Well they were right, the wind dropped!
In fact it fell away to nothing. By the time Bill and I arrived there was hardly a kite in the sky. I think I saw the Scratch Bunnies doing a display, but I think they were moving faster than the kites.
DEfinitely a day for the really light wind kites, so much so that I watched as people struggled int he arena to get a dopero airborne. So I decided to go with a roller (the one with the sunburst pattern), which flew nicely, and at one point, I thought we were going to invent a new sport of roller fighting with a couple of guys. bring it on.
Bill had a bit of disappointement. The new box he had bought from skybums broke as he was assembling it. Boy did the air turn blue. And as no-one had a spare 2m length of 15mm hardwood dowel, he was scuppered for the day. So he tried with a rhombox, but didn't have much luck getting that airbonre either.
Paul tried and failed to fly his new huge mega delta. So the day was spent wandering round, chatting, watching people stuggle and invariably fail to fly. Good journey both ways though. Did the trip in about an hour and a half from home. Hope to meet up with people again soon.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Rougham day 1
And the wind she did blow.
We got there about midday, and were a little unhappy at the £6 each admission!. But swallowing our pride we carried on and spent a day at Rougham wandering round traders stands and watching people struggling with the wind. Paul Brooks had his new large spikey ball in the air, but the wind was far to strong for his new delta. We're told the wind will drop tomorrow so he hopes to put in a maiden flight.
Late afternoon and we decided to fly. I tried the 56 rokakku to lift my camera, but it really wasn't much cop. It wasn't very stable and didn't really generate enough lift. I did get some photos from the public flying area across the campsite and over the arenas. And this picture includes the control tower in the background.
Tomorrow hopefully the wind will drop a bit and we can try again perhaps with a more stable kite. Meanwhile enjoy the pics, you know where they are by now.
We got there about midday, and were a little unhappy at the £6 each admission!. But swallowing our pride we carried on and spent a day at Rougham wandering round traders stands and watching people struggling with the wind. Paul Brooks had his new large spikey ball in the air, but the wind was far to strong for his new delta. We're told the wind will drop tomorrow so he hopes to put in a maiden flight.
Late afternoon and we decided to fly. I tried the 56 rokakku to lift my camera, but it really wasn't much cop. It wasn't very stable and didn't really generate enough lift. I did get some photos from the public flying area across the campsite and over the arenas. And this picture includes the control tower in the background.
Tomorrow hopefully the wind will drop a bit and we can try again perhaps with a more stable kite. Meanwhile enjoy the pics, you know where they are by now.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
St Mildred's on a Sunday
Today children we went to St. mildred's Bay near Margate, where it was cloudy and very windy. Given the conditions one had to be mad to fly a kite. But we are, so we did!
As usual arrived before Bill and when he arrived we headed off to Pav's for lunch. When we came back there were a few of the crew gathered. Heather had arrived with the Mind mental health charity kites that tehy wanted us to fly. Well we fiddled with a few and got some to fly reasonably reliably. Heather managed to get some photos for the Mind event next week.
With that over and done with, it was back to the more normal tasks of flying kites with assorted line junk. Problem was, finding any kite that was stable in the very tricky wind conditions. Deltas, delta conynes, box kites of assorted design all seemed to be darting across the sky. I really wanted to try some KAp, one to get some photos from above the sunken garden, and two to get out over the cliffs and look down on the bay below. The wind was in a favourable direction, but was I goning to be able to find a kite stable enough?
I decided to try the small 1.5 metre premiere rokkaku, heavily bowed, I managed to get it fling at a good angle and just about stable, so set about setting up my rig. I got the rig on the line, but then the kite was visciously dragged out of the sky by a delta. So with everything relaunched, I decided to try and find a gap through the kites and junk, only to get crossed by another delta, carrying pigs, frogs, etc. with it. This tangle was a bit more serious, and we had to come down to resolve it. It was during this interval on the ground, that I got a stunning photo of a ball of string!
Anyway, I found enough space to relaunch, but conditions were such that there was very little lift, and the camera was floating horizontally as I fed line. Occasionally the kite lifted, and more often than not, it sunk towards the ground. I did manage to get a couple of shots of the sunken garden.
You can take a look on my flickr page. Then I tried to walk kite and camera out over the cliffs. Well I got the kite out there, but only managed to get the camera as far as the cliff top path. The wind was extermely fickle and I was loosing all lift, so decided to call it a day. I didn't really want to dump the whole lot in the bay below. ANother time in better conditions, I'll have another go.
As usual arrived before Bill and when he arrived we headed off to Pav's for lunch. When we came back there were a few of the crew gathered. Heather had arrived with the Mind mental health charity kites that tehy wanted us to fly. Well we fiddled with a few and got some to fly reasonably reliably. Heather managed to get some photos for the Mind event next week.
With that over and done with, it was back to the more normal tasks of flying kites with assorted line junk. Problem was, finding any kite that was stable in the very tricky wind conditions. Deltas, delta conynes, box kites of assorted design all seemed to be darting across the sky. I really wanted to try some KAp, one to get some photos from above the sunken garden, and two to get out over the cliffs and look down on the bay below. The wind was in a favourable direction, but was I goning to be able to find a kite stable enough?
I decided to try the small 1.5 metre premiere rokkaku, heavily bowed, I managed to get it fling at a good angle and just about stable, so set about setting up my rig. I got the rig on the line, but then the kite was visciously dragged out of the sky by a delta. So with everything relaunched, I decided to try and find a gap through the kites and junk, only to get crossed by another delta, carrying pigs, frogs, etc. with it. This tangle was a bit more serious, and we had to come down to resolve it. It was during this interval on the ground, that I got a stunning photo of a ball of string!
