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  • Felix

    2012 events, provisional list

    By Felix

    Oh well, another year! <grins> Nothing is confirmed, as yet. 1st January 2012 12-16/04/2012 Berck-Plage, France 21/04-29/05/2012 Cervia, Italy 05-07/05/2012 Weymouth 26-27/05/2012 Exmouth 25-27/08/2012 Portsmouth Margate
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    • 1,036 views
  • West Australian

    Flight Log and Thoughts about My Rev Kit.

    By West Australian

    No Arvo Flight Yesterday, Responsibilities are beginning to creep in on my flying time Well I Joined up to KiteLife… Very Happy about that. I feel that the Contribution that KiteLife makes to the Community needs to be supported. And all those Sweet Tutorials are Pretty good too I have been Downloading them onto My Ipod Touch. To Paraphrase SparkieRob, I have a John Barresi In my Pocket. This morning was nice, Light to Moderate winds when I set up the STD with 3 Wrap and 80# lines I got i
    • 3 comments
    • 1,692 views
Rev Kite Team Notes, The Decorators
 

14/07/2019 Blackheath

Arrived soon after 10:30 am which was about the time that Jake had suggested he might get to the heath. We had not had the chance to fly the JMH kites together for some time now and this was an opportunity to check some of the kites we may be able to fly next weekend in Shropshire. First up, almost was the 8 diamond Della Porta.  Not quite enough wind again but it is clear that this ‘composition’ is completely viable. The 1990 Parafoil which I have been partly re-bridling was the
Felix

Felix

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Rev Kite Team Notes, The Decorators
 

07/07/2019 Blackheath

A light easterly breeze so Zens with green race today.  The high and low cloud threatened drizzle but it didn’t happen.  The ground was very wet from overnight rain and the plantain heads had sprung up over the last week. Nothing called and there was an occasional lull which had us walking back, every which way, it seemed.  We had a visitor today who had seen the Revs from a passing bus.  He was a Blacksmith student at an institution in Herefordshire having completed the first of three year
Felix

Felix

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Rev Kite Team Notes, The Decorators
 

30/06/2019 Blackheath

Only revs today as there was a running event taking place and the wind forecast did not look great. The high cloud was receding so fair weather cumulus but not very developed most of the time.  The westerly wind was typical summer Blackheath, on the strong side this time, but consistently variable.  Opting for mid vents with green race made a certain amount of sense until the arm ache set in! Very little called as the variability of the breeze really was not conducive to team flying.
Felix

Felix

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Rev Kite Team Notes, The Decorators
 

23/06/2019 Blackheath

I did take the personal revs to Blackheath today but managed to ‘forget’ the handle bag.  As no one else was expected that really didn’t matter but I had also left the SLK toolkit behind as well.  That might have been irritating! The challenge today was to set up the Edo kite solo.  After the kind assistance of the team at the beginning of June I knew that I had to establish a method to accomplish this.  I know that ground stakes are only to be used ‘carefully’ and as conditions were relati
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Rev Kite Team Notes, The Decorators
 

16/06/2019 Blackheath

RSS kites today in contrast to last weekend.  Today there were also very localised heavy showers to contend with on the brisk SW breeze.  We were mostly lucky but were dressed accordingly anyway. Extended no call flying watching the highly contrasted clouds passing by. The plantain seed heads that were becoming prevalent in recent weeks had been mown so really no issues today! No JMH kites today as it was clear that conditions would be a bit fierce. Happy to have the ‘drum ki
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Rev Kite Team Notes, The Decorators
 

09/06/2019 Blackheath

Zens with green race today gives a measure of the breeze from the SW.  Mostly fair weather cumulus in long standing lines with very high cloud gradually thickening. There were occasional lulls which made a perfect excuse for putting together some of the JMH kites. First up was the re-framed late Delta.  Mainly 10mm carbon tube but with a re-purposed Rev SLE spreader.  This is a very good light wind option now.  I note that this was flown on the rear connection point.  I tried the middl
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Rev Kite Team Notes, The Decorators
 

