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SHBKF

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Posts posted by SHBKF

  1. Posted this response on another site & thought it might stimulate some comments here on my kite home.  People we entertain with our kite flying have a different view.  Mostly they have Know Eye Deer.

    "About half my flying is with Revolution Sportwings. I live in the rural inland mountains of Virginia & rarely even see another person while flying in mostly hay fields. SHBKF, solo hill billie kite flailer, that's me. A couple times of year I get to fly at the coast in tourist beach destinations. The interaction with random strangers goes from one extreme to the other. 

    One day a few years ago I had perfect conditions, low tide, warm day, steady lab grade winds & few beach strollers. It was a memorable time as I flew the best I had ever flown up to that point. I did impressive ground side slides. killer dive stops, alternating tip stands, danced above the waves dipping down between them, Spent some time flying in & out of a trash can. Landed on every object available & chased a few seagulls. When you touch down a bunch people think you are having trouble keeping it in the air. I guess only Rev fliers really are impressed by these silly antics. A lady walked up to me & said with all sincerity "Keep trying, you will get the hang of it." 

    A couple years later I was helping someone learn to fly their new Rev. They had seen me flying mine & asked for a few pointers. After helping the new flier learn to launch & land successfully I took the handles to give his kite a go. Flew for a bit & really enjoyed myself. A spectator walked up & said, "Man, I am really amazed at how you flew that kite. Are you the inventor?" I told him no, but I was about to get the hang of it."

    Surely we all have heard some interesting comments as we stand on the kite field.  SHBKF

     

    • Like 2
  2. Symphony 2.2-4 mods by Riff2

    Prism Snap Shot 2.5 with brake lines added

    Skydog power foil 2.6 from KiteLife subscriber drawing

    Prism Tensor 3.1

    Peter Lynn Reactor II 3.52

    Prism Tensor 4.2

    Prism Tensor 5.02

    Pansh Flame 7.02

    Peter Lynn Venom 10 meter yellow blue , mods to Venom II specs. 2

    Peter Lynn Venom 13 meter2

    Rev II curved logo pre 97 pink torquoise2

    Rev B2 standard purple black2

    Rev B2 mid vent red gray2

    Rev B2 full vent lime gray2

    Rev 1.5 19972

    Rev 1.5 SLE blue black white

    Rev 1.5 SLE blue black white2

    Rev 1.5 SLE blue black white2

    Rev 1.5 20th anniversary white blue3

    Rev 1.5B standard blue gray

    Rev 1.5B med vent blue gray

    Rev 1.5B full vent black dark blue black center "The Dark One"

    Rev 1.5 Shook Mesh #152 75% blue white gray3

    Rev 1 curved logo 1995 dark blue yellow2

    Rev 1 Sedgwick Cool

    Rev Zen blue fade gray fade2

    Rev Reflex red white blue early kite from second run2

    Rev Supersonic standard turquoise purple2

    Rev Supersonic standard black dark purple2

    Rev Supersonic standard black gold2

    Rev Supersonic vented black gold2

    Rev Supersonic vented black gold2

    Rev Shockwave blue black2

    Rev Blast red white blue

    Rev Power Blast 2-4 blue white

    Rev Power Blast 2-4 red white black2

    Rev Power Blast 4-8 blue white "The Big One"

         2 Indicates purchased on secondary market

         3 Indicates purchased on secondary market as new

    Two thirds of these kites purchased on secondary market. Thank you one & all. 

    Dang! Seems I started out as a flier & turned into a quad collector.  Oh well, SHBKF

    Image from learning to fly Rev #1 second session, an SLE with Super Leading Edge tubes in place to protect the kite from the expected thrashing I was giving it.  The kite survived me.

    1-04-13 Haystack Hill Rev 1.5 ready.JPG

     

    • Like 3
  3. I just came upstairs from the Kite Dungeon where I have been doing some repairs on an older kite probably about the same age as yours.  Yours is a nice looking kite well worth bringing back to flying condition.  Go Fly A Kite is no longer in business so you will have to improvise a bit.  If this kite were mine here are the things I would do with it.

