What is a power kite?

A power kite such as the HQ Kites Symphony is a soft canopy kite that provides enough pull and traction to lift you off your feet. Power kites are used in a range of extreme sports for pulling you along. These include:

• Kite Surfing is an extreme sport where you use a power kite to pull you across water whilst standing on a specialist power kiting surf board.
• Kite boarding is where you use a power kite to pull you along whilst you are mountain boarding.
• Snow kiting is an extreme sport where you use a power kite to pull you along on your snowboard.
• Kite buggying is a sport where you sit in a buggy and use a power kite to pull you along a beach.
• Power Kites for Ships – Power kites are so powerful that you can tow ships with a power kite.

Choosing the Best Power Kite for You

There are several key players supplying power kites, with the best brands including Flexifoil, HQ, Ozone and Peter Lynn. The key characteristics of power kites are whether they have two or four line (quad line) control, and how big they are.

Two lines or four lines?

The main two lines on a power kite are used for steering it. If you pull the left line the power kite goes left. If you pull the right line the power kite goes right. On four line power kites, there are two additional lines that are attached to the trailing edge of the kite. These are the brake lines. The brake lines on a power kite are used for reducing the amount of pull the power kite is giving, and also for bringing the power kite down.

How to fly a 4 Line Power Kite

On four line power kites, you control the power kite using two bars, one for the left, one for the right. The top lines are for power, the lower lines are the brake lines. Some power kites also have bungee cords that attach to your wrists to act as a safety device. When you let go of the control bars, the bungees release the power lines and pull on the brake lines which brings the power kite down.

What Size Power Kite Should I Get?

The size of power kite you choose depends on your body weight, fitness and the strength of wind you will be flying your power kite in. Power kites come in a range of sizes. To help you understand what size will suit you, here is a comparison of the different Flexifoil power kite sizes.

Flexifoil Buzz and Big Buzz

The Big Buzz kite is the 2.05m version of the Buzz 1.45m. The only performance difference between the Big Buzz and the Buzz is an increase in power due to the increase in size yet the kite is still a super-easy and safe-to-fly kite.

Flexifoil Sting

Flexifoil’s entry-level 4-line power kite. Designed to provide a precision flying experience, perfect for learning to fly on 4-lines and bridging the gap into the world of traction kiting (skidding, buggying or landboarding). Available with 4-line handles or a 2-line bar.

The Flexifoil Sting power kite comes in several sizes.

• 1.2m The most junior of the Sting power kites, guaranteed to keep you smiling long after you have finished flying for the day.
• 1.7m Gives more power to your moves and introduces the traction element to your flying. Perfect for the younger first-time flyer wanting to get into power kiting.
• 2.4m This is where power kiting can become a reality. With a good wind, the 2.4m Sting power kite is powerful enough to move you on a mountain board or buggy. You will start to get a real sense of power in your kite flying.
• 3.3m Flexifoil’s new 3.3m size bridges the gap between recreational static flying and zooming along in a buggy or mountain board.  This kite is the perfect first time power kite.  If you’re keen on progressing with kite sports then this is the best way to learn.

Flexifoil Rage

A full on 4-line traction kite. The Rage power kite provides fantastic grunt in all sizes and is the ideal first power kite for older teens or adults who want a kite that they can learn with, yet with enough power to use with a buggy or mountain board. The Rage power kite can propel you up to great speeds with a buggy or mountain board. It is the power kite of choice for all kiters wishing to harness the elements.

Available in five sizes sizes from 1.8m to 6m, with either 4-line handles or 4-line bar.

Please seek advice on which size to go for, but for most adults the 2.5m or 3.5m is the right place to start.

Supplied ready to fly with all you need to get power kiting. A legend amongst kite flyers. Pure fun, pure adrenalin, pure power!

Flexifoil Blade IV

The Blade IV is not a power kite for the feint hearted – it is seriously powerful and designed for the most extreme power kiting activities. Flexifoil Blades have an exciting history – sailing the first kitesurfers across the English channel, pulling explorers across the South Pole, and powering our outrageous freestyle buggy team.

The BladeIV is an ideal second kite in your kite bag, best suited for people with some previous flying experience!

It is available in four sizes from 4m to 8.5m. If you already have a Rage then you can buy the BladeIV power kite only and fly it on your Rage lines. Due to the awesome power of the BladeIV, you may need to upgrade your lines in strong winds.

Recommended Best Power Kites

HQ Symphony

The HQ Symphony is an excellent power kite. It comes as a 1.3 metre size and 2.2 metre size power kite.  It allows you to do a lot of stunts and has quite a pull when in full flight. Easy to launch, and because it does not have any solid spars, it survives all crashes.

Children aged 8 and up should be able to fly this power kite with ease and supervision. Also lots of fun for adults who want to practice their stunt flying. Excellent value for money and makes a super gift to get someone outside.