02/06/2019 Blackheath

I had hoped for 8-10mph today but it ended up more like 13-15 with significantly higher gusts.  Full vent 1.5s with green race were ok most of the time.  I had not taken the RSS kites so that was not an option. During the week I had prepared a light wind frame for the large JMH delta and also modified the frames for the two Rok and Rev JMH Rokakkus which need further bridle adjustment. Today I opted to put together the JMH Edo from 1995.  The fact that the bridle took a considerable ti
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Rev Kite Team Notes, The Decorators
 

28/05/2019 After Scarborough

The weather forecast for the weekend indicated that Saturday was going to be the day that offered the opportunity to fly JMH kites as well as the Revs and possibly Rev stacks. On that basis we set up with the full banners and tent configuration first thing on Saturday.  Not Zens were the right sail all day with green race as usual. We flew the three large JMH Rokkaku kites with the light weight frames and they looked stunning together in the sky.  There was not quite enough breeze for
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Rev Kite Team Notes, The Decorators
 

19/05/2019 Blackheath

Cloudy today with occasional brightness and the threat of a shower.  Light NE breeze which was mostly steady. Zens and CR sails mostly with green race were comfortable but I did feel somewhat constrained having woken today with an aching left leg. Despite the discomfort I did put together the Della Porta: Nine squares 1993.  All seemed ok but there were some questionable knots on the bridle ring and an odd overlay of a couple of the individual bridle lines.  As the last time that this
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Rev Kite Team Notes, The Decorators
 

12/05/2019 Blackheath

A quiet day on Blackheath, light NE breeze and a first sighting of swifts against the blue sky and bubbling cumulus. Took the Della Porta: Eight rhomboids 1993 today but didn’t check to see if the tails were in the bag.  As with the other two kites from this period the tails are actually bagged separately… Still, no broken spars in this one and there is a chance to try it next weekend ahead of the Scarborough event the following weekend.  I’ll try to sort the broken 5 spars for the big
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Felix

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Rev Kite Team Notes, The Decorators
 

05/05/2019 Blackheath

We took all the team kit to Blackheath today for de-sanding.  Many hands made relatively light work of this necessary process. Some of the sand dust is well and truly ingrained in the mesh and fabric of the full vent sails.  Only a thorough soaking will remove that! It has been an energetic month with 21 flying days since 5th April.  I did not get to fly a kite today and have been reviewing images from Cervia this afternoon.  Many of them have been posted on Facebook already! Feli
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Rev Kite Team Notes, The Decorators
 

02/05/2019 After Cervia

I had decided not to make notes during the event and do find myself somewhat at a loss to find the words and details to summarise Cervia.  It was a very good event, needless to say! Caterina made it known that she wanted to talk about our ‘location’ for the event and had planned to reduce the size of the single line art kite area where we have been for quite a few years now and add a new area to the south of the main arena for the displaced art kites with us as a buffer before the large ‘in
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Rev Kite Team Notes, The Decorators
 

15/04/2019 After Berck

It was my 25th visit to Berck according to the records that we have.  Conditions were not forecast to be good but we survived the only one really wet day and mostly coped with the offshore wind spells.  The NE winds were often pushed round to a northerly flow by the sea-land tendency. Conditions were not good for flying the JMH collection kites much of the time and there were space constraints.  It is not good manners to occupy temporarily vacant space where tethered kites have landed…  The
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Rev Kite Team Notes, The Decorators
 

31/03/2019 Blackheath

Preparations rather than the clock change meant I did not get to Blackheath until 11:15am.  Quite a steady ENE breeze so we did put up full vented 1.5s with green race.  All very straightforwards so far! I hoped to test fly some of the JMH kites today and started with the Della Porta: Four rhomboids 1993.  Not knowing this format of kite (same as Della Porta: 4 squares) I was anxious to find a way to manage the bridle initially and then move the kite to a safe launch point.  The kite is 4 m
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Rev Kite Team Notes, The Decorators
 