    First I would look at the tail & pull the sail taut by getting the spine back in the pocket or attaching whatever holds the sail in place on that end.  You don't need it super tight just firm enough to lay flat & smooth along the spine.

    You have one stand off to help you deduce the lower spreader length on one side.  You can use a wooden dowel to help you work out the length.  Put the dowel in the connector along the leading edge.  Place the dowel over the center T & place the stand off against it.  Move the dowel into a position that makes the sail look smoothed out & a little tight.  Make sure the wing tip already has tension on it to hold the sail tight along the leading edge.  When you find a length of dowel that seems good mark the dowel for length at the center T assuming that the lower spreader will go nearly to the center.  Make another one for the other side.  With both in place improvise a stand off for the other side.  If the kite looks good you now have templates for your lower spreader length.

    Next go to a hobby store to buy some carbon rod.  They should have some tubes & rods in the RC airplane section of the store.  Buy the rod closest to the diameter of what you already have on the kite.  Cut one to the same length as the original stand off.  If you are fortunate they may have a selection of carbon tubes that you can use for lower & upper spreaders.  Buy some of a few sizes.  Extras are fine as they can be used for other repairs as well.

    You can make connectors for the kite by cutting short lengths of vinyl tube into a shape that holds the end of the stand off rod on the lower spreader.  This is the way they actually made connectors back in the eighties.  Try to come up with a small plastic button that you can use to fabricate an attachment for the trailing edge of the sail.  A couple of short lengths of small diameter vinyl tubes can be glued to the stand off end to hold the pieces in place.

    Once you have the lower spreader complete you can make an upper spreader of the correct length by just eye balling it.  It will typically be a smaller diameter than the lower spreader but I have some kites where it is the same.  At this point you should have a flyable kite.  This will get you in the air without ordering parts or traveling to a distant kite store.  It should cost very little to do this & will be very satisfying.  If any of your parts don't hold up you have the challenge of how to make the next parts stronger. 

    Or you can ask for help with the proper dimensions & order everything.  But you could still do this while you're waiting.  One time I used a wooden dowel for an upper spreader while I was waiting for a proper replacement.  It worked fine.

    Just my thoughts, SHBKF

     

    • Like 5
  4. I don't have my Quantum any longer so I can't do some ground recovery attempts to give you any suggestions there.  I will eventually buy another as I really do like the Quantum.  I will say that some kites respond better to ground recovery maneuvers than others, at least in my experience anyway.  I have broken some expensive parts on learning ground recoveries.  I would suggest that for the next while you should walk to the kite & reset it for launch instead of breaking more parts.  I have been through the same thing for sure.  I would use that time to contemplate why I wound up on the ground & what I would do differently to land instead of crashing.  Hope I am not being too hard on you with that advice.  I do not ever (anymore) attempt to recover from a belly down nose toward me position.  The dreaded "Dead Launch" while occasionally doable, is a risky thing to try anytime.  I am currently flying a kite that is really easy for me to crash & do ground recoveries with, The Nirvana.  It is a bit pricey compared to the Quantum.  More experienced fliers could give more meaningful hints I am sure.  I do admire your determined efforts.

