Kite Blog
27/12/2009 Blackheath
Posted by Felix Mottram, 27 December 2009 10 views
Another blustery day today. Jade observed that we were getting into some 'treacle flying'. 'Very slow' 360 degree rotations in c20mph takes some confidence in fellow fliers at close proximity.
Some of us flew yesterday as well but as the ground was muddy on Blackheath (again today) I did not get out the new JMH sails. I did take a close look at the format of the JMH vented sails later at home yesterday and find that Bazzer has followed JMH's interpretation of the vent locations and proportions very closely. The trailing edge detail looks very good. I had not previously noted the shift from the JB vented sail format to the JB Pro vented sail format. ('Note to self' ...Must pay attention to detail...)
Felix
20/12/2009 Blackheath
Posted by Felix Mottram, 20 December 2009 5 views
Thanks to
Ben, Bazzer and Lolly we are now testing a set of vented 1.5s in a new JMH
design:- It was a
bit cool on Blackheath today... Felix PS thanks
to Jade, Ashley, Martin and Maggie as well... FJM
13/12/2009
Blackheath
Posted by Felix Mottram,
13 December 2009 8 views
No let-up
in the wind today so another vented 4 wrap morning. Great
cloudscapes in the northerly breeze but we were blinded by the sun at times. I think
that the 'precise stop' (no wobble) is going to be the key factor in team
flying in the near future. Many fliers are making the effort hit the
mark... I understand that Berck 2010 may have a Rev competition! Felix
06/12/2009
Blackheath
Posted by Felix Mottram,
06 December 2009 6 views
After a
very wet cloudy start to the day the sky cleared from the west and we arrived
on Blackheath with a clear sky soon after 11am. The ground was not
as waterlogged as last weekend and the Canada Geese have still not invaded. The wind
was changeable but predominately strong so we flew vented with 4 wrap spars. I
was very interested to see that the other fliers present were using horizontal
handles and long arm movements even in the higher winds. It occurs
to me that holding a very precise grip with heavy loading will cause muscle fatigue
very quickly and that adopting a more flexible mode will obviously be
advantageous. Having set additional 'brakes' means that the kite
will not accidentally fly off in any direction but I have been surprised at how
much movement can be used to control the kite in what could be interpreted as
'two line mode'. It looks like next weekend there will be an
anticyclone in place over the UK so there will be an opportunity to practice
slo-mo flailing in anticipation of the Zen. Felix
29/11/2009
Blackheath
Posted by Felix Mottram,
29 November 2009 6 views
Some of us
(Felix, Ashley, David) had a great weekend at Ainsdale last
week. The weather was tough but a bit of extra 'brake' was
sufficient to keep us flying. This weekend was our team meet
event. A short fly on Saturday, late afternoon, saw the other 4 ex
iQuad SLE kites checked out. A succession of squally showers
were the theme today. I will try to get some images/video
of 'long arm/input' in the next few weeks. I noted recently that
even an absolute beginner may intuitively adopt this technique so I do not
think that there is any reason not to advocate it for new fliers. Felix
15/11/2009
Blackheath
Posted by Felix Mottram,
15 November 2009 7 views
A glorious
day after yesterday's storms. There were showers marching eastwards
on the southern horizon, maybe over the South Downs or on the Channel coast? On
Blackheath we were joined by a new flier. Rowan was taking a break
from his usual Sunday lessons. As an 'almost' first time flier I
set him up on a short set of lines with the 1.5 Anniversary kite. I
added a little forward to counteract the tendency to pull back the handles at
launch and away he went. It was instructive to watch him get to
grips with correcting the kite after ground contact and also to see him using
mobility on the ground and 'long arms' at the outset. The rest of
us settled for vented 3 wrap and we flew some gentle 'mega team' holding
positions before letting Maggie lead some following lines. Felix
08/11/2009
Blackheath
Posted by Felix Mottram,
08 November 2009 3 views
Blackheath
was being 'cleaned up' after last nights fire works display. Parking
restrictions meant that we convened to the west of the cricket field, uphill
from the usual church field site. A fairly smooth easterly breeze was
borderline between full sail/race rods(or heavier) and vented/3
wrap. We opted for the latter and enjoyed the hassle free feel of
this configuration. Jade, Ashley and I completed some neat no-call
close format railtrack following. Maggie was working on an expanded
downward turning infinity and looked to be getting the better of it once Jade
suggested the forward walk to de-power the downward turn. We
discussed long arm technique and noted the LE facing left/right altitude
achievable with the full stretch (long arm) as opposed to the 'bow and arrow'
stance. Smooth speed control and transitions appear to be best
effected with the use of plenty of manoeuvrability on the ground as well. Looking
forward to Ainsdale. Felix
25/10/2009
Blackheath
Posted by Felix Mottram,
25 October 2009 5 views
It was
sunny on Blackheath today as predicted. Wind speed was probably
15-20mph so at the top end of comfort level with 1.5 vented on 4 wrap. A 'not very
