makatakam

120' line set for team flying is the standard and also for clinics, unless otherwise stated. For individual coaching it doesn't matter, but you will want to fly with the others attending. JB will instruct you on whatever you have, however, so don't panic. Have fun, smile and don't forget to breathe is all you need to know.

Yup, definitely a vented kite for stronger wind. It will allowyou to fly more and fight the wind for control less.

Hi, Jason, and welcome to the forum. Look for the complete Prism Freestyle Pilot DVD online or just buy one from Prism. Last I heard they were going for about $15US used, $30 new. You may be able to find one on e-Bay occasionally. It follows a rational learning progression from basics thru some of the advanced moves. It is quite old, but the info is still entirely valid, and well explained. The moves are shown done by some of the best flyers in the world at the time and are done flawlessly so you can see what you're trying to accomplish. You must have a stake to park the kite on, (and additional kites, lines and handles so you can keep flying when you break something. The Dodd Gross videos are awesome for learning. Learn to land at the edge of the wind window, if you haven't yet, how to stall the kite in any position or direction, and how to slide it across the window. The stall is the basic move for pretty much all others. Don't fly in wind that is too light or too strong for the kite you are flying, or too choppy and/or shifty when you are learning. Wait for the right wind to learn on. The only thing you will learn by trying to learn in bad wind is that it is near impossible to learn anything in bad wind, and if you are lucky enough to pull off a move you probably won't be able to repeat it. That is VERY frustrating. I have owned a few Prism kites, but never a Quantum (I have no idea why). The guys who have will chime in to give you some Quantum-specific info. I believe that the bridle is adjustable. Tip the nose back some for stronger wind, forward for lighter. If you received paperwork/instruction sheet with the kite, the info on adjustments is in there. If not just ask. There is nothing on a kite that you can't break if you hit the right obstacle at the right angle and speed. The things that wear out frequently are relatively inexpensive, like tip knocks and other hardware, and you will more than likely acquire replacements before they wear out. The Quantum will fly in 6mph+ wind, and you'll need closer to 10mph to lift that tail. Good luck and have fun, smile, and don't forget to breathe.

However, when you're doing axels, feel free to strangle that snake for a moment or two. When you pop that bottom you had better be hanging on tight!

The "Barresi" panel layout is John's(?) design in collaboration with Bazzer Poulter and other members of i-Quad? I would really like to know who to blame its true origins.

I've talked about my handle setup quite a bit, and now, I've finally gotten around to taking photos and posting them. I use extensions that attach to the handles and loop the leaders to the extensions. The extra length gives me something to grab that won't cut my hand or fingers when doing catch and throw. This is one of the earlier versions; the newer ones have extensions about three times as long, and the leaders have 3 or 4 more knots for use with other quads, mostly home-made, that require different settings than a Rev, bringing the maximum usable differential to about 9.5 inches. These are 13-inch.

So, they are guilty of copying themselves? I don't get it. Didn't Revolution Kites make the B-Series? I thought the B-Pros were a modified and improved B-Series made for the "pro" market by someone licensed by Revolution Kites to manufacture them. Did the designer(s) of the B-Series license Revolution Kites to produce their patented version of the kite? I don't know for sure what the arrangement among the parties was, but if someone actually said, "hey, this is the way it was", it would sure be a lot easier to understand who owes what to whom. And, actually, "B-Flex" is rather catchy.

I see from the photo that you hold the handles way up high. I understand that you do that to maintain a better grip on the one that gets away from you occasionally. However, this puts your hands too high and limits the amount of brake control available on the average, limits one end of the range of motion that would make inputs more effective, and actually makes the handles harder to hold onto when the kite is in an inverted hover because you are giving the leverage advantage to the kite. Ideally, your middle finger should rest on the balance point of each handle, the spot that when supported by only one finger keeps the kite stationary and not moving forward or backward. Not criticizing your technique or style, just trying to help with hanging on to the handle. I have old arthritic hands and can sympathize. I have found through my experience that the relatively large diameter of the foam grips that are normally found on the handles makes my hands tired and achy after a couple of hours, and yes, I have dropped a handle several times. The standard foam used is 1-1/8" diameter or 1-1/16" diameter. I found that it's easier for me to hold on to if they are 3/4" to 1" in diameter. You might try experimenting with smaller diameter grips to see if it helps, or possibly making it oval in cross-section.

