Kite Blog
27/12/2020 Blackheath
Having expected the overnight storm to clear slowly I did not expect to fly today but as the indications were positive first thing this morning I decided to go and have a look.
I arrived on Blackheath at about 10:45am just as the sun cleared the trailing edges of the last heavy shower associated with the storm.
While it was not exactly warm I did fly for an hour or so before the low level cloud built up and breeze strengthened. I had been flying a full vented 1.5 with green race today with a varied musical accompaniment.
Felix
20/12/2020
The weather was looking promising but sadly circumstances changed on Saturday so it was another 'no fly' day today.
First off, I had an unfortunate accident while fixing a bicycle puncture Saturday morning. Two finger tips quite deeply cut on a shard of glass that had penetrated the tyre. This was enough to count myself out for Sunday morning.
Then there was the revision of pandemic measures which set us back to the two person outdoor meeting limit.
I'll just have to focus on kite maintenance and web site thoughts for a while...
Felix
13/12/2020
While it was not actually raining at 7:44am this morning I had elected for a lie-in and was not at all surprised at the steady rainfall an hour and a half later.
After a slow start during the past week the intermittent work on the JMH Della Porta: Four rhomboids 1993 had proceeded successfully. All the rusty steel elements have been replaced. I’ll just need to decide whether to replace some of the spars now or wait until the 'split ends' become too difficult to manage. Spare spars are available when needed.
I am looking forward to seeing a parcel of kite parts that Karen Svenstrup is sending from Denmark. Included are some end caps that Jørgen had drilled ready for use and possibly some of the D rings that he used.
I will have to look more closely at the other kites that we have with the D rings. I don’t think that any of them are as rusty as the ones in Della Porta: Four rhomboids 1993 but it will be good to have checked.
Felix
06/12/2020 Blackheath
There was quite a bit of heavy rain about first thing and it looked as if it would be slow to clear but the sun broke through as I was leaving Hackney.
It did not last and Blackheath was under a curiously well articulated and varied cloudscape with brightness on east, south and west horizons. There was a steady NNE breeze which measured up to 6mph briefly but was mostly 4-5mph.
It was noticeably muddy underfoot but the Zens with green race did not really need much walking.
Approaching brighter clouds from the north saw a gradual drop in the windspeed so it was a slightly shorter session than sometimes... The latter part of the coming week is looking unsettled with rain coming in from the west but slightly warmer.
The fittings work continues and I have now got some 2.5mm stainless steel rod which is just right for the JMH Della Porta: Four rhomboids 1993. The 16 pieces have been pre-formed ready for fitting in place of the rusty chromed steel. It could be an exciting week!
Felix
29/11/2020 Blackheath
A damp and dark grey morning. The cloud was not thick enough to filter out all the UV light so it appeared to me even darker through the filtering lenses. There was a breeze though, 4-8.5 mph as measured but with a few lulls as well.
Zens with green race with Miles Davis In a Silent Way and Kind of Blue to keep the silent flying moving. It will probably be good to try these tunes with a larger group at some point.
I’m going to be doing a bit of metal work with the 3mm stainless steel rod tomorrow for the rokakku fittings. This needs equipment a bit heavier than my domestic facilities. It really is a puzzle as to how Jørgen produced the number of fittings that he used.
Next Sunday will be in 'tier 2' by all accounts, not complete lockdown! Maybe December will bring some different weather like last year.
Felix
22/11/2020 Blackheath
Very wet underfoot and covered in worm casts but the suggested 4mph westerly breeze was mostly steady and measured 4.8mph in a 'gust'. There was even some sunshine through the varied high altitude clouds with some blue spaces in-between.
So Zens with green race rods as expected and for a while the right hand side of the window showed the sparkly characteristic of the white sails.
Less apparent back in the centre of the window but some Frisell/Morgan 'Small Town' kept us occupied along with the changing sky scape.
No JMH kites today; I did momentarily thing of taking the Edo but without a full sized groundsheet, for the bridle as well, that would not have been a good idea! I will have to look out for the 'drying' conditions we have seen occasionally...
Felix
15/11/2020
Heavy rain did arrive before 8:00am today with a following band at about 10am. There were some very heavy short showers later.
Given that the forecast was for 15-30mph wind I did not plan to travel to Blackheath today.
If the lockdown does end on 2nd December we may only miss two more Sunday sessions. Last year all four November Sundays had light breezes.
I'll hope to fly solo next Sunday and at the moment one of the forecasts is suggesting a sunny day with a moderate westerly breeze.
Felix
08/11/2020
The combination of the first weekend of lockdown and the prospect of very light wind and wet, muddy grass led me to suggest on Thursday evening that we should not attempt any flying today. The breeze on the day was even lighter than that forecast previously so it seems like it was a good call.
I did set out to do my usual cycle circuit instead but the pedestrians and others in Victoria Park were out in such numbers that I reverted to my alternative road route.
I will certainly hope to fly solo next Sunday but at the moment the forecast is suggesting rain...
Felix
Blackheath 01/11/2020
Took a chance on the weather and while it was wet at about 10:30am the shower cleared and there was a good long break before the next one was closing in about 2 hours later.
The wind was measuring 17-20mph on the wind meter with stronger gusts and occasional lulls relatively speaking so the RSS Rev 1.5 sails were a handful but not overpowered most of the time.
