10/05/2026
Andrew was a tremendous character in the kite community for many years. As a major contact with Peter Lynn Kites, Andrew worked with Kiteman on numerous occasions, and even visited our production of Epcot Forever. He will be sorely missed. RIP Andrew.
An Empty Space in the Sky: Andrew M. Beattie
The American Kitefliers Association mourns the passing of eminent international kite flier Andrew Beattie, aged 61. He was the proprietor of tug.com, the “Gaffer” of the old rec.kites newsgroup, and a renowned professional flier of giant inflatable show kites.
He flew kites from childhood. Through the 1990s he was better known for traction kites, posting on the early-internet newsgroup rec.kites as Gaffer, selling power kites and buggies, and designing the Chevron kite. A 1994 poll named him one of the group’s ten most valued contributors.
The show-kite years ran in parallel with the late Peter Lynn of Ashburton, New Zealand, the engineer who had turned a 1970s kite works into the world’s best-known maker of inflatable giants.
The late Peter Lynn, who passed away in April, built the ubiquitous octopus, the world-record kites, and the buggy. Beattie avidly flew them. A pink octopus was his first huge piece, and the kites he later stacked—bears, crocodile, gecko, manta ray, tiger, puppy, lobster, and squid—were Peter Lynn designs, sewn in New Zealand and sent out under the tug.com name.
Where Peter Lynn was the inventor on the festival circuit, Beattie was the importer and a key traveling pilot, seen with multiple big kites in tow. The kite circuit was the same one Lynn had opened for show kites, but Beattie became the expert field captain for record-breaking kites.
At home, he was a fixture at Weymouth, Bristol, Cheltenham, St Annes, Bridlington, and Millport. Abroad, he saw the world, including Mangalore, Gujarat, and Hyderabad; Nanchang and Chengdu; Kuwait for a long span under Al-Farsi Team colours; Berck, Doha, Cervia, Bali, Dublin, Dieppe, and Fanø.
He said his job was to make people happy, and that it was a hobby that had gotten out of control. He is survived by his loving wife, Kathleen, who often flew with him, and by his only child, Sam.
In honoring former member Andrew Beattie, we honor a life that lifted both kites and people—higher than ever imagined.
—Gary Mark, AKA Director, Region 13 International
