Wayne Dowler

To each their own! Wind was perfect at Huntington Beach, I was getting bored. I was so bored in fact I'm reading out there in a couple weeks to be bored again I'd wish the rain or calm or something would ruin your stay, but afraid Karma would come back to bite me!! Sent by the jealous!!!

I'm laughing out load, not at you, but with you!! It's what drove me to get an SUL and then the Zen, these maddening crazy winds! I was determined to fly in just about anything, so I invested in equipment geared towards the low end! That and I worked on flying in those conditions - no matter what! With time and practice, it came!! Have hope!!! 2 hours here!

The Zen is one of those kites - some love, some hate! Maybe it's the size, I don't know!! But I'm in the LOVE group!!

Begging, pleading, using logic, nothing works dependably with the RNG!! Luck, that's all!!

My story and progression is a lot like Nick's, from SLKs to dualies to Revs! One big difference though - my learning curve was interrupted by a stroke! Just as slack line tricks were really coming into their own! Sure, I had figured out axels and stalls, maybe a fade sometimes, but now my vision won't let me time things to develop that much farther! So I'm down to the beach with my wife and daughter, soaking up sun, enjoying the day, when I decided to go over to the kite store across the street in Lincoln City OR. It had gone through several owners in a short time and was not the place it used to be. But someone had just bought it and it looked all spiffy and nice again, so I uttered the words that set my world back on fire - "I'm just going over to look around and drool a while. Be back in a bit." Not to be!! I went over there and looked around and saw something new to me - vented Revs!!! Somehow in all my flying, I didn't know about or had ever seen a vented Rev!! Crazy huh? Remember at that point I wasn't on Rev's forum and had been out of the kite world for a couple of years! In fact I had dropped out so suddenly after bring a fixture at the 2 LC festivals for many years, some were thinking I had died!! So a little back story here - I had a Rev 1 I had brought back in the late 90s, big wing, only took it out in perfect conditions - for me!! My balance had been affected by the stroke, so I was extra careful to set that big sucker up in any bigger winds! I just didn't want to do a face plant!! YUK!! Anyway, I came running back, as fast as I run,(set your sundials), yelling - "I gotta get me one of those!!!" Talked it over with the wife, figured we could wiggle it into the budget, and voila - a full vent R/W/B SLE was up and flying!! Little did either of us know where this would go from here! Then this other thing came up - indoor flying!! I had heard about it just before the stroke, so that went on the back burner for a while! I just wasn't sure I could still fly, let alone move enough to do indoor! Anyway down at LC, the weather on a Saturday was just awful, raining, clouds, just all over wet! So I heard that there was some indoor flying going on at a school gym nearby! I figured the beach was a washout, I'm here to see and fly kites, why not check it out. Went over to the gym and saw Connor and Watty and Litsong flying indoor Revs and gliders! Pretty nice, but I was afraid that I couldn't move fast enough to make that work for me! I happened to say something along those lines to Connor's mom Amy, and she said something like "There are kites you don't have to chase around so much, you know!)! I went to my 1st indoor fest that fall and she set up a Skate, gave the line to me and said "It's all yours to use, all day if you like!)! I was in luck that day too, as Paul, the designer was there, and he helped adjust the nose weight for me! Remember this was my 1st time indoors, absolute "noob"!! By the end of that day I had that thing dialed in pretty good! Was getting the hang of it, the gliding, the stepping to the side to create a bit of angle to turn it! Yep, I was enjoying indoor and found I didn't have to run!! Got invited to join in on the "Mystery Ballet", didn't have any clue what that meant, and found myself leading off the whole thing, first time flier, first time out! Scary as h$$l!! Lucky I knew the song and just sang along with it as I flew! YEAH!! Had a great time! But AMY DID SOMETHING ELSE - after the ballet was over, she asked me if I wanted to try an Indoor Rev! Now this was a bit of overload, but being game I said sure, why not! HOOKED AFTER ONE GO!! I couldn't fly for beans, but Damn that was fun!! I gotta get one of those! Well you know the rest of the story - I fly everywhere, anywhere, just about anytime now! Gear has gone though a sort of refining process and I've found what works for me! If you stick with this, you will too, believe me! PS: I call outdoor flying - Wind Therapy - good for what ails you!! Indoors, I like the saying from the Glider Geek page on FB - "We don't need no stinking wind!"!

