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Felix

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Blog Entries posted by Felix

  1. Felix
    The A12 approach to the Blackwall Tunnel was not accessible at Hackney Wick this morning so it was back doubles to Crisp Street and the A13 before we could get back on our usual route. Not as bad as this time last year for getting to Blackheath, of course!
    More south than south westerly today and mostly brisk again so standard vented and green race seemed about right. We were distracted by an incident on the A2 but did manage some interesting silent free flying. Some further serious snagging moments today but no actual damage.
    Jacob made a brief appearance on the heath today after his last night’s 50th birthday celebration party. The Decs will celebrate our 25 years at Portsmouth and Bristol. Gammel Dansk will feature in special memory.
    In the meantime I am due on Blackheath at 9:00am on Tuesday 6th August…
    Felix
  2. Felix
    Writing this on Monday afternoon as I was busy dealing with images yesterday afternoon.
    It was a diverted outward journey to Blackheath because of the London Cycling event.  Martin had set up a Zen on green race and that was entirely appropriate in the light SE breeze so we flew close, no calls for an indeterminate period of time.
    Then, as had been previously suggested, I started to put together the JMH Triple Malay stack 1988.  During the course of the last week I had established that Jørgen had flown this kite at Washington, Tyne and Wear in July 1989.  The Decs had attended that event but only really met up with Jørgen later in 1989 in West Berlin.
    As we constructed the ‘train’ it became apparent that it was probably going to be possible to fly it in the light breeze.  We were constructing it ‘the right way up’ and the front kites were raring to go!  It did fly at the first launch but it was clear that something was not quite right.  Finally we saw that the front left sail had a tip wrap.  Once this was sorted and then another couple of wraps were resolved the stack flew perfectly.
    It was extremely satisfying to put together a kite that had been made 30 years ago and which looks so good in the sky even against all the kites that have been designed in the interim.
    The forecast for next weekend at Southsea Common, Portsmouth does not look great at the moment but we will of course fly whatever we can over the weekend.
    Felix
  3. Felix
    Another great weekend. The weather held* and the crowds turned up to the 25th Bristol event. The Decs have, I think, attended 21 times as a team. I missed the 2006 one!
    With the Olympics taking place next year in the UK the Bristol Kite event is will not occur in 2012. I do hope that it will go ahead in 2013!
    Felix
    *We used Rev1, Rev1.5 and Vented1.5 during the course of the weekend <grins>
  4. Felix
    Full vented sails with 4 wrap worked comfortably today. We set up handles and lines for Rowan after last weekend’s disappearance.
    Some intricate close flying without calls was followed by some rapid calling by Ashley.
    We are just about set for departure to Dieppe early for some of us next Friday. Just waiting for the final Rok spars and fittings as well as guy ropes for the ‘tent’. The second wave is set to arrive on Saturday…
    Felix
  5. Felix
    On arrival at 10:30am the sky was cloud free and there was a very light southerly breeze.
    Conditions were just right to follow on from last weekend and to try and see if we could really feel the difference between the diamond and green race verticals. The simple answer is that we could but that once the windspeed was making the diamond frames ‘feel’ fragile there was no reason not to switch.
    This obviously follows for stronger winds making the green race rods in vented sails ‘feeling’ fragile compared to the more relaxed feel on switching to the 4 wrap option.
    Curiously, while on the field today I remembered an Autumn day last year when it was almost t-shirt weather like today. On checking I find that it was Sunday 5th October 2014. It seems that the weather was not so good on the following weekend last year. We did not fly…
    I would expect to be on Blackheath next weekend for OSOW but that will, as ever, depend on the weather <grins>
    Felix
  6. Felix