scientific' comparison between Bazzer Pro and early iQuad vented indicated that
the [EDIT] 'new' kite is easier to hold on a straight line. <grins> Flying the
kite consistently very slowly is what I describe as 'treacle'
mode. I have found that 'long arm' movements are required to
maintain this mode of flight. I think that it would be very
interesting to see team flying in this mode. Martin,
Maggie, Ashley and I flew in line for a while and we stacked the kites in the
air. Felix
18/10/2009
Blackheath
Posted by Felix Mottram,
18 October 2009 7 views
Martin,
Jade, Ashley and I put the four 2 wrap framed ex iQuad kites up when a light
breeze finally arrived c12:30 today. They felt crisp and
consistent despite our differing selection of handles. 15 inch would
be my preference now for sure in light breezes. We flew
some simple, but deliberately slow, following moves and had some applause from
passers by. Romney would have been proud... Felix
11/10/2009
Blackheath
Posted by Felix Mottram,
11 October 2009 7 views
The post
office has not delivered the iQuad kites yet... No formal
OSOW fly on Blackheath today. A good breeze so vented 1.5 on UL
spars for me. Treacle flying looking for straight arms as
default. Habits are difficult to break despite the obvious
advantages. Repetition is good for setting the precedent... Still
waiting to hear from LOCOG. Felix
Blackheath
04/10/2009
Posted by Felix Mottram,
04 October 2009 10 views
After the
great hospitality laid on in Potsdam last weekend it seemed very quiet on
Blackheath at 10:00am today. There was, however, a light breeze
(c6mph) and no hard woody stems at ground level! In the
interest of an ongoing discussion I set up the Pro B full sail with Race Rods
on 13 inch handles and the Pro B mid vented, also on Race Rods but
with the 15 inch handles. The object of the exercise was a simple
comparison. I have to admit that it was very
difficult to state a clear advantage either way. Later, when
Jade and Maggie arrived, I switched to a Pro B vented/Pro B mid
vented comparison with the long handles now on the full vented
kite. Again, it was difficult to call... I know that
this is far from scientific but I did not feel much difference in the ability
of the different sails to hold altitude in the lateral passes. (LE facing left
or right) I suspect though, that the simple expedient of pulling
back on the top lines will have dealt with the difference. OSOW is
next weekend. I will be at Blackheath and hope that the iQuad kites
will have arrived by then just in case there are fliers on hand. Felix
Bristol
12-13th September 2009
Posted by Felix Mottram,
15 September 2009 6 views
Arrived on
site Saturday morning c9:30am to find the arenas not staked but vehicles parked
as anchors in the SLK area. With the wind in the NE this arena is
narrow and with inflatable structures for kids on the North side our
traditional location was not viable. I have to question whether
these inflatable structures are appropriate at a kite festival given the impact
that they can have on low altitude kite flying? Large cabanas and
tents around arena boundaries are detrimental to the flying conditions, let
alone a 30 foot structure! We set up in a corner of the main
arena and made occasional forays towards the golf course on Saturday and 'The
Third Arena' (which did get set up by STACK) on Sunday in addition to arena
presentations, and had a great weekend. It was
borderline between 1.5s on 3 wrap spars and 1s on 4 wrap through the weekend. Felix
6th
September 2009 Blackheath, Rev2
Posted by Felix Mottram,
06 September 2009 10 views
It is a
long time since I have flown a Rev2. I set up the Race framed one
kindly loaned to me by Baloo on my c50ft 90lb lines. I also set up
the Red-Orange-Yellow Sedgwick prototype which I have been re-building with
contemporary fittings. Jade lent me his 50ft lines! Both kites
felt 'very' light but responded fantastically well to 'long arm'
input. The prototype has a deeper V but I would be hard pushed to
describe differences in handling. Slo-mo was very interesting, I
think that I would like some more flex in the rods but directional stability
was not an issue. I will have to try the speed series and Rev2
comparison again now. Ashley, Jade and Maggie were flying
on standard JB 1.5s. Switching from the Rev2 to my early Pro JB 1.5
(Race Rods) was quite amusing. I will have the Red-Orange-Yellow
Sedgwick at Bristol if anyone would like to try it! I will add
a picture of the two kites later. [EDIT thanks Jade] Felix
Attached Thumbnails
29th - 31st
August 2009 Portsmouth
Posted by Felix Mottram,
31 August 2009 8 views
A great
weekend which included getting the 16 JMH kites (8 x 1.5 and 8 x 1) in flight
with help from The Flying Squad and Sailor. (Thanks again J) I hope that
images will be available somewhere eventually. There was
limited space off arena during the festival after the special provision last
year but we did manage to get some time between the funfair and the road to
begin to put together the obligatory 'new move' sequence for the
weekend. This was refined on Monday morning in the more friendly
breezes before many of the fliers joined into a 20 person
mega-fly. A great finale but no doubt we will hear more from those
who were able to stay for the rest of the day. Felix
23rd August
2009, Blackheath
Posted by Felix Mottram,
23 August 2009 10 views
A glorious
