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RaymondApril 2002 Raymond is a playful creature who likes to interact with his surroundings, whether walking around on the ground, or flapping his legs rhythmically in flight. Raymond was a Christmas present, but it was not until March 2002 that he took his first flight. Raymond is 18 feet long (approx 4.5 metres) and is an amazing sight in the air. This is the story of his first flight.
Assembly of Raymond takes about 15 minutes. First the legs are straightened out and the spars slotted together. An arrow nock at the end of each leg tip holds the spars in place with an elasticated band. Two spars are then inserted vertically in the centre of the kite to provide the shape for the 'body'. They curve slightly at both ends to provide tensioning. Next, two cross spars are inserted. These spars have to bend quite a bit to go in, and this is the trickiest part of the assembly - easier if there are two of you doing it! Finally there are two tensioning cords (vertical and horizontal) which are used to adjust the kite for flying in varying wind conditions. The curvature of the kite and the angle of attack in the wind can be controlled by adjusting these cords.
Raymond flew well first time, and within minutes he was happily playing in the sky. He did decide to make a couple of dives out of the sky, but recovered well. However after one nose-dive too many into the ground, one of the leg spars splintered! Oh no! Still, we had flown him at last, and he was easily repaired. His next flight was at Streatham Common Kite Day. Links:Team Zoone have a large collection of unusual creations, including Raymonds, Sentinelles and Funax. Photos of other Raymonds on this site: |
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