I use a Zen or an SLE SUL for light winds, coupled with light lines (50#) and longer handles (15")! I also have used in the past the Zephyr's predecessor, the Ozone, (out of production now)!! The secret I use is to use the sail's momentum in your favor!! Using the speed and power developed during a downwards pass, can be used to fly it back up! There's this constant give and take motion you end up developing to fly in the light stuff! You'll find you really have to smooth out your flying, any sudden jerks or odd pulls result in just pulling the kite right out of the sky! But the reward is that you can fly while others are just sitting there looking! SWEET!!

Who's calling 5-6 mph light winds?? With a little practice, those are winds to die for!! Gentle, easy on the body, still enough to make your sail work!! Glorious days!! Light to me are days 2-3 mph and lower, now that requires either a bit more moving or the "right" equipment!! Sorry Rob - I hadn't seen the video's title before posting - my bad!! But did you notice that he was moving back and forth in time with the kite's movements? You can't fly in extreme light winds without moving, feet can't be in cement!!

Damn - if my eyes aren't deceiving me - looks like a hurricane!!! Race rodded std with 90# lines and 15" handles should be good to go in that much wind!!! But I'll keep my 50# sets handy, just in case!!

AW NUTS!!!

Easy there Ragin - I've encouraged Carolyn L. to put together something and submit it!! Might give your idea a run for it's money!!!

Wait till Wayne sees this. He'll give me a ration of crap, I'm sure I'm waiting he'll be up soon ! Burn that abomination!!! If my xtra vent can't handle it, I just ain't flying!! PS: I gave my SLE set to JB for holding out a banner!!! Put them to some use!! Tomato stakes - YUK!!

I like to call that a "teaser wind"!! Just keeps tempting you to try and try!! Like "Mother Nature" is having a good laugh at your expense!! Been there too many times!!!

Kent is usually OK with anything Rev!! Bought some stuff through him myself, good man, knows his Revs!!!

Yes and no! Yes you can, but any local dealers won't like that you cut them out of the loop! I would see if any outlets will accept the certificate first, if that fails, then go through Rev directly!

Sorry but that ain't happening! Higher utility bills and unexpected repairs to the furnace this winter have pretty much killed my budget! I do have a friend going though - Gerry Ralls! Hangs out with the Fosters and Pittmans or just about any team line! Look for his trademark - suspenders!! He wears them all the time!! Floppy hat, Buff,and maybe a hydration pack, he be there!!

Oh Wayne, just call Lolly and order a set (check's in the mail) You buying??? OH LOLLY!!!! Have I got an order for you!!!

At Rockaway or Lincoln City this summer, I might get a chance to compare them up close! Even lay them on top of each other to see any differences! I did that to compare my Rev1 to the Zen, and my SLEs to "B"s! Would like to know how the NYM compares!!

Doesn't 180GO use SLE kites? Yep they do! But they just received a set of NYM kites (std) and most likely vents are coming!! Still haven't had a question answered about whether or not the NYM uses the "B" profile or SLE profile!! They are slightly different!!

As a little aside here: I do setup almost exactly the way shown on the old VHS tape - with one exception - after putting my lines on the assembled kite, I stretch out the lines to pull almost any left over twists or tangles out! Then, I invert the sail to that LE down position!!

Seriously, the SLE was designed around having a straighter LE overall and can use the SLE's stiffness to hold out the sail! The "B" was designed to work with the flex of 1/4" rods and the vertical panels help channel air properly over the sail for better use and control! Fly them both - you'll eventually feel the subtle differences between the two sail types!! It's why you see lots of teams using "Pros", they can appreciate those differences!! Just starting out, it will be hard to tell, you're too involved trying to fly, to pay much mind! But as you progress, you'll begin to see and feel the difference!!

How about : WHUMP - the POWER PUMP!

Bingo!!!

Question, since I already have a SLE rod, if the winds were strong, would that work on the B, rather than buying a 4 wrap rod, or would it not fit in the LE of the B, or is the SLE just not good to use, period? To put an SLE rod in a "B" is sacrilege!! The "B" was designed around using the flex that the 1/4" rods have, not the inflexibility of the SLE tubes!! Yes it will interchange, but don't let the Rev police catch you!!!

To answer your question on setup - That DVD was copied from a VHS tape made many years ago by Rev! RR is right that some info is dated on it, not all! Inverted parking is one that has changed due to the safety aspect!! PS: I still have a copy!!!! I understand your position better now, some have different backgrounds that lend themselves to different ways of learning!! Myself, I've always been a "hands on" type of learner!