We continued the no calls video recording but, somewhat as expected, the wind noise was too much for the camera to cope with so there was no useful result. Given the flying conditions were quite testing at times it did not feel as if the moments were right anyway.
We have to figure out if it will be possible to continue flying through the lockdown. Two people together is permitted for any length of time 'exercising outdoors'. A group might be a bit obvious in the middle of Blackheath! Maybe it will be solo flying for the duration?
Felix
Blackheath 25/10/2020
It was raining quite heavily as I set off for Blackheath from Hackney this morning. There had been an indication that showers would clear by 10am. On Blackheath there was some sign of clearing from the west but the shower cloud was slow in moving.
We set up full sail 1.5 Revs while it was still raining and were eventually rewarded with blue sky and sunshine. The wind was SSW and steady but nowhere near the forecast 11-22mph.
No JMH kites today as it was just too wet underfoot and there was probably not enough wind for the late Della-Porta: Four Squares that I had put in the car along with the Hexagonal kite that I had made last year... Another time, maybe soon!
Further experimentation with the GoPro5 along with various tunes. I will have to review that at some length later. Three standard Rev 1.5s Three standard Rev 1.5s with crows Three standard Rev 1.5s First set...
The news about Chris Beel has caused much reflection during the week. We will miss his reliable presence at future events.
Felix
18/10/2020 Blackheath
The synoptic chart was lacking in isobars so I was not expecting much flying today. Zens with green race were ok when the air was moving. The new meter did show 2.5 - 3mph maximum.
Having figured out some minimal editing with iPhone video I have been planning to try the GoPro5 on the field again, on a tripod mount. I will do some more work on this but suspect that the best viewpoint is going to be at head height which should be possible if the tripod is weighted. Did a small trial today but did not initially make it available in order to first check the position regarding the musical accompaniment! More work is needed on framing without constraining the fliers use of the full wind window:- Two Zens
I did lay out the 1987 JMH Delta and fitted the new spars. I had not cut the notch on the leading tip of the spine but a launch was not realistic anyway.
Clock change to GMT next Sunday but at this stage one forecast is showing rain all day...
Felix
11/10/2020 Blackheath
There is still talk about changes in the Pandemic regime but we did get to fly today without issue. The breeze was quite variable when I arrived on Blackheath and it was really full sail 1.5 Revs that worked in the lighter moments.
With the Revs it is quite easy to take them all and choose the appropriate one on site. For the JMH kites a little more planning is required. The forecast was for 8-9mph gusting 16-20mph. On that basis I had hoped that we would be able to fly the 1990 and 1991 parafoils together, something that we had tried but not actually achieved previously. I had envisioned flying them from the same anchor point if not the same flying line.
The wind was somewhat less than forecast so the first launch of the larger sail, the 1991 kite took longer than expected. We flew it on about 50m of the 4mm spectra line. Once flying though it seemed stable so we set up the 1990 kite on the other c50m of the 4mm spectra. The smaller sail is somewhat more manageable on the ground but it still took a few attempts to get it launched. Both kites needed to be re-launched at some point but given the marginal wind speed it was a very good session. We did get a short video of the flight and launch attempts. Parafoils on Blackheath
Felix
04/10/2020
During lockdown which ended in the middle of May there was one Sunday when the weather would not have been conducive for kite flying. Since then there was one day when there was no practical breeze so we were walking the Rev Zens. There have also been a couple of windy days!
Today was very wet, relatively cold and very windy so we simply did not make any attempt to fly. When the remaining projected festivals cancelled back in June a decision was made to concentrate on flying, photographing and videoing the Jørgen Møller Hansen and Peter Malinski kites in addition to our usual low key Rev sessions. Having a photographer and a video recorder on site as well as the fliers was wishful thinking but we have been very lucky to have had Marian Linford make a timely appearance on site on a number of occasions. Otherwise we have mostly relied on 'the team' to grab images and video as and when possible.
The results of the summers effort are available at the following URL:- Summer Blackheath
I get the impression that it will take a long time for the festivals to be re-instated in circumstances where we will have no qualms in travelling and meeting with kite friends as in the past. In the meantime I am looking forward to continuing the recording of our flights in the way that we have established during the last three months.
Felix
27/09/2020 Blackheath
Low flat grey clouds occasionally thinned to fleetingly show the disc of the sun. There was a Northerly breeze which measured about 11 - 15mph once I found the magic key press on the new wind meter! It was initially showing 'hold'.
RSS Revs were fine until shortly after 1:00pm when there was a longer lull which provided a convenient hint that it was time for lunch, off site. Terry Riley Assassin Reverie, Tread on the Trail played by Arte Quartett had just come to an end as well...
Earlier we had put together the Peter Malinski Yakko Stack with a Peter Lynn pilot kite. I had prepared a spreader for the top kite to prevent it being collapsed by the pilot and had set up a provisional ground anchor connection. Once launched we found that the best result was achieved by leaving the stack to sort the twists which it did, mostly anyway, after our earlier hand holding proved inadequate. A link is here:- Yakko Stack
New rules did not prevent us meeting today but I suspect that may change soon. The forecast for next weekend is for rain and wind so maybe we will not be flying.
Felix
20/09/2020 Blackheath
The week of the Dieppe festival in 2014 was sunny throughout but we were not there as a team. It was another sunny day on Blackheath today with a fairly steady NE breeze, mostly about 8-10mph.