summers day with a rising southerly breeze and mostly clear skies, apart from
vapour trails and some semblances of lenticular clouds. 10mph plus
so JB 1.5 vented from the outset. Jade, Jacob, Ashley and I worked
through some of the Decs routine stuff. Prior to Jacob's arrival we
flew 'ad-hoc' with some great 'present and response' moves occupying the full
window, mostly without repetition. I think that this is great
'training' for team flying as the pilots must observe the full window while
deciding where to 'send' their kite. We finished with a session of
wing tip 180 ladder up/down and a final slo-mo unwind just to see who could
really cope. <grins> Needless to say the newbies demonstrated their
capabilities with aplomb.... Felix
16th
August, 2009 Blackheath
Posted by Felix Mottram,
16 August 2009 12 views
After our
visit to 'Humber Woodland of Remembrance' on Friday I realised that although
120ft lines were OK on that occasion it might very well be useful to have
shorter sets available for tighter spaces in the future. It is a
long time since I flew on short lines. The Decs were flying on 125ft
lines prior to the 2008 events. I ran out a c50ft set today using
some fat sleeving that I had obviously prepared years ago and never got around
to using. (The fat sleeving will be replaced as soon as is
possible.) We had been flying full vented JB 1.5s (UL/Standard) and I set up
the mid vented on the short lines with the 'strong' spar set. All
seemed fine to me apart from the sudden limitation of the wind window relative
to the size of the kite. I handed the kite Ashley who had been
demonstrating vertical snap tip 180s* to great effect. It was
immediately apparent to him that the 'natural turning interval' of this kite
configuration was actually quite different to the full vented on
120s. He described the difference as similar to switching between
the 1 and the 1.5. It had occurred to me that the transition related
to the difference between the 1.5 and the Speed series. I wonder if
it would be possible to evaluate the 'turning interval' of the various
configurations in a meaningful way? However, I think that it may be
more interesting to adapt a slow flying mode for the kites that have a fast
'turning interval' as that will facilitate a greater range of performance.
<grins> Felix *Wing tip 180s ending stationary, no wobble!
9th August
2009, Blackheath
Posted by Felix Mottram,
10 August 2009 8 views
A light
wind day with news of the [Edit, no capitalisation] Zen to contemplate. Parallel
multiple diamonds with Jade and Ashley came about almost
spontaneously. I can envisage some moves being generated from 'not
organised' interactive flying but as with 'the grid' a certain level of
capability is required. We did manage to lock up the three kites at
right angles at one point. Careful with those lines, even in light
wind. Back to the Zen I'm thinking that even though JB has said 'Also,
for those with limited mobility, the B-Zen will be a blessing in low wind'
there may very well still be a case for looking at the possible advantages of a
palm down grip in light wind conditions... <grins>
2nd August
2009 Blackheath
Posted by Felix Mottram,
02 August 2009 8 views
Light to
start but a Three Kite day on Blackheath, Standard, Mid and
Vented. I was intent on noting handle position and can confirm 'palm
down' with minimal grip. The line pressure holds the handles against
the fingers... I am very conscious of enabling a full pull past legs
at thigh/knee level and making an effort to avoid 'body blocking' such
moves. I have also found that the archery stance, one leg forward,
one back, is good for anticipating movement on the ground. Be
prepared to be mobile... I think that the the palm down
handle grip is quite interesting when dealing with high/light loading and
precise control. Also in respect of long pulls while maintaining
forward/reverse control. Palm down is possible, palms facing centre
probably not at all! At a very different level, a pair of needle
nose pliers should be in everyones kit for undoing those tension driven
adjustment knots in the leaders. Looking forward to Portsmouth! Felix
26th July
2009 Blackheath
Posted by Felix Mottram,
26 July 2009 13 views
After
Dunstable last weekend, yet another windy Blackheath. Ashley and
Jade followed into some slo-mo flying without issue. I will have
to figure out how to loosen up after the concentrated effort in order to avoid
fatigue. It is a bit like remembering to breathe in the mega fly... Felix
12th July
2009
Posted by Felix Mottram,
12 July 2009 7 views
Windy on
Blackheath, 12-18 mph today. Flying the 1.5 full vented trying to
figure l/r arm transitions. Keeping the handle set in a forward
flight mode I was finding some 'long' movements to maintain altitude with a
precise stop without wobble. I wonder how anyone else can describe
this 'snap' stop? Felix PS Please support Bristol
2009.... See the top of the thread at the following URL! http://www.revkites....amp;#entry54311
4-5th July
2009 Washington/Sunderland Friendship Festival
Posted by Felix Mottram,
06 July 2009 11 views
It was a
great weekend on the Northern Area Playing Fields at Washington, Tyne and
Wear. We flew eight and joined with Flying Squad/FLIC (Stephen,
Susan/Ben, Caroline) and Mike Mossman for a 'mini' Mega Fly using the JMH Rev
1s and 1.5s with one of Mike's custom 1.5s. I hope that
some images will be posted soon.