Anyway, I found enough space to relaunch, but conditions were such that there was very little lift, and the camera was floating horizontally as I fed line. Occasionally the kite lifted, and more often than not, it sunk towards the ground. I did manage to get a couple of shots of the sunken garden.
You can take a look on my flickr page. Then I tried to walk kite and camera out over the cliffs. Well I got the kite out there, but only managed to get the camera as far as the cliff top path. The wind was extermely fickle and I was loosing all lift, so decided to call it a day. I didn't really want to dump the whole lot in the bay below. ANother time in better conditions, I'll have another go.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Teston again
Another day at Teston bridge picnic site, but this time conditions were pretty good. The wind was its usual self all afternoon, coming and going , but it was blowing along the valley, which meant it was much more consistent than usual. So I decided to try and KAP the bridge and lock, and put up the flowform 30 to start. I had single fluffy tail on, but it proved too much for the kite as the wind was low, so the tail came off which allowed the kite to attain a much better flying angle.
Now I tried to position myself as close to the bridge as possible. First time out, the wind droped and I had to retreat to safety away from the trees. Meanwhile I also needed to discover why the rig was jittering and the camera continually firing. The second was easy, the trimmer for the shutter release had moved. The first was because the tx aerial wasn't fully extended.
So with those problems solved, back to my position of comfort by the bridge and hope to get a couple of decent shots. Well I got what I think is a nice one of the bridge
and a nice one looking up river towards the lock.
The latter one needed a little bit of fiddling in photoshop to compensate for teh bright sky.
Now another problem, I'd lost pan control. everything else was working fine. So bring the kite down to see that at some point, the support for the pan servo had bent slightly and was now just failing to engage the pan gear. This was easily fixed, but being a lazy sort, and having got the two keeper photos that I wanted, I called it a day for KAP and spent a pleasant afternoon just flying kites.
Now I tried to position myself as close to the bridge as possible. First time out, the wind droped and I had to retreat to safety away from the trees. Meanwhile I also needed to discover why the rig was jittering and the camera continually firing. The second was easy, the trimmer for the shutter release had moved. The first was because the tx aerial wasn't fully extended.
So with those problems solved, back to my position of comfort by the bridge and hope to get a couple of decent shots. Well I got what I think is a nice one of the bridge
and a nice one looking up river towards the lock.
The latter one needed a little bit of fiddling in photoshop to compensate for teh bright sky.
Now another problem, I'd lost pan control. everything else was working fine. So bring the kite down to see that at some point, the support for the pan servo had bent slightly and was now just failing to engage the pan gear. This was easily fixed, but being a lazy sort, and having got the two keeper photos that I wanted, I called it a day for KAP and spent a pleasant afternoon just flying kites.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Berck 2007
Despite all adversity, the three stooges finally managed to turn up at Berck on Easter weekend. Initially we had problems finding a hotel. In fact the closest that was willing to let out three single rooms was in Boulogne. aware of our plight, Heather came to the rescue and suggested we contacted her neighbour who had a holiday cottage somewhere near Le Touquet. The deal was struck and we headed off on Good Friday. We had booked a sailing at about 1pm, but Dover ferry terminal was remarkably quiet considering. Eventually we found our way into Calais, and headed for Cite Europe to get supplies for the evening (beer, wine, cheese and bread). With the car now fully loaded, we headed off to find Hubersent.
Hubersent is a tiny little village, a little south of Samer, just off the N1. There is nothing there! Well there is a church,
which is closed and seems to have been replaced by a modern village hall. A monument to our lady of Boulogne
which is closed up, a cross in the village "centre"
and some houses and farm buildings, and that is it. No shops, but we had been warned.
The cottage was a pretty, rustic old farm cottage I guess.
And having got there, our problems began. Nothing to do with the cottage you understand, it was the idiot holding the key. It didn't seem to fit any of the locks! About to phone for assistance, when Bill noticed that there was another lock on the front door. Sure enough the key fitted this one. At last we gained entry, and the most striking feature was the fireplace that dominates the loungs.
But boy were we glad of this in the evening as we struggled to figure out how to get the heating and hot water to work. But eventually all problems were solved and we settled down to enjoy our stay. Whilst the cottage is very old, it has all mod cons inside - dishwasher, microwave, oven, hob, etc.
Saturday comes, and we felt we should put in an appearance at Berck, so we headed off down the N1, which takes you straight there. Unfortunately, the traffic jam getting into the town started just where the N1 crosses the A16. Fortunately it only continued to the cross roads at Rang du Fliers, but it still took us best part of an hour to get there, having taken about 15 minutes from the cottage to the back of the jam!
But we got there, parked and headed off to the beach. There was quite a stiff breeze and we wandered along and around looking at the various displays and kites. The wind garden was just below the carousel this year, and in addition to the traditional wind toys, there was a magnificent maze. Fellow Kaper Gerhard got some nice photos of it, which you can see here http://www.drachenwelt.at/kap/2007/2_berck/pages/berckgd039.htm.
Nothing much new in the sky though, but on the ground were two magnificent windmills, one stamping out metal discs
and the other was a clock (not the most accurate timepiece being wind powered).
In one of the display tents there were some fabulous Edos and a magnicent chines dragon.
During the afternoon it turned cloudy and chilly so we headed off to the supermarket to pick up supplies for the evening, for chef Bill to make the most of. As we returned to Hubersent, it was clear that the fine weather was to the north, and the cloudy weather down south.
Sunday came, and we took the coast road down through Etaples to get to Berck this time. We arrived much earlier, but it was already difficult to park. Glorious sunshine all day long. There should be a warning around some of the arenas, as this bloke obviously fell over the barrier!