Peter Lynn Hype

The Peter Lynn Hype is incredibly easy to set-up and suitable for all ages and skill levels. Flying the Hype does not require any prior kiting experience, as it’s docile flying behaviour ensures that there are no sudden power surges when flying the kite through the wind-window.

It is a 2-line fixed bridle kite with straps. It has an extremely robust construction, with great control and easy handling. This power kite is easy to launch and relaunch.

Flexifoil Buzz and Flexifoil Big Buzz

The Flexifoil Buzz power kite is suitable for ages 5 to 95. The 2-line Flexifoil Buzz is the perfect first power kite. Simple, robust and set up ready to fly straight out of the bag – all you have to do is unwind the lines.

Great in winds from 10mph up to 30mph, you will be able to practise precision flying with manageable power in all weathers making this the perfect fun family kite that you can fly time and time again.

The Flexifoil Big Buzz is the Buzz’s big brother. With a 2m wingspan, the BIG Buzz creates a strong but manageable pull across the sky. This gives you a more radical experience, with the same user friendliness as the Buzz.

The BIG Buzz is ideal for older kids, teenagers and anyone who wants to have fun with a traction kite that
will pull them in stronger winds. No trip to the beach or park is complete without the Buzz or BIG Buzz.

The Big Buzz comes with 18 metre colour-coded flying lines to ensure easy set-up and pack-down. When packed away, the carry bag is 40x20x10cm so can easily be stored in the boot of the car or suitcase.

You don’t have to buy the best power kite to have fun. Kids stunt kites provide plenty of entertainment for kids of all ages.

For more advanced power kite users, you should get some kitesurfing lessons.

The post The Best Power Kites For Beginners appeared first on Active Outdoors.

Skills – Strength: 4, Balance: 7, Flexibility: 1, Agility: 5, Coordination: 6
Time needed: travelling time + 1 hour, Cost to try: £30 for two flights

Ever wanted to go skydiving but didn’t like the idea of jumping out of a plane. Indoor skydiving may be the answer. You don’t need a parachute in this ultimate freefall experience. You can go indoor skydiving and feel the exhilaration of unlimited freefall without even boarding a plane or leaving the building.

Indoor skydiving from Red Letter Days

The Indoor Skydiving Experience

Indoor Skydiving involves being in a vertical windtunnel, and floating on a powerful updraft of air. The walls of the indoor skydiving chamber are transparent, so that others can watch you while you have a most uplifting experience!

All flyers visiting iFly receive induction training in a pre-flight room from highly qualified instructors. Flyers are taken on a step by step programme, explaining how the wind tunnel works and how to get the most out of their flight. All flyers are provided with the latest equipment including flying suits, goggles and helmets.

After your initial instruction, you then get to watch the previous group in the wind tunnel. You will get an idea of what is involved. Then it’s your turn. You go into a side chamber that is next to the wind tunnel. The instructor then goes into the indoor skydiving wind tunnel and invites you in. You step into the tunnel and feel the blast of air from the fan beneath you under a rigid mesh floor. The instructor helps you into the flying position and you float on a cushion of high velocity air. You can try moving forward and backward, up and down. The instructor is right by your side the whole time. Once you have flown for a bit, at the end of your session the instructor will take you on an amazing flight right up to the top of the tunnel and back down again. What a rush!

iFly Indoor Skydiving

The iFly wind tunnel is at the Xscape Leisure and Entertainment Centre in Milton Keynes. The vertical wind tunnel enables people of all ages to feel the adrenalin of freefall in a controlled, safe environment. In the purpose built tunnel you’ll be able to perform a series of freefall manoeuvres in an airstream of up to 150mph.

The Tunnel

The impressive structure has been designed and built specifically for indoor skydiving and bodyflying. The tunnel employs state of the art technology which accurately controls the environment inside the tunnel. The four high performance 250HP fans generate controlled airflow and a windspeed of up to 150mph, replicating the conditions that skydivers thrive on. The indoor flight chamber has a diameter of 12 feet and is 35 feet high providing enough room for up to four experienced people to fly together.

The Indoor Skydiving Flyers

Not just for adrenalin junkies, the major appeal of iFly is that anyone can have a go. From first time thrill seekers to more experienced skydivers wanting to perfect their technique or those wanting to try something different, the iFly wind tunnel is for everyone. In fact children from the age of 5 enjoy and excel in the wind tunnel.

The advantage of the wind tunnel is that it combines the heart pumping elements of an extreme sport but in a controlled and safe environment. Unlike other extreme sports iFly doesn’t require any previous experience or sporting ability and people can be flying within minutes of arriving.

To prove to friends that you have actually flown, the iFly tunnel has cameras enabling DVD recordings and pictures to be taken while in-flight.

