Paul LaMasters

Bob I hope you enjoy the change the sissy sticks make and see if you can do a single axel,... it will take many hours of practice 'cause the darn thing wants to do a double rotation from a single set of commands! Let's not wait 5 years to discuss this topic again either

Comfort is the most important thing, grip where you want to, delicate and wiggly, or firmly grasped,.... Only your preferences matter! We all know folks with excellent control, who each get there a different route, thumbs on top, no thumbs at all, long or short throws. Some set-ups feel great and some squirrelly, doesn't mean a thing. Do what feels right, as long as eventually you own your hover also.

Tim, we will probably do a Rev clinic with flying smiles kites in February (President's day wkend 14th - 17th). You should get on board for that, great time to compare and test various kites, options, modifications and techniques, all in a casual environment. You will learn whatever you deem most important, from indoor flying, to slack line tricks in turbulence, to precision maneuvering, team and pairs flying practice. Anything you want to try will be available, vents, meshes, home made prototypes, indoor gliders. Anyone else interested?,... you stay "dorm style" in a nice residence with a local family and the event charges cover both housing and the clinics for a Fri/Sat/Sun/Mon. Lessen your concerns my friends, everyone pays, instructor or participant, it's big family, all fun times together. We all learn from each other. More details will be released as we get closer to the date, but mark your calendars now for February OBX. -plm

The vented revs have more "shoulders" to lean on, something to have wind push against towards the. Center. The mesh has a larger window to fly in because it doesn't carry that heavy screen material Some prefer the mesh smoothness, some prefer the harder edge of venting I owe both, no favorites Test and compare, if u can!

when I asked Scott Weider to break his routine down to pre-school level so I could understand it, he said "Why?, you're retarded" Oh we howled in laughter, I 'bout wet my pants! I've always remained "just 3 alternates away from making the Riders" demo team, maybe next time?

proof-read before posting, thanks Wayne!

locally, we have leaders for a few minutes and then someone else has to step in, Jeff burka is killer, for example. He'll take his turn, but flies only backwards until he's replaced! I call left when I meant right (quite frequently), sometimes my mates intentionally go the opposite direction of what I called, just so I get a feel of their perspective. We force new people into the line as soon as possible. Get comfortable, we all had to go thru that first time! In fact you lead and the caller will stand next to you. Calls might be ~ slower, ~ don't go out so far (to the edges), ~ try to turn where the leader does (as opposed to "when") ~ control the spacing w/the second pilot ~ work on staying in your own lane (180/go threads) ~ slow down ~ NO slower!

Some secrets of control to investigate,.... MORE down tuning for very high wind. You don't need any energy to fly, the darn thing zooms away almost instantly, all by itself. So take all the forward thrust away. Instead of preaching about "get the sail square to the wind" (low wind), you actually want the sail angled away, so far that the air pressure almost always bleeds off of the leading edge, unless you consciously move your hands and feet to make it go forward. Another thing you can do is wrap some mylar ribbon thru/into your bridle legs (to disrupt that too smooth excessive airflow). Turbulence, drag, bleeding off angles, thicker lines (try 140 or 150#), longer line sets (drag a set of 150' lines and see how that impacts your flight!), go to a heavier frame, even "wetting" the sail with water (Lam's trick) to add weight (this works only with nylon sail construction). Go to shorter handles, no shorter than you'd normally use. With the french bridle, I'd remove the 2 "restrictor legs" so the frame/bridle wiggle/slop relationship is back. Flying in high wind is just like anything else, with more experience you'll have the right tools and experience to make it enjoyable. Nobody will be watching you, but you're still in the zone. Totally out-of-control wind? (when the porta-poties blow over & the coast guard won't leave harbor) Time for a stack of mini-revs!

Rob't B'ton,.... great kites,... by an ever greater feller from down under! The misses collects Robert's stuff, but my bride never wants anything commercially available. She'll follow Robert into his open hotel room and start rummaging around thru his luggage until she finds something he doesn't want to part with or didn't even know he'd brought along. That's the piece she is taking home, we just have to agree upon a price. His home-builts always fly very well and Rob't prides himself on keeping kites in the air at all times. He's a festival main-stay around the globe! Good luck with your mission Todd, you have chosen wisely.

alternatively, you could also change your grip position (higher or lower) or you can reach over the handle's top with your index finger (for even more brief burst of "forward drive" you could use that lane-changing high traffic middle finger!) and grab the top line. This effective changes your wrist rotation angle (moving grips) or shortens the top line (reaching over) Here's an example. I too fly with a lot of down tuning, so if I have to hold an upright hover at the top of the window (forming a ball) I'll pinch the top lines briefly. By like token if I'm flying the reverse octagon, I might slip my pinky finger to the bottom of the foam to take away any forward. Folks, try changing your grip position or pinching to easily change from one priority tuning preference towards another!

