RPKA Instructors
RPKA Chief Instructor - Chris Roberts |
| My first experience of kiting was with a 4m Flexifoil Blade on a gusty sports pitch at university. This kite is well known for its less than tame characteristics, and after a few adrenaline fuelled spankings I decided I had to get into this! From here I got straight on ebay and bought a slightly bigger version of the same kite and took it from there. I spent a while mastering the kite then moved onto land boarding. That was in 2003 and since then I’ve become a land kite instructor and moved onto bigger depower kites which I use for land boarding, buggying, snow kiting and kitesurfing! I often get ribbed by friends for flying “kites”, that is until they give it a go! The freedom and adrenaline rushes kites give you, whether by just by having a play on the beach, or by propelling yourself 10 feet into the air whilst boarding is unmatched. That feeling is what led me to want to instruct, because as a fairly niche sport, not many people understand power kiting, and being something I am passionate about I want to show people what it is all about! My top tip to anyone looking into the sport is to just give it a go; everyone I have shown how to kite has loved it without exception, and the RAF Power Kiting Association is the best place to do it with free instruction, kit and regular meets! |
RPKA Senior Kitesurf Instructor - Ian Savage |
I started off making kites with garden canes and newspaper in the summer holidays as a kid. Then I progressed onto Peter Powel Stunt Kites, a plastic diamond shaped kite with a long streamer tail, which was probably in the 70s! A little later on (early 90s) I got hold of a Flexifoil 8 foot Stacker, my first ‘power’ kite. I had the Stacker in Ascension with me and started experimenting with traction, scudding and getting pulled down a cricket wicket on a skateboard. I also played in the sea with it, body- dragging down wind. Ten years later during my second tour in Cyprus my wife Sarah and I were spending a lot of time windsurfing and we started to notice people out on the water with kites. As keen windsurfers we had seen kitesurfing develop on the fringes, and thought it looked like a lot of fun. We decided that Cyprus was the ideal place to give it a go. There was a Club up and running at Lemmings Beach and we took some lessons and then took the plunge and spent quite a lot of money on a couple of kites. After about a month we sold all our windsurfing kit. This was quite a big step as I had always had some windsurfing kit for the last 20 years and all of a sudden I knew I would never use it again! After our first year of kitesurfing, Sarah and I did an IKO instructor course and spent a good part of our last year in Cyprus teaching as well as riding for pleasure! A posting to RAF Leuchars in October saw us on the coast but facing the challenges of a UK winter, cold water and tides, all things we had not had to contend with in Cyprus. But we invested in lots of neoprene; a tide table and carried on. Kitesurfing is a big part of our lives now, and we spend most of our free time on the beach or in the water. Being out on the water, is total escapism. You can be battling the elements and mother nature in a winter storm, cruising around on a warm sunny day or boosting high above the water, going for spins and grabs, all of which are totally exhilarating and stacks of fun. It may sound corny, but out on the water you can ‘free your mind’, which can be just what you need in this day and age. |
RPKA Kitesurf and Buggy Instructor - 'CJ' Martin |
Kites and the wind have always fascinated me. I was constantly nagging my parents for a stunt kite when I was knee high, and when I was duly presented one for a birthday, I thrashed it around my local beach for hours (Westward Ho!). One of my mates collared me on the school bus one day and asked if I had been out ‘the burrows’ at the weekend? I had. He had seen me peddling my red grifter head-on into a force 5 or 6, along the burrows road (over a mile long). When I got to the end, I turned my back to wind and unleashed the 3 bin bags tied to my handlebars and sped off downwind at break-neck speed, before repeating the process. AWESOME! Growing up by the sea led to me spending most summer holidays (and Xmas holidays for that matter) on the beach flying home made kites. When I grew up (or should I say grew bigger), I ended up joining the Army and found myself landlocked. It was then I discovered Deltas or sports kites. I have always had one in the boot of the car, and when my kids were old enough to stand, they were flying them too. I had seen kitesurfers and buggyers flying on my home beach, but never thought about it myself until I met Ged, just after he had transferred to the RAF. He mentioned Power Kiting, and instantly my ears pricked up – he had one, and I had to try it! 5 secs on the end of a Blade II 3m in 25 mph winds, a buggy and 1 set of knackered lines later, I was hooked. Kiting gives me the kind of rush I used to feel when catching a good wave. The power is truly awesome, and when you land your first jump, you never look back. I enjoy buggying, but my true passion is on the water. It's far less painful when it goes wrong (and it often does when you are trying new tricks) and instead of a small strip or sand to play on, you have the whole ocean (within reason). Although I'm a kitesurf instructor, I am relatively new to this discipline, but feel I am being pulled towards the wave riding side of the sport. |