The Expertise

The finest instructors in the country make up the ‘Aircrew’. Prior to coaching in the tunnel, all instructors receive rigorous training lasting four weeks and are qualified by experts at the International Bodyflight Association in USA. The training is carried out at SkyVenture, the manufacturers of the iFly facility and operators of SkyVenture in Orlando, Florida. The Aircrew maximise the enjoyment of flights, give flyers confidence and help them to develop new skills whilst in the flight chamber.

Prices

The iFly experience starts at just £34.99 for the Kix-start package (off-peak) which lasts an hour and includes two flights. (The equivalent of three skydives all at once!). You can Book indoor skydiving with Red Letter Days

The post Indoor Skydiving appeared first on Active Outdoors.

Skills – Strength: 1, Balance: 5, Flexibility: 1, Agility: 1, Coordination: 10
Time needed: travelling time + 1 hour, Cost to try: £30

Falconry – Hawk landing on a gloved hand

Origins of Falconry

Falconry dates back to earlier than 2000BC. That’s over 4000 years ago! Falcons were used in Mongolia and Ancient Egypt by both the aristocracy and common people alike. Falconry is the use of birds of prey to hunt wild quarry in its natural habitat.

Falconry or hawking is a sport which involves the use of trained birds of prey to hunt or pursue game for humans.
Falconry is the ancient pastime of hunting using a bird of prey. the type of bird you flew indicated your status, from kestrel to eagle.

Falconry is still practised today in countries all over the world. The most favoured birds for a falconer is the goshawk and peregrine falcon. Falconry is still an important part of Arab culture, with huge amounts of investment in the protection and conservation of wild falcons.

Depending on the prey, different birds are used. Golden Eagles are used to catch larger prey such as foxes.

Falconry Demonstrations

If you would rather just watch from a distance, falconry displays and demonstrations take place all over the country. The easiest way to find one is to search online for bird of prey centres.

It takes a while to become trained to handle birds of prey properly, however you can get the chance to experience what is involved from a falconry experience. There are plenty of birds of prey centres such as the falconry centre in the Cotswolds or the falconry centre in Yorkshire.

Bird of Prey centres look after a wide range of birds. Owls, falcons, eagles and buzzards can all be viewed resting on perches, and at set times throughout the day there will be flying displays. Falconers will exercise the birds of prey by encouraging them to chase a lure which has food attached to it. They will use either a swinging lure, or a drag lure. Falconers at birds of prey displays will usually get some child from the audience to run around the arena dragging a lure on the end of a piece of rope. The falcon will always manage to catch the child, er I mean the lure. Not surprising when falcons can fly at up to 390 km/h (242 mph).

Owl Experience Days for Kids

For younger children,   you can book a three hour session that will include:

•      handling and flying various owls.
•      learning how to identify owls.
•      dissecting an owl pellet to see what owls eat.

Falconry Experience Days for Teens and Adults

For adults, falconry experience days encompass the handling and flying of owls, falcons and larger birds such as golden eagles.  They will introduce you to the art of falconry and let you handle the birds under supervision, and fly them to catch some prey.  The half day session includes:

• looking after the birds
• weighing and feeding birds
• training young birds
• handling and flying a variety of bird species
• trying your hand at swinging a lure
• learning how to track a radio transmitter
• present your own flying display.

Where to find out more about Falconry Experience Days

For about £60 for a half day falconry experience, you can learn different methods of holding, walking with and flying a variety of birds of prey.

For about £100 you can have a full day of falconry. This will often going out into the countryside to fly a bird of prey. This is a truly amazing experience.

Falconry experiences from Red Letter Days

The post Falconry Experience Days appeared first on Active Outdoors.

Gliding experience gifts from Red Letter Days

Skills – Strength: 1, Balance: 5, Flexibility: 1, Agility: 1, Coordination: 6
Time needed: travelling time + 1 hour, Cost to try: £60

Gliding is, quite simply, the most fun you will ever have in the air!

A glider is like a small aeroplane, with one important difference – it has no engine. Glider pilots use the sky’s own energy to stay airborne and, by reading the sky and following the weather, pilots are able to achieve feats that non-glider pilots find hard to believe. The world distance record for a glider flight is over 3000km (that’s further than London to Moscow!) and even in this country, where the weather isn’t quite so good, flights of over 1100km have been recorded. Modern gliders fly at speeds of up to 250kmph and can reach heights well in excess of 30,000ft.

(c) www.whiteplanes.com

You are allowed to fly solo at 16 and most clubs will allow you to start training when you are around 14 or 15. Many young pilots do this and go solo on their 16th birthday each year. Once you have gone solo, you can start to really go places – flying cross country, taking part in racing competitions, getting into glider aerobatics, or just pushing yourself to go further, higher or faster than ever before.

