There was drizzle in the air on the hill up to ‘Sun in the Sands’ roundabout but it had stopped by the time we got out onto the ‘heath’.
The wind was forecast at 13mph upwards so I had extracted the team RSS set so that we could get some ‘hands on’ time if conditions were appropriate. That was certainly the case today and I think that we all appreciated the ‘forgiving’ wind range of these kites.
Nothing called but there was a lot of close and slow interaction interspersed with faster
It was a token session today really. The damp easterly breeze was fairly consistent under low grey clouds with an occasional brighter moment.
Somehow the combination of a cold damp ‘strongish’ breeze was not conducive to contemplative ‘flying’. It was certainly not good for fettling the stacks. I might have to do some more measurement checking indoors rather than waiting for ideal outdoor condition.
I hope to do some more work on our Jørgen Møeller Hansen project soon. In the meant
Bright and sunny with a brisk easterly breeze today, probably 12mph gusting much more…
Full vented with green race mostly, I was on the RSS again which meant that I occasionally needed to move a bit faster. Some called moves today, nothing too challenging but it was the free flying interaction that impressed me most…
I have located this text and all that precede it in an orderly manner at www.felixmottram.com/kiteblog. I will eventually deal with the remaining ‘translation’ issues wh
I arrived on Blackheath today in bright sunshine with a mostly blue sky. While showers had been forecast I had for some reason assumed that they would be elsewhere but on the SW horizon there was a very dark area of cloud. After a few minutes it was apparent that it was approaching fast.
I set up an RSS ( it was a fairly brisk SW breeze) assuming that it was going to be a fairly sharp shower and that the rest of the kit should stay in the dry. It was only when the sun was obscured by the
I have noticed previously that the high level cloudscape can be particularly varied and interesting in the remains of Atlantic hurricanes that have been swept up by the jet stream that delivers the weather to the UK. Today was one of those occasions, with temperatures well into double figures as well!
Light SW breeze so mostly full 1.5s with race rods. Nothing called today, not least because minds (and some bodies) were elsewhere…
The sleeved kevlar turned out to be too tough really
At 9:00am the rain looked steady so the prospect of flying today appeared remote. The forecast was mixed but in the event there was a break in the ‘showers’ around our normal start time.
Full vented with green race and an RSS in the occasionally brisk ENE breeze.
There was some warmth in the sun but was definitely ‘gloves’ weather; the first this Autumn. We did not last long as there was an approaching shower. More rain back in Hackney at 2:00pm.
I have located and ordered some
Clear blue sky with steady westerly breeze, probably 4 gusting 8 mph. Wet underfoot to start but soon dried out…
Zens and CRs with green and black race rods mostly. There was a bit of called flying but nothing too energetic. A neat transformation from circle to vertical line and the reverse suggested a whole range of novel moves that just need to be ‘called’.
Once the ground had dried a bit I ran out a new line-set for the stacks, the standard 100ft 200lb (thanks to Vliegertak Kite
No repeat performance today after last Sunday! It did not look as if we would have any flying today but at 10:30am the radar was no longer showing heavy showers approaching from the South so we ‘took a chance’.
Full sail 1.5s with Race rods mostly in the NW breeze before the rain arrived again.
So that was our token OSOW effort for another year… I note that last year Chris Murphy first visited us on the second Sunday. It looked as if we had much more flying on that occasion!
Sunshine to start and with a light northerly breeze we were flying into the sun. Zens with green race to begin with…
We then set up the two four stacks and ‘everyone’ took them for a spin. I managed to get a couple of photos as well! High cloud had moved in by this time.
As the wind was occasionally dropping down I decided to join the stacks and try the longer handles on the full rig. Forward flight was really not happening when the handles were on full forwards. I will be interes
Sunny to start with a light westerly breeze c10:30am. I set up the full eight stack of Rev1s as at Dieppe but found that the ground surface was less consistent and provided less grip so quite quickly opted to split the stack into fours… MW was more than happy to fly the four on the 200lb set of lines while I checked over the shorter 300lb set that I used to use on the six stack.
After some considerable corrections to this lineset we had the two four stacks in the air for quite some time b
I had hoped to sort the team kites today as the last night that we were in Dieppe was the night fly so we had made up a temporary ‘small’ bag…
The weather forecast had not been looking good all week and this morning it was very wet but without the high winds originally expected.
Suffice to say sorting the kites will have to wait another week, at least; the current forecast for next Sunday is not great!
Time to think about the schedule for next year. It looks as if we will not be
Travel to Dieppe went smoothly and we had a chance for a stroll around town before registration and heading off to the gite in Puys.
We had varying numbers of fliers for the first three days but then were settled on eight from Tuesday morning onwards.
I had tentatively hoped that the opportunity to rig a stack of 8 Rev1s would arise during the week. We duly tied two linked 4 stacks and the first fix was very successful. I flew the stack alongside the 1991 20sq meter JMH parafoil whic
Travelled to Kendal on Friday and on Saturday walked out of Sedburgh up Winder on a circular route. Later in the day travelled up the River Brathay valley and over the Wrynose Pass. The cyclists that we saw at the top of the pass travelling in the opposite direction looked very excited to be heading downhill…
It was a brief re-introduction to me of Cumbria.