After renewing acquaintances at the beach cafe, it was time to go and fly. I had taken my new maxi dopero with me, so I went to the beach whilst the others went back to the car to get kites. It was a bit of a struggle getting the kite put together to start with, as it was first time out, but before long, it was flying, and attracted the attention of other kapers. Funny how a dopero can act as a honeypot to kapers. Wicherd wandered by at the bottom of his maxi; Wolfgang came to get a photgraph or three, and Peter (van Erkel) came over for a chat. This just goes to reinforce the great community spirit between kapers.
Having given the maxi its maiden voyage, we chatted for a while and then met up with other KKF members who had made the day trip. Finally we decided to grab an evening meal in Berck, as there was no way of getting out of the town! I have seen Berck crowded before, but I don't think I have ever seen crowds like this. It was almost impossible to move on the beach!
Having eaten, we headed back to the beach for an hours flying before making the coastal journey back to the cottage.
Monday came and time to think about returning home. So after breakfast, we cleaned up and eventually set off. The plan was to stop off in Boulogne for a fly, but it was impossible to find anywhere to park, at about noon. So we headed off along the coastal road to Calais, to see if we could get any better luck. Not really! It was only when we got to a cpot between Bleriot Plage and Calais Plage that we found a large empty carpark and decided to stop and try our luck. A good breeze was blowing along the beach, so I decided to try out the Trident, Bill went for the Outerspace and Matt the 10m Peel! Refreshed, we decided coffee and frites were required before heading off to the ferry. Big mistake. It took about 20 minutes from taking the order to things arriving, and as Matt said, it takes some doing to find the only French food establishment to make an English greasy spoon look positively Egon Ronay! Never mind! we cut through the town and got to the ferry port to join the queue with the Carl Robertshaw procession. And so to home to end one of the most enjoyable flying trips I've had in a long time.
Hubersent is a tiny little village, a little south of Samer, just off the N1. There is nothing there! Well there is a church,
which is closed and seems to have been replaced by a modern village hall. A monument to our lady of Boulogne
which is closed up, a cross in the village "centre"
and some houses and farm buildings, and that is it. No shops, but we had been warned.
The cottage was a pretty, rustic old farm cottage I guess.
And having got there, our problems began. Nothing to do with the cottage you understand, it was the idiot holding the key. It didn't seem to fit any of the locks! About to phone for assistance, when Bill noticed that there was another lock on the front door. Sure enough the key fitted this one. At last we gained entry, and the most striking feature was the fireplace that dominates the loungs.
But boy were we glad of this in the evening as we struggled to figure out how to get the heating and hot water to work. But eventually all problems were solved and we settled down to enjoy our stay. Whilst the cottage is very old, it has all mod cons inside - dishwasher, microwave, oven, hob, etc.
Saturday comes, and we felt we should put in an appearance at Berck, so we headed off down the N1, which takes you straight there. Unfortunately, the traffic jam getting into the town started just where the N1 crosses the A16. Fortunately it only continued to the cross roads at Rang du Fliers, but it still took us best part of an hour to get there, having taken about 15 minutes from the cottage to the back of the jam!
But we got there, parked and headed off to the beach. There was quite a stiff breeze and we wandered along and around looking at the various displays and kites. The wind garden was just below the carousel this year, and in addition to the traditional wind toys, there was a magnificent maze. Fellow Kaper Gerhard got some nice photos of it, which you can see here http://www.drachenwelt.at/kap/2007/2_berck/pages/berckgd039.htm.
Nothing much new in the sky though, but on the ground were two magnificent windmills, one stamping out metal discs
and the other was a clock (not the most accurate timepiece being wind powered).
In one of the display tents there were some fabulous Edos and a magnicent chines dragon.
During the afternoon it turned cloudy and chilly so we headed off to the supermarket to pick up supplies for the evening, for chef Bill to make the most of. As we returned to Hubersent, it was clear that the fine weather was to the north, and the cloudy weather down south.
Sunday came, and we took the coast road down through Etaples to get to Berck this time. We arrived much earlier, but it was already difficult to park. Glorious sunshine all day long. There should be a warning around some of the arenas, as this bloke obviously fell over the barrier!
After renewing acquaintances at the beach cafe, it was time to go and fly. I had taken my new maxi dopero with me, so I went to the beach whilst the others went back to the car to get kites. It was a bit of a struggle getting the kite put together to start with, as it was first time out, but before long, it was flying, and attracted the attention of other kapers. Funny how a dopero can act as a honeypot to kapers. Wicherd wandered by at the bottom of his maxi; Wolfgang came to get a photgraph or three, and Peter (van Erkel) came over for a chat. This just goes to reinforce the great community spirit between kapers.
Having given the maxi its maiden voyage, we chatted for a while and then met up with other KKF members who had made the day trip. Finally we decided to grab an evening meal in Berck, as there was no way of getting out of the town! I have seen Berck crowded before, but I don't think I have ever seen crowds like this. It was almost impossible to move on the beach!
Having eaten, we headed back to the beach for an hours flying before making the coastal journey back to the cottage.
Monday came and time to think about returning home. So after breakfast, we cleaned up and eventually set off. The plan was to stop off in Boulogne for a fly, but it was impossible to find anywhere to park, at about noon. So we headed off along the coastal road to Calais, to see if we could get any better luck. Not really! It was only when we got to a cpot between Bleriot Plage and Calais Plage that we found a large empty carpark and decided to stop and try our luck. A good breeze was blowing along the beach, so I decided to try out the Trident, Bill went for the Outerspace and Matt the 10m Peel! Refreshed, we decided coffee and frites were required before heading off to the ferry. Big mistake. It took about 20 minutes from taking the order to things arriving, and as Matt said, it takes some doing to find the only French food establishment to make an English greasy spoon look positively Egon Ronay! Never mind! we cut through the town and got to the ferry port to join the queue with the Carl Robertshaw procession. And so to home to end one of the most enjoyable flying trips I've had in a long time.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Canterbury 11th March
At Last! The weather was finally nice enought to get out and do some serious flying!