    Decs
    During lockdown which ended in the middle of May there was one Sunday when the weather would not have been conducive for kite flying.  Since then there was one day when there was no practical breeze so we were walking the Rev Zens.  There have also been a couple of windy days!
    Today was very wet, relatively cold and very windy so we simply did not make any attempt to fly.  When the remaining projected festivals cancelled back in June a decision was made to concentrate on flying, photographing and videoing the Jørgen Møller Hansen and Peter Malinski kites in addition to our usual low key Rev sessions.  Having a photographer and a video recorder on site as well as the fliers was wishful thinking but we have been very lucky to have had Marian Linford make a timely appearance on site on a number of occasions.  Otherwise we have mostly relied on ‘the team’ to grab images and video as and when possible.
    The results of the summers effort are available at the following URL:- https://www.felixmottram.com/decorators/eventpages/Blackheath_2020.html  Summer Blackheath  
    I get the impression that it will take a long time for the festivals to be re-instated in circumstances where we will have no qualms in travelling and meeting with kite friends as in the past.  In the meantime I am looking forward to continuing the recording of our flights in the way that we have established during the last three months.
    Felix
  7. Felix
    We arrived on Saturday to find that Vince and crew had set up the arena and were ready to fly. Thanks very much to you all for having looked after the arrangements.
    Conditions at the site were not entirely favourable and occasionally on Saturday we had to test the random motion project, essentially to good effect. We did, however, also develop a simple and effective follow-up to the 'windmill'. Thanks to Jacob for having 'interlaced' the fliers at the outset and then calling the move.
    Saturday night found 'heated' discussions regarding the relative merits of getting large numbers (c100) of fliers together in the air verses smaller groups (c16/c36/c64) of very experienced fliers together to develop more complex routines. This will run and run but I am happy to go for both! <grins>
    Sunday was a 'no wind' day apart from a short period where there was a whisper. This happened to coincide with the moment that the people from YSP who had helped in setting up the 'hosting' of our meeting arrived to say hello! Apart from that moment it was mostly down to individual flying.
    There was also the opportunity to check out the sculpture park and specifically see the Miró exhibition which was a real treat.
    Felix
  8. Felix
    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 for the link line application but fortunately the alternative arrived just in time from Holland.  Today we started MW on re-rigging a Rev2 stack that was flown occasionally back in the nineties.  The sails are still bright so had obviously not seen much ‘daylight’.  We may include the additional Rev2 ‘prototype’ that came into my possession at some point early on in Rev history!
    I decided that preparing the link lines for the 1.5JMH stack would be an indoor job so that delivery can be quick and easy on the field, as with the Rev1 stack at Dieppe.
    Felix
  9. Felix
    Standard vented 1.5B with 4 wrap spars (mostly) again today but not quite at the marginal level of last weekend.
    There was a very high base layer of cloud cover and in the SW breeze we had a clear view of the NE London circling stack of planes waiting to approach Heathrow.
    For the first time this autumn gloves were a good idea if not actually essential!
    Four fliers today, some called routines and some excellent free form flying.
    Felix
  10. Felix
    Clear blue sky today with a mostly brisk easterly breeze so we were mostly on vented sails with race rods.  Rowan was on a mid vent and had the advantage in the lulls.
     
    Mostly free flying with close patterns but Ashley did call some quick sequences just to switch the focus.

    We packed up a bit early after noticing a burning smell.  Turned round to see a pall of black smoke directly upwind in the direction of Sun in The Sands roundabout, the A2/A102 junction.  The Map App showed considerable congestion so we headed home via the Rotherhithe tunnel.  There was a hidden benefit in that we stopped by at the Ginger Pig to place an order for Christmas lunch.

     
    It appears that the proponents of Berck 2017 100 had not appreciated the number of fliers needed (?) and had not actually mobilized enough French fliers to render the project likely to succeed before making their proposal.  The Decs will be in Berck for the whole week anyway so we will contribute on the basis of business as usual…