Bringing the bottom lines in has the same effect as letting the tops out. One in on the bottom plus one out on top is the same as two out on the top or two in on the bottom. Technically, you only need one knot on the bottom; all adjustments can be made using only the tops, and is recommended to keep the kite safely "parked" in the inverted position on the ground while you make adjustments. You will understand why when, not if, the kite takes off unexpectedly. Imagine each handle as a straight stick. By moving the knots in or out on the top and/or the bottom is changing the angle of the sticks from this / to this l to this \ when you look at it from the flyer's left side. Of course, when you are flying you are constantly changing that angle, but the point at which the lines are initially set determines the ease with which you can do it, and the range of motion it makes possible.

Like Wayne said -- yes. I saw the picture of you and Jynx, and now I can put a face with the name. I'm glad you could hook up with her and the others at TI, and I'll bet you picked up more info than you could process in just a couple of days. It'll come back to you when you need it. Modify your handles as soon as possible; you won't regret it. The TK/JB leaders are really inexpensive for the amount of work that goes into tying them, but while you wait for yours if you're buying a set, you can remove the tops from your handles and untie them so they are not doubled over and therefore twice the length, and retie knots onto the now-single strand. Don't worry, the cord is strong enough to handle the pull. Just leave the bottoms the way they are. Technically, you only need one knot on the bottom; all adjustments can be made using only the tops. Welcome to the family.

Hey, Deke. What town do you live in? I'm in Schaumburg and there's a bunch of other flyers in the area.

I looked at the photo you posted of your handles. They appear to be the stock 13-inch Rev setup. The top leaders can be about twice the length that they are now, about 8 inches longer than the bottom ones. The easiest way to make this adjustment is take them off of the hog ring on the handle, add a 4-inch(?) extension to the hog ring on the handle with the knot of the extension at the hog ring, and the original leaders looped to the distal end of the extension. You will see many of the possibilities at TI on Saturday, and some snagless handles as well. Take a good look at the way others have set up their rigs and ask to try any that strike your fancy. "Jynx" will be there, so ask around and find her, and tell her Mark from IKE said she should look over your setup and make recommendations. If you don't see her, anyone else can help. There will be lots of Rev flyers there. Ask -- they don't bite. And do have fun. That's why you're going, right? P.S. -- Jynx will probably be flying green Bazzer Eyes or a Grey Polo.

That's good to hear, that they include something to get people started. I haven't bought anything but B-Pros and Masterpiece Revs for a few years, and those come with nothing but the sleeve. I don't think I got any DVDs, just some printed material on how to get started with any of the new Revs I bought. Oh, well, too late to worry about it now. I'm glad to hear that you have some experience with quad-line kites. You will get a lot of advice here from many of the forum members, and some of it will sound illogical to you at first until you try it for yourself, and as you gain more experience will have many of those "aha, I get it" moments. One of these illogical things you will hear many times over is that you should move the top lines out towards the end of the leaders in very light wind, say less than 2mph. Logically one would think that you should angle the top of the kite toward yourself to give it more lift, but the exact opposite is the truth. When you square up the sail by moving the top of the kite away from you, it increases the amount of wind pressure against the sail, and the pressure is what creates lift. Keeping pressure in the sail is key to low-wind flying. Without pressure in the sail it just slides down out of the sky. Living in Orlando puts you within 30 minutes of nice coastal winds. Most flyers envy you, especially us guys in the Midwest, where the wind is really "lumpy", and that's putting it mildly. Having dual-line experience is good, and some of it applies to quads as well. You have an understanding of the wind window and how the basic moves look. The Revs, as you have probably noticed, don't require as much input or body movement, and even in medium-heavy winds can be flown with small inputs. The Reflex should fly in lighter wind than the B-Series and is the better choice for wind less than 4mph. It sounds like you have everything pretty much sorted out and are beyond the launch and crash stage. You will eventually notice how going further out on the top lines gives you more control in very strong wind, and also more lift in very light wind. The in-between winds are where you will do most of the adjustments to find that "sweet spot" for any particular situation, or for speed control when flying with a group. The top leaders should be long enough to give you the ability to use as much as 8 inches of differential between the tops and the bottoms. I use 7 or 7.5 inches most of the time, and even more on some non-Rev and home-made quads. However, in the long run, whatever floats your boat is what is best for you. It depends mostly of what you want from flying a kite, so have fun, smile, and don't forget to breathe.

