RobB

Anything happening with those tutorials I wonder. I think he has gone to the otherside, Rev side that is. I know there are other tutorials but John has a way of doing them that makes them easier to follow, also he has a commentory. It might happen! If you were looking for Randy G's tutorials.... they've been relocated to... http://v2.1.kiteclique.com/tutorials/randygs/ Martin's tutorials & studies can now be found at... https://docs.google.com/folder/d/0B9JcxZDCNUNSRW9jUG9ac0loTDg/edit?pli=1&docId=0B9JcxZDCNUNSOGZkOTg2ODUtYTE5MS00NWI5LWFlMWYtNjEzZDYxOWY4Njgy Download & save them before they disappear for good !

I can't say if those Polo Kites fly any better or worse than a B series, but at my skill level, I'm sure I'd never know the difference. From looking at the videos, I'd die happy if I could learn to fly that good.

Yes, I will agree.... there are no better tutorials than yours, John. I've been waiting for some more dual line stuff, but have been learning to fly a Rev in the meantime. I had a few hours on the lines yesterday, practicing what you talked about & what I've seen in the videos. Here's a suggestion... compile the tutorials onto a DVD,,, it would be a great promotional item for Kitelife. Way better than t-shirts !

I've seen the other video of Terry Rankin painting with a Rev... such a cool idea. *hint* ....I bet if there were some other top pilots that would try this, (maybe even a collaboration) the resulting artwork would probably bring some good $$$ at auctions & raffles.... *hint* I've chosen a Polo Kite to be my Rev mid-vent. I think they look amazing, and it looks like they fly pretty well, too. My initial hesitation to get into Revs was my dislike of the factory look. There's not much that can be done about the shape, I guess, but the patterns leave a lot to be desired, too. Bazzer's eyes look real nice (as well as most of the masterpiece series) but the premium is pretty high. THe Polo versions are only ~$50 more than a factory stock sail. Seems like a bargain to me !

Finally flew my Plutz-3 on a wand... much better ! Still not as smooth as my Mini-Glider, but I'll have to wait for a totally calm day to truly judge that.

Hey Dayhiker... welcome ! Kitelife is the first online kite forum that I found, and got a tremendous amount of help from these guys. Wildwood isn't too far from Virginia, come up & fly with us at the end of the month ! Looks like you've got a nice duallie collection going, check out the 'IFLY2' group on Facebook. Dual line flying's making a comeback !

I would be so happy to change my vented Rev to these colors ! If I win, there will be a well used Aqua 1.5b vent in the swap meet for cheap !

Nice looking kite for my dark skies !

You can say anything you want... I assume you must have a Mega-Vent ?

7 mph !

Thanks for asking that question... I just broke a 3 wrap stick & have to make an order to replace it. I'm thinking of ordering a Race Frame at the same time, and I think the Black Race Rods are the way to go. Am I right ?

I prefer my vented 1.5 to the standard sail. The standard sail is way too twitchy for me. I like to fly slow & mellow, and the standard sail is just too fast for me. I guess that's why there's a mid-vent, and why so many people like those. Revs are certainly the best kites for variable winds, though. Changes in wind speed & direction are so much easier to deal with than with dual-line kites.

I especially liked the stall-in-place move at 2:50. I would try flying that thing on a light-tackle fishing pole. I got used to glider flying on a wand, and just can't fly right with the hand-over-hand method. I recently got a Plutz-3 and can't do a darn thing with it. Of course, the 2 times I had it out, I didn't have a wand with me. I have to try something like your Wala XL, but I think the new ITW Manta will be my choice, as soon as it hits the streets !

Hey John... I've heard a story about you wrapping up a kite so many times that the lines ended up half their length. What's the real scoop on that urban legend ? And yes, the trailing edge gets roughed up when you roll up too much. This is a picture of the TE of my Prism Zephyr... I flew that kite to shreds but it still flies OK, so who cares what it looks like ? A SUL kites can be rolled up, but it takes much more effort than a standard kite. Also, you don't need yoyo stops, in the old days before yoyo stops, pilots used to catch the lines on the upper spreader connectors. Or you could put a yoyo line between your lines that catches the nose as the kite rotates around...