     
    Felix 


  11. Felix
    We did not fly on New Years Day but flew six today from soon after 10:30am.
    Full sail 1.5s with Race Rods and 3 wrap worked most of the time but there were lulls when the Diamond Rods might have helped keep the team work going in the southerly breeze. The darkness of the weather front approaching from the west, dampness in the air and increasing wind speed led to an early end to the session today but not before Rowan was introduced to the six person sprocket.
    Sometimes it’s a good idea to quit while you’re ahead…
    Felix
  12. Felix
    A bit of a grey day again but there was some SW wind and the drizzle I saw driving towards Blackheath held off.  I.5 full vents with green race were comfortable but mid vents would probably have been fine.
    I had hoped that Jake would be able to join us today for the first un-wrapping of the JMH Asymetric Kite Stack 1995.  I had brought the kite along with some 2m lengths of dowel in case of breakages and as the ground was not wet and the wind speed felt low enough we did go ahead with assembling the ‘structure’.
    I could not quite feel the ‘lift’ of the stack initially and while we did get two launches there was something amiss.  On reviewing the video it was clear that there was a configuration issue with the front set.  We had a similar issue with the Triple Malay stack on our first flight of that composition.
    We have received the formal invitation to Cervia and some of us have opted for the early flight out of Heathrow this year as there was a significant price step already.
    Scarborough is not happening again so we are looking at other options now to fill out the years events.  Billing near Northampton is a possibility even though it is the week after Portsmouth.  We might consider other events in the West!
    Felix
  13. Felix
    I had go out and check the local road conditions before deciding that it would be OK to set out to Blackheath today. In the event traffic was lighter than usual. Only five inches of snow...
    Blackheath presented a bright white field under a gloomy sky. The breeze was slight but remained steady between 10:30 and 12:30.
    The Zens were the kite of choice today along with the Robertshaw with a race frame. Powering the kites to the ground provided a curious bass thump with a higher pitched sail rattle.
    Felix
    http://www.revkites.com/forum/index.php?app=gallery&module=images&section=viewimage&img=5088
  14. Felix
    It looked like the Heath would be in the clouds as we approached up the hill from the Blackwall Tunnel.

     
    It was a Northerly breeze on site, with the fog/clouds barely lifted and only occasional change in the flat grey ceiling. 

    Mostly full vented 1.5s with race rods.  There were some lighter spells but as it was mostly not called flying that was not an issue.  Plenty of close interaction with just a few accidental touches and over wound lines.  Some themes become apparent but it would be very difficult to write them into a routine.

    Arriving back in Hackney the sun was just visible through the thick high cloud.

    Felix


  15. Felix
    Light easterly breeze, occasionally fading to nothing, so 1.5 sails and diamond rods were appropriate today.
    As checking kites was on the agenda today we used the downtime productively. Most of the 2008 JMH sails need a bit of sewing attention at the leading edge fold line but nothing too dramatic. We reshuffled spars as well and find that we have just what we need in the diamond and green race options for the team kites!
    As the Easter Circus had occupied the northern part of our usual flying area we had set up on the opposite side of the road to the east which is lower than the road and changes the sound of the traffic which is never far away on Blackheath.
    The light wind meant that for me it was finger tips on the handles, no grip, and very long arms with a mental note about avoiding any obstruction to free movement. <grins>
    Felix
  16. Felix
    12-22mph SSE with clear blue sky would have been a perfect flying day so that is one day down to the lock down, rather than the weather.
    I did do my normal weekday 10 miles on the bike, except, of course, going around Victoria Park rather than through it!  There were quite a lot of cyclists and runners in the parts of the ride where I do not usually see anyone at all.
    I had thought that I might do some Tetraeder building today but did not quite get to it!
    On the web site I ended up scanning colour prints from a group of early festivals so I now have some images of the kites to work with as well.  Too many of the early digital images were just too small for the storyboard idea.
    Felix
  17. Felix
    We arrived on Saturday afternoon and might have flown if the arena areas had been secured. In the turbulent southerly breeze it did not seem sensible to take any risks.
    Sunday and Monday we had SE breezes which were occasionally difficult but overall it was a very successful weekend.
    Sunday was the sunnier of the two days… The mini mega flies at 2:00pm on both days were executed quickly and effectively <grins>
    Felix
  18. Felix
    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!
    Felix
  19. Felix
    A slight respite today, 1.5 Standard Vented 4 wrap was good for a late 11:00am start but thickening high cloud turned to rain early in the afternoon.
    The current forecast is for rain next Sunday as well, maybe making up for the drought, this Spring, in SE England. I will take the wet weather gear, just to be sure...
    Just before leaving Blackheath today we discussed some aspects of 'long arm' flying, using arms, shoulders and torso as well as moving on the ground to 'throw' the kite around the sky and achieve absolutely 'rigid' stops 'at any angle in the sky'. Light wind techniques translate directly into middle and high wind conditions providing that 'brake' settings are appropriate.
    Felix
  20. Felix
    Proper Summer like day today but with a light NE breeze occasionally above Diamond territory. Race uprights is a quick and very satisfactory fix in borderline conditions.
    After a trip out into the countryside yesterday it was good to see that the Blackheath verges are doing their best again. I didn’t spot the litter collecting feature until later as in the attached image.
    Specifics of team moves were under discussion today. A wing tip turn is ‘as stated’, a 180 pairs switch, kite ‘place’ to kite ‘place’. Failure of ‘team fliers’ to grasp the overall picture is something that we have lived with for many years and so ‘un-necessary comments’ from the caller may be directed at the wrong ‘team flier’ which is not helpful.
    A quick check of the JMH 3m Rokkaku showed that previous ripstop damage had been repaired so the frame replacement can proceed without further issue ahead of Dieppe.
    Felix

