Fractured Axel

Last weekend I took my 1.5 SLE out for a bit of fun in the sky. Had a good time, but I noticed the sail was flapping around a bit. Rather embarrassing, actually. Glad there was no-one there with any expertise to tell me how awfully badly I was managing my kite..
Resolved to look at all the connections, but didn't get around to it until today.
I discovered that one of the rubber things (they look a bit like tap washers) holding the top caps of the vertical struts just wasn't there. Must have been bashed off when I did one of those 'scream-down-to-ground-level-and-suddenly-stop' manoeuvres that didn't quite work.
However, I've found a bit of fat, flat rubber, and bodged up a replacement. Everything looks OK now, in my sitting room. But I can't be sure that it'll all be well when I go out for my next real session!


I've found a super site for kite flying, only 9 miles from my front door. It's up in the Eppynt (the range of hills just north of Brecon) and the prevailing wind sort of funnels, ever so steadily, through a gap between two little hills, leaving me happily whooshing my kites all over the place just adjacent to a vast Army training area.
I've been there a couple of times. First time I attracted no unwelcome attention. Second time, a guy in a 4wd sort of stopped and looked pointedly at what I was doing, but departed before I could find a sensible gap in my activities and go and speak to him.
Presumably, if he had any interest in the terrain I was using,he'd have leapt out and harangued me. But he didn't.
I have no wish to be a trespasser.
Any hints, anyone, about how to find out who owns nice, kiteable areas? And about how to persuade them that flying a kite really doesn't interfere with their ownership of the land?

Old Greebo wrote:

I've found a super site for kite flying, only 9 miles from my front door. It's up in the Eppynt (the range of hills just north of Brecon) and the prevailing wind sort of funnels, ever so steadily, through a gap between two little hills, leaving me happily whooshing my kites all over the place just adjacent to a vast Army training area.

Was a rather large red flag flying nearby? If so you were on the firing range, at least it would have been very quiet (for a while).

Those washers can pop off or snap. I bought a spare at a kite festival but some suitably sized rubber hose sliced up will do the job.

Paul

No, Paul, I was very careful about that!
The area I'm talking about is JUST outside the firing range!
Super if you're a bird-watcher though, and want to see Red Kites.
And I've seen hares there, in the evening ...

Old Greebo wrote:

No, Paul, I was very careful about that!
The area I'm talking about is JUST outside the firing range!
Super if you're a bird-watcher though, and want to see Red Kites.
And I've seen hares there, in the evening ...

The road over the top between Brecon and Builth is spectacular. Seen lots of Red Kites over there (not the sort with lines).

Paul

Those stoppers on a REV to stop the bungee pulling back through the knot or through the sail are made from tiny bits of rubber fuel hose from Halfords.

BIG hose or SMALL hose.

It's identical to what's used on REVs.

I find these are an excellent replacement

and you can get them in various colours


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- All the best
Daz

Thanks Daz. Good idea! I've got loads of those, left over from when I did my last kitchen refit! A pity they don't seem to do them in black though ...

You can get them in black,but when the kite is 120 feet in the air,you will be the only one who knows there white


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- All the best
Daz

A chap called Martin Dunbar runs a company called World of Washers and sells a good replacement at 20 for £1.50 plus £1 p&p.


Better late than never........