RPKA Kitesurf Instructor - Andy 'Chucky' Brown How did i get into this? Well it was by coincidence, one day i grabbed a kite and i just flew up in the air. That was back in 2003 shortly after watching a surfing comp and being amazed when a bloke with a huge kite appeared from no-where and rode out past the line up and then shot up in the air. "That looks easy and fun" the other half said. So a couple of weeks later i find myself on a beach learning the basics of what has since become some sort of addictive monster! Since then i joined the RAF and discovered that i can get paid and travel around the UK and the world Kitesurfing. I ride with a very much chilled out manner, happy to be on the water and playing with the ocean and waiting to see what happens. Its not very often i go out with a plan of things to do in my head. If i did it quickly goes out the window when i catch the first wave! RPKA Kitesurf Instructor - Lars Bjonness First blood was drawn by a 2.5m foil kite on Bamburgh beach, Northumberland back in 2007. I didn't anticipate the power that could be produced by something that seemed so flimsy and ended up with some fashionable holes in my jeans for my efforts. Needless to say I was bruised and soaked but 100% hooked, and promptly went out and bought a kite of my own. I wish I'd had some proper instruction that day but, looking back, it was undoubtedly the brute force of the elements that caught my attention during that first encounter. After some months, it seemed that I was truly hooked on the sport and wanted to take it up a level. I found out about the RPKA and was lucky enough to get a spot on the inaugural kitesurf camp in Cyprus. For a week we lived and breathed kitesurfing, and I found myself being bitten by the bug all over again. It is without a doubt the most enjoyable past time I've ever had, and happens to be a great way of staying fit too. I intend to bring some of my skills of a Qualified Flying Instructor to kitesurfing, and if you asked me if I'd rather be flying or riding, you may find me reminiscing about the beach! Come and have a go and see for yourself" |
RPKA Buggy Instructor - Jim Field Jim Field started off kite buggying as a result of his former passion of paragliding. " I was sitting on the hill at Westury in Wilts waiting for the wind to drop. Instead it just got stronger and a couple of guys packed up their kit and opened the boot of their cars. Within minutes they had buggies assembled and kites in the air and were enjoying the 20mph wind that was keeping the rest of us grounded" This was in 2001 and was the turning point for Jim. Within a week he was the proud owner of a 3m Blade 2 and a Peter Lynn Competition buggy. Using his knowledge the wind and large bits of cloth he taught himself to move the kite around the sky with minimal bruising. Within a few days he was buggying around the fields and beaches of Essex, gathering a lot more bruises on the way. Work and Operational Tours meant the kite sat idle for a couple of years until Jim took on the role of Treasurer for the RPKA. Armed with his trusty Blade he got back into the buggy and began ripping up the beaches of Anglesey - always pushing for more speed. "I've tried my hand at kitesurfing and I'm slowly getting there, but I'm very much a warm-weather water baby. Summer is for the surf, winter for the beach. The beauty of the buggy is you only need a field to go out and get a buzz. Admittedly, beaches are best for the clean onshore winds, but as a lot of RAF stns are miles from the coast it's better to be able to practice on your doorstep then really enjoy it when you get to the beach!" RPKA Landboard Instructor - Ged Geddis I first got interested in kites whilst stationed at Chivenor in North Devon. Saunton sands was just a couple of miles away and I used to watch the kite surfers jumping and carving up the water. Westward Ho was another excellent kite boarding, buggying and kite surfing beach. There were a plethora of kites and various abilities at the beach. My brother in law bought a 3.5M Bullet which I learnt the basics on. Not content with scudding up the beach, I wanted more adrenaline fuelled excitement. A kite that could generate good lift was what I wanted. I decided on a Flexifoil Blade III 4M. This was an awesome kite that generated a huge amount of power. I flew this kite for 3 months before I decided to get a land board. It’s important to learn how to fly a kite and understand the wind window before progressing onto more advanced skills. After 6 months I then went onto depowerable kites. A Flexifoil 9.5M sabre was my choice. This was excellent as good consistent wind on the coast made this kite easy to use. After a posting to Cranwell and poor inland wind, I bought a Peter Lynn Twin Skin Venom II 16M. These kites are awesome at absorbing gusts and allow you to jump higher with more float. After a mid life crisis a 16M Scorpion was next. This was a pig of a kite that needed strong wind to fly. I didn’t really progress with this as the wind range was poor. I now fly a 14.5 Ion 3 which is pretty good. I intend to buy a 10.5M Ion to compliment my quiver. I have a real passion for kiting and love the thrill and fear that it can generate. The many manufacturers design and build a multitude of kites so choice is huge. Personal recommendations and above all testing the kite yourself will allow you to make an informed choice. My advice is to buy a cheaper kite to learn how to fly and appreciate the wind window. As soon as you can master launching and powering the kite in many windy conditions, you will then be able to progress onto the next level. Instructing has given me the opportunity to allow novices to enjoy the sport. The association has a good array of kites that ensure novices can experiment with different kites and control gear. I look forward to the different meetings we have as it introduces us all to the many levels of flyer who have their own stories on how they got into the sport. I love seeing the faces on the students as they master the basics of kite flying, and how quickly they learn. One weekend we had a student who progressed onto depowerable kites and was jumping and getting good height. I hope that the sport will exponentially rise and that we as an association can develop the next generation of kite enthusiasts. |