That being said, it was a bit blustery, in fact it was "quite" turbulent. But it was gloriously sunny, which led to a good turn out from KKF members for a club day. A few old faces came out and flew and it was really good to see them all.
So I thought I'd start the day with a Nashville Star - a Jilly Pelham creation. THis is an old kite and the fabric is faded and jaded, but it still flies nicely. But in the turbulent conditions, it was bouncing around the sky. I was just thinking I would bring it down when there was a creak, crack and that was that. The front spreader and one of the cell spreaders broke in two. Testament to the kite, it carried on flying, but it was no definitely a case of get it to the ground before any serious damage was done. So a repair is now necessary :-(
Next out I decided to fly a pair of deltas from G-Kites. A ghost and a shadow delta. Both are framed in glass fibre, so much more able to handle the conditions. THey bounced around the sky, but stayed aloft.
Later, I decided to try a home made Conyne. Again this was skipping all over the sky, but then these aren't reknowned for their stability. However, while I was sitting down having a drink, the kite stabilised and behaved nicely for about half an hour. Encouraged by this, I was determined to get out the camera rig. But by the time I'd got to the anchor point, the kite was once again bouncing all over the place.
But I wasn't to be beaten, and as the sun settled over the woods, the wind dropped a bit and I decided to try a premier rok. Not the focus this time, I was going with the tongue. It hasn't been out of the bag for some time so it was due a stint. Correctly trimmed, it flew straight up in the sky and stayed put, so this was the time to attache the camera. I desperately wanted to get some close up photos of the BT tower, but with the wind still bucking the camera and kite, I decided not to head too close to the tree line, and get some shots form the distance. Next time, when the winds are calmer, I'll get up closer
But all in all it was a good productive day. THis was the first successful use of the Canon S60, after a couple of false starts. The infra-red release worked well. I've currently got it set with flash on, but looking at the exif data, this seems to be causing the shutter speed to slow down. also, it changes the recharge time, which means that you can't fire off shots quickly. So I think I'll turn that feature off. I like having the flash as a positive indication of shutter release, but I don't like it if it impacts on the ability to capture images.
This was, I think, the first time the rig has been airborne since it got bent, and it performed fine, so big tick in the box there. There is always next time to capture the perfect image!
That being said, it was a bit blustery, in fact it was "quite" turbulent. But it was gloriously sunny, which led to a good turn out from KKF members for a club day. A few old faces came out and flew and it was really good to see them all.
So I thought I'd start the day with a Nashville Star - a Jilly Pelham creation. THis is an old kite and the fabric is faded and jaded, but it still flies nicely. But in the turbulent conditions, it was bouncing around the sky. I was just thinking I would bring it down when there was a creak, crack and that was that. The front spreader and one of the cell spreaders broke in two. Testament to the kite, it carried on flying, but it was no definitely a case of get it to the ground before any serious damage was done. So a repair is now necessary :-(
Next out I decided to fly a pair of deltas from G-Kites. A ghost and a shadow delta. Both are framed in glass fibre, so much more able to handle the conditions. THey bounced around the sky, but stayed aloft.
Later, I decided to try a home made Conyne. Again this was skipping all over the sky, but then these aren't reknowned for their stability. However, while I was sitting down having a drink, the kite stabilised and behaved nicely for about half an hour. Encouraged by this, I was determined to get out the camera rig. But by the time I'd got to the anchor point, the kite was once again bouncing all over the place.
But I wasn't to be beaten, and as the sun settled over the woods, the wind dropped a bit and I decided to try a premier rok. Not the focus this time, I was going with the tongue. It hasn't been out of the bag for some time so it was due a stint. Correctly trimmed, it flew straight up in the sky and stayed put, so this was the time to attache the camera. I desperately wanted to get some close up photos of the BT tower, but with the wind still bucking the camera and kite, I decided not to head too close to the tree line, and get some shots form the distance. Next time, when the winds are calmer, I'll get up closer
But all in all it was a good productive day. THis was the first successful use of the Canon S60, after a couple of false starts. The infra-red release worked well. I've currently got it set with flash on, but looking at the exif data, this seems to be causing the shutter speed to slow down. also, it changes the recharge time, which means that you can't fire off shots quickly. So I think I'll turn that feature off. I like having the flash as a positive indication of shutter release, but I don't like it if it impacts on the ability to capture images.
This was, I think, the first time the rig has been airborne since it got bent, and it performed fine, so big tick in the box there. There is always next time to capture the perfect image!
Monday, February 19, 2007
Palm Bay on the 18th
Well I didn't do any KAP, cos it was too cold. My tiny hands were frozen, but I wasn't to be put off flying having not been out for some time.
I arrived at about mid-day, along with Barry (Arfman) and Len (Ochiltree), and we soon had some kites int he air. It was cold, and there was a good, but gentle breeze. So I decided to forgo the pleasure of setting up the KAP gear, and play with sports kites. Out came the Trident and I had a good hour refamiliarizing myself with trick kite flying. It didn't take too long to get back into the groove.
Time for lunch when Bill arrived, so off we went to the cafe to see what was on offer. A good old fashioned plate of english cholesterol was the order of the day! full and warmed up again, we headed back along the cliffs to Palm Bay where the others were playing. The wind had all but disappeared, but I gave the Trident another outing.
