John Dvoracek

Thanks for ALL that technical experience - I will try all of that!! I just got the 30' lines to try to overcome my frustration with low, variable and swirling wind days of which we have a lot. I am trying to fly outdoors a little like indoors on these days, and I might go so far as to acquire some type of SUL quad. I worry about that though because even with the Zen, the wind will go from nil to enough to really fill the sail which might break a SUL. I don't have 60' lines but do have 80', but I need wind. Next time I am taking my son's Kestrel 5500 Weather Meter to record the wind every minute or so to just know what is really out there - or not. Thanks again!

Amateur sport question: can you axel a Zen? On the same line of thought, can you flic-flac a Zen? I can barely do both those with my Rev B and Phoenix, but didn't have much success with the Zen today. Part of the issue could be highly erratic and low winds which is why the Zen was out. This was on 30' lines if that matters. Thanks in advance!

Relaxing summer of 2011 with Shook mesh #46 in 31 mpg average gusting to 37 mph winds, Texas temp 106F.

Thanks for the topic! My new 30' lines arrived yesterday, inspired by what I saw by some TKL at SPI 2020, and I am dying to fly (retired this year). Average wind 4.1 and very light rain. A little chilly at 42F, so may wait a few hours. My biggest concern is the effect on Laser Pro Gold lines, but sounds like no problem. At 30', I can unroll to dry out in the house.

Nice review of venting styles. Only three of my kites are vented, but more probably should be. I only fly the Barresi B mid-vent and the Shook when I have to - but nice to be able to fly above 25 mph - because they do feel a bit "sluggish". I don't have enough experience with the Phoenix tail vent only yet. Thanks for sharing.

Curiosity only question, of no useful value, but when did the patent expire? https://patents.google.com/patent/US5120006A/en?inventor=hadzicki seemed to expire in 2009 but Hadzicki-wing like kites didn't really seem to appear under other "brands" until 2015 or later? Was this because of the "master builders" Rev used or the in-house Barresi's, etc., which went away eventually?

When I see posts on the FB quad kites group, I have really mixed feelings. I am by nature and circumstances a lone flyer. At the SPI Kitefest 2020 I was fortunate to sit with the Austin kite team who confirmed the winds are just lousy in central Texas. One hour they are 30 MPH and the next still. This discourages a large interest in kite flying, so there just are not clubs, especially not quad clubs. I've ruined three hobbies by becoming outwardly competitive with others instead of just with myself, and I am not going to do that with kiting. There is just an inner joy and relaxation (except sometimes with the wind) feeling the lines and watching the movements of the kite. When I work through (mostly Kitelife) tutorials and learn (rarely master) new skills, I suppose I am competing a bit with myself, but it's also very satisfying to see the kite do new things. I am not connected enough, but I guess the hard core guys do contests, but they have different reasons and motivations. I don't get joy and peace by measuring myself against recreational flyers but by being better than I was before. This all said, in my humble opinion, those FB posts about this club are more self-serving to the poster than they are to the general kiting community.

Don't forget the http://www.kitelife.com/video-tutorials/ on this site! Have fun!

Certainly a reasonable question, but from personal experiences in 2010, I pretty much deduced this was an introductory 4-line flight Yeah, it is a lot harder than it looks but it's also a lot like riding a bicycle which is very hard to do until you know how, then it becomes natural. The great news is that you can have a lot of fun without being very good once you can simply keep it up, which I could do on my third outing. Then you just keep practicing stuff. After one year, I'm still working on inverted hover, and that's not very advanced for a year, but it's fun just trying to hold the kite in one area of the sky in one position. As others have said, the quad-line tutorials on this website under downloads are INVALUABLE to learning. Have fun!

A vented is much smoother in ANY wind. I acquired my full-vent (see my avitar) fearing our winds would tear my B signature apart. When I saw the full-vent was just more docile in general, I refined my inverted hover using the full-vent in moderate winds. Then I went back to the B signature with improved inverted skills. Of course the vents have reduced lift too, so you need more wind to remain aloft.

As others have said, flying a Rev is a BIG step up from a 2-line kite. Be patient, and expect to run headlong into a learning curve. I may be an unusually slow learner, or maybe just old, but I couldn't keep from crashing until the third time out - and I do mean crashing. While you're waiting for the kites to arrive, go to Quad line tutorials in Kitelife.com downloads and LearnKites.com and study the video tutorials. DO THIS! I know I'm too late, but I'll answer your question in case others follow this thread to help them in the same situation. You can't cover low and high wind flying with one kite, so you have to pick one end of the spectrum or the other. You are generally going to be in a low wind situation, so I would have recommended a Barresi B-series signature (1.5) package which comes with 2 and 3 wrap frames and very nice handles. To this add some lighter line. 50 pound will handle that kite in all situations you will encounter, about 90 feet of it. That will aid you in low wind conditions, saving line weight the kite won't have to lift. When the wind is heavier, you can put both the 2-wrap and 3-wrap frame in the leading edge, or for simplicity, you can also pick up a 4-wrap leading edge set for big wind (center rod and two spars). When I fly with the 4-wrap leading edge, I still use the 3-wrap vertical spars. If you get hooked, you will want a range of Revs better suited to a range of conditions. Have fun, and remember, patience! [Corrected to identify "B-series signature" as such and not as "B-series Pro" per post below.]

Thanks Duane! I've never flown a full-vent. In search of a high-wind kite, I was looking at a full-vent, which must be a custom order, versus a Shook mesh which is also usually a custom order. After learning this Shook was available, I chose instant gratification, but I also wanted to try something different. My gut feeling and the comments of one flyer are that the Shook mesh will handle somewhat higher winds. Maybe John Barresi will eventually stop by and comment as I am certain he has flown both although a fair comparison would require some good, swirling winds. In the picture I posted, I am using a 2-wrap spar in addition to the 4-wrap stock spar. The mesh (and the vent) are definitely better behaved this way in high winds. I'm not an aero guy, but bowing of the main spar must upset the flight characteristics. We're on vacation today, and the winds are back, so I'll be out again. Cheers, John

I agree enthusiastically with a seller endorsed by prior posters to this thread: Lyn and Rich at Midwest Kites in Iowa sold me my first three Rev's and gave me hours of flying advise and tips. Lyn really knows Rev's, and her advise has been spot on, and she has advised me with some single line kites as well. They ship very quickly and very economically. You couldn't go wrong with Lyn and Rick, especially if you need expert advise from folks who have flown an awful lot.

The temp this afternoon in Temple, TX (60 miles north of Austin) was 97°F with humidity 42% and winds from the S at 29 MPH gusting to 34 MPH. Utilizing a shade tree, a chair, a stocked cooler, a white shirt, and a straw hat, I had a great time for two and one-half hours flying my Rev mesh! I'm also using 90 feet of 90# line and Barresi Rev handles.

What weight and length lines are folks using for the new B-sereis Zen (one of which now rests in my kite bag)? I have 90#'ers (80') from my Barresi, but I'm thinking of getting some 50# 100' lines. Thanks in advance and Happy Holidays!