The UK has a great record in international competitions and three out of the last four world junior champions have been British. There is a great junior scene (because you can’t go solo until you are 16, you are classed as a junior in gliding terms until you are 25!) with dedicated competitions, events, parties etc.

Glider pilots come from all walks of life and it is one sport where males and females can (and do!) compete on an equal basis. Many people think it has to be an expensive sport – wrong! Club members can take a half hour flight typically for as little as £15-£20 and most clubs offer young members flying at further reduced rates.

There are about 100 gliding clubs spread throughout the UK, including a good number of university clubs. You can find a complete listing along with further details about the sport at www.gliding.co.uk. For now though, here’s a bit more information:

Gliders

Gliders come in many shapes and sizes. They can also be cheap or expensive! Fortunately, you don”t need to buy your own glider – all clubs have two-seaters for instructional purposes, and most also have single-seaters which you move onto once you go solo. You never have to buy your own glider, but if you do, you can keep the cost down by joining a syndicate. Like cars, a glider can cost from a couple of thousand pounds through to a lot!

Launching

In order to launch, you need a little assistance. There are a couple of main ways of launching. The aerotow launch is very docile, and involves being pulled up by a light aircraft with a strong rope in between. When the glider gets to the required height, the glider releases the cable, and the glider is free! Winch launching is probably the most common. This involves being attached to a winch with a long reel of wire. When the wire gets pulled in, the glider gets the speed to fly into the air like a kite. When you are almost overhead the winch, again you can release the cable.

Staying Up

Once you are airborne, how do you stay up? Well, this depends on finding air that is rising. There are three forms of this “lift” that help us stay up – thermals, ridge (or hill) lift and wave. If you want to know more about these, have a look at the Soaring section on the BGA web site – www.gliding.co.uk

Going Places

Now you know you can stay up (given the right conditions!), you can use this to go places or go “cross-country”. Normally, this involves using one, or even all three forms of lift to get height, and then using this height to go forward to the next point on our task (or to the next area of lift). A typical task may be a 300 kilometre triangle, with the aim to get back to where you started. It is in this way that you can race – very simply, a task is set and the fastest person round it is the winner!

Aerobatics

We’ve all seen powered aircraft do aerobatics, but how does a glider do them? Well, very simply, in very much the same way. Gliders are just as strong and just as manoeuvrable as most powered aircraft, but with one difference – no engine! This means that an aerobatic flight normally involves taking a high aerotow and then using the height energy to perform the moves. To get the speed to perform these aerial feats, rather than using power, you turn your height into speed. Gliders may be slightly limited in what they can perform without an engine, but the gap is small, and they are silent and graceful in the execution.

Just Gliding!

(c) www.whiteplanes.com

Places to go Gliding

The post Gliding Lessons appeared first on Active Outdoors.

Skills – Strength: 1, Balance: 1, Flexibility: 1, Agility: 1, Coordination: 4
Time needed: 1 hour, Cost to try: £30

Parasailing – The Safest Introduction to Parachuting

Parasailing is not a sport usually associated with the United Kingdom, but now people in England can take part in this exhilarating activity, on the River Humber in Hull. No advance training is required to take part and it is an ideal starting point for anyone thinking about taking up parachuting.

A purpose built winch boat with a specially designed long platform is used, ensuring that you take off and land safely on the boat. This makes the sport ideally suited to people of all ages, including people with limited mobility.

How it Works

After a 15-minute safety brief, you are fitted with a lifejacket, harness and safety helmet prior to boarding the boat.
You travel at breath taking speed across the water until you reach the designated flying area.

The parachute is connected to the winch, and then inflated. This is a tricky job, which can only be carried out by a trained operator, but you can be reassured that you will not be connected to the parachute until it is fully open and has been inspected.
You will be called forward to fly, then connected to the parachute by the two strong stainless steel clips on your harness.

Once safely attached to the parachute, the operator will make sure you are comfortable and ready to fly. The harness is strong enough to sit in, and this makes your experience all the more enjoyable.
As soon as you’re sitting comfortably, the operator slowly lets out the winch rope, and you slowly rise to 200 feet in the air for an experience you’ll never forget! The views are nothing short of spectacular once you’re airborne, and we highly recommend you take a camera up with you!
The operator and boat handler work closely together to land you safely back down on the boat’s platform. Landing down is similar to stepping off the bottom step of an escalator – it’s that simple!

Additional Information

The minimum age of anyone wishing to fly is 11.
The minimum weight of anyone wishing to fly is 7 stones, and the maximum weight is 16 stones.
The maximum number of passengers per trip is 8.
The duration of each trip depends on how many passengers there are on the boat, but generally lasts around one hour. The time in the air varies depending on tide and weather conditions.
All safety equipment is provided.
Accident insurance is included for those who don’t already have it.