    Keep on flyin' & postin', SHBKF  

  5. You know you are a kite nut when you name your kites for various reasons.  This topic has inspired me to name my SLE stack.  It will be the "RD III Stack", the three because it's the number kites I've gathered to assemble together.  They are all significant in there own way & look like they belong together.  Besides, RD III are my initials.  I have no middle name.   SHBKF 

  6. I am located in the mountains of Southwest Virginia.  You can locate many members using the map option located on the browse bar of this forum.  Looking south from the nearby town of Marion, Virginia.  You can see Mount Rodgers on the horizon in the right of this image, elevation 5,728',

    gallery_7709_404_55137.jpg

     

    Looking west from nearby Whitetop Mountain, second highest in Virginia.  The Appalachian trail is visible in this shot.

    large.DSC_8690.JPG

     

    Kite flying site in a hay field down in the valley near my home.

    gallery_7709_404_544544.jpg

    Welcome to KiteLife,SHBKF

  7. Capitalism is a wonderful thing to contemplate.  What does the consumer want?  What's a comfortable price point?  What is the perceived value?  What are they willing to pay extra for above the stock model?  And what is the competition selling anyway?  In 1933 the country was in the Great Depression.  Many great companies were long gone.  Cars were still being sold to eager consumers regardless.  Prohibition ended in December of that year.  General Motors had a good price on a decent automobile.  Plymouth was priced a little higher but had an all steel body & hydraulic brakes.  Henry had his famous V-8 and was priced above the others.  My little tudor Plymouth sedan was around $490 dollars.  Bumpers were a twenty dollar option!  Mine still doesn't have them.

     

    DSC07114 (1280x960).jpg

    • Like 3
  8. Finally, some kite time..    Had to run to town today to check on some plumbing at an apartment.  A very warm Spring like day with gusty wind had me thinking I better grab a kite to take along "just in case".  Down in the Kite Dungeon the Nirvana standard had just been through a little tender loving tune-up.  Slid it into it's sleeve then found the dualie line set fanny pack.  Things went well & on the return trip I stopped at an abandoned ball field.  Not an ideal place to fly due to the surrounding uneven terrain, trees & small buildings.  But it is still mowed & has a usable window if the wind is from the south-west, it was.  The site was not ideal, the wind was gusty & I could only use 65' lines if I wanted to move around much.  I did not care as I was actually going to get to fly.  It is more challenging to fly in poor conditions but it is what I am used to doing round these parts.  The Nirvana has a weight of 19 grams on the tail of the spine.  It is a brass round head screw with two brass hex nuts tucked into the spine pocket & taped with a bit of white duct tape.  This kite flips over far more easily than my others & is taking some getting adjusted to it's willingness.  Rolled it up intentionally & accidentally both.  The gusts added their own inputs at times.  But also did maybe my best ever half axels.  Also did some kind of weird tip wrap roll up sideways flying with a panic pop to unroll a couple times.  Not too likely I will ever repeat that one.  This kite also seems to excel in ground recovery maneuvers.  Flew for only a half hour but made memories that will last much longer.

    Just out here flyin', SHBKF

    • Like 3
  9. I was asked to leave a mall parking lot while beginning to set up a dangerous Prism 4D attached to five meter lines in a remote corner of a huge parking lot.  I had flown their many times before, sometimes with another dangerous kite, The Wala.  When the officer saw how small my kite was & realized how old I was, he said "Well, just return to your vehicle & put it away."  I was very apologetic & polite as I always try to remember I am a kite ambassador of sorts.   When you fly in parking lots you can't really use a kite stake.  Set your kite by leaning against a curb or light pole base then go to the handles.  The terrain is hard & abrasive but very smooth.  Someone is usually watching so fly your best.  SHBKF 

    4D on short lines in a safer location

    gallery_7709_404_95315.jpg

    Wala flying from our office parking lot.

    gallery_7709_404_1424984.jpg

    Sea Devil kite like Rob mentioned.  First kite with which I ever did a repeatable flare to fade.  A great one.

    large.DSC07811.JPG

    • Like 4
  10. 1 hour ago, p23brian said:

     


    I've already added the park near home where I usually go to fly. I'll try the soccer field a few more times to make sure I don't get chased off or anything before I add that too.


    Sent from my iPhone using KiteLife mobile app

     

    Good idea to make sure you don't get chased off.  I flew at a location several times a year until the one day that a particular security officer decided I was a danger to others....  Well, it was a mall parking lot.    SHBKF

    • Like 1
  11. Woke up about 5:30 AM Saturday to notice some activity on my property during the snowfall.  This guy may be late for work on Monday as his Jeep is still parked there.

