First Flight

[JMPVW73]

There was some fairly steady 5-7MPH wind today but by the time I got out to fly my Jazz the wind was 3MPH at best. I did manage to keep the kite up for about 45sec. and land it in a possition that it can take off again once. I made some turns and loops but the insufficiant wind died quickly. I cant wait to get out in some high winds and hear the roaring sound of the kite I loved as a kid.

I was flying at the 4 year old 245 acre Dorman High School ten minutes away from my house. If you have driven thru South Carolina on I-26 lately it can be seen clearly at mile mark 37. There is a big valley that runs thru the campus and lots of trees that will be much taller in the future. I made my attempts on the soccer fields that are on top of a hill and level with the surrounding tree line. I think the soccer fields are a good spot if I had more wind but they are very close to the Interstate, have a steep 15ft change in elivation between the two feilds,6 foot fences and some high voltage power lines running thru them.

The security guys were watching me and just as I was winding up my lines to leave one drove by with his hazzard lights on. When I came around the front of the school there was a guy talking to the police and I saw the cop going to where I was while I was at the traffic light. I hope I will be able to use this spot without being run off.

james

[Jim Mol]

A twist on a old phrase: Sometimes it is easier to ask permission than to beg forgiveness.

I learned many years ago from an older cousin to make the security guard your friend. We were walking through a construction sight that would later be a mall. My cousin saw the security guard approaching, stopped and waved him over. He carried on a polite conversation with him and he explained why we should not be around the place. We never returned but we did not get in trouble either.

Next time you are there with some wind, wave them over, ask them if they want to try out a kite. If you can, stop by the school office and ask what are the policies for public use. Explain what you want to do and why you need to do it there. If that does not work, visit central office and speak with the school superintendent.

I know soccer fields are expensive to build and maintain and having extra feet trampling the grass may not help. If there are not too many bleachers between fields, offer to stay off the main fields and along the sidelines.

Hope you can secure this place to fly!

Jim M.

[ant man]

at my local rec center the director loves it when i fly there but i always ask if the fields are closed to any sports activity before i go this time of year all the seasons are over so every weekend i head over there i even help clean up the fields of trash and any harmful debree as a favor the them for letting me use the fields its a great palce to fly and i respect the rules there as i have been flying there for the past 10 years when the fields were put there so you might want to try something like that get the phone number and call the place before you go there it will help you out alot

[JMPVW73]

I got out flying with the Jazz today in a different location. It is a joint use stadium for the downtown high school and a College team and I can use it during the week because it is off campus for both schools. I was in the field used for parking that is up on a hill above most of the stadium, surrounding buildings

and trees but is dotted with 30' light poles(YIKES!) and probably too small for flying with longer lines. I felt pull on the lines, for the first and few times I had good wind, and heard the sail ripping thru the air. It was in a stall for most of the time it was in the air and I improved ground recovery skills a lot. I'm tempted to try flying the E2 I got yesterday because it probably could have stayed in the air a lot longer but I'm still crashing a lot. The security guy rode by but must not have had a problem with me being there.

There are two more places within 20min of my daily life I want to try. The the parking lot of the fairgrounds which is in the middle of the worst area in the county and the AYSO fields. There are about ten soccer feilds side by side and no obstructions! There is a possible 3rd, if the big field behind my elementry school still exists. The sod farm would be exelent but I'm not even going to attempt that one.