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Skyclad01

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Everything posted by Skyclad01

  1. A question that is sometimes asked on the forum is "What do you listen to when you fly" / "Whats on your play list?" So here is mine. (complete with youtube links ) AC/DC - Can`t Stand Still http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xajftk_ac-dc-can-t-stand-still_music Aiboforcen - Alice (Sisters Of Mercy Cover) Apotheosis - O Fortuna Excalibur Remix Blue Man Group w/ Venus Hum: I Feel Love The Brian Setzer Orchestra - Jump Jive An' Wail Cradle Of Filth - Stay Dead Sara - Weatherman Deep Purple - Space Truckin' Die Warzau featuring Emilie Autumn - Dry Family Force 5 - Zombie Kai Altair - Shine KT Tunstall - Black Horse And The Cherry Tree https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQmDUEv939A
  2. I definitely do try to challenge myself even if im doing some routine flight pattern. Usually I will try to keep my movements quick and snappy and my turns/rotations sharp and balanced. It may not sound like much for an experienced flier, but for me (who is still learning) it does put to test my precision skills. My current goal is to achieve flying skills along the lines of these likes: That article is a good one, and I do try to keep all that in mind when im flying. I have been using a specific play list of songs for when I fly my Rev (which I need to expand some more). A couple of them are slightly longer than what competition would allow, but thats ok because I am a long, long, long ways from doing any of that (but its fun to pretend anyways). I know I can listen to whatever I like when I fly, but I try to stay in that frame of mind when I fly my Rev.
  3. I've kinda been doing that a little. What I have mostly read for starting off with inverted flying is to start with an inverted launch and slowly keep the kite going up inverted. And if it starts to wobble, bring it back down and start over again. I completely avoided doing that because that would bring about some angry frustration real quick with all those repeats one after another. So what I did was I would just get the kite about 3/4 of the way up then hold the kite there for a moment and do a slow rotation till the kite is inverted trying to keep the kite as stable as possible. If it wobbled a bit, that would be ok because I would try to control the wobble so my hands would learn the tiny nuances and inputs needed to keep the kite stable. The trick is not to panic when the kite wobbles and don't over steer when trying to stabilize the wobble. And if I could keep a steady invert, I would try to bring the kite lower very slowly. If it would happen to rotate out from being inverted, id do a quick little flight and maybe some spins for fun, then fly back up and try that inverted hover again.
  4. After being able to vent my frustrations in my previous post before flying, I was able to fly my 2 hours with a clear head and a calm mind, which as you know is key for concentration. With the voice of Professor Snape in my head repeating "Discipline your mind!" (thats what happens when you watch the Harry Potter weekends on Disney), I focused solely on my inverted hovers. Now Its hard to say if I made any progress because the winds were so inconsistent. Either changing directions every 15 minutes or a nice breeze, but not enough wind pressure to hold the kite in the air... Winds too strong, winds too soft, and cross-breezes made holding any type of hover (for the less than mildly experienced) a little bit of a challenge. Plus the 100 degree temperature didn't help either. Thankfully, the sun was mostly on my back and I had cold water with me. My idea was even though the winds were inconsistent when I arrived at the park, it would help me to adapt to different wind conditions at a moments notice. I have read in other posts that some people have had better luck practicing their inverted hovers by having a few winds in the lines. And I can see where this would hold true as it would seem to help stabilize the kite. Personally, I chose not to do this. I wanted to learn every minute and subtle movements for holding the kite evenly when inverted. It was definitely a challenge. There was one thing I did learn today which was a big help that I found in a post on the Rev forum, and it took me a little time to learn this because up till getting the Rev, ive only been flying dualies. With flying dualies, left it left, right is right as far as controls go. So I always associate the left wing with the left hand to turn left, and vice versa. But since the Rev can fly in any direction, that can get confusing. Especially when flying inverted. What I learned from that post, which is what this person also learned, is instead of looking at the controls and the turning as left and right, is to look at it as clockwise and counter clockwise. Because no matter what state (position) the kite is in, clockwise IS clockwise, counter clockwise IS counter clockwise. Actually, it wasn't too difficult to associate my controls in that way. No matter was position the kite was in, I just imagined a clock (of course). So if I wanted the kite to rotate to the left (counter clockwise), I just had to imagine the hands of a clock moving backwards - which is to the left, so I would use the left brake to rotate the kite in said direction. Made things a lot easier. With the winds being so uncooperative, it's really difficult to say if I made any progress with my inverted hovers. But I think I did a little bit since any time spent flying the kite equals progress in some way, shape, or form if you know it or not.
