sandfly1599968672

A little off topic.... Somewhere in this thread it was said that racing is of no interest to most parakarters, and they are indeed a scarce breed, but... Buggy racing like F1 has many innovations that filter down to the general practitioners. e.g. lighter fabrics, finer bridling, less lifty, more stable kites etc. and many aspire to owning race buggys. Racers tend to look at different (more efficient?) ways of doing things, so we see shorter flying lines, new turns like the suicide jybe etc. And tending to be quite focused, they do on the whole fly rather better than your average wind worrier, so if you're having problems with any aspect of your flying, ask a racer for advice! Although they may appear rather lofty, they're usually just as keen to pass on their knowledge as you are to ask. Go on! ask a racer a question today! Good winds Adrian

Take a look here http://www.windandwheels.org.uk/Membership/Guest_Application_Form_2009.pdf This should clear things up; as you see we put the onus upon our own members to ensure that things run smoothly. Good winds

I've done some good speeds sitting in the back garden according to GPS! As I keep saying... Bicycle Speedo (not wireless) is on balance going to be more accurate and consistently (in)accurate. A speedo of course is dependent upon the turning of a wheel and so any movement that is not in line with the recording wheel will be inaccurate. You may find that turning up the logging resolution on your GPS may increase accuracy, although display and max speed capture may anyway use maximum resolution. Also remember that fastest input for a GPS is going to be once a second, a lot can happen in a second! The input of a speedo is once a revolution, One can double this with two magnets (opposite sides of wheel) and halving the wheel diameter.

Thank you Fluffy-lou. Not sure that this thread needs lengthening but... I'd like to make some comments on Badger's (Steve's) post of our rules for guest membership through W&W. - I will alter them as and when I have time. Incidentally, we have very few requests from other FED club members. Please note that we no longer need 10 days since we no longer need to send off paperwork. HOWEVER, don't expect to turn up and be able to fly! We still need time to process your application, and like most clubs, we are run by volunteers. You can (usually) get sorted by calling into UFO Mon to Sat - Dominic Early is our Membership Officer and Barry Cook has permission to sign people off as well providing he is happy that all details are correct. A warning phone call would be appreciated and we can ensure that you have all details in place. The FED (BFSLYC) has for the last couple of years issued cards rather than a certificate - which we need to record and keep. So a copy certificate is no longer required, but preferred - Otherwise we need to see your card! Why do we impose these silly conditions? To protect members from ALL of the clubs and guests alike. If we were to simply send out leg bands, they may not be returned/abused. By having a "sponsor" we ensure that the guest has someone to vouch for them and the sponsor is responsible for behaviour of the guest - Sanctions can be placed against the sponsor! We would also lobby the guest's club. The number of visits is limited to ensure that local FED clubs do not loose revenue by having too many guests. Allowing FED members to just turn up and fly is not an option since we can not be certain that the pilot is actually insured unless we check details. Note that W&W also has a form of day ticket that allows the person 3 days within a (approximate) 30 day period - this cost just £10 and is intended for people to be fully insured while taking training or sampling the sport, and allows for bad weather (Rather than setting a specific date as we used to). The 30 day period is at the discretion of W&W officers and may be extended on merit (e.g. constant poor flying conditions, NOT for non-shows). This £10 is fully redeemable against the full membership (£33). People using this method of membership, will by definition usually be accompanied and should carry a certificate. I hope that is helpful. Good winds Adrian

Can't be bothered to wade through the detritus, but. Grey, as said before, you or any member of the PKA is very welcome to fly at Weston as a guest.... BUT you MUST contact Wind & Wheels first. Check out the website for further details or PM me. Turning up and flying is not an option! - for anyone! Personally I speak to anyone who does not show the required band and I will call the council wardens if that person does not cease and desist! All club members (all three clubs) are encouraged to take this stance! This wind zone has been fought hard for, we want to keep it open. To clarify. ***ONLY members of the three stated clubs (W&W has the right to accept guests who have FED insurance) may sail (on wind powered wheeled vehicles) within the zone at Uphill. ***Whatever insurance you may have, unless a stated club member (with that clubs insurance) you are NOT insured at Uphill. ***In most (if not all cases) if you do not have WRITTEN permission to sail at a site, your insurance is void. ***Weston council OWNS the beach at Weston & Uphill way past low water! Check out an OS map. They may impose any regulations that they wish. If you have further serious questions feel free to PM myself (Adrian), Al (Rayens) of SWATK or Chris Moore of BLSA, We are all only too keen to help answer any questions in an authoritative, conciliatory and level-headed manner. You may of course also contact the council directly. Good Winds Adrian Sec, Wind & Wheels Chair, BFSLYC

Westward Ho! Kite kite club - Westward Wind Kite Club http://wwkc.co.uk

What it says on the tin http://www.windandwheels.org.uk/

You're. Good heavens. Standards really have slipped. We heard you'd hurt your back Spar

Fastest recorded on a std flexy 41.2MPH (in a fog, no beach; Just me & Ty were out at Weston, no harness either) It was effortless Until a gust that signalled the end of the fog pushed me through the groins sideways! Boy recorded 42.? a short time later Fastest unrecorded was probably over 50 the first time I went to Pembrey; again 2.3 Vampir and no harness! Frightened the crap out of me - After that I lengthened and lowered the flexi, so much more stable then at speed! Never had the speedo working or on when going fast since!

