HELIKITES and the Great Outdoors
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Helikites can help in so many ways to make outdoor activities more enjoyable and safer. They also make possible some activities that never even existed before! |
On Safari, Hunting or Camping
| Helikites flown over campsites or groups of walkers allow them to be located from miles away. This is very useful for campsites situated in woodland areas or for lost personnel to be able to locate a search party. Helikites plus a small helium bottle can be carried in a car or boat for emergency use. Summer camps can fly Helikites above them permanently for lost children to find their way home. For location at night a light can be attached to the Helikite and flown hundreds of feet high. Helikites flown above campsites will keep bird pests away from food. Helikites flown near animals that have been successfully hunted in wilderness areas, will aid their location for the pick-up truck and keep away vultures in the mean-time. |
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Helikites can mark the position of any object in the bush e.g. Broken-down or parked vehicles, heavy equipment, moored boats, stores, river crossing-points, archaeological sites or injured personnel. Helikites can be used to fish for food on camping expeditions. Helikites can fly lines across wide ravines or rivers.
Falconry
Extra fitness and superb display dives on demand are possible by training with Helikites Falconers will tell you that one of the problems with hawks is that sometimes they are lazy, do not like to fly high enough and do not give a good enough dive to the lure when required. Also they often do not work themselves hard enough to maintain optimum fitness. Just like people really. This is because the lure does not start at a decent height and so is too easy for them to catch. Getting birds of prey to perform to order in front of paying crowds is always fraught with uncertainty. Helikites can help with this by enabling a lure to be raised hundreds of feet into the sky and then pulled down at tremendous speed using a fast winch. The birds learn that to follow the lure down the line requires them firstly to fly high above the Helikite and secondly to perform an excellent dive down to the ground to catch the lure. This practice is possible using normal kites and balloons but they have their perennial stability problems caused by too much, too little or changeable winds. Helikites make life much easier in this respect as they go up upon demand in most weather conditions, and they can be easily stacked for more lift in calmer conditions. They also are excellent publicity for the falconry demonstrations.
Kite Flying
Peaceful to look at in light winds and challenging in extreme conditions Helikites are as fun to fly as kites, but without the need to wait for the right wind.
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Height Records
In good conditions Helikites will fly thousands of feet high. The highest they have flown is 5000 feet. Ask air-traffic control for permission and try to beat this. Contact us and we will give you all the technical support you need. You could also get sponsors and raise money for your favourite cause.
Endurance Records
The longest we have kept a Helikite aloft unattended without touching the ground is 14 days, then it rained and brought it down - this is England ! In dryer climates greater times will be possible. From memory I believe that the longest official kite endurance record was about 11 days and required about 14 people working night and day to keep the kite aloft. Helikites don't qualify for official records because they use helium plus wind, but it's an interesting practical comparison nevertheless.
Parachuting soft toys and sweets.
This is a very popular pastime for children and keeps them amused for many harmless hours. It is also a good crowd draw for fetes and shows. People go to great trouble to make all the miniature parachutes, harness, goggles etc. of the soft toy aviators. They are hauled aloft on a line and released to fall to fortunate children below. Helikites are perfect for this as they are far more easy to launch and keep aloft than normal kites. |
