John Dvoracek

Sad but I know how you feel. My wind meter does that at least once a week.

Recently I replaced the stock leaders that came with my Revolution handles with pro leaders offered here https://kitelife.com/forum/store/product/18-pro-leaders-100-black/ They are longer on top, and the knots are a little closer together. That got me to rewatch this tutorial, and the new leaders gave me, or more factually made me, retune. I ended up with the bottom lines about the same distance as before from the handles, but the top lines are now two inches further out. This is described as a brake heavy setting in the tutorial, and it just brought my two new kites to life - a full sail Bazzar Poulter Phoenix Pro and a Kite Forge Djinn mid-vent. I have always had trouble with reverse, and with the new tuning, the kites are much better "balanced" and have so much better reverse. This is not about the kites, but there is a difference. The Djinn is the most responsive (sensitive to input) of the nine quads in my bag, and while the Phoenix is close, tuning really makes a huge difference with the Djinn controllability. I am guessing all my other kites will have more balance and better reverse. I completed a reverse circle for the first time, well, a reverse polygon which practice may turn into a circle. Side hovers were also much easier to hold. If you are not happy with your kite, especially balance and reverse, watch the tutorial and try retuning!

Bryan Wagstaff flew my kite and immediately said it was "unbalanced", had I equalized my lines? (no)

Is this really important? For ten years I flew alone although not a lot, and I never equalized my lines. Recently for the first time I flew with a very good flier who wanted to try my Rev 1 Carl Robertshaw Masterpiece (bought because I loved the colors). Soon after launch he looked at me and asked if I had equalized my lines because the kite didn't feel "balanced". I didn't think that would matter much, that my brain would just compensate for minor inequalities in line length. He said no, equal lines do really matter at any level. I had watched this tutorial in the past but thought it was for higher level pilots than I, but today I rewatched, measured, and learned one line on my lineset that he flew was one inch shorter than the other three.

This is a clear, concise tutorial which will really help you manage your quad lines, especially if you pay attention to all the points emphasized. Ten years ago I started flying quad kites, and my only instructor was these JB tutorials. I haven't always flown a lot, but for quite a while what I learned from this video served me well managing my lines from setup to breakdown. Somewhere I lost my way and began to experience excessive line tangles and twists. I just watched the tutorial again and read through https://kitelife.com/forum/topic/7662-line-management-suggestion/ whereupon I just realized my error. When you watch this tutorial, pay attention to the part near the end when you should bring the wound lines DOWN TO THE HANDLES without disturbing or turning the handles. I was lifting the handles by the wound lines and taking them to the SUV trunk to disconnect the lines. It makes a difference!

Facebook image by Ron Hofbauer, sepia and vignette added by me

February 15, 2020 at Lion's Park, overcast day