As a relative newbie to the world of trick kite flying I was not sure what to expect from flight school. As the proud owner of Dodd’s six step DVD I had practiced my push turns diligently in the weeks leading up to the event in the hopes that, in the world of the more experienced flier, I would not look like a complete idiot!

When we reached the common it became clear that the wind would be something of an issue in the days proceedings at a rather brisk 14-20mph. Undeterred the barefoot kite master himself already had a few early arrivals practicing their precision figures with his New Jams, part of Dodd’s designer range from New Tech. Dodd welcomed us to the school then split us up into smaller groups of fliers with similar ability. Dodd assessed our ability with a few basic moves – push turns, snap stalls etc, and got us practicing spin landings. I was pleased to discover that my precision practice had put me in good stead as the strong winds soon resulted in some New Jam casualties. As Dodd had to share his time between two groups, and a few more experienced fliers, our team worked together, supporting and encouraging each other, and giving constructive criticism.

We celebrated each other's successes, acted as ground crew to maximize our turn of flying time and generally talked kite.

The day flew by with Dodd taking some of us on to work on axels. The only disappointment being that we were unable to fly our own kites as this meant a rather long wait time between turns, but as there were only a few Aliens, Mini Gems, Psychos and the like in kite bags, Dodd kept most of us his own New Jams which took a fair beating, and stood up to the conditions admirably.

Kite School was a highly enjoyable experience for me as I enjoyed the patient structured help I received from Dodd which gave me enthusiasm to tackle the next step in my flying. It was great to share the day with friendly like minded souls who gave me a real insight into the diversity of kites and tricks out there! Hopefully I will be back at Flight School next year (Dodd willing!) with some more kite flying buddies from our newly founded Portsmouth Kite Club.

Ellie Savidge