Eventually, I was having trouble keeping the kite aloft, so decide to christen my Christmas present - Trident Light. Yes I got this on Christmas day, and it has only been out of the bag to check that everything was well. So now it was going to feel the (lack of) breeze. I like the Trident a lot, and I really didn't think that Mark could repeat his success, but he has, and I think I like the Light even more. It didn't take long before I was performing my full (but still somehwat limited) repertoire on this kite, and it just gave everything up so easily. A joy to fly!
Oh well, time to head off home and speculate on what might have been with the dopero!
I arrived at about mid-day, along with Barry (Arfman) and Len (Ochiltree), and we soon had some kites int he air. It was cold, and there was a good, but gentle breeze. So I decided to forgo the pleasure of setting up the KAP gear, and play with sports kites. Out came the Trident and I had a good hour refamiliarizing myself with trick kite flying. It didn't take too long to get back into the groove.
Time for lunch when Bill arrived, so off we went to the cafe to see what was on offer. A good old fashioned plate of english cholesterol was the order of the day! full and warmed up again, we headed back along the cliffs to Palm Bay where the others were playing. The wind had all but disappeared, but I gave the Trident another outing.
Eventually, I was having trouble keeping the kite aloft, so decide to christen my Christmas present - Trident Light. Yes I got this on Christmas day, and it has only been out of the bag to check that everything was well. So now it was going to feel the (lack of) breeze. I like the Trident a lot, and I really didn't think that Mark could repeat his success, but he has, and I think I like the Light even more. It didn't take long before I was performing my full (but still somehwat limited) repertoire on this kite, and it just gave everything up so easily. A joy to fly!
Oh well, time to head off home and speculate on what might have been with the dopero!
Monday, February 12, 2007
Damp underfoot at Canterbury
Well I went flying at Canterbury yesterday, but didn't manage to get any KAP done.
When I arrived at the site, there was a good strong breeze blowing, definitely not the conditions for trying out the new Dopero, so I resorted to my trusty rokakku. Having got the kite into the air, I decided to attach the camera rig and try to get some photos. I didn't realise quite how wet it was until I put my foot down and spalshed muddy water everywhere!
Anyway, I got the camera rig on the line and tested the shutter release - nothing. I'm now using a Canon S70 with infra red release and using a gentled. But nothing seemed to be happening. So while I fiddled with the camera, the kite came down, then went back up again, then went down, then up - you get the picture about the weather conditions!
So I decided to take the camera off and investigate the problem. For whatever reason, it had lost the setting for infra red release, and it took me about 20 minutes to find the correct setting. Its not in one of the menus, its in the functions screen. So feeling a bit fed up, I now had the camera working and sure enough, when I fired up the tx and pressed shutter release, I got a comforting click, whir and flash from the camera, yes it was getting pretty dark, and by the looks of things we were about to get a squall. So I decided to give up on photography and just go for the flying.
Well the squall hit, but wasn't as hard as the couple I had driven through on the way out, but enough to give the rok a good soaking, so it had to stay flying for a while to dry out. THen I tried out a Gomberg shadow delta that I bought last year but was still in its original bag. The kite flew nciely, but the leading edge sleeves were too tight for my liking and the glass fibre rods much too flexible, so it may all get changed for carbon at some point.
Enough of this, getting cold and dark so time to head home. At home, checked out the camera, and I think I've now got the IR setting saved. I hope so as having to set this every time I want to use the camera for KAP would be a major pain in the A***.
Likely to be off to Palm Bay in Margate next weekend, hoping for better KAP luck and some decent weather. See you all soon.
When I arrived at the site, there was a good strong breeze blowing, definitely not the conditions for trying out the new Dopero, so I resorted to my trusty rokakku. Having got the kite into the air, I decided to attach the camera rig and try to get some photos. I didn't realise quite how wet it was until I put my foot down and spalshed muddy water everywhere!
Anyway, I got the camera rig on the line and tested the shutter release - nothing. I'm now using a Canon S70 with infra red release and using a gentled. But nothing seemed to be happening. So while I fiddled with the camera, the kite came down, then went back up again, then went down, then up - you get the picture about the weather conditions!
So I decided to take the camera off and investigate the problem. For whatever reason, it had lost the setting for infra red release, and it took me about 20 minutes to find the correct setting. Its not in one of the menus, its in the functions screen. So feeling a bit fed up, I now had the camera working and sure enough, when I fired up the tx and pressed shutter release, I got a comforting click, whir and flash from the camera, yes it was getting pretty dark, and by the looks of things we were about to get a squall. So I decided to give up on photography and just go for the flying.
Well the squall hit, but wasn't as hard as the couple I had driven through on the way out, but enough to give the rok a good soaking, so it had to stay flying for a while to dry out. THen I tried out a Gomberg shadow delta that I bought last year but was still in its original bag. The kite flew nciely, but the leading edge sleeves were too tight for my liking and the glass fibre rods much too flexible, so it may all get changed for carbon at some point.
Enough of this, getting cold and dark so time to head home. At home, checked out the camera, and I think I've now got the IR setting saved. I hope so as having to set this every time I want to use the camera for KAP would be a major pain in the A***.
Likely to be off to Palm Bay in Margate next weekend, hoping for better KAP luck and some decent weather. See you all soon.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Camber was windy today
Went down to Camber today with a group from KKF. When I got there just before 1, they were already in the cafe. The tide was as high as I've seen it - lapping under the deck of the cafe at times, and the wind was blowing strong.
So I'd already decided today was not a day for KAP, but for flying. Had breakfast int he cafe, then ventured out as the tide receded. Paul put up his counter rotating box, and bill flew a pair of bugs, but apart from that, very little was int he sky. Then as the tide receded further out, so the wind abated a bit and I decided to try out an old kite.
Out came an old Pro Spectrum from Rare Air Kites of South Africa. This kite has got to be a good 10 years old. But on long lines it is slow and steady and flies like it is on rails. Had some great fun with it, then lent it to Andrew and Bill to play with for a while. The term "being connected" to the kite is certainly the case with this one as it pulls like a train!
