Captainbob

Trust me, we've all "BEEN THERE AND DONE THAT", and it really makes you feel like a fool. But, you usually don't do it more than a couple of times, and finally, your identification begins to sink in................ So, your scheme must be: ? Upper Left - White Lower Left - White/Black Upper Right - Red Lower Right - Red/Black That;'s it. It was funny yesterday, cause I was already fighting the erratic winds, and getting PO'd about the situation, and all of a sudden, it was like my kite was possesed and trying to beat me into submission.......The right side kept trying to hit me in the head every time a gust came along.

What I have on the lines I got with the SLE from AWOC is white and white/black , and red and red/ black on the other side. I have a red piece of tape on my right handle. Impossible to mix up, although yesterday, I managed to connect the right side of my Rev to the opposite lines. Made for an interesting time, when I was trying to set it up for a launch, with the left side firmly planted on the LE and the right side trying to take off.

I just can't do it. If I wind-up my lines, and get close to the stake (I remove my handles prior to wind-up), and I see that they aren't coming out even, I unwind the whole thing, and start over. Theoretically, winding a properly paired, quad set, shouldn't be any different than winding up a dual line set, so if one line (or pair), is way off, something's got to be wrong. A lot of times, this doesn't become evident, until the wind-up, and at that point, I want to figure out which line(s) is out of sync, and why. No better time to find out, than when you've already got them paired and staked out. Then I take note of the problem, so I can equalize them, when I get back home, if necessary. I've found that the usual culprit, will be sagging drive lines, which is normal after several flights in a good breeze, and really not a problem, as long as both of those drive lines have the same amount of sag. If only one line is sagging, something is definitely out of whack, and equalization is probably in order. If the amount of sag is great (drive lines sag down much lower than the brake lines), and assuming they are equal, it might be a good time to reverse the paired lines, on your winder (wind-up from the handle end, back to the kite). Then, next time out, your lines will be reversed on your winder, but you'll be set up to attach your normal drive lines, as brake lines, and visa-verso. Fly it this way for a while, and you'll eventually equalize your top and bottom lines again, and then you can then switch them back, to your normal configuration. Another good reason to "color code", your top vs bottom sleeving......... Works for me I like having all 4 lines color coded, so right and left brake lines can't be mixed up either.

I ordered the 3D case for my 4D, last week an just got it. The 4D fits in it perfectly without having to break the leading edge down. $5 on the Prism website. http://shop.prismkites.com/index.php/specials/prism-3-d-bags.html

Lived in Hollywood Florida, for 10 years, 250 feet from the beach. I know what that is like.

Well today was kind of a no progress day, I guess. Because the weather people said it would be 9mph today. and the last couple of days, it was just about windy enough for the 4D, I figured I would finally get some flying time with the SLE, since it has been about a week since we had some decent wind. Set everything up, flew it about 5 minutes total, launches, descents ( no wind), wait, launch-descent, ( no wind) , wait,. etc..etc... That exercise was coupled with 180 degree wind shifts, so the kite that was set up to launch, would just fall over, when the wind hit it from the rear, so then I would have to walk to it, set it up, fall over again, , etc,etc,,, Finally quit for lunch, and figured maybe the 4D after lunch was the way to go , since it flies pretty good with the crummy wind. After lunch, weather report on my Android phone ( 3 of them actually from different sources) said the wind was up to 9-10 mph. Back to the field with the Rev, set it up, and while I was setting it up, a nice wind was blowing, sail was rattling, had to hold the leading edge down, etc.... Get ready to go, and away goes the wind again. More of what I did this morning, with almost no getting it off the ground. More waiting, but apparently the wind has moved to another state. Net result, I am now an expert and setting up and folding up the SLE, could probably do it blindfolded, and even beat JB in a contest. In addition, I probably walked about 6 miles, back and forth from the stake to the kite....I also learned, on one of the setups, to make sure the black lines go on the bottom on both sides, not just one side ( couldn't figure out why when I set it up on the leading edge, with the handles set in full forward drive, the kite kept trying to flip over on me....... Anyway, I am sure if I can get one darn @##* day with some decent wind, I will be able to actually fly the SLE up in the air. I was also thinking about the kite I just ordered, and when the Mid Vent arrives, I may have to rent a 747, to park on one end of the field with it's engines running to get the mid vent off the ground.....

Thanks, Good Info....

