John Barresi

Easy, don't get 'em tangled.

Flown in Berck sur Mer this week - absolutely amazing.

Congrats, this article has been pinned - great universal subject, thanks for bringing it up.

Addendum - the straight scoop on straight vs figure 8 winding. == Straight winding can condition the lines to "lean one way" toward twisting in the middle (again - ends have not rotated), which causes lines to grip each other. Frankly, I don't find it to be a tangible issue when lines are handled correctly - maybe once a year, I'll run my fingernail down a set, if I feel a problem. I prefer straight winding simply due to the ergonomics of it, and how the lines lay on the winder (flatter, tighter and arranged more easily). == Figure 8 winding basically conditions the lines to "lean" one way, then the other, then the other, etc, basically minimizing any added gripping behavior. Other than the difference in ergonomics, personal taste and general mechanics of it, there is no functional difference with regard to true wraps. == Key - don't spin either end during winding, don't spin either end while unwinding, the center could have a veritable party (mixed straight and 8 winding, hands going up and down) and it still has to pull out if it's not tangled (which only comes from dropped lines, sloppy winding, etc).

Alright, I went around the horn on this once before - would be too easy if I could find it now. == Okay, follow this break down if you will... With no wraps in the line, you secure the ends of the lines together on the winder at one end. You hold that winder securely without rotating it at all during the winding process, mostly moving up and down as you wind. Ideally you have the other end separated or secured while winding so they don't jump or twist during the winding process. You arrive at the other end, picking up and finishing the wind without putting in more than 1-2 twists during handling. Right... Now... Reverse that... Start the unwind and secure the ends (straps, whatever) without adding more than 1-2 twists while you do it. Being sure you don't rotate the winder after securing the lines, walk away... If it snags, use your hand to pull off evenly. Arrive at the other end and remove the loops (straps, whatever) from the winder without letting them spin. NOW, the real secret... Most of the wraps you might see in your lines at this point aren't real wraps, most are generated by opposing rotations in the lines, for whatever reason. The clean up portion... With the farthest ends secured, separate the loops, spread them apart and pull some good tension into the lines, jiggling it occasionally to drop out some of the faux wraps. Then, HOOK UP YOUR KITE (again minimizing the number of times you let the lines spin around each other during handling), make sure the kite is secure, then walk to the handles. Once at the handles, pick them up without launching, gently wiggle one so you can verify R-L controls. Having R-L in the correct hands, spread your hands apart and again, jiggle the lines. Having done all this, assuming the flier kept an eye on the loops during handling to avoid adding twists during handling, you should have 1-4 wraps. From there, obviously launch (having already verified R-L controls) and spin them out, or do it hand over hand on the ground. == The formula that makes this work is eliminating variables during handling and storage... If you didn't spin the flier end of the lines (secure on the stake) and didn't spin the kite end of the lines (secured in hand when disconnecting from the kite), it doesn't matter what you do in the middle if you draw enough tension and shake out the faux wraps. If you still have what look like a lot of wraps, there are only a few explanations: When individual lines (R or L) have become twisted enough, that they are "grabbing" onto the other line... This is worked out by separating your lines and separately running down the length of each one with your fingernail to work out the twists (the opposite end will spin like mad when you've pushed the twists down far enough). The lines are so old and ratty that they're just gripping onto each other too much. The lines are wet, which also causes them to stick to one another. Or of course, you've unknowingly let one end or the other twist during handling. Pure mathematics, I assure you.

Pure gospel - whatever works and gets you flying without undue stress, it's all good. Flying or working with the gear, it's worthwhile to experiment - know for yourself.

That was awesome.

Respectfully - this might be your experience, but almost never, ever happens to me. 3 minutes to set up, 3 minutes to tear down, rarely any snags. Straight or 8 makes no difference to frequency of snags, although the tension someone might use with either one (specific to their own style and ergonomics) certainly can affect it.

Also, it is typical for the ends of the lines to not match up exactly right when fully wound... It's natural, we don't always draw equal tension into both lines while winding, the winder takes up more or less line depending on where the line is spooled on it, etc, etc. The trick is to eliminate the variables, which is what the above tutorial really speaks to. For dual line, I would actually start winding from the handle end, down to the kite (as long as it's secure)... When I set up, I put the kite face down and nose into the wind, with the lines coming out the back and up over the top as I walk up wind... Pulling the line off the winder as I go, I take care not to tension the kite yet (accidental launch), until I get to the end... Once there, I take my straps off the winder, untwist the lines (identify R-L), then walk back with hands even until the kite flips over and is ready for launch. I really ought to do a tutorial on this "stakeless" set up and tear down method sometime.

