Flying Power Kites - Field Set Up

What is the best way to set up when you get to the flying field? Do you need to think about where to unpack your power kite, and where to set-up? Well yes! This is especially true where space is at a premium, for example if you are lucky enough to live in South East England and to know where to experience flying power kites, 8 minutes from the centre of London!

Whichever kite flying site you are at, once you are set up in a location, it’s likely that you get settled there, so think ahead about what might occur in the next few hours, and make sure the spot you decide on will still be a good one. E.g.:

• When a bunch of other kite boarders arrive to share the field too.
• When the wind changes direction.

Field Set Up For Power Kites:

The diagram above shows a typical example of a power kite flying site and kite boarding location, be it London or anywhere else. The wind is blowing from left to right. The best spots to set up your power kite are going to be upwind, as shown by the three kites staked out. Note how none are too close to the edge of the field, so if the wind changes direction, the power kites have room to rotate, without causing any incident.

Also note how in this example the power kites take up ONE THIRD of the entire flying field space. This is quite logical when you consider that flying lines can be 20m to 30m+ in length.

The brown tracks show where kite boarding is going to occur: This is in the right two-thirds of the field. The direction of the kite boarders’ travel will be very much influenced by the direction of the wind.

In the same way that nobody likes middle men such as estate agents, who get in the way unnecessarily, kiting can suffer uninformed middle men too. Point “Y” is possibly the worst spot to set up. Why? Because although it seems there is plenty of space left, if there is a kite (or worse: several!) set up at point “Y”, plus picnic, plus whatever else, right in the middle of the field…, then everybody’s usable area (to kiteboard in) has diminished from two-thirds (66%) of the field, to about 15% of the field. :-( Not good! So don’t set up at Point “Y”.

What about point “X”, that’s out of harms way, right?

Wrong. Point X is an undesirable location to try and set up your power kite and experience kite boarding because: a) When you begin boarding, you will constantly be struggling to go up-wind (trying to make your way to the left of the field). b) When the wind picks up or a big gust comes along, other kites will be carried down-wind in your direction. So if other riders have a crash, it will be all over your equipment. Not good!

The best location to set-up, is up-wind, as shown by the three power kites in the diagram. Be considerate and share the space with everyone – kiters, boarders, runners, walkers, horses… Everyone! :-)

London's New Board-Sport Rush!

Bored of typical outdoor sports, and looking for something new and exciting, a series of open-minded people are discovering the latest adrenaline sport to hit London.

Kite boarding is most familiar with scenes by the beach as a water sport observed as kite surfing. Well, Londoners aren’t near the sea, so what are you going to do about it? Leave London? No!

What you’re going to do, is get in touch with us at Blackheath Kiting & Boarding Lessons, and we will show you how to get your kicks, thrills and spills right here in London!

The surface is on land, enjoying particularly springy grass. The boards have cool off-road wheels & tyres, and the power kite is your source of wind-powered traction: – Horizontally AND vertically!

Warning: All forms of kite boarding have the potential to cause serious injury and even death, if attempting to self-teach, involving inappropriate equipment or inappropriate conditions. It is therefore advisable to seek education and coaching from a source with a 100% record and focus on safety.

Based in London within easy access by road, rail or bus, just South East of the city centre, you can join us in only 8 minutes from central London.

Kite boarding in London mostly generates the bewildered response: “What?!?” initially, from your friends and colleagues. Many people do not even know about the excitement of power kiting in London!

Being the first to take a lesson in this potentially dangerous yet exhilarating new activity, implies maximum kudos when your friends hear how you went from zero to hero thanks to the effectiveness of Blackheath Kiting & Boarding Lessons’ proven system of instruction.

Useful Links:

• Types of London kite board lessons available.

• FAQ - Learning how to kite board & fly power-kites.

• Client Profile - David.

Power Kite For Sale in London...

London Kite Flyers! A happy client of Blackheath Kiting and Boarding Lessons, is looking to sell a power kite, used for learning to kite board.

Use the contact information at the top right of the page and we will put you in touch with the client directly.

The kite is a 4.1m2 Peter Lynn Twister, as reviewed at racekites.com.


Here are the emailed details from the happy client:

4.1m

6 months old

£170 new

Condition: Good. Still crispy. A few mud stains, has a knot in one brake line which I'm sure can be undone with a little patience!

Colour: Yellow.

Reason for sale: To fund a surf kite.

Client Profile: David

Kite boarding in London is an understandably attractive sport in the warm summer months; things are easy – glowing sunsets light hours of daytime kite boarding. Wonderful! No surprise people scramble to the kite shops, then.

