Captainbob

http://www.awindofchange.com/product/shanti-skybondblk.html

New study that is interesting, if you are into science. http://www.realfarmacy.com/scientists-blow-the-lid-on-cancer-sunscreen-myth/

Had another banner day today Started flying at 10 AM, and the wind at round level was between 6-8 and increasing. I had the 1.5 Std with the Race frame and Magic sticks, and it flew perfectly, even when the wind at altitude grew stronger and a bit gusty. After about 3 hours, it got real dark, and started hailing, with small hail. I quickly landed, threw the kite in my car, in one piece, and rolled up the lines. Drove home, had lunch, and went to the field next to my home, and the wind was about the same. Took the kite out of the car, flew another hour and a half, and decided I was bushed, especially with the heat index around 91 F. I worked on a bunch of stuff today, much of which consisted of spins without losing altitude, spins close to the ground, tip landings, dive stops, and glides. Hoping for the exact same wind conditions tomorrow. Oh, one thing I started doing this week on the Revs, when I break the kite down, I grab the ferrules on either side of the center LE and give a good tug or two, to make sure the glue is solid, and the ferrule isn't loose. Only takes a second, and I think it is a good thing to check.

Dacula is about 40 miles from downtown Atlanta, out I-85 and 316. Travel time from Atlanta to Dacula varies with the time of day, but during rush hour could be over an hour and a half each way, or more. In the evening, or weekends, less than an hour. The closest field where you can fly near Dacula is Scott Hudgens Park which is about 20 miles from Dacula, and a 30 minute drive. The Park has a series of soccer fields, probably about 10 or more, and on the weekend, could have many soccer games going on there, so not sure if it is flyable. During the week, it is empty. Georgia Perimeter College in Decatur, right off I-285 and Flat Shoals Road. Empty on the weekend, and that is where I fly during that time. About 25 minutes from downtown, out I-20. The last place, would be the Meadow in Piedmont Park, which is right in downtown Atlanta, but can get crowded on the weekend depending if there are any events in the park at the time. On Sunday, usually Piedmont Park is not that busy, you can look that up on the park activity schedule in advance. All these places are listed on the AKA website ( favorite flying fields for Georgia )

Actually, the land warms up from the sun during the day and the air over the land rises, creating a lower pressure. Cooler air, which is more dense, moves in to take the place of the rising air warmer air. So during the day you get a sea breeze, that is the cooler air over the sea, moving towards the land. At night, the land cools quicker, than the water, so the cooler air over the land blows towards the water, which results in a land breeze.

How have you been doing flying the 4.8?

Great video, lots of stuff to practice even on my 1.5's.... The Blast looks like it would be a lot of fun to fly in lighter winds.

Where I live, inland Atlanta, the ground level wind is typically 1/2 to 1/3 the wind strength once you climb out of the ground effect. So a wind at 20-30 feet could be 12-15 mph while the ground level wind is 5-7 mph or less. That is what makes it difficult to select what to fly, because you have to factor in winds required to launch, and what wind strength will you see at 40 feet in a gust. 95% of the time, I couldn't get a full vent kite off the ground.

Had a great day at the field. Wind was around 12-14 mph average and I flew my mid-vent B for about 4 hours straight, which was a first. What a difference when you have reliable wind strength and direction, you can learn 50 times faster, than when you are dealing with winds dying out, or changing direction every 20 seconds. A Rev newbie that I met on another forum, came down today, and I helped him get his 1.5 SLE tuned and launched. He only had 2 wraps in it, so I was a bit worried, but it held together. I suggested that he bring the 3 wraps with him all the time. He also had 50# lines to start, and I told him to switch to 90# which he had, even before launching. Anyway, was nice to see another kite flier at the field, and especially a Rev flier. My B mid Rev was spectacular today, loved flying it in a good wind. Smooth!!!!!!!

What impresses me the most about it, is the apparent ease with which it flies in reverse at high speed, compared to it's forward speed. Haven't seen that in any Rev videos, that I have viewed, so far.

The kit is really light, so the weight is negligible in my opinion. A home brew might be heavier. Yes, I have read these comments but still resist, not logical but I am a SHBKF you know. I think it is important to compare apples to apples, so if one considers trying MS, then in my opinion they should be exactly like the kit, not made of heavier components that might possibly alter the way the kite behaves with them. The weight on the two kits I have is so light, I can't imagine it affecting the flight of a Rev, at all. The $30 price tag of a kit was not a deal breaker for me.

The kit is really light, so the weight is negligible in my opinion. A home brew might be heavier.

OK, you weren't blasting it... I guess I misunderstood.LOL . .

I just don't believe in bashing a product, especially one I haven't purchased or flown, until I actually spend some time with it. That's just me, I guess. My crystal ball hasn't worked in years.

Wow. there is some doom and gloom. Guess Lam should start looking for a bankruptcy attorney......

They are built into the design.

It's really easy if you have the sticks on a kite, to remove the sticks temporarily, tape the lines with a small piece of scotch tape and fly without the sticks to compare.

I think if one learns to fly a Rev using the Magic sticks, not using them is like going back to a car without power brakes and power steering. People learned to drive like that years ago, and would have never missed those things, but once used to them, going back is a real nuisance. I just found that it greatly speeded up the learning process, made the Rev much easier to control, and it's behavior much more predictable. Reverse flying difference, to me is dramatic, in fact whenever I fly my Revs I try to fly in reverse as much as possible, back and forth across the window , and at the same speed as forward speed. Inverted hover is a piece of cake. Never had a stick pop out, but I spent time adjusting and snugging lines when I installed the kits, which is probably the reason. Never had any problem with the extra lines, other than the additional 15 seconds or so to set up with kite. Not a big deal to me. Aircraft designers, when they design aircraft look for ways to make the aircraft easier for the pilot to control, stall strips, dihedral, trim tabs, etc..etc. The easier it is to control the more the pilot can focus on what he wants the aircraft to do. Magic Sticks, serve that function on the two Revs I fly.

Been into flying things my entire life, grew up next to LaGuardia airport and Flushing airport. and even at 8 years old spent hours watching planes land and take off and fly around. There is something about the way the ABS flies, that blows my mind. It is graceful, smooth, balanced in both forward and reverse flight, and just looks good in the air. A 20,000 hour pilot that helped me get my pilots licence, told me years ago, that " You can tell how well a plane flies just by the way it looks in the air." I look at the ABS in these videos, and think that it is probably a blast to fly.

The reverse flying and lack of wing flipping sold me instantly. Not messing around with stakes was a bonus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7J750-ji_6E

My solution, that has worked for months, two winders for my Quad lines. Never a tangle, twist , or knot. Love it.

I used CA glue, but in retrospect, a good 5 minute epoxy would probably be a better solution. Just be careful if you use epoxy not to put too much on so it builds up on the end of the rod you are putting the ferrule into, otherwise you won't be able to get the 2 sections of the rod to mate together properly. Some masking tape around the ferrule at the joint where you want the glue to start, will prevent that. Once the epoxy dries, pull the masking tape off.

Found some good feedback posted on the Freestylist. http://www.gwtwforum.com/index.php?topic=11353.0