CLTKiter

Just a follow-up question related to the other discussion on quad foils. I have a number of Rev's and a Skydancer, and they all "fly like quads". By that I mean that they turn by wrist motion, not arm pulling motion. Arm pulling motion is for slides. However, I also have a NASA Power Wing and a TC Ultra (both dual/quad convertible), and these fly like a hybrid (kinda like a dual-line with brakes). They will fly with only wrist motion, but not very well. They need a combination of wrist and arm motion to turn well. This applies to both turns and spins. Now my question... How about quad foils? Do they fly "like quads" or like the "hybrids"? For my 150 lb size, I'm thinking a fun-type foil, not a full power kite (maybe 1-3 meters). Thanks in advance, Doug

Hi Mike (and John, too), I noticed that the Firebee 1.0: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...ssPageName=WDVW and quad parastunter 1.4: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...ssPageName=WDVW weren't on the list. They're both smaller quads. Was it a performance issue? Thanks, Doug

Hi Phil, I'll be interested in the answers that you get. I have a number of quads, and enjoy them tremendously. But all except a NPW are sparred quads (and almost entirely Rev's). I have a friend who has a Go Fly Quad 1.4 Parafoil that he picked up on ebay for about $50, but we've never been together at a field with enough wind when he had it for me to try. At the beach last fall I tried some sort of power quad foil kite, but my small 150 lb frame was pulled across the beach with it. My NPW gives me a run for my money when the wind is up a little. I think I might enjoy a small quad foil that won't pull me too much. So it'll be good to see what you hear from the question. Thanks, Doug

Hi Fish, What a loaded question... I saw my first Rev about 2 1/2 years ago at a kitefest. I couldn't believe what I saw. At that time I had several dual-lines, but didn't really do any tricks with them. One dual that I loved was a stack of six hyperkites -- really fun to watch with their flowing tails. Anyway, I saw the Bay Area Sundowners perform, and it was truly amazing to see them hover, speed away from each other, even dip into the water and fly out. I had to have one. I got my first Rev 1.5 about two years ago. And I can't get enough of the quad lines. I stil DO enjoy flying my duallies, but rarely. For light winds, I have a Rev 1.5SUL and also a Blast. For speed I have a Blast and Shockwave, and also a Rev 2. For precision, I have my 1.5 and a Rev 1. I've also picked up a NASA Power Wing and a TC Ultra. When I fly those particular ones, I use a combination of dual line and quad line movements. Some folks don't like that, but I do at times. Bottom line, quads are a lot of fun (as are all kites). I'm addicted to them, and am considering having a couple of Rev 1.5's custom built so I can have "my" colors and a short stack of two. The zipper on my dual line bag isn't rusted yet, but a little WD-40 would help! On the other hand, the zipper on my quad bag works great! Go ahead, take the plunge. If you do, my recommendation is a 1.5SLE. It's tough, fun, precision, and you won't outgrow it. MHO. BTW, my avatar is my Rev 1. Doug

Very impressive, Prog. Very impressive!!!!! Doug

I can't wait to see what Rev comes out with this year at KTAI. For the past two years they've been getting bigger and bigger, leaving us poor non-power kite fliers with no new kite. Not that the existing product line is bad; I'd just like to see a new smaller kite in the 7-9 foot range. Hopefully John will send us some info while he's there. Can't wait! Doug

Kent, Your comment probably explains why I wound up with the Shockwave instead of a Supersonic. Just about a year ago I was going through the agony of which Rev to buy -- I could only rationalize one kite and it came down to those two. I solicited recommendations from forums, and probably the advice came back slightly more in favor of the SS than the SW. However, I had a chance to go to the beach and fly both for a couple of hours, and my conclusion was that the SW performed slightly better in lower winds. And being in central NC, our winds are light. If my memory serves me right, that weekend I went to the beach the winds rarely got above 12 mph, and the SS had a lot of oversteer. For higher winds, I now fly my Rev II. But maybe a Supersonic......... I've got some Christmas money....... Hmmmmmmm. Doug

Bill, I'm with John. My first Rev was a 1.5SLE and I never regretted getting it. I doubt that you'll really get bored with it for a while. It can do so much more (IMHO) than the Supersonic. I don't have a Supersonic, but do have a Shockwave. John's right -- they're good for flying fast, but you don't have quite the control. And control is what the 1.5SLE is great for. Maybe you should get both! Before you're through, you'll have a wide variety anyway. I sure do now. Doug WACKOS - Wings Across Carolina Kiting and Okra Society

