SHBKF

Nothing like enthusiasm. Ride that wave as long as you can. Then remember it & draw from it. Rock on, Rock on

So my newest Rev is a Blast. Already had a Super Blast 2-4 & I must say they are both quite the arm load in a good breeze. But I do like the stiff frame & not being concerned about the sail bending it too much. They just move me downwind instead. I was thinking I would put the SLE rods back in the 1.5 & use it for a lighter pulling practice kite so I might do better with Blast style flying. The adjustable bridle on the Blast has complicated my efforts with the new kite but opened my eyes to tuning Revs a bit more. Just what I needed a more complex quad! Now I suppose I'll have to try this 360 thing. Sort of a rite of passage on the journey to the further parts of the Dark Side.

One inquiry & ten very helpful responses, an incredible amount of information here on KiteLife! Line weight & length can really change your kite's feel. Was flying a Blast on 150# x 80' yesterday. Wind picked up & I switched to my 1.5 B mid vent but stayed with the heavy lines as an experiment. Flew just fine but slowed the kite down & it was less responsive to small inputs. When the wind slowed the lines drooped with a big sag but the Rev still flew. Next time back to the 90# but now I know you can use 150's in higher winds.

Gosh Ralph, I completely missed the part about the truck. I read "180 followed by a barrel roll", and my mind was thinking, hmmm, fancy "kite maneuvers". The part about the truck, didn't even register. Did you hit some ice, or maybe hydro plane on some standing water ? Really glad to hear that you are ok. After two sub-zero nights it was finally a 28 degree morning & roads seemed clear but I guess there were some slick spots left. Witnesses said I was going 12 to 15 mph when I turned a corner coming off a bridge, slid, could not recover & went off a twenty foot embankment sideways. Rolled landing on the top finally tipping over onto my wheels truck still running. Actually drove my totaled truck on into town to put in my insurance claim. Good job GM! Maybe a few angels riding with me. 4D, Micron & SLE did not move from their stored position. Everything else flew though. First wreck ever, but a good one. Edit: Now I have replaced my '02 with a classic 1950 truck.

As I am always trying to cram in "just one more kite I might need" I keep it compact counting on the inherent toughness of the carbon tubes. So I go with plastic sleeves they came in, rubber bands holding the bundled spars together with my good intentions ID labels randomly falling off creating extra confusion. Did a 180 followed with a barrel roll in my pickup last week, three kites on board, all survived, truck's totaled though. I'm fine.

My furthest out flight in the last year was a Wala on 500 feet of line. It looked very small & very high reminding me of flying kites as a youngster out West. I would put up my small delta on two or three spools of line, sometimes losing sight of the kite until the wind would shift the kite so I could spot it again. The line would get heavy enough that you did not have to tie it off. The weight was enough to hold it for you. The kite would not go higher after too much line. It would just be further away. Thanks for stirring my memory of those early days. It was my first plastic kite & my first delta called "The Eye in the Sky". I got it as a premium for signing up new paper subscribers. I was a bicycle paper boy delivering the Deseret News in Brigham City, Utah. Made about fifty bucks a month delivering sixty papers each day. It was good money for a kid back in the sixties & a little more than my brother made each month as a private in the Army at that time.

Love these discussions as I continue to learn more about each kite & flying. I just learned yesterday to be careful with 50 pound lines getting caught in Velcro. Got my 50' quad set tangled in the Rev 1 sleeve, dang! May wind up with a slightly shorter set. But I'll fly them till they break. Guess that's how we all end up with shorter sets & the fun they bring. Keep asking questions as we all learn from the thoughtful answers. Stay in touch with us. I'll be wondering about your progress when I'm flying my little 4D this winter.

Just reread all 22 previous posts & this is so much like thoughts I've been through in the recent past as I've explored SLK's, 2 line, quad & finally gliders. This is my 200th post & I still have much to learn. My KiteLife friends are always so helpful. Thanks one & all.

I fly my 4D often as it will fly when other kites won't. A couple of things to watch. The spreaders are very small rods & easily misplaced. I have had them fall out of the case several times & they are hard to see on the ground. I now put a rubber band around them for storage. I was able to buy a full length 3D case & don't have to take down the leading edges anymore. I have put some beeswax on the bridle knots to lock them in place more securely. Keep in mind that this is a fragile kite but the reward is always having a kite that will fly most anytime. Watch out for closing the car door on the kite. How would I know that? Some people break spine rods & center tees in gusty winds. I have not so far. The stand offs can come loose while you're flying. Watch for this as they could easily puncture your sail. The nose & leading edge are very light. You will eventually see some wear on them. I have repaired mine twice in the year I have had the little kite. But I fly this kite more than any other. This kite is very capable but some don't like it's quick handling. I did my first ever 360 with this kite on 18' lines in no wind. When the wind picks up a little I switch to my heavier kites. Rob shows what the kite's potential is below in the video that originally inspired me. Someday....

