Captainbob

I just went though the beginner learning stage so it is pretty fresh in my memory. I began my learning , using an upright launch, because it was just one step, versus, the two step launch of inverting the kite first from LE down, and then launching. In erratic inland winds, may times, I will fly, and when the wind lets up, I will land with LE up, and then relaunch from that position. When I set the kite up now, after dozen of hours flying it, I set it up leading edge down, and then invert it from there and launch. I don't set up two kites, because I fly in a public park, and don't want people coming over to the kite I am not flying, while I am occupied with the one in the air, and doing something to it.

Watch the tutorials many times, and then watch them some more. Also you can learn alot by reading forum threads on the Revkites.com forum and on this site.

My big goal now, going forward with my Rev learning, is to get the inverted hover down. I realize that practice is the key, and going back to my RC helicopter days, I can remember practicing hovering for probably hundreds of hours to get the hover as smooth as possible. Learning this hover, I would always try to figure a way to imagine the control inputs when the copter was facing a direction other than the tail towards me, because at other angles, left becomes right, back becomes forward, etc. etc, and this continually changes with the angle that the copter is at in relation to the pilot looking forward. I was browsing the Rev forum this morning and when I read this post, I said to myself... " Wow, this explanation makes inverted hover on the Revolution simple"... http://www.revkites.com/forum/topic/1398-maintaining-inverted-hover-help/?p=74592 Basically, the author of the post is saying that if you think of the handles as controlling the rotation of the Rev, rather than turning the Rev right and left, it then doesn't make any difference if the kite is leading edge up, or down, or at any other angle. Moving the right thumb forward, will always make the kite rotate clockwise, period.... And left thumb results in counter clockwise rotation. So if I am hovering inverted, and the left side of the kite starts to drop compared to the right side ( meaning that the kite is starting to rotate to CCW, all I have to do is apply right brake or right thumb forward to stop the rotation and bring it level again. No confusion about which handle is controlling which side of the kite, it makes it simple..... Can't wait to try it....

Congrats...

How much of a difference would it make if you have a Mid Vent B, in using a 4 wrap versus using an SLE leading edge ( which I already have) for stronger winds? In other words, is the SLE that much stiffer than a 4 wrap?

I will put it there,

The AKA favorite field listed the Georgia Perimeter College, Decatur Campus on their listing of Georgia Kite flying sites. It is located at 3251 Panthersville Rd, Decatur, GA , and is right off I-285. I decided to check this field out this weekend, to see if it was still a viable option. Nice big open manicured lawn in front of the main administration building. You can't miss it. Good wind if there is any around. Very appropriate for the weekend and you can drive right up to the field. But watch out during weekdays as the campus police might give you a parking ticket if you park in reserved spaces, even after hours. That being said, there is plenty of available parking. I met a kite flyer that has been flying at this field for years, and he told me that for the most part, the field is empty. He flies there both during the week on and on the weekends with no problems. He thinks it is the best field anywhere around Atlanta. He flies single line kites with up to 1,000 foot lines, so there is plenty of room. The field is very long, wide, and no trees to speak of, and the entire area is pretty flat which is unusual for Atlanta.

I met a guy that is a regular at a new a new field I discovered, and he regularly flies SLK on a 1,000 foot line of 300# test. I was looking at this huge winder he had, and he said that he needed it, because if you got tangled in the line, it could really cut you up, and showed me this really deep and long scar above his wrist.

So who won?

I read that there is Revolution DVD that features light wind flying that came with the SUL Rev that is supposed to be very good. Does anyone know if this is still available anywhere?

That's ridiculous. Says alot about their current customer service. Document all this, and when the new line breaks, tell us all about it and call them again for another replacement. They had a forum where people could discuss problems with their products, and I complained weeks ago that you couldn't sign up for the forum. One of their folks on their Facebook page said they were going to fix the forum. What they did instead, was just disable the forum altogether. You may want to post your line issue on their Facebook page to get some attention. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Prism-Kite-Technology/267236646644831

Sounds like a great idea. Nothing like traveling and seeing more of the world. See if you can find a way to hit Alaska, you will be amazed at how beautiful it is, just go in the warmer months.

Been using the meter I bought a great deal. It is pretty accurate. Well worth the very low price.

Glad to hear that, i thought they would. By the way, what exactly are they going to send you, did they say?

I ordered some spare rods from AWOC, last week. They shipped them via USPS Priority mail which always troubles me, because generally the promised for delivery day is never correct. Anyway, they arrived this afternoon, the post person, rang my bell, and left. When I opened the door, the long triangular shaped box sat there, looking like a bulldozer had ran over it twice. Out of a hole, in the middle of the box, stuck the 2 rods, a 3 wrap UL and a Race rod. I pulled the rods out which were still wrapped in their clear packaging, and they were not damaged, or broken in any way. They survived the trip unscathed. I wish people would ship stuff UPS or Fedex......