Mousie, if you come to the east coast, I'll help you fly Rev's. Maybe the Carolina Kite Festival Oct 23-24? Later, Doug

Question for Aiyana... How long are the train lines for your Rev II's? Or are they the same length as for 1.5's? Did you add the additional kites beyond the 3-stack? Need pictures! Later, Doug

Never met CodyGuy, but it looked like he had a pretty good sense of humor. Enjoy the kite. And also Kitelife.com. It has a lot of good information on it. Doug

Hey Clint, You've got a lot of good times ahead of you. If you can hook up with some other flyers in your area, it'll be even more enjoyable. Maybe you can find a kitefest for even broader enjoyment. You've got so many possibilities. You've found out how much fun a dual-line kite can be. Some people are bigoted toward a particular kite. (what's a Cody?) Ah, but I digress. There are such a large number of single line kites for kicking back, duals, of course, single-line fighters (that I can't seem to fly well), and of course, quads (I'm not bigoted!). You've got power kiting, ballet, team... The list goes on and on. What an adventure! Enjoy the ride. Later, Doug

Or when you really want to put a grin on your face, you can give Revs a try... Doug (dyed in the wool quadline flyer)

End Cap. End Cap. DUH Yeah, you did say end cap. Well, on my non-mylar Shockwave, it's exactly the same as the picture. Sorry for ignorance... Doug

Just an update on the Rev II with the SUL(?) frame. The reason I used the Rev I SUL center spar on the leading edge was because I already had it. I have a set of SUL spars for my Rev I, so this was getting me part way there. But the update..... Yesterday I was out with winds 3-6 mph with [very rare] gusts up to 11 or 12. I tried several of my quads. The NPW5 flew quite well (it was really its first time out), then my Shockwave, the Blast, and then the Rev II. The Shockwave didn't fly very well. I could get it up when the winds were up around 5-6, but it faded when the wind dropped. Pretty much the same for the Blast, although I could keep it up longer than the Shockwave. The Rev II was really difficult to get up until I changed the spars to the SUL frame... The Rev II SUL was really a lot of fun to fly. I was using my 75' 75# lines. When the wind dropped, it still flew. When the wind picked up, it flew even better. But the update I wanted to give was that the frame appears to be pretty sturdy. I did a full-speed dive-stop several times when the wind was up at its max of about 11-12 mph, and it held up fine. I didn't crash it at all , so I don't know how fragile it really is. BTW, I hope I don't have to find out if it's fragile that way. The important piece of this is that not only does it give the II a low wind capability, it appears that you don't have to put it away like the 1.5SUL when the wind gets above 8 mph. Anyway, thought y'all might like an update..... Doug

Hi Ge, First of all, I envy you. I was at the Outer Banks a couple of months ago, and believe that I just missed the Kitty Hawk kitefest. If you're a flyer anywhere near the Charlotte area, I'd like to introduce you to the WACKOS (www.wackos.org). Back to your original questions. I've reread your post, and I'm a little confused. First of all, I don't do anything at all with my leading edge endcaps. They came configured and I don't do anything with them. Here are pictures of them. The first two pictures are of both sides of my upper endcap. The third picture is what I was talking about with my Blast having a loop that you could put the vertical spar through. It appears to me that the Blast has the same setup on the upper cap as my shockwave. However, the lower endcaps of the Shockwave don't have the loop that the Blast has. Hope I haven't confused you. Doug

Hi Ge... I also have a Shockwave, but didn't get the video. My endcaps don't have a loop to go around (I assume) the vertical spar. However, I also have a Blast, and the Blast does have the loops to go around the vertical spars and the video shows that setup. So if there's an update, we're both out of luck! Fast little bugger, isn't it! Later, Doug

Never enough Never enough Can't get enough low wind quads! Have my 1.5SUL, Blast, Rev I with SUL spars, NPW5. Now my Rev II SUL! Still have the potential of the Skydancer with SUL spars or the Super Blast. Old man bones may not be able to stand the SB. But you never can tell... Want more SUL's like Aiyana wants more in her Rev 2 stack. Later, Doug