28th June
1009
Posted by Felix Mottram,
28 June 2009 11 views
Today on
Blackheath we got close to going head to head with the Rev 1 and Rev
1.5's. Next weekend, at Washington, Tyne and Wear we may have the
opportunity to fly a mixed mega-team. The Decs should be 8 and with
a few extra hands I am hoping that we can put up 12 - 16 of the JMH sails with
appropriate sparing. Slo-mo with the 1.5 is key to this... Looking
forward to the trip north again! Felix
21st June
2009
Posted by Felix Mottram,
21 June 2009 8 views
A gentle
workout with the Rev 1s with standard spars was a pleasure after last weekend
working away from home. There was a breeze for some of the time on
Blackheath and Jacob called moves that may have defeated the oldies last
weekend. As an alternative the 1.5 with Race spars felt very responsive,
similar to a 15 inch tissue and bamboo fighter kite! We hope to
post details regarding 'fund raising' for Bristol 2009 within the next 24
hours.
Last Week,
Next week
Posted by Felix Mottram,
07 June 2009 5 views
Last
weekend I composed an entry and then managed to delete it when in preview
mode. Next weekend I have to work Saturday and Sunday so will miss
the Blackheath event. The 'topic' last weekend was about
getting fliers to 'commit' to the discipline of the Mega Team, especially the
more experienced fliers who may become impatient with the less
accomplished. All 'a bit moral' so maybe best left in the
imagination... Light and variable on Blackheath today. After a light
shower the breeze settled from the south with some magnificent cloudscapes.
Attached Thumbnails
First Time
Posted by Felix Mottram,
24 May 2009 13 views
I installed
a Race Rod frame in the Rev 1 today for the first time with one of the new
sails. I set up one of the other new sails for comparison on a
standard centre and UL remainder. The Race frame felt good but I
could not make a definitive statement comparing the two at this stage.
<grins> I installed the Race leading edge in the Blast today for the first
time. Having heard anecdotes about the frame I treated it very
gently at first but soon found that the kite could be thrown around and that
the frame absorbed airborne shocks smoothly. I set up
the standard 1.5 JB Pro with Race frame on 35cm handles today. I
just wish that they were clip-less handles as I was very much aware of catching
the top lines on either side occasionally. These handles felt very
heavy but did allow very immediate stops and a slower glide out in the very
light breeze on a summery Blackheath today. I was
reminded of the difference between the sizes of the basic Indian fighter
kites. The small ones are very quick. The larger ones are
smoother. I think that it might be time to get a Rev 2 with Race
frame and see how slowly it can fly...
Rougham
16-17 May 2009
Posted by Felix Mottram,
17 May 2009 6 views
A great
blustery, showery weekend. Jade and Ashley stood in for absent
fliers to very good effect. A new compound move, inevitably to
be called 'the Rougham' took shape based on Jacobs sketches that he had left at
work. He left a few other things lying around over the weekend and
paid the price... <grins> A neat impromptu 12 grid mega fly
almost rounded off the event. If they had kept the music rolling we
would probably still be there but there was a final arena spot to fit in... It was good
to fly the JMH 1.5s close to the JMH parafoil to start proceedings on Sunday
morning.