As teh skies darkened it was time to head off home. Don't know where we'll be next week. It rather depends on what the weather holds I guess.
So I'd already decided today was not a day for KAP, but for flying. Had breakfast int he cafe, then ventured out as the tide receded. Paul put up his counter rotating box, and bill flew a pair of bugs, but apart from that, very little was int he sky. Then as the tide receded further out, so the wind abated a bit and I decided to try out an old kite.
Out came an old Pro Spectrum from Rare Air Kites of South Africa. This kite has got to be a good 10 years old. But on long lines it is slow and steady and flies like it is on rails. Had some great fun with it, then lent it to Andrew and Bill to play with for a while. The term "being connected" to the kite is certainly the case with this one as it pulls like a train!
As teh skies darkened it was time to head off home. Don't know where we'll be next week. It rather depends on what the weather holds I guess.
Friday, December 01, 2006
A Grand Day Out
Today saw Matt, Bill and I head off for a day out. Unfortunately the weather wasn't ideal being chilly, windy, grey and damp. But we made the most of it. We took ourselves North out of Calais towards Dunkerque and explored some of the coastline along the way, stopping off in Grand-Fort Phillipe, Gravelines and Loon Plage before finding our way to Dunkerque, where we managed to get a short fly on the beach. The sand at all of these locations is simply unbelievable and well worth a visit if you can make it. The panorama below is taken from the monument at Grand-Fort Phillipe. The lighthouse is in Petit-Fort Phillipe. The bloke in teh foreground is Bill. More photos are on myu Flickr pages. If you want to know exactly where this is in Northern France, then the photo of the monument on my Flickr page is geotagged, just click on the map link.
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Sunday, November 26, 2006
Damaging day at Capstone
Well it was quite breezy, and proved too much for safe KAP. After I arrived I spent some time rigging a small HQ rokkaku to cope with the conditions. Eventually I got it flying stable and at a nice angle, so decided to try to get my rig aloft. With the kite just about at tree top level, and about 100 ft of line out, I didn't expect to have many problems. How wrong can we be?
So with the rig fixed to the line I started to gently pay out line. With the rig now at about 50 feet, everything looked good, so I fired off a shot.
Then the wind picked up. The kite started to traverse the sky dramatically, and the rig was being thrown about the sky from side to side.
Then the worst possible thing happened, the kite went into a big loop and the rig hit the ground at force. The kite continued on its way and dragged the rig along the ground before lifting it back into the sky. So at this point, I decided enough was enough and tied the line off to a nearby post and walked the rig down. The battery pack was dangling and the legs were bent, but I couldn't immediately see any other damage. A quick check showed that all functions still seemed to be working, but enough already, lets bring it down and pack away.
Closer inspection at home shows that the whole of one side of the rig has been buckled, however it is not a write off. A couple of hours in the workshop will put it right I think.
So with the rig fixed to the line I started to gently pay out line. With the rig now at about 50 feet, everything looked good, so I fired off a shot.
Then the wind picked up. The kite started to traverse the sky dramatically, and the rig was being thrown about the sky from side to side.
Then the worst possible thing happened, the kite went into a big loop and the rig hit the ground at force. The kite continued on its way and dragged the rig along the ground before lifting it back into the sky. So at this point, I decided enough was enough and tied the line off to a nearby post and walked the rig down. The battery pack was dangling and the legs were bent, but I couldn't immediately see any other damage. A quick check showed that all functions still seemed to be working, but enough already, lets bring it down and pack away.
Closer inspection at home shows that the whole of one side of the rig has been buckled, however it is not a write off. A couple of hours in the workshop will put it right I think.
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Dieppe in Panorama
Well, back in September, Bill, Matt and I visited Dieppe. I've recently taken an interest in creating virtual panoramas, so this is my first effort based on three photos of the Dieppe skyline taken from the castle. Enjoy!
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Sunday, November 19, 2006
Glorious Camber
We decided to spend a day down in Camber today, and what a glorious day it was too. There was zero wind in Maidstone, but Metcheck and Windguru both said there would be a steady 10mph in the afternoon. Will and I got down there about 12:30 and sure enough there was a good breeze blowing almost straight down the beach. So I decided to take out the camera and flowform and try and get some photos. Not far from our usual flying spot was a whale that had been washed ashore during the week. It was being closely guarded by the coastguard and was surrounded by ghoulish onlookers. Not to be outdone, I managed to get my photos from a slightly higher angle!
Then I wandered down the beach to get some photos of the houses and the glorious reflected sunlight off the sea.
Returning to Will's flying spot, Matt and Bill had arrived and assisted in getting the kite and rig back safely on the ground. Time for lunch and to look over the images. A full memory card was then swapped and off for another go in the opposite direction down the beach, where the flats and dunes could be examined from the air.
Another full memory card and a few spots of rain meant it was time to bring everything back to earth and start packing away. I think this must count as amongst my best ever days kapping. It was certainly one of the most enjoyable. The kite performed perfectly, there was a good steady breeze, no turbulence and clear conditions. Th eonly down point was I never quite managed to get the whale framed properly, and I discovered that I had my camera set on super fine resolution, which reduced the number of images I could save.
Then I wandered down the beach to get some photos of the houses and the glorious reflected sunlight off the sea.
Returning to Will's flying spot, Matt and Bill had arrived and assisted in getting the kite and rig back safely on the ground. Time for lunch and to look over the images. A full memory card was then swapped and off for another go in the opposite direction down the beach, where the flats and dunes could be examined from the air.
