Kite Blog
03/08/2025 Blackheath
A moderate WSW breeze was good for the mid vent 1.5s today.
Some occasionally intricate no calls flying to varied soundtracks ending with Steve Reich 'Jacob's Ladder' and Robert Wyatt 'Rock Bottom'.
My afternoon reverie, looking at the teak oiled (yesterday) garden furniture ended with a slight shower at 2:58pm.
I have to get the 'bench' cleared to deal with the missed repair on the Flare Stack 1987 after our great flight last weekend. There is a small tear in the 1991 Parafoil which needs to be found (again) and addressed. The sail tape has been extracted ready for that but I also have to extricate the line adjustment device from the drum kit case.
My lines felt 'perfect' today which is probably an indication that they really should be checked!
Felix
28/07/2025 After Portsmouth
I travelled down to Portsmouth on Friday with Ashley leaving Hackney c10:15 and arriving at 'the hotel' in Portsmouth at 3:00pm with lunch stop at The Cyder House Inn, south of Guildford... M&M had arrived at 'the hotel' in time for lunch and we convened at the bar before visiting the flying site. R&C joined us for a meal booked at 7:00pm. The rest of the flying team were expected to arrive by train later in the evening.
The weather for the weekend was more benign than anticipated so we did achieve as much as I might have hoped for. I'll be documenting that later this week. Flying the 1986 Flare, 1987 Flare Stack, 1988 Flare, 1991 Parafoil, (new) 1992 Parafoil and the (new) 1991 Rokakku in addition to the Team 1.5 Revs really was more than I had expected! There were a couple of 'on field' repairs or alterations to JMH kites which worked very well!
The 6:00pm vehicle movement restriction was no inconvenience on either day and on Sunday the return trip to Hackney proceeded in record time, helped, no doubt, by an international sports event keeping many people off the roads!
Felix
20/07/2025 Blackheath
The forecasts were suggesting light showers on a southerly breeze.
Full sail 1.5s just about held up to the occasional gusts but the look of the cloudscape was somewhat threatening, dark clouds mostly all the way the the visible horizon to the south, some of the time. It was distinctly 'thundery' looking so I had the 'alarm' turned on for strikes in a 12km range.
One cloud bank passed over with minimal spots of rain and then it brightened. Another bank loomed and there were somewhat more persistent drops of rain and as I did not have full rainwear we decided to quit early.
Portsmouth preparations for next weekend are in hand with some late changes to the selected JMH kites taking into account long range forecasts of windy conditions.
Felix
14/07/2025 After Berrington
We had arranged an extended weekend and travelled to our accommodation at Tenbury Wells on Thursday 10th July. A 'destination' lunch had been booked for Friday 11th and the high outdoor temperatures did not dent our enjoyment for that.
On Saturday morning the temperature was climbing and we set up close to a shady tree at the edge of the main flying area to the south of the main building. The breeze was nominally from the east but on both days there were continuous changes in strength and direction of the breeze. The direction shifts were up to 180 degrees and the speed from zero to c15mph. On Sunday it was just marginally 'less hot' and there was slightly more in the way of usable breeze.
Little in the way of consistent flying was possible and the hot sunshine limited the time of flight further however during the course of the weekend there were, of course, some wonderful moments, to be illustrated, I hope, on the web site in due course.
Felix
06/07/2025 Blackheath
It was a rare mid-vent flight today slightly curtailed by the approaching showery conditions which were forecast to be thundery.
The westerly breeze was quite consistent but soon after 12:00 there was quite a large shower to the north of London with associated thunder and lightning. A smaller shower was also forming to the west near Heathrow at 12:45.
Next weekend is Berrington Hall which just may be a sunny light wind event.
Felix
29/06/2025
The annual 'Run for Life' sponsored event on Blackheath was taking place today and there was little enthusiasm for braving the crowds as we have done occasionally in the past.
A trip 'to the tip' with the old garden shed was completed before midday and the rising temperatures.
There was little air movement at Hampstead Kite Hill which might have been an alternative flying place.
