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Revolution Kites


Nigel GF
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Has any body had experience Revolution Kites,I am think about buying one,I am a novice flyer,so am not sure if it is the right kite for me,I have been flying a Prism Quantum for a short while, I now this is a totally different kite,I just would like to know other people experience with is type of kite.

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Im no expert.

If you get a Rev kite?

Watch out.....You will probably make a million new friends..

Dream about flying the dang thing..

Be obsessed with kiting.. The Quantum can do these things too.

Start to Really like Star Wars? Just Kidding. Although I Love Star Wars.

I have all these symtoms after almost exactly one year on lines.

I hope the best for you Nigel !!!

Please keep us posted.

If you need help buying one....Well there is a lot of help here. I have a full set now. thanks to a lot of help from friends. And some Cool Kite Shops !!!

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There are lots of people on this forum who fly Revs (what we call Revolution Kites for short). I'm actually a little surprised you haven't gotten more replies already.

It doesn't matter if you're a novice flier or not, you can learn to fly a Rev. Unless you've got some magical knack for flying Revs, you'll start out as a novice Rev flier anyway. Dual line (like your Quantum) vs. quad line (i.e. Rev) is a bit like skiing vs. snowboarding. Similar in some respects, but different in many. You don't have to learn how to ski before you can learn how to snowboard. Same with these kites. You don't have to learn how to fly a dual line kite before you can learn to fly a quad. It's possible to be a novice dual line flier but a good quad line flier, or a good dual line flier but a novice quad line flier, or a novice at both, or good at both. See where I'm going with this? Your skill with one doesn't determine your skill with the other.

If you think Revs are cool and you want to do that kind of flying, a Rev is right for you.

When I was introduced to sport kites the first time I went to a kite festival, I got to try a dual line and a Rev the same day. I went home and daydreamed about a Rev for a long time until I got one. I wasn't nearly as interested in dual line kites then, so I didn't get a dual line first. No regrets. Been having fun ever since.

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Has any body had experience Revolution Kites,I am think about buying one,I am a novice flyer,so am not sure if it is the right kite for me,I have been flying a Prism Quantum for a short while, I now this is a totally different kite,I just would like to know other people experience with is type of kite.

Hi Nigel,

Now that you have put the word out I would expect UK Rev fliers to make contact just as I am !

If you get the chance meet up with fliers and they will almost certainly let you have a go before you buy.

Flying A Rev is certainly different to flying a Dual line Foil or Delta just as dragonfish states !

It,s a bit too far for you to come up to Dunstable Downs where I and others fly just look around your area

for other fliers, there are a lot who are not forum members, I fly with one who is not on line !

I see that you have not joined the Rev forum yet, Here is the link http://www.revkites.com/forum/

Now watch the Tutorial videos over and over again, it,s worth it in the long run.

Read every post on the Forums, every little bit of information helps, I did and what I learnt

helped a lot as did flying with others !

Bill

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Has any body had experience Revolution Kites,I am think about buying one,I am a novice flyer,so am not sure if it is the right kite for me,I have been flying a Prism Quantum for a short while, I now this is a totally different kite,I just would like to know other people experience with is type of kite.

If you can, meet up with someone and fly theirs. They will have a few different ones, it's a disease...

If you can't meet someone, put the call out for a second hand one. You'll need lines and handles. A "standard (or full) sail" is usually the first one purchased.

If you can't get a second hand one, get a nice and crisp new one! Get a RTF (ready to fly) package with lines and handles. Some packages have a second frame too.

Most start on a full sail. That is a sail that has no venting material. Good for about 8km/h to about 25ish. If you have the means, get a B series as the package comes with a second frame. If your budget is a bit limited, the EXP package is still great. I still have my EXP!

Compare dealers. Ask them questions. Get to know them. You will end up on a "first name basis"...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Oh, most revs come with a DVD of instructions to get you flying. But stake with you're LE down. Don't worry, that will make sense soon enough.

Get in YouTube and look up "Kitelife" and "John Barresi". Gold gold gold material and instruction. Subscribe here to get access to all the extras. Who knows, you may win a kite too.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Welcome!!

Like dragonfish said - there is no reason to limit yourself to one or the other. Unless you find that one style kite suits you better. With over 20 years of flying, I have pretty much settled on Revs, but I have flown dual lines (still do on occasion). Some things are common to both - learning the wind window, judging wind strength, even how to handle your gear (to a certain extent). But each has its own appeal.

oapbillf has it right - there are a lot of fliers in the UK, try meeting up. It will save countless hours of not knowing if things are "right" or not. They may let you try some of theirs, before you decide what you want - worth the effort!!