Leading
Edge defined circles
Posted by Felix Mottram,
10 May 2009 10 views
Side
sliding a circle with 3 kites was today's spontaneous target. Initially I
wanted to describe the rolling ball but that was a little too ambitious for
Jade and ATM (Ashley). Surprisingly, the expected handle
transitions are not actually required which is counter
intuitive. Lock the handle positions and it seems that the kite will
circle. (OK there may be some subtle inflexion
involved) Crossing other lines does however confuse the issue
somewhat. I'm using the clip less handles and have tied staking loops to the
tops. On reflection it is the lower clips that were catching, either
the upper lines on the same handle or occasionally the other line
set. I could not figure out how to snag the top connectors today and
could not create a problem with the staking loops. With the handles
held down at thigh level in long arm mode much of the time rather than in close
proximity in front of the chest it was unlikely that the tops would be a
concern. We have always had to contend with elbows and shoulders in team
flying so clip less handles will be a great help in reducing the point of
failure. We will just have to get sets for 'everyone' now
<grins>
3rd May
2009
Posted by Felix Mottram,
03 May 2009 20 views
If you are
standing on the beach at Weymouth looking out to sea the horizon is dominated
on the left by White Nothe. (A big chalk headland) To the left of
the coastguard cottages on the tip of the headland there is a dip in the
profile and then there is a small building, a mere blip at this
distance. It was there that I first flew the cloth and aluminium
tube box kite which was part of the kit provided to aircrew in the RAF
cWW2! The view of Weymouth Bay from up there is etched in my memory. Later I
flew Delta kites at the same location and piloted one through the transition
from land/sea to sea/land breeze one morning and found myself flying a kite
facing the breeze. I find it fascinating to catch thermal air
movements with Revolution kites and just wish that there was a way to hitch a
lift on the rising air and reel out the line as with a SLK Delta. Flying the
Blast on Blackheath today it felt very close on 100ft lines. I
wondered how it would feel on 200 ft? In contrast we were flying
1.5B fully vented so there was a considerable difference in effort... I must get
the Paul Morgan Mega Delta out one of these days <grins>. Felix
Berck 2009
Posted by Felix Mottram,
26 April 2009 10 views
It seems
that we first went to Berck in 1990. The team congregated in
Berck on Friday 24th April 2009 in a different configuration but fully enjoyed
the space and hospitality that some of us remember all the way back to that
first visit. This weekend we had eight fliers. Three could be described as
'newcomers to the current team' even if two of them have flown with us before. We sketched
out some new manoeuvres on the ferry between Dover and Calais on Friday and
they were duly extended on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning and included
in the arena flight on Sunday afternoon. The Mega
Fly on Saturday was somewhat constrained by the arena space. Getting
all the individual fliers up to 'a level of confidence' in their ability so as
not to have to rely on 'comfort factors' seems to be a significant
issue. Saying that, everyone did extremely well and I look forward
to further collaborations on this scale.
19th April
2009 Blackheath
Posted by Felix Mottram,
19 April 2009 10 views
Glorious
day, wind NE c10mph I think with plenty of sun. I am almost not
jealous of everyone at Berck! Flew the new Blast with SLE and
muscle memory kicked in almost instantly. Having flown the Shockwave
or Supersonic when flying individually for quite a few years it was great to
fly a larger sail which corresponded so closely in configuration straight out
of the bag. Treacle or slo-mo (call it what you will) felt totally
familiar and with generous 'forward' on the carbon wrapped handles Leading Edge
face up hovers were no problem. Snap clockwork stops were simply
scaled up from my memory of the smaller speed series kites. I will
have to try the bridle variations but suspect that I will be insensitive to the
differences for the time being. I really look forward to flying this
kite with the lighter leading edge. I think that it could be my 'no
wind kite' for hitching lifts on thermal currents <grins> (flying on
100ft, 200lb lines today) I have said before, and happily
repeat today, that flying the speed series kites informs the flying of Rev 1 or
Rev 1.5 quite dramatically. Picking up the Mid-Vent JB Pro that also
arrived this week after flying the Blast was almost surreal. I was
also impressed by the range of this configuration compared to the standard sail
or full vented. I had not flown one before and now fully appreciate
the extent of the gap that it fills between the other two sails. ATM and
Jade flew in with full vented 1.5s and both of them have obviously learned a
great deal in the last few months. There is, it seems, no point in
rushing. The learning curve will look after itself.... Now, which
year was it that we first went to Berck-Plage? Felix
High wind,
low wind
Posted by Felix Mottram,
13 April 2009 18 views
In a high
wind the handle loading would be best (most comfortable) when the kite is
neutral so there is no forward/backwards tendency. In a light
wind the handle loading would be best when the kite is square on to the
direction of movement so that the maximum benefit can be derived from the
pilot's input. QED or something equally desperate...