    DSC_0573 (1280x851).jpg

    See, I really do live "out here in the sticks",  SHBKF

    edit: no one in the car when I checked.  Local constables came by about 2:30 PM Saturday to see if vehicle was occupied.  You should have seen the deputy crawling back up the slippery embankment.

    • Like 2
  12. Several years ago I was flying at least weekly in winter conditions here in the mountains of Virginia.  I was just beginning to enter the world of modern high performance stunt kites including both dualies & Revs.  My enthusiasm was high & I was not worried about being cautious or conservative in regards to preserving my kites.  In other words I was a newbie out there flailing away & breaking expensive kites.  Only broke one old stock four wrap Rev 1 tube but I lost count of the SkyShark tubes that were offered up for sacrifice.

    My father had spend his most of his career as a reinforced plastics composite engineer in the aerospace industry.  He knew a bit about carbon fiber reinforced plastics to say the least.  I had to show him some of my splintered tubes inquiring about the possibility that cold weather may not be friendly to the life of these kite parts.  He said that if the composites were correctly designed & manufactured to withstand  the expected loads in normal weather conditions that a little cold weather would not be an issue whatsoever.  He suggested that I not abuse them so much impacting the ground or overloading them in high wind gusts.  One day when I was showing him how I could fly a Rev he said, :"Isn't the point to see how high you can fly it?"  I really miss him.

    SHBKF 

    Don't break em so much anymore.....

    • Like 4
  13. 5 hours ago, Exult said:

    If it gets cold enough for gloves and a fly the 4D I use the thin gloves and put my index finger through the string loop that hold the finger straps attached to the lines if using the line set that came with the 4D. The finger straps themselves are then inside my hand.
     

    When I was out today it was -11 degC (12F). I then used the thin gloves when assembling(/disassembling) the kite and the mittens while flying. When removing the thin gloves when needed (doing lark heads, adjusting the bridle...) have your back against the wind so that the hands are more protected. I also widened the tension of the shoestring in the lower parts of my boot (to allow the air to circulate all the way to the toes), while the upper parts of the shoestring had normal tension (my boots allow this separation of tension along the shoe string). Well insulating underwear is mandatory. But I guess this is nothing new for a fisher.

    I too have flown a 4D extensively.  I even traded a Quantum for a second 4D last year, my first ever kite trade.  A couple years ago I stopped using straps for this kite at all.  I use only the sleeved loops of the lines themselves.  The kite does not have much pull even when you fly it in higher winds.  When the wind gets too strong the leading edges start distorting & the kite kind of squirts across the window.  I fly it mostly on a five meter line set but occasionally use a 10 meter set.  In colder weather I use only glove liners for the 4D which still gives me a direct connection.

    After years of solo winter backpacking adventures I still wear gloves in layers.  If I have a piece of equipment that I can't operate while wearing thin gloves I actually practice until I am able to do so.  I prefer mittens worn over glove liners for the maximum warmth.  But kite flying keeps me in gloves.  The boot lacing technique mentioned is also important as I have experienced my feet turning to wood due to poor circulation from trying to cram on an extra pair of socks into lighter boots.  In this image of a cold morning I am dressed in a down jacket with high tech long johns & shorts.  It was around 15 degrees with no wind.

    gallery_7709_404_5681.jpg

    SHBKF

    • Like 1
  14. Dang!  Know Eye Deer.  But I will add that I realized early on that with a Revolution Sportwing you were essentially flying the kite by the bridle, a really long bridle.  After the thrill outweighed the seemingly high expense I did not give much thought to the design, just to thinking about how to fly the amazing kite.  When I look at a Rev style kite I see it as two conventional diamond kites, trimmed at the top & attached at the crossbow spars.  Just a couple thoughts from out here in the sticks.