Full vented 1.5s again were 'on rails', a pleasure to fly. After a Terry Riley piece 'Tread on the Trail' we had Bersarin Quartett, Methoden und Maschinen, Composer: Thomas Bücker on the sound system. Quite a change! Some of the silent calls worked very well today!!
On the JMH front I was hoping that there would be enough breeze for the 1993 Della Porta: Nine Squares. We had not previously had this kite free flying. At 450 x 450cm and weighing about 5kg it is a bit of a handful. Setting up and checking the bridle was not too difficult in today's breeze. There was only one loop through to resolve. The kite then launched smoothly on the circa 60m of 4mm line that I had prepared yesterday...
A certain amount of ground walking was needed to keep the kite up towards the top of its window. When the stronger gusts blew through it was clear that the underlying breeze was only just enough. Today’s video is here:- Della Porta: Nine Squares
The weather is really due to break during this coming week but we may be back in lock-down so what occurs next Sunday may be academic, sadly!
Felix
13/09/2020 Blackheath
Another glorious September day, the last late summer burst of warmth spilling up from the south with a light SW breeze. I had been following the forecasts all week again and was hoping for the 10mph that the Met Office had been suggesting. We got a bit less.
Even so, it was full vented 1.5 kites that we set up initially although a mid vent was all that was available for an extra flier today. There was a short called session with Bill Frisell providing accompaniment.
The JMH project for today was to fly two of the compositions from the late 90s together as Jørgen had recorded them in his pdf record. The Triple Malay Stack from 1988 and the Double/Single Eddy from 1989 were set up, launched and flown together. This was a logistical achievement and required a certain amount of patient untangling as well as a lot of leaning down to ground level as Jacob observed half way through building the first set!
A video is uploading to You Tube Video from today, 1988 and 1989 stacks
The sky was still cloud free when we left. I expect there will be changes later in the week!
Felix
06/09/2020 Blackheath
A glorious September morning with a light westerly breeze, 6mph and gusting to quite a bit more occasionally.
Zens with race rods were sparkly in the sunshine and similar to the clouds that started to form and melted away initially. Musical accompaniment from the start was Bill Frisell Valentine, a recent release!
While I had originally expected to fly the JMH parafoils today, plan B, in the lighter wind was his 1995 Edo. The 17 bridle lines came clear with only one loop through so the kite was in the air in a relatively short time. Conditions were just about perfect for this kite and the catenary of the bridle lines was on full show at the top of the window! I managed to catch some video of the kite and lines from the side. Video from today - Edo 1995
Maybe we will have a stick free fly (excluding the Revs of course) sometime during the Autumn.
The early scattered clouds gradually thickened and by the time we left it was a grey cloudscape with highlights and evidence of convective activity even if showers had not developed.
Felix
30/08/2020 Blackheath
A similar forecast to last Sunday but the wind was from the North today and the cloud cover gradually thickened.
Full vent 1.5s with race rods were fine again. We did manage to get the sound system set up properly so had the benefit of Bill Frisell for our final flying session which helped cover the background noise from the Bank Holiday fairground on the other side of the A2. Mr. Helicopter was unusually on our side of the road today doing all his trick flying but fortunately he didn’t stay long. It is a noisy machine.
In addition to the Rev flying today we put together the Peter Malinski Tetraeder from 1989. This was a kite that Jørgen owned and as part of the transaction from early 2019 we were asked to take care of it. In January 2020 I replaced all the rubber fixing loops with tied string. I had done a test build of a few cell but today was the first field test. We configured 20 cells in a regular tetrahedron which seemed a sensible place to start. I hand held the kite prior to tying the flying line to the spar fixing one level down from the top of the kite. The launch on the 40m line was remarkably smooth. Thereafter the kite occasionally needed a bit of manual input but was well behaved.
At the end of the session a slightly over firm impact with the ground resulted in a couple of the fixing element splitting and it may be that they are all quite brittle with age. I will have to investigate further!
Felix
23/08/2020 Blackheath
The forecast was for 10-11mph gusting maybe twice that and for fairly dense cloud and that is basically what we got although there were some brighter moments.
Full vent 1.5s felt very comfortable and we even had a bit of jazz piano accompaniment by Andrew McCormack. A new one for me and might be interesting long term! For some reason the UE Boom 2s wouldn't pair up which was irritating so it was a mono playback.
I had hoped to fly and video the JMH Della-Porta: Four Rhomboids and while setting it up the wind dropped a bit. When the time came though, the anchored 40m of 4mm polyester braid provided great shock absorption and the kite launched smoothly. There were moments when the breeze was lighter and the kite needed walking back. It was not too much to hand hold in the harder pulling moments.
Video from today - Della-Porta:Four Rhomboids 1993
I need to replace rusty components on this kite, the bridle ring being in the most pressing need. The link lines between the top sail and the sails below may need attention as well. I'll try with dowel pegs first!
Another gale is expected during the coming week. Autumn had arrived early.
Felix
16/08/2020 Blackheath
We were not anticipating much breeze and there was some doubt as to what direction it would be from.
Our initial set-up of Zen sails turned out to be in the wrong direction for much of the time when there was any breeze at all. I have included a link here to a short video:- Zen flight method
I had charged the UE Boom so we had an accompaniment of the new Bill Frisell release followed by a bit of John Scofield.
There was so little variable breeze that I did not even put together the JMH Edo that I had taken, 'just in case'.
As there was an increasingly thundery feel to the weather today I opted for an early end to the session. At home in Hackney within the hour the rumbles could be heard!