On Sunday we stopped off at Lytham St. Annes to see the event in action before heading back to London.
We are all set for
There was only going to be a narrow window of opportunity today before the rain arrived.
The southerly breeze was reasonably consistent probably 8-10mph so mid-vents with race rods felt comfortable most of the time. Still getting to know the 15 inch handles on a new set of leaders but there were no issues today.
At the end of July Blackheath was brown underfoot. It is now mostly back to a new growth of green.
The rain started soon after 11:00am and is still steady in Hackney at
Cloudy with a mostly brisk SW breeze so we were on full vent 1.5s with race rods. We used the RSS kites in Scarborough but apart from that the last time we flew full vented appears to have been in Cervia…
Nothing called, just a relaxed fly. Jade joined us for the first time in a number of years.
We expect to be at Blackheath next weekend but will be travelling the following weekend with a brief visit to Lytham St. Annes a possibility. Dieppe follows taking the next two weekends. It
Travel to Portsmouth was a bit dramatic for some of the team with repeated torrential downpours.
The event on Saturday was very well attended. We set up close to the War Memorial as the 'other' end of the south side of the arena was dominated by ‘commercial operations’.
Not Zens were used extensively early in the day but the JMH mid vents came into play later…
Sunday was going to be wet but we had a narrow window in which to get prepared before the rain started. It was a ‘one-ki
After last weekend’s respite we were back to high summer today. Intermittent light breeze from the SE generally but switching 90 degrees to either side. No sign of the swifts which is what I would have expected…
Zens and CRs again but I set up some 15 inch clipless handles on a new set of lines. The increased brake provided felt very ‘familiar’ so walking ‘fast’ downwind in a very light or no wind situation was now ‘possible’ with the larger sail. I can now see that limiting the ‘forwar
The long hot dry summer spell ended this weekend and the Blackheath regulars decided to take a break rather than cope with potential transport difficulties, rain and high wind.
It does appear that ‘summer’ will return shortly so we should be on site as usual on 5th August for final ‘preparation’ ahead of the Portsmouth event the following weekend.
I probably need to tackle LE degradation on the nearly 10 year old full vented JMH 1.5s in the meantime. They are next on the list for re-
Mostly high cloud today with an intermittent WNW breeze.
Zens and CRs again but from the outset the occasional stronger breeze moments were really at the top end of the comfort range with green race spars. There was some direction shifting but only through a c120 degree arc.
Some further conversation today about the elusive sound tracks, both for the team and the ‘post Moscow’ project.
I am hoping that a re-sewn sail will turn up in time for Portsmouth. Why is it that these arra
An almost cloudless dark blue sky today with an occasional 2-3 mph breeze from the South West. At other times it was at all points of the compass. I walked a 360 with the kite at the top of the window(s).
The crispy ground surface had been mown since last week so no snagging issues today.
Zens with green race, soundtrack Miles Davis “Kind of Blue”.
All set for Portsmouth now after various changes in the line-up. I will be visiting Lytham St Anne’s on Sunday 2nd September ahead
Some of us were south of the river yesterday afternoon/evening for the Devonshire Road Nature Reserve event…
Blackheath today was looking very ‘summer’ dry. The surface was crunchy underfoot not least because I have full hearing after a month of cotton wool and eardrops.
Zens and CR sail today mostly green race, a great combination! The circular nature of the wind direction kept us guessing as did the drying flowerheads and their propensity to snag lines at launch. We all succumbed
It was a really delightful weekend in Ireland… The local aviation authority had designated kite flying permission up to 500 feet between midday and 5:00pm. So that is basically what we did.
On Saturday the breeze was initially consistent from the SE but became minimal later. We kept the show on the road flying the Not Zens. A PA system was provided and we eventually found the audio connection and set about mirroring our recent Blackheath ‘method’ of running a medley of the teams familia
The final full weekend in June was another light wind day, thermaling around the compass.
Just a bit of high level cloud mixing with con trails kept the full intensity of the sun at bay. I have done a bit more work on the ‘not tent/sun shade’ so that is all set for Tramore.
Zens with green race today along with a Robertshaw with black race. We were on 120ft lines but mindful that we may need 100ft sets next weekend. Nothing called today but I did take the opportunity to use the soun
It was a bit of an ‘edge of seat week’ as it was apparent that there was very little or no wind at all in Moscow down on the river. Wednesday saw an improvement but by that point it was basically too late for creative work by the TV people. The chance of performing live on the Thursday evening had always been ‘remote’.
Anyway, there was a breeze on Blackheath today from the west. At times it was too strong for 1.5 full sails and green race rods. Mid vents would have been better.
We
Another typical June day on Blackheath. Today we were joined by the swifts which I suspect I will also have noted in previous years. Sometimes they seem to be very close to the kites.
It was Zens with green race for most fliers today. Nothing called and in the variable thermaling wind we were often at the ‘close to vertical’ top of the window.
I did a bit more ‘testing’ on the configuration of the ‘not-tent’. The intention (sorry) is to get it available when we travel to events by