Where would that be a legal plate? Saw M451 VVE The other day on way back from Pendine. Illegally spaced of course. And M155 MAY a few minutes before driven by some old girl. I've seen Y999 BAD too (may have been BAD 999Y) There are a few funny ones out there, but generally as pointed out does nothing to enhance the owner. Exeter seems to have more personalized plates than any other town, usually on cars worth less than the plates! Part of one of my plates spells windy (WDY) anyone want to buy it?

Thanks Sy, Birthday coming up soon! Kind of spoilt the surprise though! Actually I have some BB holders after our team managed to loose (and find next day) a GPS at the Hoylake 24hr

CQ, CQ, C Quad

Dear kite flyer/kite group, I am writing to see if you or your club/group might be able to help support this year’s Bristol International Festival of Kites and Air Creations which is due to take place over the weekend of 12 & 13 September. Background: Plans are going well - exhibitors and traders are confirming and invitations are going out to kite guests. But this year is proving really tough for everyone, and businesses and organisations are just not spending on marketing or sponsoring events. The bottom line is that to go ahead we need to raise at least £10,000 to fund essential on site infrastructure and cover the costs of flyers and participants - or else we may have to cancel. We have launched a special fundraising campaign aimed at businesses, the kite industry, kite enthusiasts/clubs/societies and the public. We are fortunate to have strong local, national and international support for the Festival, and hope that by offering opportunities for businesses and individuals we can raise much needed funds, and at the same time supporters can benefit from being a part of our Festival. The Festival was started by Martin Lester, myself and another colleague and is still organised and run by a small team of local flyers on a voluntary basis. It has become a major event in the South West and is well known within the international kite world. The Festival pulls in crowds of over 30,000 people and last year we had peaks of over 2,200 daily hits to the Festival website and were thrilled that both BBC Blue Peter and Channel 4’s Scrap Heap Challenge filmed over the weekend. So how you can help! We have three packages for businesses, organisations and/or individuals: Gold (£1,000), Silver (£500) and Bronze (£50). In addition, local people are invited to get behind the event by becoming a Friend of the Festival for a donation of £20. In return for their donation all supporters will receive a commemorative Bristol Blue Glass kite-themed coaster being created especially for the Festival. Supporters who take up one of the top three packages can benefit from promotional and corporate opportunities providing publicity and profile in the run up to the Festival, and also have the chance to get involved during the weekend. Gold supporters will have their own branded Japanese kite made and flown in the kite fighting battles and have an opportunity to fly some of the stars of the show. Silver supporters will see their names flying high on an air banner attached to one of the large special shape kites. Bronze supporters will be thanked publicly at the festival and have their names included on the Bristol 2009 Serpent kite which will be displayed and flown at the Festival and afterwards by Avon Kite Flyers Club. I am contacting you to see if you can help support us. I would also be grateful if you could spread the word and forward this message on to any of your friends or contacts who might also be interested. Would you also be able to post this message on your club newsletter or add it to your website if you have one? We have given ourselves a month to see if we can secure some support. If there isn’t a realistic chance of covering our costs or underwriting the event in some way, we will have to make the difficult decision to cancel this year’s Festival, in which case we would of course refund any pledges made. Cancelling would be a huge disappointment to all our flyers, exhibitors and our new nominated charity Marie Curie Cancer Care, as well as the many members of the public who come along every year and join in the fun. We are determined to do everything we can to go ahead this year and also to make it to 2010 - which will not only mark our 25th year but also give us the chance to join in the exciting celebrations for the Bristol Year of Flight.” If you can help, please visit www.kite-festival.org.uk/friends-of-the-festival or make a cheque payable to: Bristol Kite Festival and post to c/o Festival Office, 5 Lilymead Avenue, Bristol BS4 2BY. If the Festival is cancelled all donations will be refunded. For any sponsorship enquiries or fundraising ideas please do contact me Thank you very much i Avril Baker Festival office 5 Lilymead Avenue BRISTOL BS4 2BY email: kites@abc-pr.co.uk +441179772002 fax: 0117 977 4255

See here http://community.flexifoil.com/showthread.php?t=86854&highlight=weston too Drop into UFO in the town centre for day membership - if you have FED insurance you can sail as a guest, but you'll need to sign in at the shop. Please ensure that you follow the beach rules.

For Weston, see http://www.windandwheels.org.uk/tides/tide.php Just type in the required date from 2008 to 2010