SHBKF

Reading the forums the last several years I kept hearing about the Prism Quantum. I was gifted a Quantum Pro early on & never considered the Quantum until last year. I just wanted to know why it was mentioned as a beginner's kite over & over. Heard it was tough & knew that's a good thing. Good quality build at an affordable price ready to fly is very important too. So I walked into a kite store & bought one a year ago. Took it out on the beach & flew it in a pretty good wind. The sun was shining & my wife commented that it was the prettiest kite she'd seen me fly. Hmm, have some high dollar kites that she doesn't even comment on. Put a 75' Prism tube tail on it & everyone on the beach started watching. It pulled the tail with no problem at all. Went back to the mountains & only flew it in higher winds pulling the tail for the next while. So Friday I get a chance to go to Green Hill Park in Salem Virginia, one of the nearest great places to fly. Decide to take the Zephyr, the Quantum, the 4D, the Micron & the Stylus P2. All Prism, all entry level kites, but covering all conditions. Flew the Z until the gusts hit over 13 and it started to shudder. Flew the P2 & learned some new foil flying techniques in the changing winds. But I was there to fly the Quantum. I am not a trick flier but I try. So the Quantum is said to be harder to trick than the boutique maker kites. Maybe so, but I put it on it's back up high & easily flew it to a landing in that position. Took off straight up, easily rolled it up & flew around rolled up even without yo yo stops. Guess it catches on the exposed leading edge connectors. Flew down low & unrolled it with a little pop on the lines. Next I rolled up the Quantum twice. Even did a few shaky half axels. Back flip launch to fade, no problem. Wow! I guess I should fly it a bit more often. Tried some flares but the wind was pretty strong & I could not pull it to a fade. But it is there I'm sure. What it may mean is that I am really still a beginner. SHBKF edit: just sayin' it's a good kite

Those are both excellent deals. This is a great kite to introduce you to the power of a big sail without getting you into trouble. But still a power to be reckoned with. I have one already & I am still tempted. I have had mine for three years & still fly it when I want to feel The Force. SHBKF

I believe Glitch already has an Indoor Rev that did not come with the proper handles. Got to chat with him that night he thought he had some messages. Several times people have entered the chat room & didn't say anything for various unknown reasons. I always try to say hello hoping they will chat. I am quite introverted & the chat room has personally helped me come out of my shell. But I am so fascinated by kites that my enthusiasm masks my timidness.

Wow! If I had only had this superb advice when I first started..... But in my impatience I just got out there & spent some time getting this figured out. You have come to the right place for help from the Masters. I hope you find some steady wind too. SHBKF

My home has room, message sent. SHBKF

When I first started flying Revs my kite buzzed quite a bit. I thought it was normal as it was a similar noise I've heard flying some dual line kites. Then reading the forum I ran across mention of the buzzing noise. So I tuned my handle leaders, changed my grip, slowed my flight a bit & the noise rarely occurred after that. Now it's something I do on demand like when I'm flying over a critter & want to get it's attention. SHBKF

Welcome to KiteLife. I too live in a world of trees in the eastern temperate rain forest known as Southwest Virginia. Even finding a large open mowed area is a challenge here in the rural area where I'm located. I have a few spots that are actually hay fields. So when they are mowed I can fly until the grass gets about a foot tall. Then line snags start to become an issue plus I don't want to trample the crop. I also try to find little spots that may have enough room to fly shorter line sets. Kite flying is rare in this area & there does not seem to be any issue with people running me off their property but I usually seek permission in order to present a positive image. I primarily fly ultra light & super ultra light kites. But fall & winter bring stronger air. Then I can fly more standard kites but gusty wind makes it a bit more difficult than the beach winds you experienced years ago. Stay with it & let us know how it's going. There are many great fliers on this site who will answer any questions you may have. Join us in the chat room if you would. SHBKF

Thanks Josh. I am putting it on my list of places I need to visit. If I head down that way I will send you a message. I am waiting for the hay to be cut on the field below now. Third cutting of hay this year will get it low for the fall/winter. SHBKF http://kitelife.com/forum/gallery/image/5833-autumn-in-virginia/