Having only flown kites for a a couple of weeks, I realized that living inland, there are quite a few light wind days, when only a SUL or UL will get off the ground. I think learning or enjoying a new hobby, if you can do it frequently, it speeds up the learning curve. I quickly saw that the Revolution Kite was something that interested me, so I purchased an SLE, and now a 1.5 B. I also bought a prism 4D for the light wind days, and yesterday when the wind was light and variable, I really enjoyed flying the 4D, which was the only kite I had that would launch. Whenever I undertake a new venture, I like to read everything I can on the topic, so I started avidly reading reviews and posts on light wind kites on a couple of forums, many of which date back quite a few years. I have also watched a bunch of videos, featuring these types of kites, on Youtube. Last night I found this video shot by Must86 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtPArLN03YM#t=225 , which really impressed me, and the fliers ability to fly perfectly in almost no wind at all, I am sure that it takes many years of practice to get to this point, but it looks like it is worth it. Now, the reason for this topic is I am wondering what everyones favorite light wind kite(s) are currently , and what is the reason you like that particular kite? I have read about a few of these kites, just to start the conversation: Prism 4D Prism 3D Skyburner Pro Dancer Skyburner NikNak, I-nak HQ Shadow Revolution Zen Prism Quantum Pro Prism Zephyr I am sure there are many, many, others , but these are what I came up with so far. I also realize that much of flying one of these kites probably has as much to do with the pilots skill, as the particular kite they are flying, but what would be the ultimate kite to use, while working on this skill set?

Great story.....

Is that your favorite low wind kite to fly?

Watched this video tonight. He really has low wind flying down!!!! Enjoyable to watch.

Well my plan D worked well today, ( D for 4D). Wind was reading 1-2 mph gust to 6. I got out the 4D and had about 1 1/2 hours of flying in the park. lots of light wind practice, which should help with flying the Rev in lights winds too. Glad I got the 4D, I can see it's going to get alot of use on these calm wind days.

Oh Wayne, and I was just thinking about outfitting an old 1.5 Rev, with a 7/16" SLE in the LE, and I was going to make a set of vertical (upright) rods out of another old cut-down, SLE rod. Then I was going to send it to you, for heavy wind days. (ha, ha) Do think that thing would fly like a tank, or what ? Rev police would put you under the jail ! Tell me how much money to send, I'll fly it, need a tough kite, fits my style. You won't need the PB 4-8 if you get that setup......

What I have found, is that when unwrapping the lines off the winder, if I hold the lines in my hand about 1 1/2 feet from the winder, as I unwind them, there is less of a tendency for one of the 4 lines to catch on the winder, and overlap the other three causing a jam up in the unwinding process.

Hey CB.....That's pretty cool, that you figured that out - the part about making "the first wind, a figure 8" ! That's one of the little tricks, that I likewise figured out, sometime back. Making that first wrap, across the winder (figure 8), gets the knots over to one side, leaving for a smooth center wind. And I thought that was one of my secrets......... I believe you are beginning to figuring this stuff out. Carry on Sir ! You are doing good - "OWN YOUR WIND" Actually, I got that initial figure 8 from JB's tutorial.

Here is what I can't figure out about flying a kite. Get to the field, with very little wind, but there is some, just enough to launch and fly the kite you have. You start setting up the kite, and unrolling the lines. As you are just about ready to fly, you can feel the wind die down. You try launching the kite, and maybe get it into the air, and the wind decays to zero, or maybe even switches direction 180 degrees, so it falls to the ground, no matter what you do. You wait, and wait, and wait for another breeze, attempting another launch, and finally decide it's just not a flying day for kites. You unhook the lines, and start winding them up, and as you are winding the lines up, you can feel the wind slowly increasing. The closer you get to having the lines completely wound, and breaking the kite down, the wind reaches is strongest point, even stronger than when you first arrived. If you decide, to give it one more try and set up again, and start unwinding the lines, the more line you have unwound, the weaker the wind gets, until you have all the line out, and you are back to a dead calm. Finally after repeating this routine several times, you decide to quit for good, and pack everything up for the last time, and as you walk towards your car, you feel a really nice breeze.... What's up with with that...

After struggling with the 4 lines using JB's method, I finally have it down. I do the same thing, I use 2 stakes separated by about 5 feet, to unwind the lines, and never have a problem now. When I put the lines on the winder, I also make sure the leaders and knots are out of the way, and the first wind is a figure 8, and then straight from there. Works great.

Yes and no! Yes you can, but any local dealers won't like that you cut them out of the loop! I would see if any outlets will accept the certificate first, if that fails, then go through Rev directly! Yeah, that's what I am going to do. I order mostly from AWOC, so I will ask them first.