  21. Felix
    Another windy forecast had me looking back at notes for July over the last few years to find that it had generally been a light wind month.  I can remember Washington Tyne and Wear events with blustery conditions, not least when a Cody train broke loose.
    On Friday afternoon the forecast windspeed for Sunday was 19-38mph but it was a bit less on the day c16-32mph.
    So we were all on RSS kites.  These have proved to be a very successful design, lightening the line loading but maintaining performance.  We had a good session without calls today.
    I also managed to tune the Peter Lynn pilot kite following the simple instructions regarding the “B” bridle.
    The JMH 1986 Flare that was damaged last Sunday has been repaired using oversewn dacron.  This replaced a previous sticky tape repair.  A similar preventative fix was done on the other vertical pocket.  I also attended to a small repair on the JMH Della Porta: Eight rhomboids 1993 yesterday.
    Felix
  22. Felix
    Bus, Docklands Light Railway and Train delivered us to Blackheath today but it was raining as we arrived c11:00am and it proceeded to get heavier with peals of thunder over the following hour.
    Soon after 1:00pm there was a gap in the clouds and in slightly steamy conditions we broke out a mix of Rev1, Zen and Robertshaw sails and assorted spar sets.
    Another storm appeared to be drifting in from the SW some 45 minutes later so we packed up and headed for home only to see the dark clouds dissipate as we walked towards Royal Hill. Olympic traffic meant a diversion for us from Greenwich to Deptford Bridge to get the DLR back to north of the river.
    Not much flying today, seven hours door to door...
    Felix
  23. Felix
    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 ‘forwards’ option, (more brake) prevents the sail load spilling in light wind and can appreciate that it would be very difficult to hit a ‘close to’ full sail loading just by feel!
    The full vented JMH 1.5s LEs have been checked and oversewn where necessary.  The re-sewn JMH Not Zen sail arrived from San Diego so everything is ready for Portsmouth.
    The weather forecast for next weekend is cooler and maybe a bit wet!
    Felix
  24. Felix

    Decs Sunday
    Following on from last week the wind was a bit lighter and from the north east but there were breaks in the cloud cover even as we travelled towards Blackheath this morning.
    An event on the heath meant that our usual site and local parking were not available.  Parking inside Greenwich Park is expensive and the walk to the flying field is longer but once a year is not a problem.
    Zens were just fine but I was not sure if the 1992 Rokkakus would fly.  A quick test suggested that there was enough breeze so I set about making a bridle bungee as well as a flying line one based on an initial attempt two weeks ago.  This time I was using new 6mm bungee cord from a marine supplier.  I had some longer spectra and flew on about 35m of 90kg line.
    We did catch a few moments video of set-up and flying here:- https://youtu.be/29EHyAqkmA0 Blackheath today 5th September 2021
    I had taken 45m Rev flying lines which would have worked but the 35m lines couldn’t hold the same altitude as the Rok was at today.  Having said that it did fall off when pulled at the top of the window so there may have been some thermal assistance.
    The 1992 Rev design is being re-made for 2022 and so the hope is to fly eight of them alongside the four 1992 Rokkakus.
    Felix
  25. Felix
    As luck would have it, it was another glorious sunny day on Blackheath today, the only downside being that there was, for most of the time, almost no discernable breeze.
    So, more time on the diamond rods in the larger sails and with longer lines for me today. The Zen, Rev 1 and also the CR sail had air time today. The changing, from all directions, no wind environment meant that it was not possible to evaluate differences between the sail and bridle sets. Keeping the kite in the air was the only issue. How easy is that?
    One day, in the dark depths of winter, no doubt, we will get a steady 2mph breeze and be able to sensibly compare and contrast the kite characteristics and decide which configuration is ‘easier’ and ‘most flexible’… <grins>
    Felix
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