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The Most Popular Outdoor Recreational Activities

Every year the Outdoor Foundation in the US and Sport England in the UK publish a list of the most popular outdoor activities.
According to the Outdoor Foundation, about half the U.S. population participated in outdoor recreation at least once in 2018, including hunting, hiking, camping, fishing, canoeing among many more outdoor activities. Unfortunately, the report highlights an alarming trend that just under half the U.S. population does not participate in outdoor recreation at all.

The most popular outdoor activities are:

1. Running, jogging and trail running;
2. Hiking and walking for fitness;
3. Camping and RV Camping;
4. Road biking, mountain biking and BMX;
5. Freshwater, saltwater and fly fishing;
6. Golf;
7. Wildlife watching;
8. Netball and basketball;
9. Tennis and Table Tennis;
10. Soccer;

Most participants preferred to find adventure less than one mile from their homes.

The top 10 list remains fairly consistent year on year.  There are however a few variations as new sports and activities develop and become popular for a while. Follow the blog to find out new trends and more great ways to try out new activities and get active outdoors.

Outdoor Activities Environment Picker

Use the images below to jump to the section in the outdoor activities list with the environment for you.

Outdoor Recreational Activities and Hobbies for Adults

Outdoor recreational activities are ways in which you can spend your leisure time outdoors being physically active, creative, relaxing, having fun or being social.  Explore the huge range of exciting outdoor activities and some of the best adventure sports in the list below.

The most popular ideas for outdoor summer activities include:

• outdoor activities to do on the weekend with friends,
• outdoor activities for couples,
• bucket list of summer activities for boyfriend and girlfriend.

What are the Different Types of Outdoor Activities?

To help you choose which outdoor recreational activities and hobbies suit your needs right now, I have rated them under five categories:

• Relaxing outdoor activities to just unwind and take things easy or to improve your sense of well being.
• Fun outdoor activities that are a perfect for shared experiences where it’s all about fun and friends.
• Outdoor physical challenges that provide adventure and challenge for an adrenaline buzz or for personal development.
• Extreme outdoor activities for thrill seekers that give a serious adrenaline rush and require great skill
• Outdoor sports activities that need a few friends to join in and are competitive

Land Activities

This vast list of outdoor land activities provides inspiration for fitness, downhill fun, relaxing creative hobbies, personal challenges, new skills to learn and outdoor recreational activities that will leave you with a huge smile.