12th April
Blackheath
Posted by Felix Mottram,
12 April 2009 20 views
Grey day
with 3-4 mph maximum to start. A few drops of rain initially, gradually
brightening with the mist lifting. Flew with ATM and Jade
alternating leading left and right. I called from the centre some of
the time. It can work to a degree. ATM finally realised
that I had maintained the three kites with crossed lines for a considerable
length of time while the fliers moved in line and in
parallel. Getting used to line contact can only be done for real. Also tried
to hang the kites (1.5B Race Rods) facing left or right with maximum arm
stretch. It is not possible to 'grip' the handles in this
situation. It has to be 'finger tips', especially for the
transitions.
10th April
2009
Posted by Felix Mottram,
10 April 2009 19 views
Some good
smooth wind today for 1.5s at Blackheath. Jacob coached some great 4
person repetitions (not practice, just piano scales) with Jade, ATM and
I. Both of them, Jade and ATM, are getting the individual control
but still learning the challenges of the team environment. There is
only one position, for a team flier in the sky, which is the correct one...
They were introduced to a number of the regular Decs routine elements. Other news
is that, in addition to Romney Johnstone re-joining the team this year, DE will
be flying with us, as from Berck and Rougham.
5th April
2009 Blackheath
Posted by Felix Mottram,
05 April 2009 8 views
Another
light and variable wind day. No good for Berck training but we did
put ATM 'in the middle' for some 3 kite repetitions. There is no
point in giving a beginner the easy option. Jade and I
had earlier flown some 'treacle' moves in line and in parallel. I
think that once fliers have grasped the concept, as Jade obviously has, there
will be scope for interesting developments in team and mega-team flying. At the end
of play ATM had the misfortune to catch the leading edge of the staked kite
that he was re-positioning on the ground with his foot. The result
was a broken leading edge and a string of silent expletives. He will
have to call the local supplier of UL 1.5 spars! We may go
to Dunstable next Friday....
29th March
2009
Posted by Felix Mottram,
29 March 2009 14 views
Clock
change weekend so an early start seemed appropriate given the forecast for
gradually reducing wind speed. 3-5 mph translated to nothing
really so it was a bit of a waiting game. Fly when you can and
expect to respond to 90 or 180 degree shifts was the order of the
day. Jacob arrived around midday and we eventually
put 4 wrap Rev 1s up. Caught a thermal under a Cumulus cloud at one
point simultaneously with both kites on vertical lines. You have to
be careful not to pull the kite over the top...
22nd March
2009 Blackheath
Posted by Felix Mottram,
23 March 2009 16 views
Encouraged
ATM to work on leading edge down hover. He was making good
progress. Suggested walking forwards to get gradual descent,
backwards to gain altitude. I will have to suggest the angled hovers
next weekend. The visual feedback is critical.... I then went
into reverie mode trying to pin the kite to a position in the sky in horizontal
hover with varying wind speed and direction. c20 minutes later I
thought it was time to take a break. Some good
'treacle' flying with long arm moves to keep the illusion flowing as the breeze
dropped away occasionally. Jade was in parallel for some of the
time. I will be very interested to see this included in team flying
soon. (if not mega team <grins>)
15th March
2009
Posted by Felix Mottram,
15 March 2009 14 views
Light
variable wind today with 180 degree shifts. The fluctuations in wind
speed meant that, at times, the 4 wrap spars were taking the strain in the JMH
Rev 1 sails. Lighter sparing would have been risky! The sail I
picked up had not had the vertical bungees tightened but once adjusted all was
well. Following with Jacob, Jade and ATM was not inspiring but some
parallel work looked quite neat with some crisp 180/stops, up and down. I have
identified one difficulty in 'long arm' technique which is similar to the 'hand
to chest' syndrome. Sometimes, a long pull of the arm is required and
it may not be intuitive to sweep past at knee level. I notice that
Ben has been photographed on a number of occasions in this mode <grins> Looking
forward to another 'not winter' day next weekend!