The weather should switch to a more autumnal feel before next weekend so I will be watching the forecast for next Sunday closely...
Felix
09/08/2020 Blackheath
It was hot on Blackheath as forecast but the NE or E breeze held up most of the time so we had a good starting session with full sail 1.5 Revs.
I had decided that any other kites flown should be simple to put together or even requiring no frame at all as in the parafoils.
Having prepared a new spreader for the JMH 1987 Delta I obviously was hoping for the right conditions after the previous spreader break at launch.
I might have been a bit overcautious today but we set the kite on the point lines and I selected the tow point one step forwards from the midpoint. I had prepared c40 meters of 4mm braided polyester line and gradually let the kite out until I was able to transfer to the ground anchor completely. The spreader did not break and the kite exhibited 'user friendly' responses to low wind moments and also those times when the kite falls off a thermal element in the wind. I managed to catch some of these moments on video...
Blackheath today 9th August 2020
Felix
02/08/2020 Blackheath
Lighter breeze today, 8mph was forecast but it was often less. Full sail 1.5s with race rods were very comfortable and as there was not actually much in the way of thermal effect the breeze felt steady. (Quite a bit of sun and I did remember to keep the hat on after last weeks scalp burn!)
There were some directional shifts that caused issues when we set about building the JMH Asymetric Stack 1995. Part of the problem arose from some tangling or looping of the sets as we laid them out and checked alignment.
I set a peg in one of the power lines to set the angle of attack of the front set of sails. This was a crude intervention and I will sew in a couple of attachment loops as a more permanent solution to the issue.
The wind was just a bit light for a fixed anchor point but we did get enough airtime for some very good photographs by Marian Linford. A longer flying line may be practical with this stack.
When we packed the kites we made sure that there was no tangling of the sails. There will still be a moment when extending the stack without all the spars where tangling could occur but the 3 dimensional maze should be minimised.
Felix
26/07/2020 Blackheath
The forecast suggested 11mph gusting 25 but we probably did not get that most of the time. We did get blue sky, sunshine and impressive cumulus with only one light shower actually crossing the Heath. There was one torrential shower that passed north of the river and it did hit Hackney.
Full vented 1.5s today so less wind than my expectations. We did a couple of free flying sessions today as well as a brief fly before finally packing up and leaving at about 3:30pm. Chris Beel had joined us travelling from Peterborough today, hence the extended session.
We also flew the full Malinski Eddy train c1985 using one of the replacement sails that I had made (for the missing green one) as a pilot. The full set was mostly well behaved but the direction shifting gusts occasionally had the whole train looping down to the ground. The self launch usually worked fairly quickly from the pilot end or the tethered end.
We also set up half of the JMH Expansible Box 1996 with the pilot kite configuration that I had been preparing. I think that with just a couple more miles per hour of breeze we would have had stable flight. Once fully airborne the structure has a very high aspect possibly with the pilot pulling the top of the kite back into the power zone. It will be interesting to try the full structure in slightly more wind now knowing a bit more about the pilot assisted launch. It was hard work assembling and dis-assembling this kite. Not too many stick broken today!
Felix
19/07/2020 Blackheath
Low clouds, a light northerly breeze, sometimes the forecast 7mph, often less and intermittent light rain which being very fine/small droplets would be called 'drizzle' in may parts of the country! Even in the light breeze it was arriving horizontally.
I set up the small Peter Lynn pilot kite on 4mm polyester braid for 'target practice', but really to see how it behaved in marginal conditions.
We flew full sail 1.5 Revs with race rods without calls and with occasional interaction with the pilot kite because we can!
I am anxious to fly the JMH Asymetric Kite Stack 1995 again as there is some configuration adjustment needed for the front set but today would not have worked. Too much weight, at about 6 kg, without sails and tails getting wet as well. I took the late Della-Porta: Four Squares (which has a similar design to one of the middle sets of the Asymetric stack) but the light breeze and damp conditions did not feel right at all.
After a run of good weather from the middle of May the last 3 Sundays and today have been a disappointment. Too much wind for two, too little on one and wet today. A forecast for next Sunday is suggesting rain again!
Felix
12/07/2020 Blackheath
By contrast with the last two weekends today was almost a flat calm. There was occasionally sustained air movement from most of the compass points!
Zens with green race and a Robertshaw sail were occasionally in the air.
I had hoped to fly the early JMH delta kite having been wondering how to re-spar it since breaking a bamboo component at the previous flight last year. I had prepared some 18mm dowel and aluminium connectors. I was aware that there was a potential weak point and so it wasn't a complete surprise that the sail filled and then with a loud report the kite collapsed! Back to the drawing board...
I went on to fly the late JMH delta and the 1991 Decs Rokakku. Both were quite hard work in the occasional breeze from whichever direction. The Rokkaku runs away with line quite forcefully but the delta requires a more hands-on-the-line approach maintaining some tension at all times. It was good to fly it in this way even if there is a risk of line burn.
Felix
05/07/2020 Blackheath
Another windy forecast had me looking back at notes for July over the last few years to find that it had generally been a light wind month. I can remember Washington Tyne and Wear events with blustery conditions, not least when a Cody train broke loose.
On Friday afternoon the forecast windspeed for Sunday was 19-38mph but it was a bit less on the day c16-32mph.
So we were all on RSS kites. These have proved to be a very successful design, lightening the line loading but maintaining performance. We had a good session without calls today.
