Jeepster

Gently place the right handle in her right hand, and then, place the left handle in your left hand ... now launch the kite!! This allows you both to fly at the same time without the inconvenience of maintaining and setting up two kites. Plus, it's good practice should your relationship continue to develop ... it's very symbolic of how future decisions occur with a mate. You make one choice, but the desired result does not happen unless she's on board. Now stop trying to affect the outcome with such a weak sob story. Really, it's so pathetic to whine like that ... it may help you get what you want with your girl friend, but the RNG has no feelings and no soul. PS ... welcome to Kitelife. Cheers, Tom

Well, actually, not so hard. Just look for the older middle-aged guy with the biggest grin - that will be Rich. Cheers, Tom

There are several good shops that stock replacement parts and will help you if you give them a call. However, A Wind of Change (Kent) has absolutely the best web site to help you learn, at your own speed, about Rev rods. Kent lists a 1/4 inch ID replacement frame set for $84.75. That means that a new leading edge should cost about $50~55. If you only need one rod or a ferrule, then it should be cheaper yet. Give him a call and he'll help you out. If you decide not to purchase the kite, you might share the particulars with the forum ... folks are always looking for early/unique kites. Cheers, Tom

Congrats Bob. And thanks to John for running these contests. Cheers, Tom

TIC ... TOC ... TIC ... TOC ... TIC ... TOC ...

Just to add to the discussion on rotating lines. I've got one set of Shanti lines that have seen extensive use over the last year-and-a-half ... 80 feet of 90#. About a month ago I adjusted the lines to equalize all four of them - within 1/4 inch of each other. Since then, they've stayed even during several trips out to the flying field. Yesterday the weather site I watch listed the winds as 26 mph with gusts to 36 mph. My measurements yielded essentially the same results ... with a few gusts to +40 mph. For yesterday's winds, I have a homemade Rev like kite with double the venting of a full vent Rev. It will handle 20~25 mph winds with a reasonable pull on the lines. Over 30 mph it starts to jerk me around. I decided to switch the top and bottom lines just for the heck of it. When I checked the lines after flying for a couple of hours, I found the bottom lines (which I had placed on top) were about 2 inches longer. Hmmm. Lots of use on that line set, and still, it's showing creep when subjected to extra pull. Shanti line doesn't have the coating that LPG has. Don't know if LPG will yield the same results. Cheers, Tom

If you want definitive answers on Rev history, you need to get johnnmitchell from the Rev forum to chime in. However, from the relative size to the auto in the background and the smallish size of the throat area, I'd guess this is a Rev I ... the same pattern as the 1988 kite on the Rev forum header. Did you also recognize that the vertical rods are on the wrong side of the kite? Cheers, Tom

Alright John!!! My color ... my style of kite (four lines) ... I could use another full vent ... my 80 foot line set is just about worn out! Thanks for 47 days of dreaming! Cheers, Tom

Ray, I'll bet you're right handed! The line set was probably made without being adequately pre-stretched and you're seeing the results. Because your right hand/arm is stronger than your left, you're pulling harder and stretching the right line more than the left. Before you even up the lines, you might try stretching both lines evenly to about half of breaking strength. Then switch the lines right-to-left and fly for a session or two. Then compare the lengths ... they should be closer than the eight inches you have right now. Now adjust the lines to equalize them. When new, spectra line will creep about 2 to 3% until it takes a set ... that's 20 to 30 inches for a 90 foot line set. On quad kites it's the top lines that stretch the most because they take more of a load than the bottom lines. Thus, most fliers rotate the top and bottom lines for the first few flights. Hardly anyone bothers with keeping left and right the same on quads, so that gets evened out without anyone the wiser. With dual line kites, you should rotate the left and right hand lines during the first dozen or so flights to even out the creep. Even if you even out the lines right now, you should still rotate them to even out the creep. That will help to keep them even over time. Cheers, Tom

Thanks for the posting. I watched the large kites at a kite festival in Himeji, Japan. They are awesome to watch. Cheers, Tom

Congrats Howard!!!! Where else can you be as old as we are and have white knuckles ... and not be wrecking something. Now you know several things to practice. The up side is that you'll be a much better flier for the experience. The down side is that they'll stretch you a little more the next time. Thanks for sharing and making me smile ... been there none it ... ain't it great!!! Cheers, Tom

Why let that stop you? I see that numbers 22 & 23 are from the United Kingdom? Plus, several other countries are represented. Cheers, Tom

I really wasn't correcting your spelling ... No problems mate, I knew that wasn't your style. But, it is a fact that my mind leans towards the technical side. Cheers, Tom

Opps, so it's spelled with an "e" ... must be why I became an engineer, can't spell for beans. Thanks for sharing that on Steve ... now I have one thing in common! Well, besides a love of flying Revs. Cheers, Tom

Whew ... thanks ... for a while it sounded like something out of a ... well, enough said. Cheers, Tom

Yes, I know that!!!! But, somewhere deep in the reptilian part of our brain are a few cells that still believe that hands up equates to kite up ... and, hands down yields kite down. When the oxygen stops flowing to our brain because we've stopped breathing due to the stress/excitement of flying in a group, that part of our brain takes over. So the mantra has to constantly be ... breath - hands down - breath - hands down - breath - hands down ... Works most of the time. Cheers, Tom

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Okay Duane, here's the next step. A Kite Party 8 pic of one of the mega flys. The purple kite is mine. You'll notice that I'm carefully leading JB (dark blue) and TK (light purple) through the maneuver. Well actually, I think they were staying behind me so that I couldn't get them in trouble. The pic is extra cool for me 'cuz it's the second year that John Chilese caught the kite I was flying in the vee of the lines. I think he was hoping for a picture of a massive screw-up and settled on my kite as having the highest probability of being in the center of it. The other neat thing is that this year I remembered to take a breath every once in awhile ... Cheers, Tom

Congrats Walt ... great catch! Now, let's discuss the fact that my member number is right next to yours ... could have been ME!!!! Cheers, Tom And again, thanks John for the chance to take home a great addition to the kite bag.

Has anyone else noticed that since John's marriage he hasn't had as much free time as before? Hmmm.

This is an adhesive that I've been going to try. Anyone have any experience with it? Cheers, Tom

I'll keep that idea in mind ... sounds good. Another method is to align and tape a ferrule-less rod to the end of the rod with the stuck ferrule. Then carefully bounce the taped together rods (as a column or a long arrow shaft)on a block of wood ... bounce it so that the weight of the ferrule will allow it to move down into the ferrule-less rod. I've removed a correctly glued in ferrule by bouncing it on a block of wood until the bond brakes. Then it's easy to pull it free. Cheers, Tom

Congrats Donna!!! The wireless connection in my computer went legs up on the trip to kite party and I missed the whole thing. Darn ... Tom

6 oz material is used to make stuff sacks for small tanks!! Revs are generally made with 0.75 oz fabric. 0.6 oz poly would be good stuff also. Cheers, Tom

Pssst, Duane, check out the IKE method of flying in the heat! Cheers, Tom