Fractured Axel

I know i don't own the beach i fly on, but it's a big beach, i don't take up that much space, and i never fly if there are too many people about. Shame the general public haven't got the same common sense.

Yeah the number of times I've walked down the beach find a deserted spot only to have some people invade it after 5 mines. I've learnt to defend my space from approaching persons with low ground passes at the first sight of approaching invaders.

There is a bicycle/skater/walker path running right through our lawn and in some wind conditions it's unavoidable to get near or even cross that with the lines. So, of course, from time to time people start to yell at us. I normally pretend not to understand and yell back the approximate time. That really pisses them off.
Works also in traffic. I've got a motorbike, so I get confronted with the same amount of ignorance there.

1:40 am Erik

People have gotten so accustomed to a nanny state thinking for them that they cant see risks any more. They've gotten so accustomed to people 'defending their rights' that it doesn't even occur to them that they're disrupting someone else.

I've seen people climb over the ropes at a festival to set up a table and chairs under peoples kites before

I regularly get kids encouraged to 'play' with my kite but my alltime pet peeve has to be from skateboarding: my local ramp (6-7' ish so you can get a good speed up) is not too far from a kids playground. I've lost count of the times some 'parent' has pushed their 3 year old onto the ramp to play while there was 14 stone of lard hurtling toward down them.

FFS

datenland wrote:

There is a bicycle/skater/walker path running right through our lawn and in some wind conditions it's unavoidable to get near or even cross that with the lines. So, of course, from time to time people start to yell at us. I normally pretend not to understand and yell back the approximate time. That really pisses them off.
Works also in traffic. I've got a motorbike, so I get confronted with the same amount of ignorance there.

1:40 am Erik

As the public have a (social) responsibility not to get in our way I think we have to be equally wary of getting in their way.

You fly your kite across the public right of way and then deliberately try to 'piss them off' - how are they going to act next time they need to get past a kiter? Are they going to considerately cross behind the flier, or remember you and barge through the lines just to get revenge?

And the less said about motorbikes in traffic the better.

You can be sure that we all take every possible measure to keep our flying safe for everybody. If any accident happens, we, the kiters, and not the cyclists/skaters/walkers who get kicked out. Accordingly we behave. It's quite simply that from time to time somebody cycles/skates/walks along who is actually seeking a confrontation no matter what we do. I prefer then to create a misunderstanding rather than a stupid yelling contest.

And the less said about motorbikes in traffic the better

You should get one.

12:12 pm, Erik

Just about everywhere I fly, there are stupid parents that let there kids do what ever they want to. So often time I suddenly hear kids screaming, running toward my kitetrying to get themself kill(which, Im half tempted to pour a little bleack in the gene pool). It genrally takes an act of god to get the kids to go away, or to watch from a safe distance. Id say, one in ten kids dont go running at it begging for their death, and instead watch from someplace behind me. Or when unwinding my lines, people walk by and get tangled in my lines, then making it worse one they realize it.

Old people and children can be a pain at times.

-Steven

kevspilly wrote:

Yeah the number of times I've walked down the beach find a deserted spot only to have some people invade it after 5 mines.

Five anti-personel mines?

I think you are getting just a little too territorial.

Andrew

I think you are getting just a little too territorial.

Yeah probably but after after walking down the beach leaving a gap, then going a bit further. Then poeple ignore the gap I left for them to fill in, that's when I think they are taking the piss.

Perhaps they want to watch my flying, but to be honest it's crap. I think it's the empty car park thing. Watch an empty carpark the first car in ain't got clue where to go. Second car in now knows where to go, within 5 spaces of the first car and so on.

Still not a problem this time of year, i only get competition for beach space from a few seals!

can we have some more please? This thread has kept me entertained for weeks. Beginning to miss it

KiteTastic wrote:

can we have some more please? (

OK. My Gem is orange and grey which may not be to everyone's taste but in the right light I think it looks great. However the wind was knocked right out of my sails while flying on the beach earlier this year. A boy of about 6 years old came up and said "I like your Action Man kite".

Somehow that colour scheme hasn't had the same appeal since.

Paul

One of the flying fields near my house is a school. I generally get there before the soccer teams come to practice and there is AMPLE space for everyone. The soccer folks stay to themselves and i stay to myself, but one one day where i wanted "some alone time with a kite", one 'soccer mom' let the younger kids not on the team wander about unsupervised. They took great glee in chasing me and the kite around. Finally i had enough of the squeling minions, especially on a day that i was less tolerant of them, so i wound up the lines and headed toward the van. I'm blessed to have a large cargo van with no windows that i can leave a couple of kites in set up if i so choose. the van was parked near 'soccer mom' and as i proceeeded to put the kite back into the van and move another to make room for 'soccer mom'( maybe because she felt bad that her brats were bothering me) Looks at me and says "wow , that's a nice van that you have space for your kites.."
I looked at her and with a straight face said" Yeh it makes it easier to get the kids into it if there kites inside"
She just stared back and i got inside and drove away.

was it evil? prbably but maybe she'll no let her brats run amuck

kevspilly wrote:

Watch an empty carpark the first car in ain't got clue where to go.

Easy.....nearest space to the pedestrian exit,unless it's an open park on a hot summers day when I prefer the shadiest spot.


I was attempting controlled flight with a 1.6m Lidl-special (£3.99) in the usually fickle winds around Scolton Manor,Pembs.,when a man walks up towing what appeared to be a snot-rag on a length of garden twine.
Turns out he made this miniscule yet surprizingly stable diamond kite at the local kite festival held on the remains of Carew airfield.

At some point I informed him of the bargain price of mine and as it wobbled,faltered and crashed for the ?th time he turned away saying "perhaps that's why it was only three ninety-nine"

DD wrote:

I looked at her and with a straight face said" Yeh it makes it easier to get the kids into it if there kites inside"
She just stared back and i got inside and drove away.

was it evil? prbably but maybe she'll no let her brats run amuck

Carefull you'll find yourself on the register if your not carefull.

Standing next to a bloke with a cheap kite I noticed it had straps hanging off the winder.
The bloke slightly scathingly commented on this fact "The first kite we bought had two winders"

Just walking back to straps after sorting tip wrap on Gem,I see family approaching.Take up slack on lines and wait for people to clear danger zone.Man stops,looks at kite poised for take-off and gestures as if to throw it up into the air.I politely decline.

BUT,sometimes people surprize you.
After a tip wrap brings Gem down I wait, holding the lines to restrain the kite if necessary,as some people walk near it.
Before I can say anything a woman looks at Gem grabs the tip and unwraps it in one deft move,then she positions Gem perfectly for relaunch.

burtonator wrote:

Mum and Dad arrive at Butser Hill with 3 kids and two kiites in tow. Little boy with them announces to his Dad - 'Dad, you cant fly them today because you might hit the satellites.......and I dont want you to hit the satellites!'................priceless!

ha ha reminds me of my son who was prob about 2 when his Bob the builder balloon shot out of the car window & up, up & away was prob about 200ft up when he said "Dad, just get a ladder"

Also last night had the "Dad, Come on lets just go home" (he wanted to see his programmes - Ben 10, Jonny Test etc etc) & he was off leaving me to bring the kite down & pack up, he was prob 3 - 400 yds away by the time I had packed up, not great as he's only 4.

Co.