So consider the beginner who is absolutely smitten by the exciting energy of kite power, that they will brush off 4 degrees Celsius and the odd rain shower, in order to achieve their goal of learning how to kite board on land. Meet: David.

After several lessons, David’s kite control is improving, now at the stage where there is beginning to be a feel for the changeable wind.

As this skill builds and becomes trained, it allows more focus to be allocated to other areas of the challenge, such as monitoring centre of gravity movements, regulating kite traction, adjusting tack directions, and correcting riding posture, amongst others.

A little bit of rain before your lesson is no bad thing, as it softens up the ground for any little spills relating to a wobbly balance. Don’t worry; everybody comes off at some stage!

Better that it happens in a positive environment, with an instructor who can tell you how and why it happened, and what needs to change. Some dampness also makes for great scudding which is great fun, and following our latest lesson David is now expressly confident at this!

Unusual Christmas Presents!

Refrain from boring your friends and family with predictable clichéd Christmas presents this holiday season!

Get inventive and original with your xmas presents this year, and get them a kite skills or kite boarding lesson! Gift Lessons are valid for 6 months, so it can take place in the warm summer months if you wish.

Husband, wife, partner, family or friend; it’s considerably easy these days to furnish people with tacky gizmos and musical Christmas slippers. Aside from the Boxing Day amusement, which is short-lived, such gifts are not an experience to remember.

Kite board lessons will satisfy the adrenaline hungry in a safe and structured approach, the quality of tuition here is proven by many happy returning clients.

Not only will your lesson be full of traction, sliding, and fun, but you may also build up a skill which if you choose to pursue the sport further, will benefit from better technique and a reduced scope for injury, plus a more informed experience to aid your decision making. This and other knowledge gained from your kite boarding lesson will convert in to increased safety and increased fun!

Gift Lessons are available now, and are valid for a full six months from the purchase date. Contact us now and give a great present this Christmas! Payment is securely processed by PayPal.

For our selection of training options see which kite land boarding lesson best suits your needs:

• Complete Beginner's Lessons.
• Kite & Boarding Lessons for Two.
• One to One Kite Board Tuition.

Beginner Lessons at Blackheath

Blackheath Kiting and Boarding Lessons have expanded our range of services after client feedback and popular demand.

We employ a teaching system that acknowledges kite land boarding is comprised of two separate aspects: Piloting the kite, and riding the board. It sounds easy, but is often underestimated!

The natural progression is from kite skills on towards kite boarding, but you may take it as far as you want, because some are only interested in the kite flying aspect. We can accommodate what you want.

Here is a quick update of lessons available:

• Complete Beginner's Lessons. - A gentle introduction on smaller kites, for those with no flying experience.

• Beginner's Power Kite Lessons . - Share the learning experience with a friend or with others, in an open group at a reduced rate.

• One to One Kite Board Tuition. - The most popular lesson format, complete individual attention and the fastest progress.
  

• Gift Lessons. - Bought as a present for somebody else to enjoy the experience. Enquire by email or phone.
  

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Complete Beginner's Lessons

Blackheath Kiting and Boarding Lessons also welcome absolute beginners who have never flown kites before. Our tailored introductory lesson for complete beginners, may be the reassuring first-fly you are looking for.

Power Kites for Complete Beginners

This introductory lesson will guide you gently through everything you need to know to get started safely on smaller, more manageable power kites. Overseen by an experienced instructor, you will be in safe hands, guiding you through the necessary basics including:

• Kite control basics.
• Avoiding common mistakes and damage.
• Launching & landing power kites safely.
• Useful practical knowledge & information.
• Much much more!
  

Best Kite Selection

The instructor will allocate you a suitable type and size of kite for the wind that day, with the aim of building your confidence and kite control skills. You may also choose to experiment with a selection of other types and sizes of kite we have, if you desire.

As with all tuition by Blackheath Kiting and Boarding Lessons, you do not need to own anything, since all equipment, kites, and accessories are provided by us. We only ask that you wear sporty shoes and bring some sunglasses! :-)

Learning Rate of Progress

Novices vary in ability, some having previously flown some kind of tiny kite, perhaps on the beach as a child. Others have never yet had a go; only watching others have all the fun.

No experience is necessary to start this Complete Beginner’s introductory lesson. It will not be physically strenuous. If you are worried about strength; relax, we have some harmless kites that can be flown with just the little fingers!

You can book a 1 to 1 complete beginner’s lesson for focused individual tuition. Alternatively, bring a friend and book yourselves on a Beginner’s Power Kiting group lesson. Call or email for weekday & weekend availability and prices. (Contact details at the top right of this page).

Some first-timers have a natural gift for flying the power kites, others do not know their left from their right! Both examples gain a lot from these lessons due to the quality of personalised tuition, as proven by existing happy clients.