keeps extremely busy with a shearing and "para-veterinary" service for llamas and other farm animals. Lisa, who serves as Carl's support crew on the flying field, is the Director of Admission at a private college in Oregon. Both are very active in the Associated Oregon Kiters, and serve as board members for the club.

Together, Carl and Lisa now have 23 llamas, 11 cats, "Barkley" the dog, and "Clifford" the peacock. All reside at "Hill of Beans Llamas" in Amity Oregon.

Carl and Lisa would especially like to thank The Kite Shoppe; all around supporter, great folks, and supplier of my "SHIVA" kites. Thanks also to New Tech Kites for kites and lines, and to Miguel Rodriquez -creator of the California Wasp Kite. Your generous support is very much appreciated!

With one kite held in each hand and a third attached to his chest Carl maneuvers his kites into daring formations and close order unison. Unlike other multiple kite flyers that stagger their line lengths, Carl flys his kites at the same line length. This adds an extra element of danger, but the payoff is well worth the risk. Wingtip to wingtip flying and close ground work are only accomplished by this method.

When fully outfitted, Carl's custom built kites are pulling 9 tails. Each kite might have a 130 foot tube tail and 2- 110 foot ribbons. The tails on each kite have a combined weight of nearly 2 ½ pounds which is nearly 3 times the weight of the actual kite! Often criticized for his choice of black and white, he has chosen these to be the main colors of his equipment, thereby making the show an "experience" rather than a routine. Strangely, people often go silent when Carl performs as if hypnotized by the undulating black and white patterns.