makatakam

The endcaps are custom-machined and the white bridle is 90# Spectra. The endcaps fit inside the spars quite snugly and do an excellent job of keeping sand out. This endcap and bungee setup for all six points weighs a total of 7.5-ish grams, versus 35+ grams of the standard factory issue.

Welcome to the forum.

Paul spanks his kites really hard. Most flyers don't trick their kites as often as he does. But when you do it certainly helps. The upright spar jumps over towards the center of the kite, and if only one of them jumps, creates an imbalance that is not catastrophic, but definitely annoying. On some of my kites I have modified the bungee so there is only one knot going to the sail on the side away from the center of the kite, a little to the left of what is the half-way point between the original two holes. If it is centered it likes to keep jumping jumping back and forth, which creates a really annoying "click" feeling in the handles every time you power up and ease off.

Hi, Scout, and welcome to the forum.

Edmond -- call me at 224-227-0638, evening, after 7:30 pm. What you have in mind should work very nicely and I can help you with setting it up nicely.

Sorry, nothing to report yet. Wind has been pretty much zero on each day I could have done the videos that are required. Then Pokemon GO happened -- you know how that goes! Today was windless again, so I went fishing and Pokemon hunting. I'm off tomorrow, and hoping for a bit of wind. I could have used one of my extremely-ultralight home-made Rev-like quads for the video, but figured that might be inappropriate.

I use a clove hitch around the screw.

True, Wayne, but there will definitely be some difference depending on which type of handle set-up you have, i.e., machined pro handles, home-made no snags, or original hog-ring. I find that the home-made no-snag are prone to put more wear on the leaders more quickly.

Yes, and the black leaders will wear out first. These "extensions" are very easy to replace, and you don't have to tie all those knots. Of course if you get them from TK and JB, but still, it will extend the useful life of the knotted ones.

Get the Quantum -- trickable and nearly indestructible. Stay off the concrete and asphalt, at least until you can avoid frequent contact. Pavement shreds the nose, leading edge sleeves, tips and spine, and also makes it very easy to break spars.

I saw mention somewhere that there are some who have already completed the Club 38 requirements, but no mention of who they are. I wish one of them would chime in here. I put the I-nigma QR app on my phone today. Now I can watch incredibly tiny videos of Club 38. I think I will need to put the app and a camera on my computer to watch without squinting. I don't see anything so far that makes the QR code or the passwords user-specific, so if the passwords are made public anyone would be able to access the skill videos for each level. If this is true, I don't understand why Rev wouldn't make them public in the first place just to generate greater interest.

No Thanks! I like my shoulders right where they are now, and fully intend to keep them there. Anything over 25mph turns me into a spectator.

I just noticed that this is the longest new member intro in the history of KiteLife! I'll drink to that.

The red/blk and the red/wht are the sleeves of the flying line.

Hi, PV, and welcome to the forum. Good to have you on board.

I switched from a flip phone to an iPhone about two years ago. I'm an old fart and still finding new things it can do; almost every week I find something else I didn't know. I didn't see anything that appears to be a QR scanner yet. Is that a separate app I need to download?

That's what I do with mine, only I make the part that attaches to the handle about six inches long so I can grab the leaders instead of the line for catch and throw. Also the part attached to the handle wears out more quickly and when it's time to is more easy to replace, as opposed to tying all those knots. Mine are just a bit different than John's to accomodate home-made quads, otherwise I would be jumping all over the ones TK and John make.

I suppose you'll need to bring out the good old 8mm or 16mm movie camera (good luck finding film for it) or have a friend with a smartphone do the filming. I plan to use my iPhone. I saw no mention anywhere, including the card I received, about what or where the hubs are. I'm guessing the most logical possibility is participating retailers with brick-and-mortar locations. Stay tuned. I'll be posting progress reports, but don't expect it to happen quickly. I tend to procrastinate.

My Club 38 T-shirt came in the mail today, only it's not a T-shirt, it's a Polo. Terminology strikes again! The Level 1 laminated card came with it. The card has a QR code on it which can be scanned "to open the video playlist for level 1". The QR code scanner was not included. I don't have a way to scan the code -- I do have the password which works fine on the Club 38 menu on Rev's home page -- and wonder how this will work for subsequent levels, since the password is not on the card.

You are nuts -- I'm lovin' it.

You did very well for as light as the wind was. I could tell by the speed of the kite that it was less than 4mph. Yes, a lighter frame will help in low wind conditions, but keep the idea on the back burner for a while. For now try adding more brake by letting the top lines out further, or bringing the bottom lines in closer, or both. This is totally counter-intuitive, but go ahead and try it. What it actually does is to square the sail up to the wind so that less of the air hitting the sail "slides" off of it, and more pressure is created. The amount of "push" against the sail is what determines if the kite will fly.

The underlined is a direct copy of my posts on the Rev forum: I have logged into and viewed Level 1, which consists of basic setup, launch, turn and land. I have been flying for seven years, so for me nothing interesting will happen until the upper levels, and I won't receive the login password until after I send video of completing level one. For a total novice the completion of the first four or five levels, I imagine, would be a good way to learn all the basic manouvres. I don't know if there is any way to "proficiency out" of the first two or three levels if one is already beyond the intermediate stages. It will be pretty boring until the upper levels I assume. I watched the Level 2 videos. No, I did not complete Level 1 yet. It's pretty easy to figure out the password for Level 2 if you watch Level 1. I haven't figured out the subsequent passwords yet, but that shouldn't be too difficult. The thing I have noticed is that the written description in both levels of the skills does not match the video it describes, which leads to some confusion about the exact sequence of moves that one should submit in the video required to earn the pin for that skill level. For instance, the written description says "spin 360 left, spin 360 right", which in the video is shown as a 360 to the right and a 540 to the left. There are multiple inconsistencies in the written and visual in both skill levels. This may be intentional, as we all know how difficult it is at the beginning to be consistent with the execution of any move, and the intent may be to merely verify the ability to accomplish it without losing control. Most probably, subsequent levels will require a higher degree of precision. We'll see. It would also be nice if Rev could keep (and show) a list of members and the level each has achieved. A bit of extra bookkeeping, but not arduous. There are eight levels with different numbers of skills per level, for a total of 38, hence the name. I don't know if any are actually tricks, like the catch and throw or axel. I'm hoping rev will eventually post an outline of the skills in each level. They had a special price of $38.00 + $7.50 shipping at the end of June which may still be in effect. With membership you get a CLUB38 t-shirt, and a pin for the level completed and a card for the next level(?) after submitting a video that shows you have accomplished the required skills at each level, merchandise discounts, and of couse, bragging rights (look at me, I'm a pro and I can prove it). It should be fun and it's better than spending the money on beer, so I joined.

Very good control for so early in the game. You'll progress quickly from what I saw! One thing I can tell from the way kite was moving is that the upper left line is longer than the other three. If they are all equal (within 1/4") the kite will lose that tendency to flip over to the left when a gust of wind hits it. Take frequent breaks. Don't fly more than 20 minutes at once. This will help you to not "overthink" what you're doing. Keep smiling and don't forget to breathe.

Call kite shops to see what is still available, or check on-line. Call Lolly at Revolution and ask what she has. The B-Series kites are a great design at a reasonable price. I don't know of anything that is comparable. I believe that Bazzer will still be making Pros, but they may not be called B-Pros anymore. I don't think the panel pattern will change, so although quite expensive . . . .

Other than stains, I hope. I see that you have Luca flying already -- yup, he's definitely off the ground!