  5. I had a nice 5 hour flight with my Rev on Saturday. Nothing much to report this time though. It was a very good flight, but another very warm day. With my Sports bottle 3/4 filled with water (and in the freezer over night) then fill to the top with more water just before heading to the field certainly did help with the heat (as did a good layer of SPF 30). Unfortunately at the moment, im kinda feeling like I hit a low plateau. I know it takes a lot of practice and patience with the Rev. All im doing, and am able to do when I fly is fly up, down, left, right, dive stop and spins. And although I am having fun flying with it, its feeling a bit routine and repetitive. Now I know this is to be expected a bit as I have stated just a minute ago that it will take practice and patience. But all that can kinda be put to the test a little bit when everything you're doing is being done solo. Don't get me wrong, I have had some great help from this forum and my friends in it's chat room. It's just a little tough at time's when you are flying solo practicing your routine and new moves. Every time I try to work on specific moves such as keeping my spins level or trying to hold an inverted hover for more than 10 seconds, I always have to constantly experiment and guess what I am doing with my hands and inputs to figure out what I am or am not doing correctly, and what I should and shouldn't be doing. Research online is all done by myself, which is not an issue. And learning and asking questions with my friends in chat is very, very insightful and helpful. But when it comes to actually flying out there at the park by yourself, all the time, every time. It can be a little daunting after a while. In no way do I plan on being put off because of this. But since I considering this my sort of quasi-journal, and people want to hear my rambles, then they also get to hear me vent my frustrations as well. I guess what I need to do, is pick one specific thing to work on each time I fly. For example, it is almost 2pm here and is 100 degrees out (but its a dry heat). I may (try to) spend 2hrs at the park with my rev and frozen sport bottle. And when I do, I will try to spend most of that time working on my inverted hovers. Which I have read (and been told) that the best way to practice this, is to start with the Rev leading edge down and slowly launch from its inverted position and hold the kite a few feet off the ground as best as I can. And if the kite starts to wobble, bring it back down onto the ground and start over. Boring and frustrating, most definitely. But I know this discipline is very much needed. It's just most frustrating when I have to practice this and experiment with my hand position and inputs all alone. Hopefully one day, I will find another kite flier (Rev flier hopefully) that I can fly with and will be there to watch what I am doing from time to time and tell me exactly what I am doing and what I SHOULD be doing, right there, on the spot, as I am doing it. Anyways, now that I have vented (sorry for all that), and its 2pm, I think I will head out to the park now and try to spend 2 hours with the Rev out there spending most of my time trying to get the hang of doing inverted hovers properly.
  6. Very nice looking kite. I'm sure it flies as good as it looks (possibly even better).
  7. Thank you. Actually thats kind of a big part of why I created this thread. The first post was just me venting out my frustration and kind of a cry for help in a way. After looking through the forums a bit (and not only this one), there wasn't much of anything in depth in relation to new Rev fliers and their experiences. There would be a post or two here and there (which were helpful) and that was about it, leaving me with little to relate to. So after my initial post, I figured I would kinda keep it going with significant victories, failures or general experiences of note. A kind of quasi journal if you will. Now I know that to the more experienced Rev fliers, it would just be nothing more than ramblings of no importance - and thats fine, I get that. But at the same time, I have also received a lot of help from the more experienced Rev fliers as well, which I am grateful for. And I really hope that my ramblings/experiences which I have posted here along with all the helpful replies I have received will also help new Rev fliers, giving them something to relate to all in one spot, and hopefully save them a lot of frustration since these posts were made by a newbie Rev flier.
  8. That's what im certainly hoping on, and im sure it will.