demos are about entertainment for the crowd go out there smiling and make eye contact with specific spectators don't worry about how you'll do (that's a competition) use a prop,.... for instance ask a kid to help you, pretend your demo is a lesson for the youngster, affix a tail to the kite, pop a balloon (put some talc powder in there too for visual impact!). Land on the kid's head (may I recommend a bicycle helmet, safety glasses?) Find an entertaining piece of music, use laughter to your advantage remember a demo is not about you personally (your name, your kite or your music don't matter), it's about the crowd enjoying something different with you conducting that symphony. The four movements are the introduction, your demonstration of control, building the crowd's endorsement of your activities and a powerful jaw-dropping ending that will leave you the major topic of dinner discussions for weeks afterwards!

add more DOWN in the leader tuning, so you don't fight the gusty conditions that cause surging suddenly restrict that forward flight movement, square the sail to the wind or even angle it away from the leading edge (adding too much down) Longer line lengths will slow the kite down, or heavier weight linesets rotate your hips and shoulders as you step backwards for each movement, stop on the quarter turns (it's a two handed movement to control WHERE it stops, oversteer) INCH your way thru the movements and stop long enough that folks know you meant to do that As you become more proficient you'll be able to just wiggle your thumbs/squeeze your grip slightly instead of all this physical movement outlined above (unless it's dead calm wind) practice can't be purchased, keep at it, it will get clean and snappy with enough time, effortless eventually.

you can, from Eliot Shook, but it's not an exactly perfect fit my friend. I would "prefer" for the bottom attachment point to fall directly in line with the vertical spar. Since this bridle was created for the old style Rev2 it doesn't line-up with the new panel layout and framing on the Barresi series TWO. I'm lazy, so rather than fix it "right" I just tied a little overhand knot in one of the legs on each side to pull it over towards the center slightly. now on the Zen I prefer this "mis-alignment" of the lower bridle/flying line attachment point. It's like holding the kite from the outside edges (to your brain the kite just got bigger), but you still have all the speed you've come to expect. You can find the diagram from the French Quad team Crazy Drivers on the Rev forum. I just scaled it down to fit a Rev2, actually Will Sturdy is the french bridle craftsman for Flying Smiles kites. It was WAY too much work for me, .... each one took about 4 hours to create. I gave will the plans, a marketing path and a set of quicky directions so others could try it themselves. Remember no modification is perfect, something's gotta' give if your want more or less of something specific. For me, I want it instantly responsive without a hint of oversteer. Some may say that makes my kite twitchy. Hey to each his own, I'm not saying it is better, just different!

B-2, full sail, whatever their latest model is (purple and gray), acquired thru that pusher Ben, went to a french bridle, inserted a race frame and slapped on some sissy sticks crafted of micro-carbon. It's a flailer's dream, single rotational axels are more difficult than doubles! It does a roll-up landing and unrolling launch like it was on a frozen pond with heated ice skates. You can throw it all around and almost never have a walk of shame, for example practicing up & overs or momentarily flying it up-wind Super easy to flick/flak and do a falling leaf too, so small the air pressure can be dumped with thought alone!

The only bag that counts is the one that's with me always, .... 16 kites and 8 sets of line on handles ready to go in any weather, any wind, any place, almost any time (must check w/office & bride 1st!) MISC: (3) 15 inch no-snag handles (1) Blast/stack handles 17" (1) Titanium custom handles 17" (1) indoor handles (1) indoor mini handles (1) 13 inch no-snags (6) add'l sets of line on winders (1) mini leatherman tool, lighter, locking forceps (3) extra French bridles in plastic zip-locks (1) bits and pieces, quick-set adhesive, hi-test bridle line, sleeving needle, shock cord (2) sets of Steve's custom LED lights and spare batteries (fit 1.5 frames) (2) large sleeves of just spars, from SLEs to P-90 travel size (3) kite stakes (1) gortex rainsuit ~ medium/tall KITES: (2) Old Glory Masterpiece (1) Vented Eyes Masterpiece custom configured (2) Shook mesh 75% custom configured (1) 100% Shook masterpiece (thru AKA auction~ before official release) (2) midvent pros custom configured (1) full vent pro custom configured (1) full sail pro custom configured (1) diamond Zen custom configured (1) B-2 (1) student abused B-series full sail (1) Dave Ashworth's 2nd Gen. dedicated indoor, orcon custom (in a map tube) (1) SLK Dunton/Taylor (home-built) (1) Ryv1.6 SSUL no-sew (home-built)

