makatakam

Looooooking gooooooood!!!!! Glad to hear you had fun. Great shot of you, your kites and the buildings and flags behind you. Looks like the wind cooperated too. Who could ask for more?

Use an electric winch and braided steel cable. This type of system is used to launch radio-controlled gliders, usually to about 300 feet.

Congratulations @Paramedic.

You may eventually develop a liking, even a preference, for low-wind flying. At that point, shorter, lighter lines and an SUL sail and frame will become one of your mainstays. I truly enjoy flying my home-made sails, or my purchased one-piece sails which I have modified to be even lighter, while sitting on my ass while others are just plain grounded. Immense satisfaction in addition to being able to fly while others are working up a sweat just trying to keep their kites airborne. It's like catching fish and having other fishermen crowd in on where you are fishing and moving to where they came from and catching fish there while they are still catching nothing. If you know the small differences that can make what you want to do happen, then you can make it happen when others can't, and it is soooooooo satisfying. How do you acquire this slight edge that makes it possible? Like JB said, "I have failed at it 100 more times than most people have tried it". Try it often -- you might begin to like it.

You could add the initial of your last name to the end of the handle, i.e. DougieR. It would be cool if it actually is R, 'cause then you would be "dougier" than the other Dougie. Other option is to use a symbol at the beginning, middle or end of the handle, like _, =, *, etc. You could be "10%DougieR" if you wish. Oh, the possibilities.

If at first you don't succeed just go fly a kite. That's my excuse and I'm sticking with it.

All wrapped tubing will have a spine. How severe or prominent depends on the thickness of the cloth. The only exception would be a tape-style diagonal cross-wrap with the ends of the tube cut off after curing. Unfortunately, that makes the tube VERY expensive.

Oops, my bad! I see him now. New glasses on to-do list now.

Just do it! The way you get good at low-wind flying is doing it. You will learn absolutely nothing about it if you don't do it, and you will inhibit your learning curve. Don't let your learning curve flatline. Accept low wind as a minor challenge. Too little wind to fly at all? Equalize your lines. Talk shop. Try 360's on short lines. Adjust your bungees for proper sail tension. Clean off your endcaps. Check your bridle to make sure all its legs are equally symmetrical. Inspect the sail overall and the leading edge for fraying, signs of wear and loose threads and singe where necessary. Modify your frame for flying in sand with o-rings or painters' tape. It is better to do these things when the wind is not blowing, as opposed to doing them because you have to when it is blowing and you would rather fly. Just saying. . . . . . . there have been times when I wanted to fly but couldn't because I neglected maintenance and something failed or was out of adjustment.

Now that is funny -- tragic, but funny. I share your addiction/affliction. Fortunately, there is no cure.

Hi, Lee, and welcome to the forum. I get out to Detroit every once in a great while. Looking forward to flying with you someday.

I was thinking it's like Dough-gee, but now you got me goin' on Dah-ooooooouuugie, although something like Dah-oh-you-guy works for me too. I don't know . . . decisions, decisions. Well, at least it gives me something to do today.

Looks like you missed @Robbie R.

I've noticed among those I have taught and others who are just starting out that once they learn to turn it's over. They no longer will practice the very basic moves that underlie everything else that can be done with a Rev. Get into a routine of repeating everything you know how to do up to this time out on the field. Going straight, turning, hovering, etc. Do it very, very slowly (kite speed) in every position and in every direction. Do it at least five times, preferably ten. You don't have to do your reps back to back, but do the entire set of moves you know before moving on to just flying around or trying something new. Make the moves you know and the transitions between them clean and crisp as possible. Trust me, this will help immensely with anything new you try to do, and it functions as a "warm-up" exercise which will get you used to that day's wind conditions. Practice STOPPING the kite in all directions in all positions, by hitting the brakes and giving slack simultaneously. Then, to get going again, give it slack and then pop your hands toward you and give it forward drive at the same time. This is known as "whump". The kite should go to full speed from standing still without the slow acceleration in between. Think of it as the opposite of a dive-stop. It will make all your moves much crisper. Watch JB fly (not the tutorials, but other videos) and you will see he does this with nearly every move, even if turning or backing up. I only mention it at this point because it is easier to incorporate early in the learning curve; it's much harder to undo what you've been doing all along and add it to your repertoire. Sorry for getting a bit long-winded here, but it's so much easier to do now as opposed to unlearning things later.

Aww, you can't change it now. I've gotten used to "Daougie".

That's good. I didn't want you guys thinking "Why can't I do that the first time out?".

It's a keeper.

That first video -- don't be fooled by it. It may be his first flight with a Rev, or maybe that particular Rev, but he's definitely no stranger to quad-line kites. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, flies a Rev backwards and sideways across the window moments after the first time they ever launched the kite. I sincerely hope you guys don't judge your progress by what you see in that video. It takes at least 20 hours solid flight time to start getting near that level, sometimes more, except for super-talented "naturals" like me. Just kidding. Took me about 100 hours of trying to learn on my own to get to that level. If you are close to that already -- well deserved kudos to you. As Wayne mentioned, especially on JB leaders, start at the farthest knot out and start bringing it in until you can launch. However, with additional time under your belt, start going out towards that far knot for additional control and more ease of holding the inverted hover. It will also help relieve much of the discomfort in your wrists and forearms when you've been flying for several hours. More stamina for extended fun time at fests and such. When you want additional lift and/or speed from your kite, learn to move your body rather than your arms for the same reason. Smile, have fun and don't forget to breathe.

Addict.

I think he meant that a lack of long leaders on his kite made the other feel brake heavy, Wayne. At least that's the meaning I got from the statement. Anywho, what what Wayne said is correct. The knot settings (differential) that you use will give the kite different characteristics in flight, will make one feel sluggish or speedy in comparison to the other. The only way to compare the two is to have them on exactly the same length of lines, handles and leader setup. I mean identical! Even one knot can make a very noticeable difference, and changes in the wind itself will compound that difference. However, that's what determines your own style and preferences. For team or pair flying the settings and equipment should be as close to the same as possible. For instance, the brake-heavy kite will not keep up with the other one because its top speed is reduced by that setting. It's a learning process that lasts a lifetime. Have fun, smile, and don't forget to breathe.

Hi, Clark, and welcome to the forum.

Sounds interesting -- keep us posted on the results. I once got some motor oil on a small area of one of my duals that made it appear translucent and shiny. I wonder how much weight it would add to the kite if the tire shine or oil was applied to the entire sail.

Looks like fun!

Ok, now you must change your handle to "flyingbananas". I had no doubt it would fly. Special kind of fun/warm/fuzzy feeling when one of your own creations flies, ain't it?

Nice catch!