Farewell...

After having a 3m HQ Toxic on loan, so that I could review it, unfortunately it's time to wave it goodbye and return it. In the few months I have had it I have only had the opportunity to fly it once due to the absence of decent wind...

HQ Toxic 3m - first flight from Mark Crook on Vimeo.

My initial impressions after the first flight...

"I took the 3m Toxic out for the first run in the buggy yesterday, the wind was pretty off and on with the occasional gusts.

The kite preformed really well, it turns quickly and felt pretty stable, it definitely inspired confidence and I would be happy to take it out in much stronger winds. My main concern about the Toxic is that all the blurb you read says it is a "lifty" kite - there were a few occasions when I shoved it to the top of the wind window and there wasn't any lift. Which is what I want in a buggy kite.

It does need brake input to keep it happy and in the zone, as you can see by the position of my hands in the video...

Overall a great kite, well made and nice to fly - I will definitely looking at taking it out in higher winds and will write a proper review when I have had more flight time."

Video - Dune Play

Some incredible kite control, it looks like slow mo...

KiteBuggy Dune Play from n2g on Vimeo.

Soggy...

Did some geocaches on Lake Walyungup yesterday morning. Which gave me opportunity to check out the surface after all the recent rain we have had.

And it is very wet...

No buggying for me this weekend.

New gadget...

Skywatch eole anenometer (windmeter)...

Video - 3 days at the beach

More rain and storms here today and also more forecast for the weekend, no buggying for me (again!)...

so to help fight the withdrawal a pretty cool video...

Buggy Kite Hd 06 2013 from marc.g on Vimeo.

Rain rain go away...

We have rain/showers forecast all week, which means even if it is dry and there is wind on the weekend,  the surface of the lake will be too wet and unusable..

I shouldn't really wish for no rain as the Perth rainfall is well below average for this time of the year and we do need it. I'm just being selfish!

Video - Mablethorpe Kite Buggying

Once again the weather is conspiring against me, so a video from Popeye the Welder...

Mablethorpe Kite Buggying 06.07.2013 from popeyethewelder on Vimeo.

...yes!

...ordered an anemometer today from kitepower!

Should be here for the weekend - then we will just need some wind!

Nothing...

Once again this morning there is no or very little wind, I had the car loaded and ready to go. But when I walked the dog this morning (and it was very cold with some frost) there was not a breath of wind. Two hours later still nothing the trees are completely still.

Do I need an anemometer?

Probably not really, but I would still quite like one being the gadget head I am! It's tax time and I probably have enough of a rebate to buy one!

Peter Lynn Lynx

After my first foray into the world of depower with my Ozone Manta, I was interested to see that Peter Lynn are now producing the Lynx...

Like the Manta it's primarily marketed as a snowkite -

"...It’s forgiving nature and ease of use makes it the perfect snowkite for riders of all skill levels. Starters will appreciate the kites smooth & constant power delivery and superb stability. Intermediate riders will enjoy the kite’s acceleration and excellent response through the control bar and even advanced riders will be amazed by the kites performance in the more challenging conditions.

The Lynx is rigged with incredibly strong frictionless Ronstan® Series 20 Orbit block pulley’s, a comfortable self landing handle and a flag out safety system that keeps you safe in emergency situations

The Lynx has been developed with the highest quality materials and state of the art production techniques as an “all-round” cruising kite that will have you ride comfortably for hours.

Peter Lynn’s famous stability paired with a perfectly balanced Aspect Ratio results in a kite that is easy to control yet agile enough to keep you smiling for many sessions to come."

GoWing...

Regular readers of my blog will know I am partial to different ways of mounting my GoPro, take a look at the GoWing...

Stormy!

A picture is worth a thousand words...

We have also got some extreme winds to come...

Pictures from the willy weather app.

6 weeks to go...

 … until spring and then hopefully the weather will improve for kite buggying.

We have had another typical winter weekend. When it’s dry and bright there is no wind (and it gets cold), the wind only seems to come to the party when the rain comes (or is imminent) and we get some awesome storms here in Perth.

This also means that after the rain Lake Walyungup takes a long time to dry out and the surface is sticky and cuts up – so I don’t like to buggy.

But within a few days of the commencement of spring (the 1^st September) there is a noticeable change, we couldn’t believe the difference when we first moved here, as the change is dramatic. The days will suddenly start getting warmer and the wind won’t be dependent on the rain.

I will continue to try and fly as and when the weather gives me a break, and I have been out more this winter than the previous year (mainly thanks to a 10m Ozone Manta II) – but we have broken the back of winter…

Video - New Peter Lynn Reactor

The new Peter Lynn Reactor...

"Feel the need for speed? Then the new 2013 Reactor will blow your socks off! Since the release of the very first Reactor series, the goal has always been to offer racing potential while keeping the kite easy to use and confidence inspiring.