30 inches is REALLY small (almost a miniature kite). The kite you pictured looks like a larger delta, somewhere around the 7 foot range. Tough to tell, since there's nothing to scale it against. I use a 12 foot double DC, and a Power Sled 24 & 36 for my KAP kites. Sure, that's overkill for a GoPro, but you just want to make sure that you're using a stable kite that flies stapled to the sky. You're flying an expensive camera into harm's way... don't skimp on what's holding it up in the air.

Well, you're in luck if you win the Kymera... it zooms around great, makes sharp, clean lines if you want to fly shapes and has a wonderful obnoxious sound when it really gets going. Oh, did I mention it does all the tricks ? I was torn between getting a red one or a green one... I got the green one for the overcast days, maybe RNG will see fit to send me a red one for the sunny days ! 259259259259259259

That is just freakin' cool ! a lot of color in one spot in the sky.... I like it ! The wind didn't look like it wanted to lift that big train, did you ever get it up to the stronger wind ?

Sounds like you might have your security level set too high. Depends on the version of IE and FIrefox, too. I use Chrome because of the troubles that I have with the code on modern websites being too advanced for my IE to understand. I need IE8 for work (corporate secure connections) and keep Chrome for my personal browsing. I don't use Firefox anymore, it has its share of problems (obviously).

* Yes, JB got me rolling with learning how to fly & trick dual line kites... now he's planted the seeds to learn flying quads to a higher level. Thanks, JB & Kitelife ! BTW... revised the video, it's easier to watch, now...

I guess my 'prized kites' would be my Fearless SUL & Sea Devil SUL. My wife asked Lam Hoac to build them for my birthdays in 2009 (Fearless) and 2012 (SD). Light wind flying is my favorite, and both of these kites will fly & trick in just 1-2mph of wind !

OK, I just don't get how they ever get their lines untangled. 8)

I don't think it's the method of winding that causes or prevents snags, I think it's the 4 lines on one winder. I only have 2 quad line sets (that I've used recently) and they both snag when I'm walking them out. Maybe it's the knots on the sleeving, sometimes the keeper bungee gets in the way, but most of the time 3 lines come off the horn on the winder, and one stays behind, quickly causing a snag. Like I said, I don't think it's the method of winding, and John's straight wrap method is faster. The only reason I figure 8 my dual lines is because I always have... force of habit. Everything I do with quad line flying is relatively new to me, so I try to follow all the hints, tricks & tips of the pros... I'll have to try straight wrapping a dual line set, and notice how it pays out the next time. Maybe the subject of another video ?

I wind my dual line sets figure 8 style, and my quad line sets like John suggests. If you figure-8 with attention & care, they come out even (as long as your lines are even). And if they don't... so what ? They unroll perfectly, without snags. John's method is faster, but almost always snags when you're rolling them out. I always use a stake, I don't know how well it works with the stake-less method...

John, thank you for describing some drills to work on. My landings were kind of sloppy in the video, I can do better, and I'll work on that. I am starting to fly more figures & less tricks with my dual-line flying, too. I've been practicing a box figure with the Rev, holding 9,12,3, and 6 o'clock hovers while making the sides of the box. My hand positions are definitely something I have to work on... I find myself leaning my hands to the right or left, following the kite instead of keeping the same square position at all times. Well, another weekend is fast approaching, weather looks good for the Sunday fly... I'll let you know how I do. Thank you for the suggestions, I'm going to review the tutorials again, and head out ! ~Rob.

Yes, time on the lines... I use my arm motion a lot more when the wind is lower, and also walk back & forth. In this wind, the smallest hand motion made the kite move a great deal, and I guess I need to get quicker or refine my inputs more. I will look to get the handles more 'neutral'. Thanks !