Yep. Universal for dual or quad, the only differences: 1 - Dual line kite should go face down to be secure, nose into the wind. 2 - Don't stagger the lines for dual line. 3 - Don't pair the loops for dual line, treat them as you would the two final loops for quad. The tutorial is 10 minutes long, but the principles are important and we've had rave reviews on the explanations given.

In my experience, it's all about throttle (trailing edge / back line tension) and rotational control. First major building block to advanced control with a Rev is more or less owning a hover in each of 12 (or more) clock positions... Don't try to make it stay perfectly still, give yourself a "wandering" range of a couple feet and work to say in or close to that. Focus primarily on the angle of the leading edge (facing correct clock position), break it down, see the angles, take mental pictures. If you're facing 3 o-clock, slowly turn to face 4 o-clock and hold the hover there for 10-15 seconds, maybe more, before shifting. At each of the 12 clock positions, at the moment you have a semi-decent hover, take a mental snapshot of how your hands, body, feet and head feel, try to store some of the "body set" for each position, so you can settle into each in turn as you rotate through the clock positions. Don't worry about "clockwork" (snapping), just shift the orientation smoothly and slowly, focusing on your ability to choose any orientation, rotate to it, hover there, choose another, and so on. I think really, the other thing that takes work is finding the hand position that allows you to drive the Rev at one speed, without the oscillation between forward and brake... Figure eights, circles, squares, diamonds, all good shapes to practice this - and feel free to push the edge, feeling how much finesse it takes to keep an even speed - not unlike a dual line. Some of my favorite, regular drills that I do for both fun and practice (works great with a funky beat)... Off the ground pass, at one consistent speed through the turns: diamonds, octagons, squares, etc. Always, always trying to land either with both tips at the same time, or flat on the 45 edge, no bounce. Hop, bicycle rotate, land on both tips. Hop, clockwork rotation, land on both tips. If you look hard at my Rev flying, you'll see it's really not extremely different than my dual line flying... That's my dirty little secret, is that I fly Revs like dual lines (with regard to sail loading, modified combo turns and landings) - the same moves feel good, Rev is more complex, but the dual lines give more "krakow!" in the movements.

Just finished your last vid... Looks good man! Just a matter of finding that "pivot" point on the handles, so you're not working your wrists so hard.

The trick for me, is that I have the tuning set up so I can balance the kite's pull on three fingers, and simply let the handle play (varying tension between index and ring fingers) to apply throttle, brake or control.

When in doubt, try more brake (extend the top leaders more). Rob, have you had a chance to see all three of these KiteLife tutorials? http://kitelife.com/forum/files/file/684-rev-tutorial-tuning-theory-i/ http://kitelife.com/forum/files/file/702-rev-tutorial-sail-loading/ http://kitelife.com/forum/files/file/700-rev-tutorial-body-posture-and-grip/ The third one talks about how to grip the handles (using 3 primary fingers and squeezing instead of rotating your wrists). == When hovering inverted... Instead of rocking your wrists, trying moving your hands up and down (like a slow tomahawk chop) and see what happens... When you slowly chop down the kite should rise in reverse and when you raise up, the kite should drop. Get a feel for that, then also try using your thumbs for leverage on the back of the top of your handles. Then think about the actual rotation of your handle with wrist motions. Those are THREE methods of control to achieve the same thing, using each one more delicately in combination, you should find more stability.

Mid-month, will try to bear it in mind for a future clinic.

*chortle*

Tension looks good! Should be a whole new animal now. Don't loosen the top ones, they should be tight and close to the kite, otherwise you get nubs on top that are easy to catch. The bottom ones (top in the pictures above) are where all the tensioning is done. After 4-6 hours of good flying, my new knot is generally about 1" in from the old one. Just use your eyes and common sense, the sail should be drawn, but not stretched.

FYI, photos of from the pilot's perspective (front facing) or from the back would give a better indication. Because the sail does stretch, there is no "perfect spot" for the end caps. Main reference is looking at the sail along the leading edge, when the kite is staked down leading edge first and has fair wind pressure in it... When the sail is too loose, you'll see the fabric bunching or folding along the leading edge, particularly near the top of the vertical spars.

Nice... Mighty solid Rev flying too.

Yup, as suspected - sorry Stuart, no active subscription! Redraw... #392, expired... #445, expired... #701, expired... #190, expired... #1059, ACTIVE! PayPal audit done and indeed, Erik Mikkelsen is the winner on this one! Thanks again for your patience.

Okay, okay, we're up! Give me a minute and I'll pull a lucky number.