The weather for next weekend is looking a bit different!
Felix
22/06/2025 Blackheath
It was yet another June Blackheath day with the long gusts...
"A variety of kites had been stored in the loft and had been extracted after the heat pump installation.
Among them were incomplete sets of Rare Air Kites; Flash Angels and Cheetahs.
Fortunately Martin Linford was able to supply a set of flying lines as well as two line flying capability.
First up today was the Flash Angel.
The set-up of the kite was not completely straight forwards as the sail spar pathway was not initially opening completely.
Once configured the kite flew smoothly and tracked in straight lines!
I had noticed that the yellow flashed kite had been packed in a distinctive way and also had bungees fitted at the central spar fitting.
The Cheetah did not look as if it had any air time; the sail was very bright white and the fittings looked brand new.
The kite was a much livelier in the air and possibly not really a 'team' kite in Martin's estimation.
The other kites from the two sets will be documented in due course."
Enough said!
...but we did then have a gentle flight with full vented 1.5 sails!
Felix
15/06/2025 Blackheath
It was a real/unreal June breeze on Blackheath today. It is probably due to thermals drifting past but for minutes on end there was a very light westerly breeze and then it would power up, again for minutes on end. This is really not the conditions for testing light wind kites. Flying the large kites without 'ground crew' is not easy at the best of times!
I did get the fifth 3m Rokkaku in the air for an inaugural flight today. Needless to say there were some scary moments as the stronger breeze came in to play!
Mindful of the risks of tethered flight I did also take a chance with the Late Delta and set it up on the high wind keel attachment point. Unfortunately the kite did get caught in the wrong orientation at the onset of a stronger 'gust' and flew straight and hard into the ground. One spreader component out of three was damaged at the ferrule join which I had noted was on the short side!
Blackheath had been mown since last Sunday so most of the plantain seed heads have gone, not that I flew a four line kite today!
Felix
08/06/2025 Blackheath
Once again the breeze from the west was a bit less than forecast so it was full vented 1.5s again. I had oversewn the leading outer edge mesh during the week so there was no risk of the sail unzipping in the stronger gusts.
The clover is in full flower now alongside the plantain and the swifts were out in force, mostly at high level but just occasionally at knee height.
I am still waiting for a light wind morning to fly the fifth JMH 1991 Rokkaku and might have the late Delta completed during the next week.
Felix
01/06/2025 Blackheath
The breeze from the west was somewhat less than forecast so full vented 1.5s were fine except in occasional lulls. Jakob Bro was the soundtrack today.
The swifts were out in force this morning speeding across the sky.
The plantains are 'flowering' so are not too snaggy as yet.
Travel to and from Blackheath via the Blackwall Tunnel is much improved since the opening of the Silvertown alternative. The cost is bearable in the scheme of things.
Felix
25/05/2025 Blackheath
Late spring windy conditions seems to be a thing that occurs every year when the new growth gets battered and bruised and kite flying is hard work.
Today was that day and the RSS sail I flew was fine in the lighter moments but somewhat tiring in the stronger gusts.
At least it was partly sunny as the cumulus clouds scooted past.
A couple of swifts were seen flying high up at high speed! There was also a puzzling cloudscape.
Felix
18/05/2025 Blackheath
Hackney Half Marathon closes central Hackney leaving one route out and back. I was late leaving but there was no detour to Lauriston Village.
Chilly and grey with a NNE breeze as forecast but the clouds showed little sign of burning off. The breeze was consistently and full sail 1.5s felt fine.
I had intended to fly the fifth rokkaku from Rudi but I had packed the wrong bag. That flight will take place another time, a Blackheath inaugural.
Swifts were seen on Blackheath today.
Felix
11/05/2025 Blackheath
So back to normality and full vented sails in a brisk easterly breeze after 11 days of mostly light wind breezes in Cervia.
We did fly the mid vents once and the standard 1.5s a couple of times but it really was a sunny light wind event!
The 3m Roks got flown as a group of five on two occasions in near perfect conditions and the 1992 Roks and Revs flew together, maybe for the first time ever!
