Blade1990

Hell yeah, the wind is coming back , just checked the weather station - 9.6 gusting 12, hope it gets a bit stronger! I'm heading up after lunch, anyone else game?

I might book some holiday for Wednesday, have an all day session , all depends on the forecast though

Now now, fusion is not an easy thing to achieve as I'm sure you probably know . If I'm totally honest with you, I don't believe that commercial fusion will be around until at least 2030 ish and that's if everything goes to plan, I don't know how up to date you are with the fusion programme but as a brief overview, here is the outlook that has so far been predicted: 1. JET/MAST (Oxfordshire): JET (Joint European Torus) and MAST (Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak) are both experimental fusion reactors essentially designed as test rigs for all kinds of new technology being introduced into the fusion sector, as of yet neither of these reactors have produced more than ~70-75% efficiency, i.e. they use more energy through heat losses etc than they produce as an output. I personally work on the JET side and am not as up to speed with MAST as maybe I should be but I do know that both are currently undergoing major up-grades and improvements as we speak to try and increase the efficiency and to test principles for the next stage, ITER. The JET program is supposed to be on-going until 2016-17, after this it is down to become a materials testing facility for ITER. 2. ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) is currently being built in Cadarache in the south of France, this is on target for completion in 2017 and due to several major improvements over JET, including super-conducting coils and the larger size (2x JET) this reactor should, over time provide more than 100% efficiency, paving the way for DEMO, the next and final rung in the ladder. 3. The DEMO reactor is designed to show the commercial capability of fusion and will be hooked up to the power grid, becoming the first fusion reactor to provide electricity, although the dates for start of construction are still relatively open, so far I've heard it should be started in 2022 to be ready for 2030 but this all depends on the progress made with ITER and whether the theoretical plans work as they should. By the way, I'm currently only a humble fourth year apprentice engineer so go easy on me , this is stuff I have picked up from work and they are kinda biased towards fusion succeeding and everything going to plan. Sorry to go off subject a bit, Kieran

The bit that bugs me is the fact that due to this unbelievably exceptional event a lot of governments around the world are putting a hold on nuclear power al- together, a German politician said earlier today that nuclear power is 'finished'!! I don't think a lot of people realise how important nuclear power actually is in keeping the lights turned on. I work at a nuclear fusion research centre (CCFE JET in Oxfordshire) and although fusion is a completely different ball game I'm a little concerned at how this sort of attitude is going to affect the work that we are doing here (one exceptional event and we should close the whole nuclear industry!?!). I believe there needs to be more information available to the general public about nuclear power and the real (low) level of danger that is involved under normal circumstances. I understand the concerns that people have and I really hope the situation in Japan is resolved without more issues/fatalities but I do not believe that this single event should stop nuclear power in its tracks. The industry is developing all the time with more and more safety systems being integrated into every new reactor that is built. As said previously, I think for a reactor going on for 40 years old, considering the crazy earthquake/tsunami situation the safety systems are doing relatively well, i.e. as of yet there has not been a full meltdown of the fuel and everything is still relatively localised. I also think the unsung heroes of this are the engineers currently working at the site, where radiation levels are high enough to affect health, in my opinion they should be given more credit than they are currently being given for putting their lives on the line to keep the risk to everyone else as low as possible.

Awesome picture Greg!! How high were you!? I meant to come up but had to stay later at work, really need to get practicing again! mind if I use the pic as a desktop wallpaper?

Hey, I noticed the mystery 'Whitesheet' place a little while back because it's marked real close to where I live, however, after asking around I can't seem to find anyone who knows of anywhere by that name. I have heard there is a disused airfield somewhere near that location so that might be what the location is supposed to be pointing to, I've never personally been there though and no other kiters I know have heard of it. There are plenty of large fields round here but only a couple that I've seen would be suitable for boarding/buggying. I'll keep my eyes and ears open though! Have a look at Cleeve Common, that's become my local spot, it's out Cheltenham way but well worth the trip, best in E or NE winds (super smooth) Here's a link to the weather station up there: MB7UC Welcome / Summary, loads of great people go up there, wicked place to learn new stuff! If you manage to find 'Whitesheet', let me know, I'd be able to save loads of money on petrol costs! Fly safe, Kieran

Slide - cheers for the link! I've bought and fitted the AAA bridle adjuster over the last few days, itching to get out and fly it now to see if it makes a difference, I don't think the AAA is designed to fix the stretch problem (I think there is a separate kit made by flexi for that), think it's just to provide a small amount of adjustment to power/speed. Does the bridle stretch affect all blade 3's? It's just i've been doing fairly big jumps pretty consistenly yet don't seem to have trouble flying, I do have to turn the kite for a decent take off but other than that it seems o.k, still lifts like mad. It may be I've just got used to flying it with the problem, I'll check for the crease over the weekend if I get a chance. Anyone know if flexi still supply the stretch kit? Kieran