We should send a copy of the basic info on getting airborne for the first time to Revolution Kites and tell them to put a copy in the sleeve with EVERY kite they make and sell. Geez, one would think they could have figured this out by themselves by now. Do they actually put ANYTHING in there to guide a beginner?

Hi, jmaldo100, and welcome to the forum. It would be good if you would post a photo of the handles that came with it. For the first flight, and this is a very general rule of thumb, set the bottom lines on the knot furthest away from the handles, and the top ones about the middle knot. Once you've had it airborne and can control where it's going, (this make take a couple of hours, a couple of days, or a couple of weeks depending on how easily it comes to you), you can put the top lines on the knot furthest out and try to launch. If you can't get off the ground, move the lines in toward the handles one knot and try again. Repeat until you can launch. As you gain experience you will be able to use those knots where you initially couldn't launch. Bringing the bottom lines in towards the handles has the same effect as letting the top ones out, (adds braking effect) and can be accomplished by moving one or the other, or both for maximum effect. Watch the beginner tutorials before you fly and you will have a much easier time of it. Watch them several times, especially setup and breakdown, line management, and tuning adjustment. Treat what JB says as Gospel. It will serve you well. You will have plenty of time to develop your own style once you master the basics. Also remember that all those twists that APPEAR to be in the lines when you lay them out are not really there and 99.9% of them will disappear when the lines are tensioned. Do not try to untangle/untwist until you have tension in the line, and keep them under tension as you remove the one or two that may be present. Watch that video and then watch it again, and again, and . . . . . Have an experienced flyer help you the first few times out if possible. It will save you a lot of grief. Click the map tab above to see who may be nearest you and send a PM. Kite people are a friendly bunch and always willing to help someone starting out, so let us know where you are and we can recommend someone to contact, and post a photo of the handles and the kite, too, if you wish. Lastly, browse the beginner section of this forum for plenty of additional info, and keep an eye on this topic you started, as others will surely chime in with additional advice. Have fun, smile and don't forget to breathe.

You must now teach her to fly one. It's only fair. Congrats on both keepers, her and the kites. A year from now the B-Series will be harder to find, and will probably go up in price. I'm actually thinking about starting to buy up all that I can find.

REI noted. There's one not too far from me too.

Most kite shops have the right stuff. Don't buy just anything you find. Make a detailed comparison and make sure it is as close to identical as possible. Most of what you will find at fabric and hardware stores will just not work well, and will just not work well, and will just not . . . . . . . .

A steady 15mph is vented speed for sure. With enough experience, full vent or extra. Definitely get out to some festivals where you can try them out. Most pilots are eager to share the experience by letting you try a vented.

Hi, Rick, and welcome to the forum. There are many single, dual and quad-line kites that will fly in low-wind or zero-wind conditions. Unfortunately, they are not what I would call "cheap" because they require special materials and methods in the building process. The possibility of you completing one before the event if you build it yourself are good, but building it and learning to fly it efficiently are slim, unless you have years of no-wind experience. My recommendation is to contact any kite clubs in a 200-mile radius and get them to join in the festivities. You can check with the AKA (American Kiteflyers Association) for info that may help. Check for kite stores in the area. Usually the owners and staff are avid flyers and may be able to help, and will usually set up a sales tent at the fest. Many will be able to fly several demos per day to entertain the crowd. Unfortunately, kites and kite flyers are at the winds' mercy. Good luck in your efforts. P.S. -- Say hello to MaryLou for me.

Welcome to the forum, and say hi to Mary Lou.

This is going to be awesome! Keep the photos coming.

Yeah, and city miles versus highway makes a difference too.

Don't forget guys -- you have to take into consideration, also, the weight of the pilot. I weigh in at 130 pounds, so a 3m kite will let me down a lot more gently than someone who weighs 200 pounds. A 8m kite in my case would probably keep me aloft for days.

You can also use shorter sticks without the rigging lines for balance change and kickstand purposes only, without the stiffening effect on the frame, which can be mounted lower on the uprights to change the balance.