I also managed to tune the Peter Lynn pilot kite following the simple instructions regarding the “B” bridle.
The JMH 1986 Flare that was damaged last Sunday has been repaired using oversewn dacron. This replaced a previous sticky tape repair. A similar preventative fix was done on the other vertical pocket. I also attended to a small repair on the JMH Della Porta: Eight rhomboids 1993 yesterday.
Felix
28/06/2020 Blackheath
The forecast was for c15-30mph and cloudy. We had the wind but the cloud was broken so there was quite a bit of sun as well.
RSS kites and an Xtra Vent because Martin arrived first. There were some lulls but mostly it was constant with gusts blowing through.
My plan for today hit an early problem which was not resolved on the field today. The pilot kite that I had planned to use needed tuning and while I found that small incremental corrections to the bridle did make a difference I did not hit on Peter Lynn's solution from 2010:- 'To pull a Pilot kite to the right, shorten "B" bridle on the right. - End of story!'
So that will have to await another occasion. A launch of the 1986 Flare resulted in an arc to crash landing. I knew that the bridle needed further adjustment but have paid a price for over confidence. One broken spar and a split sleeve end will need to be fixed.
We could see that showers were forming so left a little earlier than in past weeks. Turning back to the A2 roundabout proved to be a quicker route to the tunnel approach. There were a few spots of rain as I unloaded the car back in Hackney!
Felix
21/06/2020 Blackheath
Another week of weather watching and once again we have been fortunate that early rain moved away to a drying breeze which was strong enough for our needs.
Ironically, when I arrived on site there was a bit of a long lull in the breeze, sufficient to set up a full sail 1.5. I had been expecting to use a full vent and so it proved after a third flier arrived on site and set up a full sail. We quickly changed to full vent with green race and had some subtle no calls interaction.
Then, as is the custom, we set up a JMH kite. This time it was the 1994 Double Malay stack. It is probably the equivalent of a seven Rev 1 stack so I had made an anchor point with the barge pins again.
After a couple of mis-steps we got the stack in the air and took turns on steadying the bridle bar. A simple turn of the bar seemed to have the desired input to the kites if they appeared to drift off line.
Quite how Jørgen managed to fly these kites without assistance I am not sure. They are however obviously designed for a substantial breeze and a good ground anchor. There was a magical sound of the wind resonating through the whole rig. Wonderful! Jørgen Møller Hansen Double Malay Stack 1994
Felix
14/06/2020 Blackheath
I had been watching the weather forecasts all week and was hopeful for a settled steady southerly breeze with some brightness. We got the breeze but actually had some good sunshine as well.
I set up a full sail 1.5 with race rods and was just about airborne when Martin arrived. I was then able to collect the additional kit from the car.
My plan was to see how many of the JMH Rhombus shaped kites 1985 we could put up. We have flown up to three sets previously. I had undertaken quite a lot of restoration/refurbishment of the 81 kites. All the tails had been re-fixed to the ramin spines, the eyelets had been replaced and the reinforcements for the eyelets re-sewn as needed. The flying lines for the pink and pale green sets had been replaced with new line.
And of course, spare spreaders had been cut and finished!
The 16 square metres sail area and the 5mm polyester braid line for the lower sets indicate a fairly heavy load so I set two of the barge pins with a rope link for connection.
We flew seven sets as more would have taken the line too close to the main road. The angle of flight achieved with seven sets probably took the top kite close to the 60m height limit as well.
The kites were sometimes settled in line, other times they were snaking rhythmically with the coloured tails swinging into view. Altogether a great result. I have posted a video here:- Jørgen Møller Hansen Rhombus shaped kites 1985
We did even manage to fly the revs up close...
Felix
07/06/2020 Blackheath
The wind was lighter than forecast soon after my arrival but strengthened later. Full sail 1.5s with race rods were just holding in the lulls and we did fly a bit closer today as the rules have changed.
I had hoped to fly the Peter Malinski train in full today as I thought that I had cut spare sticks and put them in the new bags for each set. Seems like I had only replaced broken ones and so we only managed four sets again today using 'spares' from the fifth set as we inevitably broke some during assembly.
While the whole train was well behaved in lighter breeze moments today the pilot kite exhibited an anticlockwise loop tendency when the gusts blew through. I will have to check it over but do not think that the length of the pilot line should have been an issue.
The mini spectacle certainly attracted attention across the heath today. I hope that we will be able to do some further focused flying days over the remainder of the summer. That would include some Rev flying, of course.
Felix
31/05/2020 Blackheath
So next weekend we can fly six kites together providing we keep 2 meters apart. Unlikely that there will actually be six of us but at least it is now allowed.
Today was full on blue sky, just the odd clouds off towards the horizon and plenty of swifts to keep us company in the air above. A fairly steady easterly breeze meant that full vent 1.5s were just about comfortable most of the time with green race frames.
Having had recent experience of the JMH Della Porta kites and some success in configuring the Hex Pilot I was intent on tackling the late Four Square that we initially flew back in March 2019. At the time the kite appeared to be unstable and we thought that the bridle may not have been finished.