Never flown the 6.6 B3 but I own and absolutely love the 8.5 B3, it depends what you want to use it for, mine has no mods and I've used it for both jumping (my avatar picture was taken when using the 8.5 blade, 10-15 ft up on a beach in 16-20 mph winds ) and boarding, although with both I'd probably never use it much over speeds of 15-18 mph, I find I have to edge pretty hard on the board in 12-15 and there is absolutely no effort at all required to jump when bringing the kite over your head (when I say jump, I mean being uncontrollably lifted off the floor )!! Not sure about buggying but I think it would probably get pretty hectic in a decent wind. Glide and float on the 8.5 is awesome in both boarding and static jumping, as for the 6.6, I guess it would probably be easier to tame and control but you may not get quite as much glide/float, should still be pretty lifty though, I mean damn, it's a blade !! As a side note, anyone know where to get and how to fit the bridle mod for the B3? it'd be great to turn the extremeness down a bit when boarding and up a bit when jumping . Also, what are people's experiences with the mod, worth doing?? Kieran

Awesome day at Cleeve, great to see so many people up there! Now frozen and thoroughly battered but that was still one of the best sessions yet, hopefully a sign of things to come (just wish the temperature would follow suit!!)! Many thanks to Greg for the help setting up and all the tips/advice on getting air-borne and more importantly, landing!! Kieran

Should be up round midday ish although weather station showing windchill of -10:eek:, hopefully it'll warm up a bit!! 16-20mph NE wind should be well worth it!

Haven't been to the Ho! yet but hopin to get down there sometime this year, vote now up at 98%, no way they can ban it now !!

Hey, Just thought I'd revive this thread, it's awesome seeing such a great collection of bikes (love that green and black ninja 6!) and I'd love to see a couple more! It's nothing special but personally, I have a green 2008 Kwak er-6f, although it's currently stuck in the shed cus of a pinhole in the rad , recently fitted a Two Brothers slip on and zero gravity screen and hope to do a decent matt black paint job on it when I get a chance. Savin for a Ninja 10r but can't seem to hold onto money for more than a couple of months without buying kite stuff, so I'm guessin' it'll have to wait. As you all probably know bikes and kites are both expensive hobbies and I'm now at the point where I have to choose which is more addictive ! Here's an early pic of my pride and joy, before I started tinkering: Btw that Busa turbo vid is pretty awesome, although I think the rider might be trusting his bike a little too much in some parts , Kieran

Think the weather station might have broken, showing no (0 mph) wind since about 12, is this even possible!? It's been blowin pretty hard at work . Here's hoping for the snow and/or wind to return for one more session before the big C! Sunday is still looking o.k on the BBC and MET office: E-NE 11-15mph

Hey, Although I haven't owned/flown a sabre 1 I do have a 12m sabre 2 and have recently bought an ex demo 10m Manta M3, on first impressions there are advantages and disadvantages to both but I must say the Manta is certainly an awesome kite with the main and most noticeable difference for me being the huge reduction in setting up and packing away time (mainly due to only three lines, splitting to four at kite with the Manta whereas on the sabre there was five lines, typically getting into a terrible mess that took a while to sort out ). Flight/feel wise, after flying both in gusty and smooth conditions I personally found the Manta to be a far superior kite all round with big, big, floaty lift capabilities and smooth, fast handling with good de-power range - however in gusts it can be pretty moody and will definetly catch you out until you get used to it . The sabre does seem to handle gusts fairly well but can collapse very quickly in a lull and can be extremely lethal when it fills again, however, if I'm picky the depower trim on the sabre was much easier to adjust mid-flight, and finally, the safety system on the sabre is also sposed to be the best in the business but personally I've never used it so I couldn't tell you . Overall, I prefer the Manta due to quick turning and potentially huge lift but it depends what you want to use the kite for . Hope this helps, Kieran