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I'm a relatively new REV flyer myself. LOVE LOVE LOVE them!!! A little harder to get used to than a Prism Quantum, which I also have, but I like to be challenged. It took me about six days to finally keep it in the air consistently and the rest is history. I now own SIX!! Be careful, they are definitely addicting and a kick in the pants to fly!

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Before flying the first time - take the lines out and equalize them. All 4 should be as close to the same as possible. Plus it gives you an excuse to practice winding and unwinding, til you're good at it. Also good to untangle new lines! You never know how they were wound.

First time out - remember if the kite is going to crash no matter what - LET IT! Learn to give to the kite! What do I mean? Throw your hands forward at the kite, even drop the handles if need be! DO NOT PULL! This only drives the kite harder and faster towards the ground! And possible broken bits!!!!

Practice small steps like launching 10' up, then hovering, then land back on tips. Do that successfully a few times, try higher up with the same stop and land. Learn to feel how the kite sail works in/with the wind.

Rev flying is a long term commitment, some "get it" faster than others, but the key is "time on the lines". You have to get out there and put in the time to learn your equipment!!

Good flying!

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Also remember that the vast majority of all those twists that appear to be in your lines when you lay them out will disappear once you put some tension on the line, leaving only a couple to deal with. Watch the line management tutorial several times before you go out the first time, listen carefully to the instruction. It is GOSPEL, and will save you tons of grief. Watching the set-up vid will help too.

Most of all have fun, smile and don't forget to breath.

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I had my third day today, so I know what you are going through as a new pilot. I didn't have benefit of being able to fly before buying since there is no one with whom I could connect for a test run. I watched the videos repeatedly, as everyone else has said, and it has made a huge difference. If you can't hear John's voice in your head as you are doing the steps, then you haven't watched them enough. (I'll let the others address any issues with having John's voice in your head.)

A couple of points that I'll call out, not just for you, but to reiterate them for my own journey. First, make sure your first several flights are well within the wind range for your kite. Twice now, I have tried where I was only about 2 mph into the wind range, and when the wind died down, so did the kite. I'm sure others would have been just fine, but we don't have the experience just yet. When I've gone into the next town where the wind speed is 50% higher, I have had significantly better results. When you are starting out learning something, you need it to be as much in your favor as possible to set yourself up for success.

The second point I'll emphasize that others have addressed is flying with intent. Certainly, my first time I was actually flying (instead of fighting a nonexistent wind), I let the kite do a great deal of the flying. It was all over the place, and I was having a blast. But to develop any skill, you have to have a purpose--something specific you are trying to accomplish. Think about your own job; I bet while learning it, there were practice sessions where you were trying to do something specific, rather than just letting things happen on their own. Today for me, it was mostly hovering. Sure, I let the kite do its own thing for awhile, but when I was working on hovering, _I_ was flying the kite, not that the kite was flying itself. I picked a cloud in the background, maneuvered over to it and tried to see how long I could keep my Rev on it. It seemed like each time, I could hold it there a little longer before it moved off. Set a goal for yourself, track your success, and you are bound to improve.

Hope any of this helps. I wish you luck, and always remember there is a goldmine of info here on the forums.

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I started both dual and quad within 2 months of each other, way back in 1990 before Rev tuning had really been figured out. :)

No limitation / exclusion between the two, they're both different and wonderful experiences and I'm glad I did both equally.

When I have a full day of fun flying on the field, really, I like to have one of each (dual and quad) laid out side by side.

What WR mentioned about Intent applies universally too, albeit with slightly different inputs... Go there, go here, land, etc.

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Hi John, I have a Rev 1.5 SLE vented at the moment,I would also like to buy a Revolution Kite for light winds can you advise me which would be the best one to buy.

Thanks Nigel

That's a bit like asking Andretti what car to buy, but my honest answer would be a B-Series STD (make it a Pro if you fly a lot). ;)

For more varied opinions, the pinned topics here will assist a lot too - http://kitelife.com/forum/forum/13-quad-heads/

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Hi John, I have a Rev 1.5 SLE vented at the moment,I would also like to buy a Revolution Kite for light winds can you advise me which would be the best one to buy.

Thanks Nigel

For light (or lighter) winds, a B Std (or Pro) with a set of Black Race Rods is my go to set up. This set up on the ends of 30 foot lines with a bit of practice will go to VERY low single digit winds.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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For mere puffs of wind I use a one-piece sail which has modified bungees and endcaps, as well as a 150# spectra bridle. I fly it on 50# lines down to about 1 mph, for less than that I switch to one of my home-made ones. I have 50# lines in 120, 80, and 40-ft lengths. When most are grounded, I'm flying.

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