  9. So today I figured I would give a try flying with the extended leaders. Normally I would have passed on flying today due to the winds bordering on what I would consider being too strong for the kite. But I knew that with longer leaders, it would take a bit more effort to give the kite forward drive, so I figured I would I go the park and see what happens. It turned out that I did indeed need a little more wind than that which I usually fly in for these longer leaders. Theres some changes that I need to get used to all over again using these longer leaders; A higher hand position (Different than what im used to, but nothing major), and more effort to launch the kite and keep a steady forward drive. Also, with those two changes, I also basically need to relearn how to control the kite a bit as the longer leaders make a significant difference as to how the Rev handles. Overall though with all that aside, it was a good flight with those leaders. My dive stops were less bouncy, though I need to get used to the brakes on it because instead of bouncing, it tends to go directly into reverse flight. Hover spins weren't too bad, but I need to relearn how to keep the kite from dropping when I spin (nothing major there, more flight time will correct that). My biggest surprise was at how well I was able to fly the kite in reverse. It was definitely a lot easier (after I learned to be more gentle on pulling with the brakes). Now, I was able to fly the kite in reverse all the way from one side of the wind window to the center of it before the kite decided to start to rotate, as opposed to before where that would have been a major task for me and would have taken a bit of luck to get the kite to reverse that far. It will be interesting to see how I come along with the kite using the longer leaders once my control improves with it. Makes me look forward to even more flying time despite the temperatures getting up to the high 90's now. I think I will need to go to my local Big5 and get myself a hydration pack. The aluminum sports bottle im using works good, but with the rising temperatures im drinking the water a lot faster now, plus its a slight pain to have to stop flying just to get a drink.
  10. Next time I fly, ill try larksheading the stock bottom leaders to the top and see what happens. Edit: Just now attached the stock bottom leaders to the top ones as I said above, plus I put a knot in the center of the added leader for extra adjustment. Hopefully launching wont be too difficult and hovers will be a little easier to hold now.
  11. I just got back from a nice 5 hour flight with my Rev and other than being a little warm out (90 degrees) it was wonderful! So far now, im about 2 weeks into it with about 24hrs flying time on the kite already and the only bad time I had with it was that first day of flying. But I guess thats to be expected for anyone who's never flown a Rev and doesn't have someone by their side to coach them. That first day flying for me was such a disappointing and frustrating time with the kite. But I believe a lot of that was because of me. I watched the videos, got advice in chat and read tons of posts about flying a Rev, and I also did a lot of mental visualization to the point where in my head, it all clicked. I knew I was going to make many errors, but with all the pre-flight prepping I did I wasn't expecting everything to go so completely opposite. Fortunately im more of a "glass is half full" type of guy. And with as defeated as I felt and was, I knew I had to push through it. So after that first flight, coming home and unwinding, I was able to relax, breath and clear my head. My 2nd day of flying the Rev was a complete 180 from the first day. The kite actually flew, and I had some semblance of control while I had it in the air. Yes, I did crash a lot (as to be expected), but I was able to reset the kite and get it back into the air and keep it up there for a while. Now two weeks later, my dive stops are going great (or would that be stopping great?), my hover spins are are somewhat staying in one spot when they spin and im slowly getting the hang of reverse flight. My hovers in general still need some work as do my 90 degree turns when hovering. But its all getting there. It seems that each time I fly the rev, im able to notice that my control with it is just that much better than it was the last time flying it. Though my control still needs a lot of work as its still all over the place at times, I can still see the slight overall improvements with my flying. Though I know I still have a long ways to go till my skills get as good as most of the rev flyer's on this forum, I know that (and this goes for anyone who's starting out on any kite - or trying to learn a difficult trick) with a clear head, a calm mind and a little perseverance, I will get there. Eventually I will increase the length of my leaders, but for now I am getting comfortable with my current handle set up. Im sure that once I have better control of my kite, I will change up the leaders. But for now, I am doing fine with them as they are. Right now, my main focus is obtaining better flying control as I still (on occasion) tend to flip one wing due to using too much brake at times. Especially when attempting reverse flight. But with practice and perseverance, I will get there. Theres no doubt about that!
  12. Ah yes, the leaders. I just need to find some bridle line first off. Though for now with some doable line I have in my house, I was able to make 1" leaders for the bottoms of the handles replacing the original stock ones. I may try larksheading those leaders to the existing top ones to give that a try.
  13. It's been a week now. I think its time for a progress update video
  14. Skyclad01

