Wayne Dowler

You can if you want, but just because it feels like Skybond, doesn't mean it has the same properties as Skybond. Yes it has less stretch than other fishing lines - but it still has more than kite line! Kite line is more tightly woven than any fishing line - hence even less stretch. If you plan on flying alone - no harm, no foul. But if you have any hopes of flying in a group, get Skybond or LPG. Warning - don't use braid fishing lines around others!!

Looked through this - I had a SpiderWing II way back then!!!

Events?? Straining my brain to remember them all: Apr. 2nd & 3rd Rogue Valley Windchasers Fun Fly, Crescent City, CA Apr. 9 PDX Indoor Jamboree @ Oregon Soccer Center, Clackamas, OR Apr. 16th Rogue Valley Windchasers & Longsword Vineyard, Wine Tasting and Fun Fly Apr 16-17 Kites and Hugs, Ocean Shores, WA May 6-7 Kite Festival/Fun Fly, Rigby High School, Rigby, Idaho May 20-22 Victoria International Kite Festival, Victoria, BC May 27-30 Rockaway Beach “Go Fly a Kite” Festival, Rockaway Beach, OR June 4-5 Festival of Colors, Ocean Shores, WA June 25-26 Lincoln City Summer Kite Festival, Lincoln City, OR “Windstock” is the theme (wear your tie dye shirts) July 15-17 Southern Oregon Kite Festival (SOKF) in Brookings, OR “Carousel of Kites” is the theme Aug 15-21 Washington State International Kite Festival (WSIKF), Long Beach, WA And that doesn't include the LC fall fest or AKA national convention dates!

Ever flown the Rev? A couple tips if not: Top leaders - try to use the furthest out knot on the factory leaders. Most of us make our own and they are much longer. I'll try and put links at the end to illustrate my point. Longer top lines let you "square up" the sail to the wind and make the sail more efficient. Too short and yes the kite launches, but control while in the air gets compromised. Actual flying - PLEASE don't pull if you think you are going to crash!! Get this saying in your mind - Give To The Kite!!! Let everything go slack, even if it means stepping forward! Pulling just drives the kite into the ground - HARDER! Rather to straighten it out than have something break!! Luckily that isn't too often! The Rev is a pretty tough bird. Use your 3 wrap rods to start (marked Ultra Light with 3 feathers). If you have a standard sail, you may have a set labelled "Professional Use" with 2 feathers - called 2 wrap. Save those for after you get past the "unexpected crashing" phase! They can make your wind range lower, as they are lighter. To start - Attach your lines to the handles, run out your lines, stake out the kite end of the lines (don't attach yet), go back to your handles, pull gently and see if a line is too long or short. The handles "should" line up identically, if not adjust the offending line/s! Why? An uneven lineset will automatically go sideways or just loop around and crash! Sort of like a car with a bad alignment issue, pulling sideways all the time. By equalizing the lines, you prevent this right off the bat. DO NOT expect new lines to be perfect!!! In fact most aren't! It's one of the little tricks we pick up as we go down the path of flying these things. And I hope you have a stake!! If not - get one! You'll find it indispensable as you go on! Got that done - attach the kite (with the stake holding the handles now) and in a parking situation - invert the kite! Yep - put it upside down! It's in position to fly into the ground that way and won't accidentally launch, if dogs or kids walk through your lines! Untwist the lines, get the correct handles in the correct hands, turn the kite over, and - Just try launching straight up about 10 - 15', stop and try balancing the kite, then land back down with both tips touching at the same time. Rinse and repeat several times as you can get a feel of how it goes, before getting so high and maybe losing control - CRASH!! Get that solid and move on to higher, hover, land. It might be boring - BUT - it can help you get a feel of how the kite FEELS, how it reacts to the wind. And that is important to learn! First steps!! Happy flying!! Link to leaders: http://www.revkites.com/forum/topic/4409-my-leaders-your-thoughts/

That is what a lot of us do as lines wear out - we recycle them into shorter sets. Sometimes shorter lines allow you to fit in places not roomy enough for regular lengths. This is especially true for us Rev fliers that are into "street" or urban flying. Think about only having a street width to fly in, short lines fit! I, at times, literally fly right outside my house in a cul-de-sac! Again a Rev flier, but short lines have their place. Where I have room - I use 75', 85'. Or 120' if flying with others. But for "street" I prefer 30' to 50'. So use your judgement on the best solution for you A piece of advice: learn on the longest set you can! Longer lines give you more time to react. Everything happens at light speed on short sets. As a beginner, give yourself the best chance of success using as long a line set as you have. And remember - Give To The Kite!!

