|
One way to identify that we are flying out on the school fields, apart from looking up and seeing kites is that there will be two wind socks flying supported by 9m poles. When learning to fly, being able to assess the direction and speed of the wind is very difficult. The wind sock helps in that it is a constant visual indicator of wind direction and once you learn to read it, wind speed. New flyers are reminded to occasionally glance at the wind sock while flying to help them get a sense of wind direction and speed. The Wind socks are standard two and a half meter spinning wind socks suspended on nine meter whip poles. The are spread out , one at each side of the flying field so they can be seen easily without having to turn around to much: this positioning also shows any difference in wind direction even over our small flying area.
Wind meters are also used to help students get an idea of wind speed. It is very important when you start flying to learn to assess wind speed. Making the wrong choice about kite size is easy when you have no experience of what kite needs what wind strength to fly. All our kites are wind strength rated for beginner, intermediate and experienced flyers in any given wind speed or conditions. This helps all the flyers make the correct choice on kite size without the hassle of setting lines up and flying the wrong kite then having to pack away. Do not forget of course the tried and trusted method used for decades to test wind direction: pick some grass and throw it up in the air and what which way it goes. If it just falls to the ground or does not hit the ground its time to do something other than flying a kite.
Wind Speed Meter. EOLE SKYWATCH
The unit comes housed in a very neat package with a removable lid that when removed exposes the wind vanes. The vanes are multidirectional so the unit can be held at any position to the wind and will still register. On the front is a large display and two round buttons, one to turn the unit on and the other is a function switch that scrolls between screens. The display is large and clear and shows all the information you will really ever need including Current wind speed, Average wind speed and Maximum wind speed. You change between the screens by pressing the function button marked with an 'M 'on the front of the unit. By holding the' M' button you can also scroll between different measurement units. mph, kph. m/s, knots .We found that the most useful measurement was average wind speed. The meter is left on a tripod near the wind sock so tends to be looked at, at the beginning of flying and at the end. It has survived well and its fairly rugged construction definitely helps. I am not to sure about how strong the wind vain is on top however. After less than a year it makes a funny squeaking noise as it turns, although it is still very accurate. The display screen is very scratch proof and still looks as good as new. It is very easy to take wind measurements hand held because it is not necessary to hold the device at exactly the correct angle to the wind as you have to do with some meters.
Is the meter accurate and of any use? It seems to be fairly accurate compared to other more expensive scientific meters the school has. You need to take into consideration that the wind speed twenty or thirty meters up, which is where the kites are flying will probably be a little stronger so any information taken from the unit must only be used as a guide, combined with other information to make an assessment of which kite to put up. For the beginner the wind meter is a great tool to help learn, to the more experienced flyer , an expensive gadget.
Windmaster Wind meter .
I got one of these for my birthday really just as a fun watch and to be honest I really did not expect the wind meter to be any good at all, being so small. I always like being surprised and was certainly shocked at how good this little device actually is. The amount of information you can access from this watch is great and when using it out in the field it is certainly up to the job, being very easy to read. It has all the functions you would expect on a watch with loads more, altimeter, baromenter, windmeter. It is very tough and easily copes with a few hard landings and me being dragged around a field. The impeller is Swiss made which is the real heart of the system and why it is so strong.
As a watch it is very easy to wear and not bulky. It does look a bit strange on your wrist and people tend to ask what it is and what the small ball thing is. The small ball thing is the rotational cover that rotates to cover the wind metre, keeping it free from dirt.
Using it when out flying I find it is very useful because I can constantly monitor the wind by just turning it on, taking hold of the bar and go flying. It will give me constant wind speed just by looking at my wrist which is so much easier than that standard meter. It is very accurate and show the same wind readings as all the other meters used on the field, so the small size does not hinder it at all. With having the wind meter on your wrist you find you take many more wind readings than you would normally do and the collection of data is certainly worth while if you are evaluating kites in differing wind conditions. If you do not like the idea of a wrist mounted wind meter you can remover the meter form the wrist strap and attach it to a lanyard to hang around your neck, making it more conventional, but who wants to be conventional. Prices on this meter vary massively and some great deals can be had if you shop around.
|
|
