rexracer

OK, Reef, if you want a challenge, go way back to Ummagumma and try flying to "Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict". Gotta be one of the strangest "songs" ever put on an album

Glad to see more entries! Just a reminder...to enter you need a US (lower 48) shipping address.

I would say I have to agree with this. I have terrible winds here, light, gusty and from every direction. I fly on 50' lines most days because they allow me to react to changing wind directions and the wind cutting out much quicker that even the 85" lines that came with my SLE. That being said, in good wind the big window you get with the 120"s is great, That's why if you can spend the time to make lines, I say get the spool and do it. I made a jig and make them while sitting in front of the TV in my livingroom, Takes me about 10 minutes per line.

Ah well, probably couldn't afford the shipping anyway. The weight wouldn't be bad, but imagine the size of the box!

A friend has a pontoon boat and Candlewood lake is right here, so I would do it there, on 50' lines, if I give it a try. I have done some water flying, but I think I would dock or island launch Ehhhh... No. I don't know, John. Might be a way to top this trip. Powerblast 4-8 on 500# lines, bungee around your waist tied to the boat... could be fun!

That is another thing that is so great about a Rev. I'll bet your first day out that you have good wind, you too will be doing dive stops and other things that other kites just plain cannot do. I've never tricked a dual line either, but the Rev can do some tricks really easily. Other that the catch and toss (very cool!) I haven't been able to do any of the fancy slack line tricks yet, but what it does in "normal" flying is trick flying to anyone but a Rev head.

If you get a used kite, you never know what you might get accessory wise, but if you need to buy a line set, and it's in your budget and you have the time, consider buying a bulk spool and sleeving. Then you can make sets of different lengths. Though flying 120' lines is a blast, I find myself using 50' lines a lot because of the wind conditions here. I definitely get more flying in with different length line sets.

Very cool! I admit that I was suprised to see a full sail on 50#. I was thinking full vent on 90#. I've actually thought bout doing this on 50' lines.

Couldn't throw in some good wind, huh?

Um...I may have a Walkman somewhere, but all my tapes are shot.

I bought the Std sail SLE package because I thought the "B" was out of my price range. I flew it for 2 hours and ordered a B full vent with race rods and the travel rods because I was going on a trip. The Pro "snagless" handles are MUCH better than the std handles that came with the SLE, and I only use those. The STD handles are waiting for a snagless upgrade. I fly the SLE more because of my wind conditions...I need the full sail more often. If you always fly on the beach and the wind is generally higher, I might go for the mid vent. I enjoy my full vent the most, and if I was doing it again, I would go for the B right off the bat. The Vented B is a blast with race rods once the wind hits about 10 mph or so. I've never used the SLE rod and usually fly with race rods, but I had the vented up one day when the wind was 20-25mph with gusts to 35 or so, and I wished I had the SLE rod with me...the 3 wrap was taking a beating.

A quick update... The drawing ends at 12:00 noon Eastern time on July 3rd. I will use the RNG to pick the winner. If the winner PM's me shipping info that afternoon before 4:30PM Eastern, I should be able to ship it on the way home from work. Good Luck All!

Classic! Did you ever think of selling them? You could make millions! Pet Rocks, Beanie Babies and now custom driftwood Tail Winders!

I also have more trouble upright. I had to watch the video again to see if JB does it, but I noticed that my slides go much better if the "front" of the kite (leading tip when sliding) is tilted a little uphill. Seems like even JB tilts his slides a little, so I guess I'm doing OK!

Hypnotist should be here Tuesday! I have a 150'x150# line set coming, too. Now I'll be ready when the tail arrives. I'm thinking on how to make a tail winder.

All good advice. I have some myself for when you get a Rev. Whether it helps or not depends on one thing... Have you ever driven a skid steer or track vehicle? If so, flying a Rev has some control similarities to a skid steer. Keeping your hands together, Handles forward you fly forward, handles back you fly back. Right forward and left back and you rotate counter-clockwise, left forward and right back you rotate clockwise. Even though it's different, the controls are similar, and if you have experience driving with 2 sticks, once you get the feel for neutral (hover) the controls will be similar enough where you should be able to control it enough to drive around the sky and get a feel for it. I watched John's videos and made the skid steer connection before I ever flew. I was doing dive stops in the first 5 minutes, and once I got the sideways hover figured it was just a matter of practice. After a year I've now advanced to the point where I suck, but I can impress all of the non kiters around here who see me fly.

I was listening to Get Your Wings that day, though I do have Toys in the Attic. Most of my toys are in the garage, though. BTW. It's been a busy year so far, but I hope to get down your way by the end of summer, so maybe we can hook up and fly on one of those windy beaches that steal all of our wind!

Kite store? Around here? That's like trying to find good wind around here. Maybe when I order the tape I can get some of that shipped, too?

I never get to fly with company.

If anyone has plans for a rig that would work on a Rev, I would love a copy.I have an Olympus Tough 6200 that I would love to mount. It's waterproof and takes great underwater pics. I would love to get video of the kite going into and coming out of the water.

I flew my Rev to music for the first time the other day. It was a blast! I never have before since I don't have an I-pod (or an I-anything) but the wind was blowing in a direction where I could fly from a spot near where I parked my truck, and i opened the doors and cranked up some classic rock ( Aerosmith Get Your Wings) I particularly enjoyed Train Kept A-Rollin' and Seasons of Wither. I found that "flying with intent" was easier, and the beat forced crispness and accuracy with my moves, plus I love music, so there is that. I may have to get an I-pod type device so I can do this more. How about the rest of you? How often do you fly to music and how does it help. or hurt, your flying?

What kind of wind did you have? If the wind was up where it wasn't an issue (above 8 mph??) then it sounds like something is wrong. You said you have a Pro B...how about trying your lines and handles on it? 90# lines should be fine for a test as long as the wind isn't up too high. If it still flies weird, then maybe the bridle is messed up. That's the best I can come up with.

Would the Tedlar tape be available locally? Where can you get it, and is that the actual name? Maybe a fabric store?

I have to add that I never thought much about lines. My first "real" kite probably has dacron lines. Never noticed a problem. I bought my first rev, which came with LPG lines and never touched that old stunt kite until last week. Keep in mind that I've been flying LPG exclusively for over a year, and I've made up line sets to the tune of 1500 feet, so that's what I'm used to. I staked out those dual lines and figured I'd check to make sure they were equal length. WHAT! they were like pulling on elastic. 85' lines were streching at least 4" by pulling them straight. I can't imagine trying to control a Rev with lines like that. I'd say you have 2 choices. Buy a set of LPG quad lines, I think you need 150# for a Blast, or buy some sleeving and a spool of LPG and make your own. It's cheaper to make your own, and you can make different lengths for different conditions, so that would be my vote.

That's the hard part. I'm already doing the same thing since I'm sure I'll want a shot at whatever goes up next. Even JB will probably join in, though it will take some creative thinking to come up with something kite related that he wants, and doesn't already have.