In keeping with social distancing I was intent on managing the kite by myself although assistance was offered. I had run out about 35m of the 2.5mm spectra flying line 'secured' at the ground end. The kite was assembled and then pinned face up with the lower edge of the kite downwind. I attached the bridle to the flying line and moved the kite so that the lowest legs of the bridle were tight. I then lifted the kite so that all the bridle lines were tight with the top edge of the kite on the ground. There were issues with the bridle lines that needed to be resolved. This could not be done under tension so the kite was lowered to the ground again and secured. Once the bridle was set with no loops the kite was lifted back under tension and the tails attached. It was then a case of rotating the kite, checking that everything looked 'correct' and then releasing it into the sky! It was somewhat gratifying that the kite launched perfectly with no sign of instability.
Flying on spectra is somewhat risky because it does not stretch under stress like polyester line. If the kite goes into a powered dive or spin releasing line quickly may help in recovery. I was expecting to hand hold this kite both to soften the impact of gusts and to aid recovery. I would also expect to fly on twice the length of line as used today to help avoid the possibility of the kite drifting off to either side of the wind window and 'falling out of the sky' in lighter breeze moments as seen a couple of times today.
Felix
24/05/2020 Blackheath
Another breezy day so I was flying the RSS kite today. There were two other fliers nearby but we were not sharing kit so they were flying the Xtra Vents by Bazzer. Flying was 'at a distance' except for one moment when a family group came a bit close. Should have grounded the kites really...
A further session on the Hex Pilot and this time the breeze was consistently strong enough to keep the kite at the top of the window which turned out to be really quite high. Except, of course, for when a switch occurred and the kite went into a spin all the way to the ground. Dropping the line tension will probably resolve the spin but I was not quite set up to release line fast today.
A further small adjustment to the bridle may also resolve line pressure sufficiently. I am very pleased to have put this kite together even if it does not eventually get used with the Peter Malinski Hexagonal kite train.
Felix
17/05/2020 Blackheath
It was strange to be driving to Blackheath today. I was quite prepared to turn around and drive home again if there was any indication of congestion on the site. While there were people about, many in pairs at a distance, there was plenty of space at our usual spot.
Mid vent 1.5 for a while just to remember how it felt on a dry surface with some sun breaking through the high cloud. I then set up the Hexagonal 'pilot' kite that was sewn up back in the autumn as a possible replacement for the missing element of the Peter Malinski 'stack'. The bridle had been roughly configured but I knew that there may be some considerable 'tuning' required to achieve anything like a stable and sustained flight.
A combination of re-tying and using dowel pegs eventually got close to stable flight on a fixed line. At that point I extended the flying line, hand held it, and found that the kite was flying like a well balanced fighter kite. It really needed slack line in order to change direction or to stop a spin. While I had put seven lines in the bridle the centre and top two are the main elements and it may be that the remaining four lines will need to be discarded. It is possible that they are the cause of instability. More experimentation is required but considerable progress had been made today!
Felix
11/05/2020
Website distraction yesterday in a good way. I had found some details of the two kites that were raffled in aid of the Bristol Kite Festival 2009. They were in the original JMH design from 1991 but in the 1.5 format, one yellow, one blue.
After a bit of further research I found some images by Laura Berg from Long Beach WSIKF 2009 and Laura was able to send me higher resolution versions for the web site.
It was good to pin down that episode and to be reminded that Rich Comrass who Jake and I met in Miami 2013 was one of the winners of the raffle.
It may now be possible to fly kites individually depending on the interpretation of the new rules that are coming into effect during this week.
Felix
03/05/2020
Cervia would have ended today and the lilac bush in the Hackney garden here has begun to end its glorious spring show. Still haven’t started the Tetraeder exercise but the weather has not been great this last week.
The 1992 Rev 1 re-make project is now in hand. Martin Lester will sew the sails and Revolution will finish them as has been our practice. They may be finished in time for any surviving Autumn events but probably will only really get used next year. Something to look forward to, anyway. It is quite likely that we will also get the fourth Rokkaku made as well, to complete the set. Not sure that my sewing skills are up to that yet so probably get 'someone else' to do it!
I have laid off the JMH kite repair works in the last few weeks and intend to pick up on that soon hoping for a slight lifting of restrictions over the summer. One issue that I have encountered is figuring out how to remember what needs to be done and to keep track in some way. Getting spares organised and ‘in place’ is also needing further attention. That is a useful reminder that JC may also have some Rev SLE spares that could be very useful for some of the JMH kites, notably the early 7m Delta which needs replacement for broken bamboo spars.
Felix
26/04/2020
So, that is the sixth week with no flying. Berck would have completed and Cervia would be well underway!
Further work on the website through the week so there are now 29 event pages and 25 kite and banner pages. I have set up an entry page with a copy of the introduction page from about 1992 along with the storyboard I prepared in February 2020. The index has been reduced to five headings, some of them toggling with context.
The good news this week is that JC has located the Blue (Ultramarine) Rokkaku from the 1992 set of four. That means that only the Red one is missing now. He also confirmed that he has the Flexifoil sails. They are illustrated on the c1992 page. Not sure what we would do with them but great to know that they are also not lost. We’ll certainly get them photographed when the opportunity arises.
Felix
20/04/2020
Another diary entry for my benefit as much as anything else. Further work done on the Decs web site during the week and it now seem that a further re-build is needed to reflect an emphasis on the visual elements of the events recorded and the kites.
I'll probably look for a visual splash screen and take it from there. Some elements may be condensed...
The easterly winds persisted all week so it would have been quite a challenge at Berck but at least mostly sunny!