I fly my Zen to greatest pleasure on 60 to 90 feet of LPG 90#. Using the 50# line just feels too mushy, regardless of the brand of line being employed. I prefer long throw handles and a flailing pilot action as you can see here, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQ95sr-axEo. Living in the land of no wind (washington DC metro area) means at least five months out of the year a ZEN is the go-to-kite. In fact, I have worn one out and I'm onto my second. The video above is one of those 1st maiden flights from my latest acquisition. As stated previously, the Zen is a different kite. Don't acquire it with specific expectations on flight performance based upon other models you own or have flown. It's slow, big and graceful. That doesn't mean you can throw it around, but a flick flak is a huge undertaking, to dump all that air pressure and flip the kite inside-out, just as an example. The other side of this equation is how easy it is to power back up though, a simple step backwards, flip of the wrist, or a sharp jerk on the handles. This means you can take risks (what happens IF... ) and not have to do the walk of shame every time. Do a half axel and leave the kite in this fade position. Or walk parallel with your catch efforts before actually snagging it out of the sky. You aren't pulling the kite out of the air from directly overhead. Instead you are floating the kite to your outstretched grasp in a huge arc and timing that flight path with a sun-dial! Zen throw & catch well on 90 feet of line and I practice with 120 feet. My second Zen is highly customized, with Diamond frame members, a custom leading edge sleeve of material I furnished, additional reinforcing patches sewn in, magic sticks and replacement French bridle (from a Rev1). These mods were developed to expand the wind range and substantially stiffen the overall structure. My Zen doesn't fly like a stock model, but then that was my objective with the replacement, changing anything I didn't like and keep what I loved! I use my Zen up to wind conditions when a mid-vent is warranted. The handles I prefer are titanium 3/8 inch diameter, grade five tubes about 19 inches long, very light in weight (not much mass to instantly change direction), but remarkably strong, in fact run over by a squad car without deformation. Long throw handles mean less foot movement for a busted-up, old guy like myself. I was not easily swayed towards this model initially, now it is one of my most prized possessions. Eliot Shook (Flying Smiles Kites in NC) has all the mod bits and pieces if you want to follow my deviate example. It's a typical question,... is the Zen worth the money? That depends on your wallet's overall thickness and your local weather conditions. To me, yes enough that I bought a replacement Zen and gambled on the flight characteristics based upon the construction modifications I specified, plus spending extra funds for freight. Bazzer made the sail, Eliot Shook made the leading edge sleeve, Rev assembled the components, furnished the diamond frame and I replaced the bridle and added magic sticks upon receiving. That is four times across the continental United States just for my receipt. I paid 20+% extra, voided the implied factory warranty and had to provide some of the materials used in construction. Honestly? I should have order two of 'em, its that great of a kite! Get a Diamond equipped Zen, add the sissy sticks and see if it doesn't become your low wind favorite kite. You don't have to go all the way to my insane example, but if you see me ask for a turn on this most magnificent flying kite. Its effortlessly amazing!

that snappy loading action is the objective for why the bridle's been removed, together with how flat you can glide the kite. Like it was sliding across a huge table, that parallel with the ground,... perfectly flat Flailing pilot actions flight means you don't have to move your standing location very much. For example, the "up & over" should be within your capabilities, at least practice at it. Try it at first from side to side, but eventually (if you're like Jeffery Burka), you can fly the kite UPwind as well. You'll find you need to reach high and then sit down to gain that pinnacle point/apex of the arc when first learning. Jeff doesn't need to watch the kite or use two hands, in fact he'll face you conversing and still be flying out of sight over beyond his Peripheral vision. This is years' worth/literally thousands of hours of dedicated practice. He makes it look as challenging as rolling off the living room sofa! Throw and catching 3D moves are effortless opportunities for him to show off as well. The kite may even slip through/between the flying lines and continue to be flown inside-out/back facing the pilot. Jeffery is the grand master on the rev2, particularly his home-builts customs. He can fly this kite over our heads during club functions dining or move the furniture out of the way for a quick wedding quad line fix as entertainment with the DJ. I've never seen anyone else with such complete mastery of a 360 degree area, inside or outdoors. He's my first quad-lined coach but I never seem to close the gap between us,..... even after two decades

The master of the rev2 is Jeff burka, extended handles and no bridle, he flies it UPWIND one-handed and doesn't frequently even watch the kite! It is a very different experience,.... Talk about getting a flat glide? Remember though, not just long throw handles, extended 15 or more inches between the gap/attachment points. I say maybe start w/35foot line-sets. It is a whole new experience

I use multiple sets of handles for different line lengths and conditions,.... short set of lines on long throw handles (no/low wind), short handles on long line sets (big wind or team flying) and everything in between depending on which kite I prefer at that moment. Some kites prefer longer sets (Zen for instance), some are best at short lengths and throwing the kite around 3D style (Rev 2s without a bridle).

I'll probably regret winning this, but thanks in advance nevertheless! I'm in