It will make it harder to remove. Yes, you could fly with it in the line, but it will fail there sooner or later. If it is where the lines twist as you loop, it might catch. Your choice. Resleeving is super easy. Just untie all the knots on that end piece of heavier line. Come down to the knot and slide the sleeve over it. Cut the line at the knot and then retie all the knots in the sleeve. You should have a loop now. If the lines were equal to start, do the same untie, slide, retie, using your cut piece to use as a guide on the other line. I've made my own sets for years - it's just a bit of time. You can make lines for about half price, buying bulk line. PS: remember to not let the end go back into the sleeve or you will need some sort of sleeving tool to get the sleeve over the flying line!

Untieable?? I haven't found it yet!! It does take some perseverance sometimes, tests your patience!

Used the magnifying glass with needles before with pretty good luck, on the knot. Even on 50# lines! Just try to get the whole line and not just a few fibers or strands. If broken, they create a weak spot in the line that will eventually fail. Most good stores will handle line sets for sale - BUT - get good quality lines! Lines are your only connection to the kite. All your feel on how the kite reacts to the wind, your inputs, etc, are coming down those lines. There are 3 lines I trust - Shanti Speed, Shanti Skybond, or Laser Pro Gold (LPG). Stay away from dacron, it stretches as you fly, and wears . It is really good for single line kites, but the twisting and wrapping of a stunt kite just don't agree with it. Oh, and be prepared for some "sticker shock" on the line sets! The good lines will cost almost what your kites each have so far. But with good care will last a long time! Anytime you feel that the kite is going to crash - LET IT!! Please don't pull, trying to save it! All that does is drive the kite harder into the ground! Better to go have to straighten out things, than to find out you've broken something from smashing it into the dirt or sand! Even go so far as to take a few steps forward to ease that crash if you need to. Just remember the saying - Give To The Kite!! Good luck and happy flying!

I have not heard of it, but doesn't mean it's not true. Maybe icywings can clear it up?

icywings - can you post a pic or two? From your original post, I got the impression that your kite was a single line (SLK)?? Or is it a stunt kite? It will make a big difference in how the adjustments work!

Standard?? Depends on what he was using!

Looked over the ebay ad - don't think I would trust the quality of those lines to last long. Didn't see a length given, but most good quad line sets run $65 - $100 ( LPG or Skybond).Got a feeling they are dacron lines that will have a bunch of stretch. If the kite and handles are fine, you still got an OK deal, just watch your lines for stretch and/or wear. PS: my opinion is coming from a Rev point of view, we want lines that have very little stretch (play) in them for quicker response.

SR - he's probably closer to your time than ours!!!

He said he might be able to pull this off, but remember he's 11 hours ahead of West Coast time!! 9 pm there, I'm sure he's engaged in flier activities!

My Rev bag is almost always in my trunk, ready to use!! Zen, SUL, STD, MID, F/V, X/V, and my 1st Rev 1, along with various lines and handles, are at the ready. Indoor gear goes as needed, as does the "street" gear! Although I have been adding my old Indoor to my Rev bag more often for those really windless days! And don't let this get around - but I do have several dualies, (but we won't get into that)!

Thank You!!

Someone asked about the colors - can you verify? Pic makes it look orange - designer says red - which is it?? Thanks!!

Remember that this is an indoor kite first - and for outside use when the winds are pretty much zero! Throw out the 7 mph max wind speed and use it in the lightest winds. PS: a great indoor starter kite!!

I'm getting the script instead of the ads on the right side of the page. Using Chrome on a Win 7 OS machine.

Does everyone know that "Emong" is the word "gnome" spelled backwards??

Walt has just gone through a rough patch in his life. Pretty sure he was still making "no-snag" handles for Rev, not sure on his stake business. I saw him in November and have seen some posts on FB lately. You might try raising him again! On FB his name is Walt Ellis.

1 meter? That's smaller than anything Rev makes! Rev 1.5s are 7+' long and Rev 2s or B2s are 6' long, but about 32" long when folded up!

Just got a return answer from Lolly - nothing from Rev that she's aware of - BEWARE!!

Got the same and also not wanting to open it! I do remember them asking us to join some newsletter/update type thing and wondered if this is it? But unless confirmed by some one - I'm not opening it!!

Maybe some of your learning attempts too! Phil and Barb are there, ask one to film!! We need to see some outtakes!!