Felix
13/04/2020
I was completely preoccupied yesterday with web site updates using images that Davide Baroni had kindly sent. They are from Cervia 2014-2019 so plenty to be configuring with a few of my own images for context. Today Marian Linford has sent a whole set of images from Cervia 2016, so more to do!
Light wind yesterday which would probably have meant an onshore sea breeze at Berck. Today and for the rest of the week it looks like easterly winds will prevail so it would have been quite difficult for kite flying.
Felix
05/04/2020
12-22mph SSE with clear blue sky would have been a perfect flying day so that is one day down to the lock down, rather than the weather.
I did do my normal weekday 10 miles on the bike, except, of course, going around Victoria Park rather than through it! There were quite a lot of cyclists and runners in the parts of the ride where I do not usually see anyone at all.
I had thought that I might do some Tetraeder building today but did not quite get to it!
On the web site I ended up scanning colour prints from a group of early festivals so I now have some images of the kites to work with as well. Too many of the early digital images were just too small for the storyboard idea.
Felix
29/03/2020
Strong NNE wind with wintery showers would not have been particularly enticing for kite flying on Blackheath today.
So, some more imagined launches and thoughts about further material for the web site. I have looked at some of the notes I made at or after events. It can be a strange shorthand for what was a very focused activity over periods of days in some cases. The routine in Cervia 2014 is a case in point particularly as Davide Baroni is posting images from his extensive catalogue on Facebook.
I'm thinking that a 'storyboard' pdf of the JMH Rev designs would be a simple solution given that we do not have many high resolution images of the older designs. Just about getting geared up to do it alongside the various little bits of maintenance needed on JMH kites!
Felix
22/03/2020
While taking the air, going for a walk, run or cycle ride may not be prohibited in London just yet it seemed appropriate to show restraint hoping that more stringent rulings will remain distant.
So virtual kite flying only today after another week of consolidating records on the web site. The accumulative record is much more impressive than the constituent parts. I like the idea of gradually being able to populate the records of past events, maybe only with a couple of images but also with written memories. Interesting to have a record of weekly notes over the last 10+ years to hand as well!
If the weather remains fine I might start on some back yard Tetraeder training. There may just be room to get a flyable unit built even with zero prospect of a launch.
Felix
15/03/2020 Blackheath
Another breezy day, 15-30mph SSW, mostly cloudy but with the odd flash of sun and blue sky.
RSS sails were comfortable and today, even with only three fliers, there were some called moves.
We put together the JMH Flare Kite 1986 as it is almost the last kite to have a page set up on the site. (Once done I will start on the Rev designs.)
The wind was outside the comfort zone but it was useful to try adjusting the bias that appeared in the stronger gusts. The adjustment required is less than a dowel peg so I started to shift the bridle line. The first step in this respect was not enough but the line was marked for future reference.
I have been considering making plans for a Malinski Tetraeder session but that will depend on weather conditions and if outside activities are permitted in the coming weeks. A slightly desperate prospect really!
Felix
08/03/2020 Blackheath
Having been watching the forecasts closely I managed a circa 10:00am arrival on the 'Heath'. After a short wind check stroll I set about preparing the JMH Della Porta 8 Rhomboids for another 'strong breeze' test. The intention was to use a secure anchor as the kite was walked into the middle of the wind window before launch.
We were almost successful at the first attempt but the pulling power of the kite was somewhat more than I had anticipated. It really needed a ground anchor in flight. For the second launch I used a longer flying line and was happy for assistance in getting the line onto the ground anchor. Once launched the kite did occasionally wander with the shifting wind and the indications were that it did need the actual wind speed available.
We did keep the kite flying long enough for me to feel confident to leave the ground anchor and check the kite from underneath. The spars were certainly under some stress!
Video of JMH Della Porta: Eight Rhomboids
When we ended the flight we waited for a slight lull in the breeze, unhooked the flying line from the ground anchor and walked forwards. The kite floated elegantly to the ground and tipped over to lie flat with the bridle lines on top. The windward edge was secured and we wrapped as planned. Thanks very much to Martin and Maggie for your assistance today!
After all the excitement we then flew RSS sails until the forecast thundery showers closed in from the South West.
Felix
01/03/2020 Blackheath
Finally got out on Blackheath today in bright windy conditions. RSS Rev for a while getting a feel for the breeze which was often as little as c12mph but also sustained gusts probably well over 25mph.
I decided that although the conditions were a bit extreme I would try to fly the JMH Della Porta: 8 Rhomboids 1993. Apart from anything else learning the set-up can only be achieved by doing it.
There was a moment of anxiety getting it out of the bag as the elements did not fall free, seeming to be inextricably tangled. Fortunately appearances were deceptive and the 'unfolding' resolved the apparent tangle leaving the bridle lines free to the comb. In windy conditions the windward 'edge' needs to be secured at all times. I had set a ground anchor at almost right angles to the kite and the wind direction. Once the spars were set the kite was held up on its edge allowing the bridle to be combed out completely. The kite was then held flat on the ground with a 'pin' through the top centre join point while the tails were attached.
At this point I made a 'mistake' and as a result a spar was broken and no flight was possible. In lifting and turning the sail in 'high wind' the bridle needs to be secured statically, that is, to a ground anchor.
Wrapping the kite was done with the 'pin' through the top centre; removing the horizontal spars first but leaving the centre of the top one in place until the verticals were split in two and the lower sails folded over. The loose bridle lines were wound around the sails up to the comb and remaining plaited bridle lines. The kite was put in the bag followed by the plaited bridle and finally the loose spars.