•  4×4 driving experience
•  Activity Holidays for adults and families
•  Adventure Races
•  Air rifle and air pistol shooting
•  Airsoft
•  American Football
•  Animal Parks, Wildlife Parks and Zoos
•  Archery
•  Assault courses and Obstacle course races
•  Athletics
•  Backyard Sleepovers
•  Badminton
•  Baseball and Softball
•  Basketball
•  Baton Twirling
•  Battle Reenactments
•  Beach Activities
•  Beachcombing
•  Bicycle Polo
•  Bird watching holidays
•  BMX biking
•  Boccia
•  Bootcamps for fitness
•  Bouldering
•  Bowls
•  Brushboarding
•  Bubble Football
•  Bushcraft and survival courses
•  Camel trekking holidays
•  Camogie
•  Camping
•  Canyoning and Canyoneering
•  Capoeira
•  Carnivals
•  Carriage driving
•  Cave biking underground
•  Caving and potholing
•  Cheerleading
•  Chinese Martial Arts
•  Circus Skills
•  Clay Pigeon Shooting
•  Climbing courses and climbing holidays
•  Concerts, Festivals and Gigs
•  Conkers
•  Cookout
•  Crazy Golf and Mini Golf, Pitch and Putt
•  Cricket
•  Croquet
•  Cycling fitness training
•  Dance, Street Dance
•  Den Building and Bivouacs
•  Digger and JCB driving
•  Dodgeball
•  Dog Scootering
•  Drag Racing
•  Driving Experience Days
•  Duathlon
•  Eclipse Sphering and Eclipse Zorbing
•  Equestrian (horse Riding, eventing, racing, dressage, cross country)
•  Exercise and fitness
•  Exploring holidays
•  Fencing
•  Fives (rugby)
•  Floorball
•  Folk Dancing
•  Footbags
•  Football and Soccer
•  Free Running and Parkour
•  Fruit Picking
•  Fun fairs
•  Futsal
•  Gaelic Football
•  Gap Year Travelling
•  Gardening
•  Geocaching
•  Gladiator Training
•  Goalball
•  Go Ape forest high wire adventures ropes courses
•  Go Karting
•  Golf Holidays
•  Grass skiing
•  Grass sledging
•  Grass karting
•  Greyhound Racing
•  Grow Your Own Vegetables
•  Grouse Shooting
•  Gymnastics
•  Handball
•  Harness Racing
•  Hiking holidays
•  Hockey
•  Horse Boarding
•  Horse Racing
•  Horse Riding
•  Hurling
•  Jogging and running
•  Jousting
•  Kite Boarding
•  Kite Buggying
•  Korfball
•  Lacrosse
•  Landboarding
•  Land Sailing and Land Yachting
•  Landscape painting holidays and art holidays
•  Laser Clay Shooting
•  Laser Tag
•  Lawn Mower Racing
•  Live Action Role Playing Games
•  Llama trekking
•  Marathon Running
•  Minimoto
•  Modern Pentathlon
•  Monster Truck Driving Experience
•  Motorcycling, Motocross and dirt biking
•  Motor Sports
•  Mountain Bikes
•  Mountain Boarding
•  Mountaineering
•  Mud Racing
•  Multi Use Games Areas and playgrounds for adults
•  Nascar
•  Netball
•  Open Air Theatre
•  Orienteering
•  Outdoor Movie theatres and cinemas
•  Outdoor Photography
•  Paintballing
•  Parks – Chess, Ping Pong, picnics, football, sunbathing…
•  Pentathlon
•  Petanque
•  Picnics
•  Piggy Back Fights
•  Pogo, extreme pogo and pogopalooza
•  Pony Trekking Holidays
•  Polo
•  Polocrosse
•  Quad Biking
•  Rally Driving Experience
•  Rambling
•  Remote Control Cars
•  Rock Climbing
•  Roller Coasters and Theme Parks
•  Roller Skating and Roller Blading
•  Roller Hockey, Puck Hockey
•  Rope Swings
•  Rounders
•  Rugby and Tag Rugby
•  Quoits
•  Safari Holidays
•  Sandboarding
•  Scavenger Hunts
•  Scooter Freestyle
•  Segway Offroading
•  Shinty
•  Shooting (air, clay, crossbow, pistol, rifle, longbow, compound bow)
•  Show Jumping
•  Skateboarding
•  Skeet Shooting
•  Skid Pan Experience Days
•  Skipping
•  Sightseeing
•  Slacklining
•  Soap Box Kart racing or Extreme Gravity Racing
•  Softball
•  Soft Martial Arts – Tai Chi, Chi Kung
•  Speedway
•  Sphering
•  Steam Train driving experience
•  Stock Car Racing and Demolition Derby
•  Stoolball
•  Street Hockey
•  Street Improvisation and Drama
•  Street Luge and Downhill Skateboarding and Downhill Skating
•  Table Tennis
•  Tag Rugby
•  Tank Driving Experience
•  Team Building Outdoor Activities
•  Tennis Holidays
•  Throw and Catch an American mini football, frisbee or frisbee golf
•  Tractor Pulling
•  Trail Running
•  Trampolining
•  Treasure Hunting and Metal Detectors
•  Tree Climbing
•  Treehouses
•  Triathlon Events
•  Tug of War
•  Ultimate Frisbee
•  Unicycling
•  Via Ferrata
•  Volleyball
•  Walking Holidays
•  Walk the dog
•  Wash the car
•  Watch the sunrise or sunset
•  Water Fights
•  Wildlife Conservation
•  Wildlife watching holidays
•  Yoga
•  Young Drivers – Car racing for teenagers, and driving experiences for 11 year olds and over
•  Zorbing

Water Activities

These outdoor water activities provide wet and wild inspiration in, on or under water.

•  Argo Cats
•  Banana rides
•  Blackwater rafting
•  Boating, Pedalos and Punts
•  Body Boarding
•  Bore Surfing
•  Bridge Jumping
•  Canoeing
•  Cave Diving
•  Coasteering
•  Crabbing
•  Diving (swimming)
•  Dragon Boat Racing
•  Exploring Rock Pools
•  Fishing Trips
•  Flyboard, waterjet powered hover board
•  Free Diving
•  Hovercraft Experience
•  Hydrospeeding and Riverboarding
•  Jet Skiing
•  Kayaking
•  Kitesurfing
•  Kneeboarding
•  Model Boats
•  Motor Cruising Holidays
•  Narrow boat holidays
•  Octopush Underwater hockey
•  Pond Dipping
•  Pooh Sticks, paper boats, duck races and dam building
•  Powerboating Courses
•  Raft Building
•  Rib Riding
•  River Bugging
•  Rowing
•  Sailing
•  Scuba Diving
•  Sea Kayaking
•  Skim Boarding
•  Snorkeling
•  Stand up paddle boarding
•  Surfing
•  Surf Life Saving
•  Swimming
•  Swimming with dolphins
•  Tall Ship Holidays
•  Tombstoning
• Waboba
•  Wakeboarding
•  Water Jet Pack Flying
•  Water Parks and flumes
•  Water Polo
•  Water Skiing
•  WaterWalkerz water sphering
•  Waveskiing
•  Whale Watching Holidays
•  Whitewater Rafting Trips
•  Wild Swimming
•  Windsurfing
•  Yacht Charters
•  Yachting
•  Zap Cat Racing

 Air Activities

This list of outdoor air activities includes birds, planes, flying toys and some seriously exhilarating aerial experiences.