I started out with a moderate amount of previous experience & the stock 50' lines in a stout wind one day during my short half hour lunch. It launched like a typical two line delta & the wind caused it to shutter & fly quickly. I brought it down (crashed) after a short flight & waited for a lighter wind day. I ordered a set of 18' lines & continued to use the 50' ones for a bit longer. But always in some wind as I had no zero wind experience at that time. I did find out, at least for me, the middle point of bridle adjustment was best in all conditions. I believe that when I set it for light wind I did not have the right style of flying to keep the sail pressure steady. Once I got shorter lines I flew in lighter winds & finally in zero wind conditions, still trying different settings but going back to the middle of the knots. Now I don't ever use the long lines & have 18', 24' & 37' sets. The little kite is quick but can be flown most anywhere. Mine's fully assembled & sitting in the cab of my pick up now with the 24's attached, ready to go. I suggest 3 to 5 mph wind as you first start out. Many much more experienced flyers will give you help here.

Ditto

Night time flying is not typically available to me here in the rural mountains of Virginia. But on a recent trip to the Myrtle Beach area of South Carolina I was able to get in several night flights. On a previous visit I had found a location on the beach where some large street lights were near enough to illuminate a patch of shore about one hundred feet long. I assembled the kite back at my nearby campsite so all I had to do was attach the lines & run them out. Wind was light & smooth. Very few people on the beach in the daytime right before Christmas & virtually no one at night. The waxing moon came up to the east, the street lamps were to the west & the wind was from the south, perfect. My wind window allowed me to fly from the lamps to the moon with the light from either shining through the mylar panels, very cool views of the kite. Only flew two line kites as I was concerned about line handling complexities with quads. But the experience was a further expansion of my KiteLife & I highly recommend it to others if you can find that special spot.

Best wishes to all for a great year living the KiteLife.

Chrome surfing here with no issues. But pondering switching back to the Fox.

I routinely leave fully assembled kites in my vehicle ready to pop out & fly. Even in the little Geo. Can only do that with Revs in the van because of length. But may be an invitation for a break-in too.

Ah, music for the soul from the Floyd. Sometimes, in the 33 Ford street rod, we are riding along listening to ZZ Top Eliminator - Sharp Dressed Man. It rocks us both. But other times, when I'm alone in my old Plymouth, I listen to Shine On You Crazy Diamond. Smooth driving music. Then there's Roxy Music - The Bogus Man, for mystic cruising...

Ten seconds in & you've got me. Shine on...

Now I know what my feathered friends see as they fly by to check me out. And the flight through the trees is amazing. With tears in my eyes & joy in my heart, thank you.

I am wowed again. Amazing flying, a demonstration of what's possible. I could not even imagine a flight like that. I especially like the people that walk by oblivious to the extraordinary display of skill & thought.

TRLBY kites are still for sale, new old stock, at a kite store in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I saw one on display last Saturday. They also have spare parts including plastic tube tails. No more ripstop nylon sails left, I got the last ones. But you can still get the poly sail kites. Many years ago the first stunt kites I ever saw were a TRLBY stack flown by Mr. Kligman when the store was located downtown at the Pavilion. Sadly the Pavilion area is empty now but the vision of those kites flying at night is a treasured memory of mine. It inspired me to buy my first sport kite.

Very professional looking. Makes me think about modifying some of the old kites that I will not likely fly otherwise.

I love fast little kites in high winds. Not being a builder I use a Micron. Just found an old Alien, have high hopes for it in higher winds. Great job building & flying. Post a picture of the kite holding still & close up please.

Just a little reflection from the Dark Side of the Highlands of Virginia on this Christmas afternoon. Somehow I feel a great kinship with my Kitelife friends of Australia. It may be through my Irish surname somehow. When I read the posts, watch the videos & chat a bit, I know I would be right at home flying side by side.

Sounds like a great day. Now you'll be watching for waving flags, wiggling bushes, swaying trees, thinking "I could be flying!"