makatakam

Just remembered I have some pics: The first one is my own design. The second is a "Skysong Cool" SLK converted to quad. The two white triangles are keels that stabilize it.

@DeafThunder Rok = Rokkaku. It is a type of kite. Google it. @John Barresi I'll have to take some pics of my early home-made quads and post them. Most are quite squirrely, but manageable.

Nope, that doesn't work either.

Yes, if you read the thing it says you can "watch it live here or on NASA TV" -- click the link he provided above, click the "home" tab, and read the page.

1. Bringing the knots/lines in towards the handle if the kite won't launch is when the kite is in the upright position: VV, leading edge up. 2. A hover is holding the kite motionless, in any position, anywhere in the wind window -- so yes, 6" off the ground and not moving is a hover. 3. Inverted is the opposite of upright -- see item #1. Left hover is leading edge to the left, Right hover is leading edge to the right. 4. Yes, you can hover 6" off the ground inverted, completely motionless, and then turn it over (to upright) and hover in the same spot, motionless, without making adjustments, if the leader setting being used is such that the kite is pitched forward enough to provide the necessary amount of lift to hold the hover, and/or the wind is sufficient, and/or if you provide the necessary lift by moving backwards. (This, item#4, is difficult for beginning pilots to understand and accomplish, as it requires enough time-on-the-lines/experience, developing a "feel" for the kite and the wind, and constant minute adjustments in control inputs.) I hope this helps. If you have any other questions, fire away, no matter how "dumb" you might feel about asking. We have all started at the same place, and have experienced the same things you are at this point in you kite flying "career". I am always ready to help reduce the amount of grief and frustration you may feel at times, because I've been there, and after seven years of flying quad-lines still get miffed when something new doesn't happen for me as easily as I thought it would. Hang tough, smile, and don't forget to breathe.

Hey, Shawn -- you are literally surrounded by Rev pilots. Click on the "Member Map" tab near the top of the page. On the plus side, some of these guys near you are the best of the best. Also get on the Revolution Kite Forum and check. Someone there may be closer.

Crying won't help. Already tried that.

I edited mine over the winter months -- am ready to boogie. Keep this post going if you can. Logging your learning curve makes for good reference material, especially for new pilots who can relate to both the joy and the tears. (pronouced "tares")

Ok, John -- I get the idea! Jeez, you only gotta say it once. But seriously, they have this stuff called paper, and this stuff called ink with which one can make magic symbols on the paper. They could call it instructions, but it would take much of the mysticism out of flying the Rev. Like repeated crashes at full speed. Like hideously twisted lines (which is what a beginner sees if the kite spins twice). Like not being able to react because the kite moves too fast. Really, it would make learning much less memorable. OMG, what a nightmare that would be!!! John, you and I flew together at Busse Woods in Illinois. You know how much brake I use (lots). When I give my handles to a beginner I only bring the tops back two knots. Then I tell them how to get it airborne and keep it there. The same thing can be done in print with this as the first line: If you don't READ THIS the kite won't fly.

I think the tendency, in regard to kiting in general, is to make the framing tubes/rods lighter and stronger. As materials, processes and technology improve, so should the overall quality of the finished product. However, as with all human attempts at improvement, there is a learning curve that will undoubtedly involve some failures. That is how we learn.

And that is what makes it fun, in different ways for everyone.

@Skyclad01 Bump! I would interested in a progress report. Another year of "time on the lines" should make for interesting reading. Fill us in on your efforts.

I've begun to wonder . . . . . . everyone knows the advantages of extended top leaders, including the good folks at Revolution kites. Why don't they just sell the kites with this type of leader? Another $5/kite is not going to make a difference to a buyer.

Hi, Shawn, and welcome to the forum. You'll get answers here -- probably more than you need. Fire away! Smile, and don't forget to breathe.

It may be $135 for the ones that have been flown, and + for the ones that haven't. I guess we'll never know unless he tells us.

At $135 I would guess no lines or handles. The lines and handles, new, would be about $135.

Looks good. You might consider some kind of stirrups on the steering bar so your feet don't slip off when you hit a bump. That could break a leg at higher speeds. If you plan to use it on sand, the rear tires will need to be bigger (more surface area) or they will tend to sink into the sand and you won't go.