•  Aeroplane flying and aerobatics experiences
•  Air Sphering
•  Astronomy
•  BASE Jumping
•  Bungee Jumping
•  Falconry experience days
•  Gliding lessons
•  Gyrocopter flying
•  Hang Gliding experience
•  Helicopter Flights
•  Hot Air Balloon Rides
•  Indoor Skydiving
•  Kites and Power Kites
•  Microlights
•  Model airplanes, helicopters and multirotors (drones)
•  Model Rockets
•  Paragliding and Paramotoring
•  Parascending
•  SCAD – Suspended Catch Air Device
•  Skydiving
•  Wing Walking

Winter Activities

This list of outdoor winter activities is all about being cool on the on snow and ice.  Most are adrenaline sports.

•  Airboarding
•  Biathlon
•  Bob Rafting
•  Bobsleigh
•  Curling
•  Dog Sledding Holidays
•  Heliskiing and Heliboarding
•  Ice Climbing
•  Ice Diving
•  Ice Hockey
•  Ice Karting
•  Ice Racing and Ice Driving
•  Ice Skating
•  Luge
•  Skeleton Bob
•  Skiing
•  Skiing Holidays
•  Skijoring with dogs, horses or a 4×4
•  Sledges and toboggans
•  Snowball fights, snowmen and free fun winter activities for teenagers
•  Snowblading
•  Snowboarding
•  Snowbombing
•  Snowcat Piste Basher Driving
•  Snow Kiting
•  Snowmobiling
•  Snow Rafting
•  Snow Shoeing
•  Snow Tubing and Doughnutting
•  Winter Olympics

Follow the blog to find out new trends and great ways to try out more outdoor activities examples and get Active Outdoors.

The post Outdoor Recreational Activities List appeared first on Active Outdoors.

Skills – Strength: 1, Balance: 5, Flexibility: 1, Agility: 1, Coordination: 10
Time needed: travelling time + 1 hour, Cost to try: £50

Some of you may have only flown on commercial airplane flights, or may not have flown at all. Flying an aeroplane is an exhilarating experience. If you want to have the experience of flying an aeroplane without having to learn how to fly an aeroplane, then you can get flying experiences as gifts.

If you enjoy your aeroplane flying experience, you may like to progress onto aeroplane flying lessons. Flying an aeroplane can be costly, but you could get paid to do it by joining the Air Force. They will give you full flight training and you will learn to fly in no time at all. Also, you will get to learn to fly a range of fixed wing aircraft.

There are flying schools all over the country, but check them out first and see if there are any flying schools that are recommended.

If you manage to get yourself a high paying job, you could just get your aeroplane flying experience by using an aircraft charter. Chartering an aeroplane means that you get a flight crew to do everything for you while you sit back and enjoy the aeroplane flight.

Go on an Aeroplane Flying Experience

Feel the rush as you take the controls of your light aircraft and soar across the sky. You will receive one-to-one training with a Civil Aviation Authority licensed instructor and will spend approximately 30 minutes in the air. What you learn will depend on your chosen location but all participants receive flying time that counts towards a Private Pilot’s licence.

Types of Aeroplane Flying Experiences

These days you have so many more types of flying experiences on offer.

Here are the different types of flying experiences on offer that you might like to try or buy for Father’s Day.

• • Spitfire passenger flight in the worlds only two seater spitfire at Biggin Hill in Kent
  • Aerobatic flying experience for exhilarating stomach churning thrill seekers
  • Tiger Moth biplane flight- I have done this one and it is great
  • Gliding and ridge running
  • Jet fighter passenger flight
  • Light aircraft flying lessons

Virgin Experience Days and Red Letter Days still tend to lead the market in what they offer, although Into the Blue does a good job of keeping up.

The post Aeroplane Flying Experiences appeared first on Active Outdoors.

Skills – Strength: 5, Balance: 3, Flexibility: 3, Agility: 4, Coordination: 8
Time needed: 1-2 hours, Cost to try: £50

Paragliding is a recreational and competitive flying sport. A paraglider is a free-flying, foot-launched aircraft. The pilot sits in a harness suspended below a fabric wing, whose shape is formed by its suspension lines and the pressure of air entering vents in the front of the wing.

The post Paragliding and paramotoring appeared first on Active Outdoors.

Skills – Strength: 2, Balance: 1, Flexibility: 1, Agility: 1, Coordination: 8
Time needed: 30mins or more, Cost to try: £15+

A radio-controlled aircraft (often called RC aircraft or RC plane) is a model aircraft that is controlled remotely, typically with a hand-held transmitter and a receiver within the craft. The receiver controls the corresponding servos that move the control surfaces based on the position of joysticks on the transmitter, which in turn affect the orientation of the plane.