    Yeah, I have a few Revs, SHBKF                             old image showing the early part of the hoard..........gallery_7709_404_1341845.jpg

    • Like 1
  15. 48 minutes ago, Wayne Dowler said:

    "............... ALMOST NEVER will you have anything resembling a "PERFECT WIND"! It comes down to making it as easy as possible to get to clean, open lines. Done correctly it should  take no time to setup. The key is doing it the same EVERY TIME..............."

    Only time I have ever experienced a perfect wind or rather a perfect unwind, was when I helped someone with their new ready to fly EXP package.  I unwound a little off winder & staked each pair into the sand.  I unreeled the lines off the winder just being careful to keep the winder flat in my left hand & pulling off line with my right as I walked upwind.  I tried not to twist the lines as I separated them & attached them to the handles.  Staked the handles down, walked back & assembled the kite.  It had a travel frame which was interesting as I had not seen one before.  After attaching the lines to the kite we turned it over & parked it leading edge down.  Back to the handles, picked them up, lines were perfect!  Backed the kite up launching into a gentle roll over & so it began.  Dang! it wasn't even my kite.  Loved it though.  SHBKF

    • Like 2
  16. Welcome to KiteLife & the great forum of fliers.  After several years of learning more about dualies & quads I am going to explore more of the single line kites that I have neglected for a time.  Enjoyed seeing kitekits.com for the first time.  Look forward to becoming a customer.  Thanks for becoming a KiteLife sponsor.  That means a lot to many of us.

    Cordially, Ralph

    • Like 3
  17. Just came upstairs from the Kite Dungeon where I was doing wing tip maintenance on several kites.  Seems like when I am flying I don't spend much time stopping to fix lose ends or missing vinyl caps.  Many times, if there seems to be an issue, I just switch to another kite.  Because the winds are so fickle here in the mountains I want to fly as much as possible when I can.  Some kites throw off end caps often & others have retained their caps for years.  Recently one side of a dualie lost it's tension on the leach line while the other side remained tight.  The normally quiet sail started a gentle puttering sound.  Back home I reworked both tips, leech lines & tensioning.  My style of tensioning the tips has evolved over time & I noticed some kites are tied differently on either end.  Ah, the randomness of life, what a great thing it is.

    I have not replaced too many broken nocks on my kites.  The damaged ones have not resisted much or have already been knocked hard enough to loosen them.  One nock was glued on so well that I just whittled it off with my ever present Swiss Army Knife.  I have some kites on which the nocks are not secured by anything other than the tension of the line.  When I put a new one on I generally just put a small amount of cyanoacrylate on the spar to hold the nock.  A sharp rap will break the bond if I need to remove it at a later time.

    My favorite field repair of all time was when I only had one kite with me one day & the upper spreader went missing.  I looked around a bit, found a nice straight twig, whittled on it a little & kept flying until the wind died.  SHBKF

    • Like 2
  18. 1 hour ago, makatakam said:
    • .......... In super-heavy, extreme winds, I will double up the LE or use the SLE leading edge.

    You're a brave man to admit to using the SLE here on this forum.  (I actually have four sets of this infamous leading edge tube . One SLE kite I bought used came with a still in the factory wrapper spare set of SLE tubes!)  SHBKF

    • Like 2
  19. 50 minutes ago, John Barresi said:

    If your kite is fully draped over the bush or tree, disconnect (at the kite end) and pull through one line at a time... Generally works, if the lines haven't done too many loops in the bush.

    This is exactly how I got my Rev B out of a palm tree one night  I walked toward the tree & the kite somehow lowerered to be reachable. A bit scary at first, thought the lines were gone.  Quite a night,  But oh what a night!  I got my thirty foot line set free, reattached the kite & continued flying for quite some time.  Best night time "urban flying in the campground" session ever.   SHBKF

    • Like 1
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