Another full memory card and a few spots of rain meant it was time to bring everything back to earth and start packing away. I think this must count as amongst my best ever days kapping. It was certainly one of the most enjoyable. The kite performed perfectly, there was a good steady breeze, no turbulence and clear conditions. Th eonly down point was I never quite managed to get the whale framed properly, and I discovered that I had my camera set on super fine resolution, which reduced the number of images I could save.
Monday, November 13, 2006
Oops!
Well Sunday was at Mote Park in Maidstone. So I turned up at the field and took rig and kite onto field. Got the FF30 nicely into the sky and secured. Took out my rig and everything was fine. Took out the tx, and OOPS. The power was on and the meter was showing a compelte discharge state. No spare battery - IDIOT!!!!!
Sunday, October 29, 2006
G'day from Camber
Blimey what a scorcher! Had a great day at Camber today, despite winds being light to non-existant! But I'm definitely in need of a dopero!
Got there this morning to find the car park full, teh sun shining and a gentle offshore breeze blowing. As the tide was well out, made the most of the conditions and flew the trident for a couple of hours. Must right to Mark and get the colour swatch for teh ultra light version as I am trying to persuade someone that it would make a nice Christmas present.
Anyway, at about 1:30 the tide was well up the beach, so we headed for the Kit Kat cafe for lunch. Under new ownership but the food is still good. Not only that, they will be willing to open anytime there is custom!!!!
After lunch, went out to play with single line stuff. Given the conditions, I decided to try a Premier large Rok. Well it took some effort, but eventually it was well out over the sea, flying at about 60 degrees. So I thought I'd give the camera a try. Well it stayed glued to the ground, absolutely no lift from the kite at all. So I took the camera off and just flew the kite. Lovely conditions, and occasionally had to work to keep the kite out of the sea. And it was just by luck that we were underflown by two microlights scooting along the seaa line at about 20 feet. Had I got their numbers I'd have reported them to the CAA, cos I'm sure what they were doing wasn't legal.
Apart from that, lovely day which came to an end all too soon as the sun disappeared. We're apparently going to try Tonbridge again next week.
Got there this morning to find the car park full, teh sun shining and a gentle offshore breeze blowing. As the tide was well out, made the most of the conditions and flew the trident for a couple of hours. Must right to Mark and get the colour swatch for teh ultra light version as I am trying to persuade someone that it would make a nice Christmas present.
Anyway, at about 1:30 the tide was well up the beach, so we headed for the Kit Kat cafe for lunch. Under new ownership but the food is still good. Not only that, they will be willing to open anytime there is custom!!!!
After lunch, went out to play with single line stuff. Given the conditions, I decided to try a Premier large Rok. Well it took some effort, but eventually it was well out over the sea, flying at about 60 degrees. So I thought I'd give the camera a try. Well it stayed glued to the ground, absolutely no lift from the kite at all. So I took the camera off and just flew the kite. Lovely conditions, and occasionally had to work to keep the kite out of the sea. And it was just by luck that we were underflown by two microlights scooting along the seaa line at about 20 feet. Had I got their numbers I'd have reported them to the CAA, cos I'm sure what they were doing wasn't legal.
Apart from that, lovely day which came to an end all too soon as the sun disappeared. We're apparently going to try Tonbridge again next week.
Sunday, October 22, 2006
KAP at Kenilworth Castle
John Williams of Midland Kite Flyers had organised a day at Kenilworth Castle on 21st October for UK KAPers to meet up. Unfortunately, on the day, a coule dropped out due to ill health, and with the "scottish contingent" heading off to KAPICA, our numbers were rather diminished at 2 (John and I)! To make matters worse, due to some poor organisation on my part, I was running very late, and having already told John that I wouldn't be there before 12, it was just before one when I finally arrived. John had been busy all morning, so was in the car park having a rest, and after the drive, we decided that first things first, lets head to the pub!
Rested and revived we headed back to the castle to try our luck. Having put on some wet weather gear and got ourselves organised, I decided to try the Premier focus rok. John had warned that the wind was a bit fickle where we were flying
so he helped me out with a long launch. And guess what. It was then that we got the first heavy shower. Sure enough, after a short while, the wind picked up to strong and gusty and the kite and camera rig were being thrown all over the sky, so there was no opportunity to get "up close and personal" with the castle wall. But the wonders of digital photography and computers mean that a lot of problems can be corrected.
And after a short while, I had to stop for a rest as my arms were aching from the pull of the rok.
Meanwhile John was struggling to find the right kite to fly, having started out with a dopero, he moved onto a flowform, then settled on a delta. Eventually, the rain stopped, and before too long we were bathed in wall-to-wall sunshine, and the wind dropped to acceptable levels, which meant we suddenly lost all lift. But then things settled down and we were able to spend the rest of the afternoon getting some reasonable photos from over the castle wall
and of the surrounding area.
Unfortunately all good things must come to an end. When the flash started firing on my camera, I knew the light was fading and it was time to pack up and head back to Kent. Many thanks to John for organising the day. Sorry I was so late getting there, and hopefully, next time we can get a few more people to come along.
Rested and revived we headed back to the castle to try our luck. Having put on some wet weather gear and got ourselves organised, I decided to try the Premier focus rok. John had warned that the wind was a bit fickle where we were flying
so he helped me out with a long launch. And guess what. It was then that we got the first heavy shower. Sure enough, after a short while, the wind picked up to strong and gusty and the kite and camera rig were being thrown all over the sky, so there was no opportunity to get "up close and personal" with the castle wall. But the wonders of digital photography and computers mean that a lot of problems can be corrected.
And after a short while, I had to stop for a rest as my arms were aching from the pull of the rok.