24/03/2019 Blackheath

The forecast indicated light NW breeze and some broken cloud. The breeze was just a bit too light for the Double / Single Eddy stack 1989.  I had replaced the spreaders and found today that the main spars are very brittle which given that they are 30 years old is hardly surprising! Did some more bridle adjustments on the Della Porta: 4 squares but something is not quite right.  Probably need to start from the beginning again! I did remember to take Rev handles but didn’t get a c
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Rev Kite Team Notes, The Decorators
 

17/03/2019 Blackheath

Fortunately this was the one Sunday in March that Jacob was in London so we could start assessing the JMH kites. Ironically having been concentrating on selecting kites to try and additional equipment I had left my Rev handles at home.  Spares were offered but I did not get to fly a Rev today!  For those that did it was RSS sails which gives an indication of the wind speed, probably about 15mph I would guess. First up was a set of 6 banners.  Now we remember why we don’t do banners at
Felix

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Rev Kite Team Notes, The Decorators
 

10/03/2019 Blackheath

It was windy as forecast so I did not expect to be on site for long today.  Soon after arriving there were relatively long spell where the RSS kites were quite comfortable. Gradually the length of the calmer spells shortened and so kites on the ground time increased.  It did not feel as if anything was going to break but it was sufficiently uncomfortable flying so we called it a day at about midday. The Aarhus trip was straightforward but I have to go back to collect four more kites we
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Rev Kite Team Notes, The Decorators
 

03/03/2019

The weather for the 10th March still does not look promising.  We didn’t even try today given the rain and wind! All set for Aarhus, Wednesday.  The prospect of so many unique kites to fly is a bit exciting.  A whole new chapter, even. Felix
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Rev Kite Team Notes, The Decorators
 

24/02/2019 Blackheath

Blue sky and sunshine in Hackney but heading towards the Blackwall Tunnel there was fog closer to the Thames with the tops of the Canary Wharf buildings appearing above it.  Emerging from the tunnel south of the river it was fairly dense fog but at the top of the Sun in the Sands hill the sun was shining again in a blue sky. A light east north easterly breeze was only just perceptible when we arrived but it did strengthen gradually and switch to more easterly before the thermal activity rea
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Felix

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Rev Kite Team Notes, The Decorators
 

17/02/2019 Blackheath

Our arrival today coincided with the southerly breeze freshening somewhat so we eventually decided on full vented 1.5s with mostly race frames after having tried full sail and mid vents as well.  The breeze was mostly c11mph but often more and with just the occasional lull. Full sunshine as well to the point that I was feeling that I had too many layers! Six up so mostly called and accompanied flying today.  Steve Reich, Pat Metheny: Electric Counterpoint had an airing as well as some
Felix

Felix

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Rev Kite Team Notes, The Decorators
 

10/02/2019 Blackheath

A brief visit today as the weather forecast was not really very helpful.  In the event a 15mph westerly breeze occasionally dropped off but there was a considerable wind chill, feeling as if it was only just above freezing point. Occasional raindrops for most of the time until a settled band of rain arrived  a bit before 1:00pm. RSS kites again and it was noted how much ‘lighter’ these are compared to other high wind formats.  The lack of gauze is a definite benefit especially in damp/
Felix

Felix

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Rev Kite Team Notes, The Decorators
 

03/02/2019 Blackheath

A light WSW breeze and mostly sunny session today. Zens with green race and a couple of CR sails were eventually a bit overpowered but to start it must have been 4mph, if that, ending with 7 or 8mph, I guess! Some excellent silent and close flying today along with relaxed called sequences and musical accompaniment. It might have been good for the stacks but I was intent on checking out the 100m of 2.5mm diameter red sleeved spectra with the large JMH Rokakku and especially the li
Felix

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Rev Kite Team Notes, The Decorators
 

27/01/2019 Blackheath

Blustery, chilly NW breeze, probably 15 gusting 30mph.  Mostly cloudy, just the occasional burst of sunshine. RSS kites handled well, not too much of a struggle and of course dealt with the lulls.  We noticed some pinching of the sails around the vertical spars which may have been due to the ‘springs’ being set on the inner of the spar rather than the outer side.  Probably not of any importance but worth remembering if we decide not to use the springs… Further work on the web site this
Felix

Felix

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