Blackheath was in summer mode as well but I did not see any swifts...
Felix
20/04/2025
No kite flying today, just a moments reflection in respect of the forthcoming event.
The kite bags are essentially packed and I just need to add personal 'stuff', the basics for 12 days away, a simple matter really, no choices involved!
I did a couple of extra data back-ups after an HD ceased operation and has been replaced by a slightly larger one, 5TB rather than 4TB. 2022 image files and The Decorators file have been spread around a bit!
Felix
13/04/2025 Blackheath
The clouds broke earlier than forecast and the breeze was marginally less than expected so mid-vents not full-vents were flown.
One part of the mesh in the sail I flew has just partly detached from the body of the sail so will require some attention. That will probably wait until after Cervia now!
Time from 2011 by Jakob Bro was the soundtrack today and I 'like' the extended phrases which seem to suit the moves of the kites in the sky.
The northbound tunnels had no queues today and I took the scenic route via the new Silvertown tunnel and over Bow Creek via the Lower Lea Crossing. The number of buildings that have gone up since I last travelled this way in 2018 is quite astonishing.
Felix
06/04/2025 Blackheath
It was a windy but clear chilly morning on Blackheath, a lazy easterly breeze mostly a bit above 12mph.
This meant that test flying the 1992 Rokkakus with the individual bridles was not practical and the best that I could do was to lay out line sets for Cervia in a vaguely methodical manner. There were 100ft stack lines and a heavier 80ft set. I transferred my handles to a 100ft set but did not do the full length check.
I did take a few minutes of flying the full vented sail on the 100ft lines but it was overpowered.
Just for fun, the northbound tunnel traffic was backed up past the Sun in the Sands roundabout when the time came to head home. I wonder if it will be the same after the new tunnel opens tomorrow, 7th April?
Felix
30/03/2025 Blackheath
The expected spars did not arrive on Monday 24th March but a follow-up shipment was dispatched the same day which arrived on Wednesday. I did most of the packing of team kites for Cervia on Tuesday 25th.
The spines for the two Rokkakus and the cross spars were configured and some initial verticals were prepared for the Flare 1988 with the hope that a test flight could take place on Sunday 30th March.
The forecasts were for the likely upper wind speed limit c13-14mph but having made the effort to get up early due to the start of Summer Time we set up the ground anchor, safety line and then launched the kite.
It was quite a handful and on a short line 60-70 feet the kite did veer to either side occasionally. Images were captured and then the kite was brought down and rolled but the flying lines left in place.
Our third flier for the day turned up at that point and we flew RSS sails and one full vented until a slightly earlier end time taking account of the 'early' start!
Felix
16/03/2025 Blackheath
There was some bright sunshine which made up for the chilly NE breeze which was probably 8-9mph.
RSS sails were comfortable even if very occasionally they were underpowered.
I did not take the Four Diamonds as I was not expecting extra hands.
It was a slightly shorter session today and I will be away from the kite field next weekend on a cultural visit to Brighton, Steve Reich being performed at Brighton Dome.
Felix
09/03/2025 Blackheath
During the week we have had a warming trend which is likely to be reversed in the next few days. Despite a heavy cough/cold I managed to get to Blackheath hoping to enjoy some early spring sunshine.
There was a 7-8mph breeze so mid vent Revs were flown for most of the session. I had figured that I would not be comfortable putting the JMH Four Diamonds together and opted to try the 1992 Parafoil to see how it performed in the lighter breeze.
I actually managed an unanchored solo ground launch, laying the kite on its side and letting it gradually inflate, choosing a moment to step back to complete the process and get it airborne!
I will put some images on the site as the kite looked great in the sunny conditions.
Felix
02/03/2025 Blackheath
So it appears that I failed to make a posting last weekend 23rd February 2025 because I was so distracted by posting images of the parafoil kite that we flew for the first time on Blackheath. The same almost happened today after a similar 'first flight' of the 3m Rokkaku.