I have done this mod on two or three sets of handles. I use a clove hitch to attach the leader to the screw, and advise the use of the shouldered screws. I did have one that the threaded screw severed at the top leader. It's worth a few cents more to avoid this. The clove hitch is a cleaner method of attachment and less prone to loosening than the larkshead. Try it. I think you'll like it. Once you know how to tie it, it's fast and simple.

Congratulations, Zach. Spank it well.

Tedlar tape -- you can get it from Prism Kites and many kite shops. Also available on eBay as a repair kit that has other "repair" items in it for about $25.00 -- should have all you need and some to spare for future oopses.

Mama said there'd be days like this -- just too few and far between.

The Symphony 1.8 is a fun kite to start with, and since it has no frame there is nothing to break. The smaller 1.3 version was my first dual line kite and it always made me smile. Once you have full control of it and it starts to get a little boring, try it on shorter lines. Woohoo! You'll be in love with it again. You will probably own other kites eventually, but this is an excellent place to start. Keep us posted on your progress, and if you have any questions, no matter how dumb you may think they are, ask. We're here to help everyone we can. Smile, have fun and don't forget to breathe.

It is actually called "NASA TV".

Anything you wrap around a section of a tube will make the tube stronger in that area; even a wrap of painters' tape or a mylar label that's glued on will increase the strength of the tube in that area very slightly. For instance, if you put a tight-fitting steel sleeve, say about 3" long, in the middle of a tubular spar and glue it in position, then intentionally flex the tube to break it, it will always break right at one end (possibly both) of the steel sleeve. It's like breaking a two-piece spar that is joined using an external ferrule. It will never break inside of the ferrule -- ask any SLK guy! Spars joined using internal ferrules will usually break in the area over the ferrule, unless reinforced with a sleeve, either permanent or temporary, which can be just an extra wrap or two at the ends of the tube. See the ends of the newer spars -- they are thicker than the rest of the tube. However, if you put some additional wraps/finish in the middle of the spar tube, it makes that area stiffer than the rest which makes the response quicker. Returns to straight faster after flexing. A tapered tube will yield similar results (fishing rod "actions"). The taper can be straight, parabolic or hyperbolic, even combinations of all three (you don't even want to know what the price of that kind of frame would be!!!!). Take a look at the price of some high-end fishing rods. Unless the additional wrap/reinforcment at the middle is tapered towards its ends it creates stress points at its ends because it doesn't flex equally compared to the rest of the tube. Perplexing, ain't it? Damn, I love physics! P.S. -- @John Barresi -- I think this topic belongs elsewhere, you might want to move it. Thank You.

Yup, move the Prusik towards the top knot in stronger wind, towards the lower in lighter wind on the Prism. You can make one to use on the Wham-O quite easily. Make a mark using a marker above and below next to the knot that forms the attachment loop. These will be your reference points like the knots on the Prism's bridle. Untie the knot and tie a loop with the Prusik onto the bridle. Voila, adjustable. Don't worry about the extra length you've given the bridle by doing this -- it's the ratio of above to below the attachment point that counts. You can make the bridle 10 feet long if you want, as long as the ratio stays the same it will fly, i.e., 1:4 is the same as 2:8. If you can't undo the knot in the bridle line just make a new one using any reasonable susbstitute. What is making the kites turn left is more surface area on the side of the sail to the right of the vertical spine. Any which way you can move the upright very slightly to the right to increase the sail area on the left side will make it fly straight also, but is more difficult to do. You can shorten the right-side cross spar 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch, a little at a time to accomplish this, but it will decrease the amount of tension on the sail. Other option is to "increase the length" of the left spar by shortening the depth of the pocket it fits into at the tip of the sail. Sew it, glue it, or simply stuff something into it so the spar can't go as far in as it originally did. Or a combination of the two, increase one and decrease the other. Just remember that a little goes a long way, because when you change the distance on one side you are simultaneously changing it by the same amount on the other. So a change of 1/16 of an inch on one side equals an overall change of 1/8 of inch. And if you think this is scary, just wait 'til you have to mess with the bridle on a dual- or quad-line kite. Ouch! P.S. -- If you're not familiar with adjusting the position of a Prusik knot, Google "prusik knot in kiting" and look at a few of the listings to see how to lock and unlock the knot.