In the new Reactor the very best of the first two reactor generations comes together, race winning performance and easy handling. The Reactor is stable, forgiving, light on the controls and has very low lift. This makes it the ideal kite for buggy pilots wanting to explore their limits and take their riding to the next level. Get your hands on one now!
http://peterlynn.com/products/powerki...

Special thanks and riders: Adrian Lavelle, Alision Summersfield, Matthew Job, James Martin, David Wilmer, Mark Sherlock, Ken Francois

Camera: Marijn Tijhof & Roy van Baarsen
Edit: Roy van Baarsen"

Useful?

Or useless?

I found this at work yesterday, a blue plastic strip with holes in it, not stretchy and pretty strong, my initial thoughts were - "I will have that I am sure I can use it some how, it could be useful!?" 

Coincidence?

Honestly it is!

Earlier this week I booked our accommodation for our family holiday (the four of us plus my mother and father in-law from the UK) for January 2014, two Maui motorhomes...

We are picking them up in Melbourne and will be driving to Adelaide via the Great Ocean Road, with various stops en route.

This just happens to coincide (entirley coincidentally) with... 

Extreme Kites Kingston 2014 Meet

Of course I would like to drop by and say hello - but I'm not sure my wife will tolerate more than that, though I have a few offers to borrow a buggy!

Video - kite biking...

Autophotos is the current kite bike speed record holder...

"The story so far of Autophotos kite biking Exploits.

Now updated with details of Autophotos new World Record for a kite bike of 49.1 MPH achieved at Pembrey on 6/9/2011"

autophotos kite bikeing.movie from Martin Reading on Vimeo.

Tidied up...

I have played around with the GoPro kite line mount and made it a bit tidier.

From this...

To this...

I just hope it stays on - I think I need to seriously look at making some sort of secondary safety system!

All loaded up...

...and no wind to go!

The forecast was for 15-20kph this morning, which would have been great for the Manta, but in reality nothing is moving - not a breath.

I had even checked the tyre pressures!

Car unloaded and everything packed away!

Trees moving in the wind...

On Monday I started a new job, a couple of definite advantages are that it's only 10 minutes from home (previously 30-40 minutes) and I drive past Lake Walyungup everyday!

My new office is twice the size of the old (which felt like a cupboard) and it has a window and I can see trees and the sky...

The disadvantages are I drive past Lake Walyungup everyday and I would rather stop!

I can now see trees blowing in the wind, while I am stuck at work!

Kite Tracker

 

Kite Tracker is an iPhone app (also coming to Android soon) that allows you to check the position of other riders worldwide with their details like speed, average speed, distance etc. but also to log your own session and compare them live with everyone else.

kite tracker screen shot

The Kitetracker App has been designed for kite-, wind- and flying sports but can just as well be used for any other outdoor sports.

The very unique Live-Tracking functionality allows every 5 seconds an up to 1 meter accurate tracking of the app user with speed, altitude, distance, ascent /descent rate and much more! Follow your friends on the App or website www.kitetracker.com. You can see live what lines your friends are creating in the snow, how high they have climbed into the sky or how quickly they are gunning the new trail with their bike. The possibilities are endless.

You can also add to your sessions geolocation based photos or once you finished your session share it via Facebook for the world to see. Already uploaded sessions with their data and photos can be accessed from within the App. All uploaded sessions will be added to a global high score list with which you can measure yourself to users worldwide.

The KiteTracker App has the following features:
● GPS Tracking for sport sessions
● GPS Tracking combined with a live tracking system
● Display of all live App users on the map
● List of all Live-App-Users sorted by distance, altitude, rate of climb, speed etc. in a user-friendly list
● Tracking of other users, with current information on speed, distance, altitude, rate of climb and max. values
● Navigation to any currently online user with distance information
● The possibility to upload your session Info into the global high score, sorted by sport type and discipline (speed, altitude, rate of climb and a lot more) for the ultimate challenge
● Capture photos with GPS coordinates (geotagging)
● Facebook & e-mail sharing
● Shortcut to rescue function with the integrated REGA button (www.rega.org)
● Storage, processing and uploading of successful sessions on www.kiteTracker.com
● Low battery warning
● Switch between metric (kilometers) and imperial (miles) units

 

screen shots from the app

It's not pretty...

but should do the job - the GoPro is now mounted at right angles so I shouldn't have to crop and rotate (just rotate) so it wont ruin the video quality...

Video - KiteBuggy Les Hemmes

Some freestyle action from France...

KiteBuggy Les Hemmes 16 Juin 2013 from n2g on Vimeo.

Cool video and I must admit I ducked a few times while watching it. And I just love Radioactive by Imagine Dragons!

New job...

Today I start my new job, I'm hoping that at some point I will get to update my blog - but if it goes a bit quiet for a few days, you know why!

Normal service will resume ASAP...