I had been watching the weather forecasts closely before both weekends and had judged the 15mph wind for last Sunday as viable, just, for the small Parafoil and today’s 3mph just viable for the 3m Rokkaku!
On both occasions we had great flights and that paves the way for Cervia planning.
I have to make frames for the Rokkaku and also the 1988 Flare kite. Some spars have been ordered from Revolution and other components are here already…
I doubt that the Flare spars will be ready next weekend but they should be available for Sunday 16th March.
Felix
16/02/2025 Blackheath
It was very grey in Hackney but on the way towards the river there was brightness to the south. The sun broke through the clouds on the way up the hill.
While it was not warm in the steady easterly breeze there was plenty of UV so my glasses took on their darkest tint.
RSS sails were very comfortable and easily holding a horizontal. leading edge up, hover.
A quite vigorous interactive flight helped keep the cold at bay but at 5C I regretted leaving my gloves at home, again!
The delivery from Colorado is due on Wednesday so next Sunday may be an opportunity to try a new sail. There is possibly a shift in weather patterns on the way as well!
Felix
09/02/2025
I did travel to Blackheath but the drizzle was only just holding off and the breeze was far less than the forecast 6mph from the north east so I did not fly any kites.
I took a stroll to the 'centre of the universe' (Greenwich Meridian) and spent a few minutes looking at the cityscape which was quite dramatic with low cloud and local brightness.
There will be some 'new' kites arriving in the near future all being well. That has made planning for Cervia a bit easier. I started actual work on preparing new spars for the JMH Four Diamonds 1993 kite in the last few days.
Felix
02/02/2025 Blackheath
Clear blue sky with a light southerly breeze was quite a change. The breeze was possibly a bit more than 5mph but I started with a Zen and then switched to a full sail 1.5. The smaller sail was more comfortable and was fine for slow flying as well.
I did get to fly with that 2014 ECM session with Jakob Bro. I also listened to one of the keyboard doodles that I have been preparing having tried it on one of the JMH videos earlier in the week. At the very least, the sound quality is good but whether it 'works' is another matter.
The signs are up on the Blackwall Tunnel approaches announcing the charges from April 7th. By then thoughts will be focused on the Cervia event.
Felix
26/01/2025
Gale force winds did not seem to reach London and the rain only arrived at the end of the morning but the forecast was sufficient to put me off travelling to Blackheath.
I was a little later at Lauriston Village than usual; parking was not as easy and the queue at the bakers was long.
I travelled to the Argyll Estate tip on the way home to empty the car of 'stuff' from the loft we had loaded on Saturday!
Felix
19/01/2025 Blackheath
The anticyclonic murk has descended again so it was a grey morning on Blackheath.
There was a light SE breeze so I was able to fly the 1.5m Rokkaku kite that was 'found' recently in the loft at Hackney. On unrolling it I spotted the makers label which dates the kite as 1988 made by Morgan Kites of York.
The kite was almost stable on about 200ft/60m of line but mostly needed some input and running line downwind.
I set up a Zen again but did not fly all that long as the sail was just a bit overpowered and the prospect of changing kites in the cold conditions was not appealing.
Felix
12/01/2025 Blackheath
It was sunny in Hackney when I set out but there was thick fog on the way to Blackheath close to the river.
There was an almost clear blue sky on Blackheath apart from an advancing high level bank of cloud to the west and north.
I did set up a Zen but the air movement was hardly perceptible and from most points of the compass. A new release (11/2024) of an ECM session from 2014 led by Jakob Bro provided an interesting backdrop for standing around feeling the sun radiating enough heat to warm the surface of my outer layers!
Having flown for a few minutes I eventually wound the very wet lines and packed the equally wet kite just before 11:00. The bank of cloud had been steadily approaching and it was completely clouded over by the time I was back in Hackney.
Felix
05/01/2025
Overnight snow had mostly melted by the time I travelled to Lauriston Village but the rain was heavy.
No kite flying today so our New Year flight may be on the 12th January!
Felix
January 2025Felix Mottram