8th March
2009
Posted by Felix Mottram,
08 March 2009 13 views
An early
start today in anticipation of 'afternoon' showers. Blustery
conditions '18mph plus' provided the opportunity to try some long arm, treacle
effect flying with the vented 1.5B. How slow can you go? I wonder if
we should actively avoid any 'following' team routines. Apart from
the line wraps it is not really very interesting IMHO. Heavy rain
later after rising wind speed justified the early start. PS Jade
showed me the Prussic knot which could provide incremental adjustment for
leaders rather than relying on pre-tied knots. It would be
interesting to see if it really stays in place in practice. 09/March/2009
1st March
2009
Posted by Felix Mottram,
01 March 2009 12 views
Light
breeze on Blackheath today. Johnny turned up (by bicycle) and with the help of
Jade and ATM we put up 5 of the JMH Rev1s with 4 wrap
spars. Precision in turning is where everything seemed to focus for
all of the fliers. I am very interested in the latest
news on the Revolution site:- 'Also, look for the
introduction of the new Blast being flown by Team
iQuad at a festival near you.' I have
mentioned my interest in the speed series kites previously. I wonder if
anyone can remember which team was considering using Super Blast kites for low
wind team flying and in which year? I cannot offer a prize but
anyone with an idea could start a thread in the forum! Felix
Sunday 22nd
February 2009 "just do it"
Posted by Felix Mottram,
22 February 2009 14 views
ATM flew in
with Jacob, Jade and I today. He had been flying the 'on the
spot' 90 degree turns including 'leading edge down' earlier. (following on from
last week) Jacob called The Decs 'opening manoeuvre' as well as
'ladder-up/down' which call for some focus and space limits. ATM
said he could do the moves as long as there was plenty of escape
space. My observation would be that it is possible to get an
inexperienced flier to do some very cool moves (read that as 'not trivial') so
long as the expectation is not for perfection at the outset. The fact that a
move is apparently being executed with ease either side of the inexperienced
flier is an great incentive for them to 'learn how to do it' without getting
bogged down in the 'practice' syndrome or worrying about the specific controls
involved. I am reminded of the 'not team fliers' who claimed levels of
expertise which they thought should qualify them to take part in a team
project! <grins> A small scale frontal event crossed
Blackheath today with shifts in wind direction and speed. The
lowered dark edge line of clouds illustrated this very
effectively. I wish that I had taken time out to photograph the
transition. Attached is an image from a few
weeks ago instead! Felix
Attached
Thumbnails
Step by
step
Posted by Felix Mottram,
15 February 2009 10 views
Today after
putting Jade in a close following scenario* we tried 90 degree, on the spot
turns. Facing left, down, right, up, left etc. then
reversing. MW didn't quite get it and twice careered through
threatening to take everyone out. ATM got the idea but wanted to
work on the face down hover. I suggested that momentary stopping was
the way to go. Leading edge up, grounded, stepped
rotations proved an interesting consideration of brake/forward
set-up. 1/4, wing tip, 3/4 points all need plenty of forward to
deliver. It is not possible to throw these moves, lines need to be
set with plenty of forward... I am still working on finding a way
of describing the similarity of long arm flying in both low and high wind
situations. *PS Jade did brilliantly in staying calm and getting back into
position... as necessary! FJM
Rev 1 introduction
Posted by Felix Mottram,
08 February 2009 19 views
After a
string <grins> of high wind days c3-5 mph was on offer at Blackheath
today. Jacob turned up and eventually we put up a set of team Rev1's
and had Jade and ATM doing some basic moves. The JMH graphics looked
great. Too busy for pics! Jade and
ATM quickly found effective control of the Rev1 with 4 wrap spars! 5
fliers. 3 1.5JB, 1 Anniversary, 4 JMH Rev1.
Handle
holding orthodoxy
Posted by Felix Mottram,
01 February 2009 40 views
On
Blackheath today it was 15mph plus, I guess, from the East with snow flurries
blowing through and great cloudscapes. I have been
trying to see how far the long arm technique can be extended into high wind
situations. Rather than using the forward/brake control of the
handles I have been trying to hit the balance point where the wing of the kite
only moves forwards with a full pull of the arms. Instead of
adding brake by adjusting line lengths I have been shifting my grip on the
handles way down from the tops. It is a risky strategy in my
previous experience but it does seem to deliver those high speed, no wobble
stops, at any orientation. Also helps with the 'treacle' mode! 11am - 1pm
Five fliers, 4 1.5 JB vented, 1 1.5 10 year old vented.
Long Arm
Slow rotations
Posted by Felix Mottram,
30 November 2008 19 views
So, in the
pouring rain today I was rotating the kite slowly in the middle of the wind
window about a kites width above the ground, and I mean... slowly! Flying Rev
1.5B vented, standard spars. My concern is arm span and the angle of
the kite to the wind. I have to move back briskly when the kite was
face up which gives an indication of the actual wind speed. Face
down is less of an issue as we are aware and I was probably moving forwards at
that point to compensate. The transition from left arm forward to
right arm forward was continuous throughout the rotations. A 'slow
march'. If I can use an alternating full arm stretch with a Rev 1.5 would
it actually be possible to utilise a Rev 1 'fully' in these conditions? This is
probably a rhetorical question!