Off topic a bit, but can you purchase items directly from Revolution? The reason I ask, is they sent me a $20 gift certificate, and I was wondering if a dealer would take that, or would you have to order something directly from Revolution.

Question, since I already have a SLE rod, if the winds were strong, would that work on the B, rather than buying a 4 wrap rod, or would it not fit in the LE of the B, or is the SLE just not good to use, period? To put an SLE rod in a "B" is sacrilege!! The "B" was designed around using the flex that the 1/4" rods have, not the inflexibility of the SLE tubes!! Yes it will interchange, but don't let the Rev police catch you!!! Somehow, I knew that was going to be the answer......

LOL. I am not even going to think about telling anyone in my family what I have done, except my dog...

Question, since I already have a SLE rod, if the winds were strong, would that work on the B, rather than buying a 4 wrap rod, or would it not fit in the LE of the B, or is the SLE just not good to use, period?

I guess, being a newbie, I am going to have to disagree. First of all, one of the best books for a pilot learning to fly in decades, is "Stick and Rudder" by Wolfgang Langewiesche. It was written in 1942, and I have talked to military pilots and airline pilots over the years, and most of them have read and recommended this book to anyone that wants to learn how an aircraft flies, and how not to kill yourself flying one. In the last couple of weeks, I have watched videos, tutorials, read posts, etc,etc. but I was missing something. The aerodynamics of what was actually happening when flying a Revolution Kite, was never really clearly explained, in my opinion. What caused it to slide, what effect did apparent wind have on the sail, etc,.etc. This book, and the illustrations of the kite as it was being controlled, just clicked with me, possibly because I have a background in aviation and flying different types of aircraft, as well as RC stuff, as well as my sailing background, I think of a airfoils, angle of attack, luffing, flutter, and things I am already familiar with. This book immediately struck me as a "Stick and Rudder" kind of book aimed at the Rev kite. I am pretty sure that the basic Rev kite like the Rev 1 , for instance, doesn't fly that much differently today, than it did 20 years ago when this book was written. In the same way, In the same way, aircraft behave pretty much the same as they did when Stick and Rudder was first published over 7 decades ago. As far as leading edge down, versus up, nobodies perfect. By the way, the DVD I got with my new Rev 2 weeks ago, shows the factory person setting up the Rev kite, clearly placing it on on the ground with the leading edge up, explaining that this is how it should be placed, after he assembled the kite, and then he walked to the kite and launched it. Do I agree with him, no, but I bet that many people watching this tutorial DVD that is currently being shipped with the kite, are setting it up this exact way. All in all, this book taught me alot, and answered many questions that I had as a beginner. Just my opinion.....

I have probably been driving everyone crazy on Kitelife, asking for advice on a second Rev. My first, which I just started flying last week is an SLE and I had a blast flying it for the first time last week. I decided at that time, that I was hooked on the Rev for various reasons. After years of flying RC aircraft and helicopters, I never wanted to have just one thing to fly, in case of a mishap, or something that might stop me flying for a week while parts are on the way, so I decided that I needed to have a plan B. The problem is, I couldn't decide what to get, another SLE, or a Rev 1, or something else. I started looking at the B series. On the AWOC web site, they had the kite only for $225, which includes one frame. Since I already have the handles, with the leaders I made up, and the line from my SLE, I decided that with the 10% AKA discount, I could get this kite for $200. And AWOC also had an upgrade on the frame for $1 to the Race Frame. The next issue, is which one to get. I live in a low wind area ( average wind from multiple websites confirms this) of around 8 mph. So since it is average wind, which usually calms down at night, that would lead m3 to believe that during the day, I could be up around 8-12 quite a bit, especially during the windy months. So do I get a full sail, or a mid vent, that is the next question. I compared the speeds listed on the Rev site for the full sale B versus the mid vent B, and there was only a 1 mph difference, so I assume that there wouldn't be a drastic difference between the full and mid vent. They both top out at around 20 mph, depending on the rods that are installed. So the Race rods should get me down to around 3mph in the Mid Vent, and the 3 wrap which I already have from 4-16, and both rods up to 20, or later I could get a 4 wrap set if I think it's necessary. I guess the main reason I got the mid vent, is because I read in many places that in the mid range, with bumpy wind, the mid vent smooths everything out better than the full sail. So we will see how this all pans out, but I think for $200, which includes a set of Race Rods which normally go for around $90, and that I can use in my SLE, I think it is a pretty good deal. Oh, I ordered the Red/White/Black because anything with Red flies better

Thanks, I already ordered a bunch of small parts, spreaders, T's, etc along with the 3D case, enough to rebuild almost anything. Of course, now nothing will ever break