Flying RC aircraft as a hobby has been growing worldwide with the advent of more efficient motors (both electric and miniature internal combustion or jet engines), lighter and more powerful batteries and less expensive radio systems. A wide variety of models and styles is available.

Radio-controlled helicopters (also RC helicopters) are model aircraft which are distinct from RC airplanes because of the differences in construction, aerodynamics, and flight training. Several basic designs of RC helicopters exist, of which some (such as those with collective pitch, meaning blades which rotate on their longitudinal axis to vary or reverse lift) are more maneuverable than others. The more maneuverable designs are often harder to fly, but benefit from greater aerobatic capabilities.

Find out more about getting started in flying remote control panes and helicopters from the Cinechopper Youtube channel.

Getting Started With Remote Control Planes and Helicopters

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The first thing you need to think about before you buy a remote control aircraft is where you are going to fly it. Do you have a local park? Some parks have banned flying rc planes, due to the potential for hitting people. So, you will need to find some open space where either there aren’t people about, or if there are they don’t mind running the risk of being hit by a high speed buzzing aircraft.

You may want to start with something that is relatively easy to fly. a quadcopter is very stable, and can provide hours of fun as you get used to the controls. If you are not sure, visit a model shop that specialises in remote control planes. they usually have a flight simulator. This is a great way to learn and find out what you prefer. It uses a standard remote control unit linked to a computer. You can select what aircraft you want to fly, and it will then allow you to use the remote control to attempt to fly it.

Your choice of aircraft also depends on your budget. Are you going to be happy to spend lots of money if your brand new remote control helicopter crashes and burns on its first flight?

Find Out More about flying remote control planes and helicopters

Get yourself a book, visit a model shop that sells remote control planes, or visit a RC flying club. You can get plenty of ideas and advice on what you might like to start with, and how to progress onto more fun flying aircraft.

If you are thinking of buying a drone this year, you have to read about the 9 things they don’t tell you before you fly your own drone.

The post Model Airplanes and RC Helicopters appeared first on Active Outdoors.

Skills – Strength: 1, Balance: 7, Flexibility: 4, Agility: 4, Coordination: 5
Time needed: travelling time + 1 hour, Cost to try: £55

What is Flyboard?

The flyboard is a water powered hover board. These awesome videos show how you strap yourself into these water jet boots and experience flying like you have never seen before. The flyboard is powered from the thrust from a jetski attached to the end of a long hose. The flyboard rider controls how much water is forced out of the two jets under the board and therefore how fast or high you go. The thrust of the water jets will actually force you up into the air.

Is it easy to learn how to Flyboard?

With proper instruction you will start flying the Flyboard during your first 5 minutes in the water. Depending on your previous experience of board sports and whether you have a natural ability, you could easily have basic control of your movements within 20 minutes. Regardless, you will have lots of fun on your first ride and it only gets better the more you do.

Real Life Hoverboard – New for 2014

How Does a Water Powered Hoverboard Work?

Water powered hoverboards work by using the output jet from a jet ski to pump water up a long hose to the hoverboard. The water comes out at high speed from the jet on the hoverboard giving a backward thrust. By positioning the water hoverboard in particular ways, you can cause vertical or forward motion. It works in the same way as the Flyboard, but with the jet nozzle pointing backwards. It uses the same attachments as the flyboard. The first version of the ZR hover board flew at 15mph and was easy to ride. The second design flew at 35 mph and was rather tricky to stay on. This released production version of the Hoverboard flies at 23 mph and is easy to control yet giving thrilling speed.

The difference between the Flyboard and the Hoverboard is that the Flyboard has boots attached to the board and the water jet points downward. On the water Hoverboard, your feet fit into foot straps and the jet points backwards.

Try Flyboard, the water powered hover board

Think you’ve got what it takes to be able to control a flyboard? If you do another board sport such as surfing, snowboarding or skateboarding, then perhaps you have the skill. Why not find out for yourself.

Buy or Try Flyboarding and water hoverboards in the US

You can try or buy a Flyboard or Hoverboard in the US from Rocky Mountain Flyboard. They are the Dealer for Utah, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, New Mexico, Hawaii & Guam.

Buy or Try water hoverboards in the UK

You can buy a flyboard in the UK from 158flyboards.

If you don’t have a few thousand to buy yourself a hoverboard, you can still have a go as an activity experience. The flyboard experience includes a detailed briefing, and then get to try the flyboard for yourself. You will be taught how to hover in the air and keep your balance. Once you get the hang of flight with flyboard, you can play about with board control, turns and if feeling particularly confident, some underwater dives. This is a must for the adventurous.

Red Letter Days Flyboarding Experience

The post Flyboard, the Real Life Water Hover Board appeared first on Active Outdoors.