I'll fix the broken spar during the week and maybe try again next Sunday, subject to the weather of course!
Felix
23/02/2020
So, it was the third weekend where conditions were simply not conducive to 'kite flying'. 20-40mph was forecast and it certainly sounded like it in Hackney!
I was planning to set about repairing the JMH full vents but got distracted by the new line of development on the web site. In addition to having started to set up pages for the individual JMH kites I have also set up some event pages as follows:-
Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire 2019
I do have sets of images for a couple more events and have established a reasonably straightforward workflow for the future.
Maybe we will get to fly kites next weekend.
Felix
16/02/2010
And then it was wet. High winds had been forecast but did not really materialise.
So, preventative maintenance on the 2007/8 Rev 1 stacks today. All leading edge mesh edges oversewn with a three step zig-zag stitch. There were not as many actual breaks as I had anticipated. Maybe there are more on the 1.5 stack?
We managed to get a peculiar wrap in the stacking lines of one four set. Not yet resolved but shows that it can be done! After un-tangling the JMH Double Malay stack anything is possible!
Felix
09/02/2020
The synoptic chart from the Met Office on Wednesday 5th February was clear that the isobars would be tightly packed today and so they were.
No thoughts of kite flying but a bit of weather spotting via the webcams at Lyme Regis, West Bay and Polzeath.
The day did start though, with a bit of knot tying, roping in a rotten fence post in the back yard...
Felix
02/02/2020 Blackheath
Brisk WSW breeze 17-30mph so 1.5 RSS kite for me today... Out of the comfort zone for anything else really so no SLKs today.
Terry Riley's album Assassin Reverie track Tread on the Trail proved to be an interesting accompaniment for two fliers.
Having completed the rigging for the Peter Malinski Tetraeder earlier in the week thoughts turned to configurations. Having done one initial drawing it became apparent how versatile the system is and just how many variations are available. It will be fun translating back into the configuration of the spars and connectors as they are one step removed from the sail shapes.
The team will be doing the first four days at Berck this year to leave days available for Dieppe. I am thinking about Fanø but suspect that it would be best left until we are more familiar with the JMH kites.
Felix
26/01/2020 Blackheath
There was low dark cloud and some drizzle leaving Hackney but the low cloud had broken south of the river with a bit of sun breaking through occasionally.
Steady southerly breeze probably about 10mph so full vented 1.5s with green race. A bit of Bersarin Quartett to get 'in the mood' and then I was intent on putting together the JMH Double Malay stack.
I had a dim recollection that it had been put away hastily 'the last time' but had not fully appreciated the consequences of that! It took almost two hours to get to the stage that the individual pairs of bridles could be addressed. At that point the forecast rain was approaching fast and despite a hasty wrap it was on us before we got to the vehicles.
It might be a bit frustrating when things don't quite go as smoothly as hoped for. The image posted this week of the Double Malay stack flying at Fanø in 2009 was an inspiration. We'll get the flying images and video in due course!
Felix
19/01/2020 Blackheath
Just enough breeze for Zens with green race but not much else today.
I had taken the Peter Malinski Hex stack pilot copy as more work is needed on the bridle. It was not to be! Yesterday I had been working on the connectors for the Malinski Tetreader. 40 or so still to do so that is 120 knots to tie before starting to fit them; 4 to each of the 35 sails. The line I was using was being re-cycled from the 2007 JMH design Rev 1.5 bridles. I do have a reel of bridle line somewhere!
I was travelling light today as my normal vehicle had been hit by catalytic convertor thieves during the week. Not all cars are kite kit friendly.
Still waiting to get final confirmation for Berck and Cervia but plans are mostly in place.
Felix
12/01/2020 Blackheath
There really was a brisk SW wind this morning despite forecasts suggesting otherwise up until about 24 hours previously! While there were quite extended periods of 10-15mph it did blow c30mph quite often during the time we were there.
So RSS Spiders 1.5 were just right!
In the circumstances I was not 'brave' enough to attempt to put up the JMH Double Malay stack 1994. We have flown it before but not with a good sunny backdrop such as we had at times today.
We flew the RSS kites for a considerable length of time, silent mode only with accompaniment from Terry Riley, Steve Reich, Kronos Quartet and Bill Frisell/Thomas Morgan.
The approach to the northbound Blackwall Tunnel was stationary so I took the long route home.
Felix
05/01/2020 Blackheath
A bit of a grey day again but there was some SW wind and the drizzle I saw driving towards Blackheath held off. I.5 full vents with green race were comfortable but mid vents would probably have been fine.
I had hoped that Jake would be able to join us today for the first un-wrapping of the JMH Asymetric Kite Stack 1995. I had brought the kite along with some 2m lengths of dowel in case of breakages and as the ground was not wet and the wind speed felt low enough we did go ahead with assembling the 'structure'.
I could not quite feel the 'lift' of the stack initially and while we did get two launches there was something amiss. On reviewing the video it was clear that there was a configuration issue with the front set. We had a similar issue with the Triple Malay stack on our first flight of that composition.
We have received the formal invitation to Cervia and some of us have opted for the early flight out of Heathrow this year as there was a significant price step already.
Scarborough is not happening again so we are looking at other options now to fill out the years events. Billing near Northampton is a possibility even though it is the week after Portsmouth. We might consider other events in the West!
Felix
January 2023
Felix Mottram