Hi, You may know that I regularly have to fly in low winds here in inland NC, and as such am always on the lookout for low wind options. I decided to try to make an SUL out of a Rev II, and here's what I found out. Regularly, I'm unable to fly my Rev II in less than 6-8 mph. I didn't take wind readings when I was trying to fly, but that's what I believe the wind was. Now, with my modifications, I'm able to fly it in 2.5-3 mph winds. It "flies" in 2.5 mph, but it likes 3 mph better. And when the winds are up to 4-5 mph, it flies great! I flew it briefly in 8 mph winds with no problems. Took the wind readings with a fairly accurate wind meter. Here's what I did... I made no changes to the bridle or the sail; only replaced the frame. I replaced the 2-piece leading edge with a 3-piece. The center was a Rev I SUL (2-wrap) spar, 36" long. This spar has ferrules in each end. Then I put two Sky Shark P100 spars (each 19" long) outboard from it. I replaced the vertical spars with Sky Shark 2P spars 24" long. The vertical spars were smaller in diameter than the caps, but they stayed in well enough (remember, the wind is light!). And the P100's fit nicely over the Rev I SUL spar ferrules. I flew this combination on 75' 75# blueline with "standard" Rev handles. The lines seemed a little heavy, so my friend Marty loaned me a set of 40' 50# lines. Wow! When the wind was up to 4-5 mph, my reflexes took a real workout. Just for comparison, I put my 1.5SUL on the 75' 75# lines with the extended handles and went back and forth between the two kite combinations. The 1.5SUL clearly flew with lower wind, and some more precision. Or maybe it was just that my reflexes were too slow for the Rev II. It seemed to me that the 1.5SUL flew better in about 1-1.5 mph lower winds than the Rev 2. But it may just be my inexperience. Bottom line, I believe that you can satisfactorily make an SUL out of a Rev II and get lower wind performance. What remains to be seen is if the leading edge will hold up since the ferrules are now right at the vertical spar connector. I don't know if that's a plus or a minus, but that's about where the 3 pieces were connected. If someone has had other experience, it would be good to hear about it. But now it appears that I have another alternative for my low winds. Doug

I absolutely agree. My first Rev was a 1.5M and I continually couldn't fly in the low winds here. I bought a Blast since it was rated at lower winds, wanting to NOT get something so much like my 1.5. What I found was that it wasn't as satisfactory as it could have been for low winds. I wound up getting a 1.5SUL anyway, and that was the ticket! It is great! When the wind is really light, it flies "just like a Rev". I agree with Jason, though -- you need to be at the point in flying where you're not crashing all the time because the SUL is just a tad fragile. Doug

Gosh Ben, I'm excited for you. I love Revs, myself. Below are my thoughts after about 1 1/2 years flying Revs. Others probably have even more helpful advice. I guess you don't have the Rev video that you can get with an EXP. It's pretty helpful, but there's nothing like just flying yourself. What's even better is if you can get someone to stand beside you and talk you through some of the maneuvers. Have you checked out the Rev Web site? Rev Kites Home Page There are some exercises on it that can help. I guess you probably know the basics -- hold your wrists somewhat together and just use wrist motions. Pulling back on the top lines gives "gas" and pulling on the bottom (or tapping) is "brakes". I just like to teach people by telling them my preferred way to hold the handles. Thumbs lightly above the rubber grips and held loosely, not tightly. I usually mention to always keep some gas on and then use a "tapping" with little finger or ring finger to turn or correct from going in the wrong direction. I get people to fly the kite about 3/4 up in the window and then experiment with the "tapping". What they seem to find is that, after just flying around using the gas and tapping the brakes, they get the hang of it. A common problem with previous dual-line flyers is to pull your hands back to turn. On a Rev, that makes the kite slide, not turn. That's why I said keep your wrists close together. You've got time to learn how to slide. Anyway, welcome to Quad Heads. You've got a great time ahead of you! Doug

I was at N. Myrtle Beach earlier this week with my family. Usually crowded beach, not much for quads. But at suppertime folks started clearing out. And low tide, so broke out the Rev. Then 3-year old Bethy comes up and... "Granddaddy, can I fly your kite?" Doug

Duuuhhhhh. File Attachments. Who would have a thought. Sorry for the ignorance....... Doug

I tried to upload a picture into a post today, but [probably through my ignorance] couldn't find a way to directly upload a picture. The only instructions I could find looked for a URL where the picture was stored. Is this correct? Am I missing the way to upload a picture directly? Thanks, Doug

I love my Rev 1.5SUL for light winds. Here in Charlotte, NC, we have light winds most of the time. When I can't fly one of my other Rev's, the 1.5SUL always comes through. Love it Doug