Hey, first of all, interesting thread, it’s good to hear both sides of an argument for a change , here’s what I have to say (for what it’s worth). Being a current 3rd year apprentice engineer that has just started on a part time mechanical engineering degree (all paid for by my company) I am of the feeling that although university is the most common route to go straight after sixth form, for some people it is not necessarily the best, there are several reasons behind this. The first reason is work ethic and attitude - now, although I know this doesn’t apply to all students and I know some do work extremely hard to get their degree, the ones I have met or have known previously all boast to me stories about how they get up late, have a few hour lecture, do a small amount of work, go out on the piss all night, come home, sleep etc. day in day out. Surely, this does not create and nurture the attitude that is required when working for a company (have to be on-time, work hard for 6-8 hour days, 5 days a week etc). The second reason is the practical and think on your feet skills that are only really gained through experience in a work-place and, although (on the engineering/technology side of things) there is a small amount of basic practical skills training given at uni, it cannot thoroughly recreate the situations that can be experienced in the work-place. The third and final reason is once you are within a company as an apprentice, there are a lot of things that companies will do to ensure you develop your educational, communication and practical skills throughout the training period, by, for example providing for degrees, college courses, training etc to ensure they have very competent, knowledgeable staff for the future. This combination of qualifications and experience greatly increases the employability of a person, in many cases, to over the level of somebody with just a degree (a degree doesn't always = a good job). And, as an added bonus, there is no large debt that has to be paid off once qualified! My point really is that instead of schools/government etc saying all students should aim for university and a degree they should put more of an emphasis on apprentice training as I believe that, for a lot of people, this would be a more useful and advantageous route to go down. (at my school as soon as I said I wanted an apprenticeship I was essentially disowned and treated as a lower class pupil, just because I didn’t want to go straight to uni!!). Finally, About the protest, I personally think a rise in fees would help the situation as it would make students think a little harder about their future and other options they could take, however the rises that the government are proposing do seem too high in my opinion as they may put off genuinely bright (less well off) pupils who should be going down the degree route and therefore I do understand why it is upsetting a few people. I also think there are other cuts (welfare, certain benefits to certain people, ridiculous gov’t surveys/departments etc) that can be made before they hit the students. Apologies for going on a bit and these are just my thoughts, I am not out to insult or upset anybody ! Kieran

Hey, I'm also trying to get kitted out for snow-kiting this winter, been looking at a 2008 158.5 Salomon Benedek board, anyone have any info on/experience with this? It sounds good from the descriptions (freestyle, bi-directional etc) but I have no idea what it'll be like with a kite, also, any recommendations on boots/bindings (I'm size 10 foot)? (sorry to slightly hijack this thread:o)

Hopefully I should be up sometime before 12, although some forecasters are predicting snow again for later today, could make things a little interesting Kieran

I reckon I'll probably be up saturday if the winds stay as they are at the mo and I'm not snowed in ! 20mph... awesome . lookin forward to seein everyone up there! Kieran

I think Ozone actually do put something about not tying yourself to objects in the 'warnings' section of their manual but they also put something along the line of 'this equipment should never be used for jumping or leaving the floor' . I think, to be honest, some people just need a lesson (and a lengthy exam! ) in common sense then maybe a 'warnings' section wouldn't even be needed! I mean who seriously would tie themselves to a fixed object with the equivalent of small bus trying to pull them away from it, especially in high winds!! Hope the guy is o.k but also hope he learned a much needed lesson.

Hey, I really want to try and get into snow-kiting this year but have absolutely no idea about the sort of kit that is required , I already have the kite/harness etc and can land-board to a reasonable level but haven't got a clue about snow specifics such as board, bindings, boots etc if anyone has any tips or info on what would be a good setup for someone starting out and on a reasonable budget that'd be awesome. For example, is there any major difference between a standard snow-board and a kite specific board? Do bindings come as one size or are there categories (s,m,l etc)? Any help from someone in the know would be greatly appreciated:), Many thanks in advance, Kieran

Yes mate, not a problem, it's probably going to be my main kite after todays experience so anytime i'm up there let me know when you wanna take it for a spin, just a word of warning, after flying it, manta's do have a hell of a bite (could've just been pilot error though:o)! See you soon, Kieran

Ground was pretty wet today (mud everywhere!), plus intermittent fog meant visibility was a bit of an issue, however, wind was awesome - strong and smoooooth:D! Thanks loads to the guys who helped gettin that Manta set up and flyin, all the tips on de-power riding, and just the plain old banter;), the Manta is an awesome kite by the way, would recommend it to anyone. Oh yeah, one more thing, it is bloody cold up at Cleeve at the mo, good gloves are vital(found out the hard way today)! Bring on the next session, Kieran

Hopefully it'll clear in a bit, 18-24 ENE, sounds pretty awesome, I might head up in a bit just to have a go, get the fog-lights out

Saturday's lookin a little promising, anyone game? Fingers crossed that it dries up and the wind picks up a bit!! Kieran

Are you starting to go over to de-power Andy? haven't seen you and the guys (or many people at all for that matter) up at Cleeve for ages, any idea when your next session will be? Best of luck with the harness, and Dell's kites;)! While we're on the subject of new kit, just bought an ex demo 10m Manta from atb shop to replace my sabre 2 12m, really itching to fly it, though not sure whether to be exited, or scared s***less:D! I won't be up this weekend because of work but the weekend after I should be up both days if the weather is good (and slightly less lethal than recently: 60mph gusts:eek:) to have another crack at the whole airbourne with a board thing!! Hope to see people back up at Cleeve again soon, Kieran