Jump to content

Felix

Forum Member
  • Posts

    3,587
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    118

Posts posted by Felix

  1. 12 hours ago, monkey said:

    So this long running forum nearly didn't survive its software upgrade the other day. Many hours later I managed to rescue it. Not that its terribly busy but it remains an excellent resource for Rev pilots!

     

    Cheers,

    Well done David... History is preserved a little bit longer!

    12 hours ago, monkey said:

     

     

  2. The re-working of the site and integration of this forum is good news...

    The development of the reflex is very interesting but a bit graphically challenging.  Somehow the idea of setting a specific arrangement of sail panels is 'a bit interesting' historically <grins>

  3. On 30/11/2016 at 6:17 PM, monkey said:

    It's an interesting proposition, I'm giving it some thought but, I suspect at the end of the day, the sheer costs involved may hold me back. We'll see, I'm certainly following it with interest on Facebook.

    I'm not sure which bit of Facebook you are seeing but from the closed group things are not looking very hopeful.  The original proponents do not appear to have understood the logistics or availability of fliers...

    • Like 2
  4. <snip>

    PS: it may help to put your handles out a bit to the sides, not so straight up and down, sort of splayed in the shape of a "/\".

    I go for the full horizontal handles which I have described elsewhere. Not so easy for the beginner to be sure! Arms are straight down as well, just to add to the mix. While none of this is in any way mandatory I have been watching posted pics for some time now to check what we are all doing in practice <grins>

    The learning experience is fun and goes on and on...

    Felix

    • Like 2
  5. Now that we have the Forum back is not it about time it was used more !

    I have noticed that over the last year or so that the quantity of new posts

    has declined significantly, is everybody using other forms of social media!

    Come on everybody lets use it or lose it.

    Some comments would be welcomed.

    Bill

    I only joined in 2007 ahead of the build-up to the 2008 events. There was a long and occasionally difficult thread that I would like to think was safely archived. When I heard that there was some difficulty with the forum I did ask some questions behind the scenes and I am very relieved that that we have access again.

    People have moved on to other locations but I am certainly watching this one on a regular basis...

    Felix

    • Like 4
  6. We fly with Dutch, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Danish....etc. fliers so of course there is different naming and terminology. Why should any one language have hegemony? The basic principles are 'physics' not terminology.

    Lighten up please.

    I really enjoyed the challenge of learning how to fly a 4 line kite soon after taking on the similar challenge of learning how to fly a single line fighter kite. That was in 1987 - 1989...

    Felix

  7. With the kite facing left or right you will of course quickly find the buoyancy point if you bring the kite to a halt. Flying a (Revolution) kite is 'all about' holding it stationery in the sky at any point and at any angle in the wind window <grins>

  8. I had to pick a standard when I wrote the manual a few years ago.

    Some teams used 100', some used 120'.

    iQuad used 120's; I was on iQuad; so I chose 120 feet smile.png

    As far as I can tell, and having checked with Jacob, we were using 125ft lines from about 1993. One of the reasons the Decs did not get involved in 'mega' flies prior to the Portsmouth/Bristol Grid events was that we were still using the longer line sets. I cannot recall exactly how the team were persuaded to standardise on 120ft subsequently. Probably best not to ask <grins>

    Felix

    • Like 1
  9. If I recall correctly, The Decorators established in the early 90s that 120ft was the ideal line length for quadline team flying.

    From then most team followed this as a standard probably so that multiple teams could fly together.

    I don't think that it was quite like that as we were using c125ft lines for quite some time. We went for longer lines when the team first had 8 fliers on a regular basis but we were flying Rev1 kites by preference so definitely needed the extra space provided.

    Felix

    • Like 1
  10. Hi Felix,

    I found this beach ( see pic) about a mile north of Skegness and it was pretty much deserted even though it was the middle of August,

    There is a free carpark opposite the Golf Club/Hotel ( I was staying there for a couple of nights and used their car park) and it a short walk to the beach.

    Post code PE25 1DN is the Golf Club.

    And yes, I am sitting down using a B mid-vent but should have used a vented!

    Bill

    attachicon.gif

    Hi Bill,

    Thanks for the info. That looks like a tidal area which might explain why it was deserted in August. I think that we ended up flying nearer to the M1 corridor that year...

    Felix

  11. We have received an invitation to an event on the east coast of the Caspian Sea. I am curious to know if anyone has accepted the invitation...

    The environment, in every way, looks somewhat hostile. The 'medical' recommendations equally so in respect of inoculations recommended by the WHO

    Felix

  12. <snip> The Zen almost rides out of sight, literally hundreds of feet, even dragging the abandoned handles underneath

    I reckon that one of 'Ben's competitions' in light wind should be a downwind race. I went for a walk with a 1.5 with diamond rods recently. Two long pulls took it pretty much back to the top of the window...

  13. Felix,

    I was so sure that the (***) was going to be for "patent pending" for the treacle style of flying...

    No way... I have been advocating this for a long time but have not had much feedback. I'll say it again 'flying the 1.5 kite slowly is interesting' and doing so in 'normal windspeed' can potentially help when trying to fly in 'low winds'. That is my experience anyway but YMMV <grins>

    Felix

    PS this is full sail not 'glide mode'...

  14. This difference is what drove me to try such a "hybrid" frame setup! I personally found the stock Zen frame a bit too "flexy", so I stiffened up the LE using a 2 wrap center with race wing rods! Kept the Zen tubes as verticals! Loads a bit quicker, feels more solid, slightly heavier rods initiate turns a bit better! IMHO of course!ani_idea.gif

    I'll have to re-visit the Zen spars. We used a 'hybrid' set-up from the beginning which related to our 3,4,3/3,3 set-up for the Rev1.

    Flying the Rev 1.5 slowly (treacle style)*** is all about low wind flying and is IMHO the way to go. (Except for the fact, of course, that the Decs like the larger sail for "filling the sky")

    Felix

    *** By way of elaboration, if in normal windspeed you fly the kite 'slowly' the buoyancy will be reduced and so angles of attack will need to be adjusted. This way low wind flying is 'informed' in the learning process and the muscle memory will be in place when needed... <grins>

  15. <snip>

    I got it at a time when I was trying to solve my problems with equipment instead of developing low wind skills. After developing the skills I understood my expectations were unrealistic. I got to fly the Zen about a week or so ago actually and I am now able to fly it much better (and it made staying in the air SO much easier), but it's still not a straight line jump from the 1.5 platform to the Zen.

    To own a Zen or not .... that depends what you want to do with it.

    Low wind skills are the key, I am sure. I have also persuaded the Decs team to fly the 1.5 kites slowly to occasional good effect... <grins>

    The latest 'Diamond' spars for the 1.5 seem to me to take that sail size into the Zen 'low wind window' but I am now puzzled regarding the flex of the Zen spars as against the 'spring back' of the 'Diamond' spars...

    The turning 'interval' difference as I have referred to previously seems to me to be the issue for fliers switching between the different kite sizes. There is no gain in trying to rush a Rev1 or a Zen around a turn. Patience works...

    Felix

×
×
  • Create New...