I first learned about equalizing my line set for quads, not from the forums, but from the same situation you have encountered. I originally bought my Snapshot 2.5 as ready to fly with two lines & straps. I flew it that way only once. Then, in my usual eagerness, I ordered all the extra parts to fly the kite as a real quad. My first attempt at quad flight was the same as flying two line because my brake lines being too long by a similar amount. So opposite from yours. It took me a bit to even figure out what was wrong but the brake lines were really drooping. There was not enough adjustment length in the handle leaders & brake lines to compensate out in the field. When I got home I staked out all four lines in the yard & had a puzzling time figuring out how to untie the the sleeved lines in order to shorten them appropriately. I got them all to what I thought was close enough to being the same length. Like within a half inch. Today I would get them much closer. I fly my Snapshot with the brake lines slightly drooping now. Primary flying on fixed bridle quad foils is on the top lines. Oh, and to this day I keep the top & bottom sets on separate winder cards in case I want to use them for dualies instead. On the next attempt I was pleased that I was able to fly with the bar using the outer lines to steer & the center line to back the kite down. I also did my first reverse launch by pulling on the center line but I still wasn't quad flying. That was the only time I flew in the bar mode. Later, after converting to the handles & adding an extra kite killer, I was learning brake steering & faster, tighter turns. Two months after that I got a Rev. The RTF Tensor 4.2 I have was not set up perfectly out of the bag either. But by then I had learned about knotted leaders & had no trouble correcting it. It had too much brake as delivered. Would not launch except in strong wind & even then the tips would not inflate. A small correction & it was quite a handful/armful. I could go on a bit more about what I've learned since. There is much more to foils then I first suspected. SHBKF

I'm impressed. But I consider such occurrences braggin' rites somehow. You break something & it's a bummer. But then you get to tell the story. Still pretty proud of breaking a 50# x 75' line set with a zoomin' Micron..... SHBKF

Yes, everything is in this topic somewhere & I was just "too sorry" to reference properly. In the meantime I measured my current tubes. They are .125" hollow pultruded carbon, very light & all that's needed. A very light line is sufficient as well. Some may use Dyneema kite line, others light bridle line, but I just used some small diameter polyester line I had laying around as there is not much tension on these lines. Well at least I have not stretched them so far. I have heard positive comments on all the Revs they have been mentioned on. The big Revs, with their extra vertical struts, are stiff already with the Power Blast 4-8 being the most amazing glider I have experienced. Four of the six verticals have stand offs that allow adjustment of the air foil shape of the wing plus a spring loading that enable the kite to have a flatter loaded shape when the lines are taut & under power. When the sail is not loaded they spring outward allow a more rounded leading edge shape. Fly it past the zenith overhead as far as you dare then spin a 180 & glide back down wind until the lines re-tension. Really cool stuff. SHBKF

Love the old school parts in above instructions. For my made in the basement magic I used a reamed out modern standoff connector for figure five & made my "top hat" fitting (figure 7) out of clear vinyl tube. My main variation was to only use three lines. Someone had previously mentioned you could do it that way. I have two lines going top to bottom over the verticals & one line going from end to end crosswise. Knots were tied for stops inside the top hat fitting trapping the line inside the tube so there are no larkshead knots needed. A little difficult to thread the lines through but made for a sanitary appearance with nothing to come loose. Laid the kite out on a large flat table & carefully tuned the lines so they had slight tension without lifting the sail. First tubes I used for sticks were too heavy & the kite did not balance correctly. When I got the correct diameter the kite loved it. Two wrap frame, SLE sail & sticks, a flailer's delight. Next I will do a B2 & maybe later the Zen. For my Zen I use the same hybrid frame recommended by Master flier Wayne. SHBKF

Drooling has commenced.

The Triad is a small kite which anyone can fly. The Flip kite is great fun after you figure out how to launch it. http://kitelife.com/forum/gallery/image/5831-prism-flip-amp-triad/

Country songs? Since you mention it here's a few lines from one of my favorites. Now Daddy ran the whiskey in a big block Dodge Bought it at an auction at the mason's lodge Johnson County sheriff painted on the side Just shot a coat of primer then he looked inside Well him and my uncle tore that engine down I still remember that rumblin' sound Steve Earle - Copperhead Road http://kitelife.com/forum/gallery/image/5830-henry39s-239-flathead-v8/ (not a big block Dodge but one of Henry's is still pretty good) SHBKF

There is a small parking lot behind my wife's office building that has a bit of wind coming off main street & shooting round the corner of the building. So you just launch in a gust & climb above the house & garage into cleaner air. You can fly this kite most anywhere. http://kitelife.com/forum/gallery/image/5826-wala-at-office-lot/