Flew about 4 hours yesterday with the 3 wraps in my Rev B MV. 3 wraps were much stiffer than the Race Rods, not nearly as much flex, especially in gusts. The wind was not what was forecast, more like 4-5 mph near ground, and maybe 10-12 mph at altitude, so launching with the 3 wraps was not as easy as with the Race Rods. I think I prefer the 3 wraps in the higher winds, and may use the Race Rods in my 1.5 Std for light wind days, and switch to the MV kite with the 3 wraps when the winds get above 8- 10 mph. Really starting to get comfortable controlling the Rev now, and many responses to what the kite is doing are stating to come automatically rather than to have to think about what I need to do next. Getting very comfortable with low altitude forward flight, hovering both upright, and with leading edge forward, and even leading edge at different angles. Made a couple of tip landings, and 3 turn spins in either direction. Loven, the Revolution.

I agree with Captainbob, call Prism and raise h*!!. That's just not right, Prism's own instruction manual, clearly states that the recommended flight line is 100# Spectra, yet their sales literature on the website shows 55#, so they ship the kite with a line that's approximately half what "THEY" recommend (?). Go figure ! I had a question about my Prism 4D that I couldn't find an answer to, so I called Prism and talked to their customer support person. He was very helpful, had to research the problem, and called me right back with an answer. I am sure they will send you a new lineset.

Now wouldn't 8 - 14 mph just be perfect, especially with warm weather ! YeeHa ! My kind of wind ! Just got the wind forecast for today 12mph gust to 18 and 70 degrees F. Getting ready to swap the rods in my new B mid vent , from Race Rods to 3 wrap. Those RR were bending quite a bit yesterday, and I want to see if the 3 wraps are different.

Well yesterday was my 3rd day using 2 winders, and I am sold on doing it. Haven't had even one problem, run the lines out, hook em up, and fly. Can't beat it.

Good winds, 8-14 everyday that I am not working, with good warm weather

Well the owners manual on their website for the 1.2 says 80 x 100# Spectra. I am sure if you contact them monday, they will send you a new lineset. http://prismkites.com/download/snapshot_instructions.pdf

Wow, what lines did you get with it? Should have come with 85ft 55# , which shouldn't break with that small a foil. I would contact Prism and tell them what happened.

Did 4 hours on my New B Series mid vent today, with the Race Rods. I can dependably launch it in a bit over 4 mph wind. I practiced horizontal flight, at lower and lower altitudes, slides up and down, a few tip landings. hovering both upright and sldeways. I built up up the courage finally and did some spins, first one each way, and then two each way. Easier than I thought. I also practiced keeping the sail full when there is a lull in the wind, by gently applying pressure and forward flying so I don't lose lift. Very productive day, no crashes, or even hard landings, and I am really starting to get the hang of flying the Rev. Waiting for some steady winds to work on inverted hovering, which I didn't do today because it was pretty gusty most of the day. The only thing that surprised me is the Race Rods. I had tried the 3 wrap in my SLE the last couple of times I flew it, and thought the Race Rods would feel the same in the B series, but I can only describe them as "rubbery feeling" Seems to be much more flex in them than in the 3 wraps in my SLE. Not sure if it just the rods, or the combination of the rods and the B series compared to my SLE 1.5. When I got to altitude today, I would guess the winds up there were around 12 mph or more so maybe the 3 wrap would be a better choice in that wind, but launching with the Race Rods and the mid vent is a definite positive when the ground wind is light, which it was today. The flex of the Race Rods does seem to make it easier to control the B, but that may in part be due to the mid vent too. Anyway it looks like I have 2 kites now that will work in low wind pretty well. Photo is just prior to First Flight

I am a newbie in kiting and a new member of Kitelife.com. One of the first things I did was to subscribe to this site for several reasons. The first reason, is that I liked the look of the website and especially the very active forum, which seems to be the most active kiting forum on the web, at least that I have been able to find. The second reason is the availability of the tutorials, which I have used non-stop, especially since my purchasing a couple of revolution kites. For a couple of dollars a month, I have a place where I can join the chat room in the evening and learn from much more experienced members all kinds of information that would be impossible to find any other way. I can also post a question about something that I don't understand and usually within hours I get multiple answers to my questions. At the same time I joined Kitelife,, I also joined AKA, and with the 3 kites that I have purchased since joining the AKA, the 10% discount I got on my purchases from AWOC, had paid for my yearly AKA membership totally, and I have already received a couple of the very nice AKA magazines, and I am supporting that organization too. The other evening, I went down to the bottom of the forum page on Kitelife, and looked at the people that were actively browsing the forum at that time. To my surprise, I would say that at least 90% of the browsers, were listed as "Guests", in other words they are not even registered on the forum, and most probably not subscribers or supporting the forum in any way. I did this again, this morning, and the same result. As I am typing this, 9 out of 10 people are guests, and there is only one other member besides myself that is on the forum. I find this disappointing frankly. The guests can come in, read the posts on the forum, and yet they don't feel that they should support the forum in any way, or become part of the registered membership. They apparently are relying on people like me and other subscribers to pay for the forum, so that they can take advantage of it. It's a shame that for a couple of cups of Starbucks coffee a month, folks couldn't keep this forum going by spending the same amount and getting a subscription and registering as a member.

This site will give you some clues on the upcoming wind in your area. There is also an App for Android and iPhones. http://www.windfinder.com/