Sunday 30th
November 2008
Posted by Felix Mottram,
30 November 2008 14 views
Blackheath
wet and muddy, no clear evidence of Canadian Goose shit today. They
were down by the pond! Wind N to NE, vented speed to begin
with but fading as the front passed. ATM had trouble with wet
lines sticking with symmetrical twists but having got through that managed to
grasp the concept of the 'bow and arrow' position for lateral passes and to
hold the kite in a hover and move forwards (downwind). We had
adjusted lines to assess the 'feel' of the kite and to correct an incorrectly
set length on one line by trial and error. MW also had
issues with settings and we increased 'brake' to give more 'pressure' on the
kite. Both fliers had been backing up hundreds of yards when the breeze
was stronger. I had to rescue both of them from the lee of the
roundabout. It is surprising how much a small group of low trees can
interrupt the effective wind flow. It is not teaching, just
observing... They do the learning!
Grid Format
'rules of engagement'
Posted by Felix Mottram,
28 November 2008 47 views
One role
that needs to be addressed for future events will be a 'field organiser' who
would get the fliers lined up and correctly spaced and then keep an eye on the
fliers positions on the ground during a performance. (This should
probably not be in the callers/leaders remit except for determining the overall
configuration) Another possible role is for a 'spotter' to home in on any flier
who is having difficulties and to guide/advise them accordingly and may also
involve relaying a '2nd strike invitation' to land their kite (and move off the
field) as has been suggested elsewhere. (The caller/leader may need
to initiate the request) There may be other 'rules of
engagement' that need to be discussed. Reminder... Rule
number 1. It is supposed to be fun so do not take it too
seriously OK? The caller/leader may have to be
allowed complete discretion to determine the number of fliers and request
others to leave the field. The fliers may need to confirm their
agreement to this prior to taking part.... There are
many sports where the rules are quite difficult to interpret but where the
official has the final say. Given the precarious dynamics that might
be involved we will have to give the caller/leader free reign IMHO. Felix
Mega Team
lines
Posted by Felix Mottram,
25 November 2008 21 views
So if each
flier is on 4 x 120ft = 480 ft. There are 36 fliers so 480 x 36 =
17,280 ft. There are 5,280 ft in a mile if my memory serves me correctly so
that make 3.27 miles of line. With 54 fliers, 480 x 54 = 25,920
ft which is 4.9 miles. With 100 fliers, 480 x 100 = 48,000
ft which is 9.1 miles. Quite a lot of string!
Rev Blogs
Posted by Felix Mottram,
23 November 2008 27 views
So, never
having Blogged before please let me try to understand what is expected. (apart
from the last two!) I fly Revolution kites most weekends on
Blackheath in SE London, sometimes with the team, The Decorators. There are
anecdotes and observations relating to this and related matters which I may
want to record for my own and potentially, (who knows) other's interest! I first
posted (in 2007) on the Revolution Forum in respect of organising the
Portsmouth/Bristol events in 2008. Occasionally/often responses to
postings in the forum may be outside the topic in strict terms. OT
in 'usenet' was a fairly strict designation but we may not want to go
there. There have been observations about the friendly
and inclusive nature of the Rev Forums which I would endorse and I would
applaud the careful moderation of the site. I have seen a couple of
examples of individual posters getting over excited and have withdrawn some of
my own posts as a result! As I understand it, we can use the
space to contemplate possibilities that we had not thought of previously, like
the grid format! <grins>
Grid Format
Posted by Felix Mottram,
23 November 2008 67 views
David noted
in his REVisions
: Grid Economics article:- 'But, Felix
Mottram, founder of The Decorators <snip> had an idea one night. Maybe it
came to him in a dream, or he looked at something and an idea popped into his
head, but he began to try and get some of us to get our head around it. And to
be honest it made no sense to me initially, I know I had problems visualizing
how it would work. I don't think I 'really' got it until such time as Felix
worked a group of us through it in Uchinada earlier this year.' and:- 'And, the
first time I got to experience it first hand was in Uchinada Beach where Felix
had managed to make his way over to the festival.' I had
started to try and document the process of getting a large Revolution Team
event together by copying all the messages in the Revolution Event 2008 thread
into one place but it was too painful. I arrived
at the idea of the Grid in 1993 and wrote to Revolution at that time. Having
proposed the Portsmouth/Bristol events it was apparent that all the players
would need to be on-side if we were going to attempt the Grid
format. Having been at the rained off event at Uchinada in 2004 I
had some reason to try and get there again. Serendipity
comes to mind.
Sunday 23rd
November 2008
Posted by Felix Mottram,
23 November 2008 65 views
Early morning snow followed by rain finally cleared around midday
so a late trip to Blackheath. Bright sun for a while and then a
passing shower with a complete, perfect rainbow. Variable
breeze, vented 1.5B for me and 10 year old vented for ATM who is getting the
hover and 180s with leading edge vertical some of the time. Looks like
the clock 12:25 on the edit page is on New York time! 
Felix Mottram