    Rev EXP

    From the album: My Kites

    My first Rev. The darkside has called my name, and I have answered.
  15. Skyclad01

    My Kites

  16. All good info Paul. Thank you. I do know how to do cartwheels, so thats not a problem there. Im still beginning with all this (about 13hrs flight time so far with my Rev), cant really do reverse flight too well yet and my inverted hovers are wobbly at best and only last about 15 seconds before it drops or rotates out. Though I am working on keeping my maneuvers quick and snappy as well as keeping a restricted flight area (because using the entire wind window would be too easy). Still trying to find the neutral zone with my handles and am continuously trying to coax reverse flight from my rev when its going left/right as well as working on my inverted hovering when I do dive stops. Tips are always useful, but the biggest thing is just flying and becoming more familiar with the controls and the capability of the kite itself.
  17. No knots, it was just the bottom leader attached to the top leader. I have see that thread before, I just need to get me some bridle line eventually.
  18. I probably will try putting the other leaders back on top after the next couple flights. The wind wasn't too good today, but just well enough to tell the difference in the leader.
  19. Yes. After changing to the short bottom leader, I had to move my hands higher so my thumbs were at the top of the foam. I've read and been told that longer top leaders helps a lot with keeping hovers more stable as well as better control, and it definitely did help.
  20. I used your suggestion and did that today. Though, instead of attaching the bottom lines directly to the hog rings, I had some line lying around (nothing proper, but its strong enough to work) and made 1" leaders for the bottom. and attached the stock bottom leaders to the top ones as you said and it worked pretty good. But for some reason for me, the leader was just way too long that way and the kite had too much brake. So I took off the extra leaders and flew with the stock top ones and 1" bottom ones I made and it really did improve performance! Rotations were easier, stops were a lot better, going in reverse (or at least practicing to) was much improved! Thank you for this suggestion. Next up, eventually, I think I will contemplate Stone In Shoe Bob's no snag handle modification.
  21. Today was a complete 180! First of all, I want to say thank you to all those that have replied with hint, tips, suggestions and all other general help. A great bunch of people on this forum Spent 4 hrs in the park today. The first hour was spent getting the tangles out of my line that I wasn't able to yesterday. Once I got them untangled, I made sure that all the lines were even (Thankfully they were). After that, I connected the lines to the kite and handles and this time, I took a lower grip on the foam closer to the curve of the handles and gave a tug. The kite went up and this time it felt like I had a little more control of the kite. Although it did crash back down, it did so without spinning haphazardly. I pulled back on the handles again and watched as the kite started to rise. I kept my hand even and balanced and slowly the kite rotated upright to which I gave another tug to the handles and watched the kite fly up. I gave a gentle tug to the brake of the handle and watched the kite rotate around and come back to the ground. Luckily having experience with dualies, I knew to run forward a few steps to soften the crash landing. Gave a tug to both brakes and watched the kite rise again and rotate upright and fly upwards. Rinse and repeat a few more launches and careful crash landings for about 15 - 20 mins more and finally I had my first successful 2 point landing! A perfect launch straight up and a wobble back down in reverse to a gentle landing on its feet!!! I wanted to throw my hands up and cheer, but luckily quick thinking prevented that as I knew that would have unintentionally launched the kite back up into the air. After that, I started to get a basic feel of the controls and with a lower grip on the stock EXP handles allowed me better control of the brakes. A few figure eights and mid air spins of the revolution and I was able to work on some dive stops as well. My flying isn't anything pretty and my dive stops aren't precisely on the dime, but I do have a basic knowledge of control now. Next few flights out and I will be working on hovering and quarter turns. I certainly do look forward to flying my rev a LOT more now!
  22. I think I may have the problem narrowed down now thanks to the good people in chat. Apparently in one Johns basic flying youtube tutorial, he mentions to keep your thumbs on the tops of the handles and your grip high on the foam. Normally thats a good hand position, but the problem with that in flying an EXP Revolution is that the handles it comes with doesn't have long leaders on it. So following his instructions was causing me to have too much drive and not enough brake on the kite while airborne. I found out that what I need to do is have my grip on the foam, closer to the curve of the handles. So I will be giving that way a try next time I fly the rev. Hopefully that will give me much better control over the kite.
  23. From the album: My Kites

    My 1st gen, custom colored Mohawk kite. My first 'real' stunt kite and my baby.
  24. Actually, not quite, unless I am interpreting your words wrong. If the kite is going to one side, let's say the right side, it has too much drive on the left side. So, you actually want to give brake on the left side, i.e. thumb down input. The "pull back" motion for most people will actually pull top of the handle back, when you really want to be pulling the bottom/pushing the top. Yeah, that was my bad out there. I should have known better and pull back on the brake, not on the drive of the handle. I just checked the bridle for any of those extra knots and didn't find any. So everything looks good there so far. Once I get the lines untangled, ill be checking the lengths of them to make sure they are all equal
  25. I'll give that a try on my next outing.
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