Meanwhile John was struggling to find the right kite to fly, having started out with a dopero, he moved onto a flowform, then settled on a delta. Eventually, the rain stopped, and before too long we were bathed in wall-to-wall sunshine, and the wind dropped to acceptable levels, which meant we suddenly lost all lift. But then things settled down and we were able to spend the rest of the afternoon getting some reasonable photos from over the castle wall
and of the surrounding area.
Unfortunately all good things must come to an end. When the flash started firing on my camera, I knew the light was fading and it was time to pack up and head back to Kent. Many thanks to John for organising the day. Sorry I was so late getting there, and hopefully, next time we can get a few more people to come along.
Monday, October 02, 2006
Bewl Sunday
Wet and Windy - enough said. We managed to fly in th emorning, though the wind was so gusty and turbulent that kites were swinging through about 90 degrees. Only a couple were really brave enough to fly. Then in the afternoon we had several heavy showers that drove the small public, and most of the kite flyers running for home. Shame, conditions were certainly not good enough to try KAP.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Bewl Saturday
I arrived late in the day having had a few chores to deal with first and was greated by a pretty good display of kites. All the usual suspects were there.
So I put up the flowform 30 with two tails to keep it steady in the bouncy breeze, put three spiky balls on the line and borrowed Rob's big one to make a show and left it there flying all afternoon.
Picked up Alexis' rok from Rob's bargain bucket, then went and untangled some string. And by then the day was drawing to an end, so brought the balls down and decided to try some Kap on the FF. Well we were up, iarborn and ready, but for some reason, I had no control over the rig. Everything seemed to have power, but nothing seemed to be working. However when I brought everything back to ground we were ok again. Now I know I'm using a short range "park" receiver, but I can't believe it was out of range!
Anyway, packed everything up, and set the BIG delta up for night flying. "You'll never get that up" wanna bet!!!!! Up she went with all lights flickering nicely. Looked great as the dark clouds rolled in and the heavens opened. So we got soaked and I will have to fly again today to dry it out!
See ya all tomorrow
So I put up the flowform 30 with two tails to keep it steady in the bouncy breeze, put three spiky balls on the line and borrowed Rob's big one to make a show and left it there flying all afternoon.
Picked up Alexis' rok from Rob's bargain bucket, then went and untangled some string. And by then the day was drawing to an end, so brought the balls down and decided to try some Kap on the FF. Well we were up, iarborn and ready, but for some reason, I had no control over the rig. Everything seemed to have power, but nothing seemed to be working. However when I brought everything back to ground we were ok again. Now I know I'm using a short range "park" receiver, but I can't believe it was out of range!
Anyway, packed everything up, and set the BIG delta up for night flying. "You'll never get that up" wanna bet!!!!! Up she went with all lights flickering nicely. Looked great as the dark clouds rolled in and the heavens opened. So we got soaked and I will have to fly again today to dry it out!
See ya all tomorrow
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Teston in need of a Dopero
Today, Bill and I decided to give the club meeting a miss and go to Mote Park. Best laid plans and all that, I got to Mote Park to find a funfare on the field. So we made a decision to go on to Teston. Teston is a lovely place, but a real pig to fly with a huge elm tree in the field, well know for eating kites, and with the wind in the wrong direction, cuting out the breeze from the field.
Still it was worth a try, and while Bill played with some brazilian fighters bought at Dieppe, I decided to try some KAP. Because of the light wind, I decided to use my favourite Premiere Rokakku, with the focus pattern. I just got it sitting above the trees, but needed to constantly tend it to keep it out of the damn things. So attaching the rig to the line and getting set up was "challenging".
Eventually we got set up and let out some line to try and get some more lift, but not a lot was happening, As I went across the field I got right in the shadow of the tree and that was it. Everything came rushing to the ground.
So a re-launch was necessary, and after a while I got high enough to get a couple of worthwhile shots. But it was a constant struggle, and I couldn't move downwind at all. Oh Peter, where is my maxi Dopero. If ever it was needed it was today.
Nice day though, relaxing and pleasant.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Dieppe, etc.
Well, we're back from Dieppe after a long weekend of fun frolics and a certain amount of medicinal red wine. We were unable to get a hotel in Dieppe, so had to settle for one in Quiberville, a little fishing village about 10 miles away. Arriving on the Friday evening and conditions were pretty perfect, so I put up the flowform and immediately discovered it was going nowhere with the tails on, so took them off and managed to get enough lift to raise a camera.
Saturday started out pretty miserable, but warm. It took us about half an hour to drive into Dieppe. Parking was a piece of cake, and we were on site by 10am. Dieppe has a magnificent array of ethnic kites you will never see in this country. It is worth the trip just to see wau bulans flying and buzzing. But of course, who shold we bump into but Mike and Linda from Kiteworld, Half of Brighton Kite Flyers and Martin from Suffolk kite flyers. They'd put on a pretty good display of flotail deltas.
Saturday night we struggled to find a reataurant, and Matt being vegetarian was a problem. We found a restaurant with space, but they didn't have anything on the menu for him and refused to cook him an omlette, so he walked out! Ho humm.
Sunday dawned pretty miserable, but still warm. The weather brightened considerably in the afternoon. This was to be a day of culture for KKF. We did a tour of the castle and museum, several bars and and cafes. We also flew some kites and watched some others, before heading back to Quiberville for dinner. Her lies another problem. Along with most of France, the place is closed on a SUnday. We did manage to find one retaurant that was willing to serve us though, and even willing to cook an omlette!
Come Monday and time to head for home. Rising early to glorious weather after a breakfast and checking out we decided to go and fly before heading back home. Having just finished loading the car, the first spots of rain were felt, which preceded a downpour. Matt being young and brave was determined to fly. Bill and I were happy to watch!
And so back to blighty for a well earned rest before going back to work. We'll be heading back in two years time I guess.
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