Captainbob

I got my third Dual line kite, the Widow NG, about 2 1/2 weeks ago. Since then I have not touched my Revs, but have been flying the Widow, my Niknak, and my new Zephyr for hours and hours. This past weekend I flew the Widow and Zephyr almost 8 hours total. I went to the field this morning and and again flew the Zephyr since the winds were a bit low, but were forecasted to pick up this afternoon. This afternoon, after lunch, I almost grabbed the Window NG, but I decided instead that it was time to get back in the air with a Rev, so I grabbed my 1.5 Std with the Race Rods and Magic Sticks, and headed for the field. I didn't know quite what to expect, since I have read about "unlearning" dualie habits, and sticking to one kite or the other to avoid any pilot confusion. ( let's see do the brake lines go on the bottom or the top? ) I set up the Rev, and by this time the wind was picking up a bit. I thought for a minute about going back to the house and getting the B Mid vent instead, but, I figured this would be a good chance to see how the std sail , race rod, magic stick combination was going to work in higher winds than usual. The wind was around 6-8 at the surface, but up 50 feet or so the big trees were swaying, and it was gusty, and probably more like 14-16 in gusts. Up I went. I flew around for awhile, checked the wind window, and then did some inverted slow descents, to see if I remembered how to do them. Piece of cake ( probably helped by the magic sticks, no doubt). Then I did some figure 8's, with downturns at the edges, lateral flying across the window, and then some slow reverse flying back and forth. No problems, the reverse flying was smooth as silk, even with the gusts. It suddenly occurred to me that I was flying the Rev much better now, than I was when I stopped flying them 2 1/2 weeks ago. The dualie flying not only did not harm my Rev flying, it seemed to help it for some odd reason, which I can't quite figure out. I also owe alot to the Magic sticks, since they make reverse and inverted flying so easy, and seem to handle the gusty winds much better. So I flew my 1.5, for about 2 1/2 hours straight, and had a blast. Hope the wind is as good tomorrow, because it is going to be another Rev day.....

I bought some bridal line, white, and just used a couple of sharpies to color it.

Glad it worked for you. Yes a Dremel makes it a piece of cake, to accomplish. Those burrs will send you to the ER, if you don't know about them.

Actually DVDFab worked great. A coworker who copies BluRay and DVD's all the time to put on his computer, told me about it. I just ripped the DVD to my hard drive, and then used Airdroid to upload it to my phone. Didn't take long at all. This way, when I get to the field, if I forget something, I can quickly find it on the DVD and watch it while I am taking a break from flying. http://www.dvdfab.cn/

In the process of converting the Prism DVD to MP4 format so I can load it on my Android phone and watch it at the field. Using a program called. DVDFab which is free to use for 30 days.

Snagging for me was a problem almost from day one. Full forward drive, and the line would snag frequently on the metal clips on the bottom. That is when I searched the problem on two different forums and found the mod on how to easily fix the problem with modifying the handles which is beyond simple. Revolution also came out with the modified handles, to avoid the problem, but they are expensive. Snagging the lines on my headset, clothing, elbows etc, while flying is something I have yet to experience.

I did mine, with the help of a dremel tool to grind down the area around where the hog ring was, otherwise you will cut your hand to ribbens. If you don't have a dremel tool you can use a file. http://kitelife.com/forum/topic/5827-first-day-on-my-rev-sle-not-so-good/?p=42814

Flew my Zephyr for about an hour tonight when I got home from work.What a great flying kite. At one point I was flying these large perfect circles from the top of the window to 10 feet above the ground. The Z made it easy. It is slower than my Widow NG, and just seems to float in the air. Love it... Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

If money is no object, the Widow Maker is probably the better choice. I didn't want to spend that much, so I am very happy with the Widow NG, which is about 1/2 the price of the Widow Maker.

Here is what is says in the Zephyr Owners manual from Prism regarding the Leech Line: "The leechline is the white Spectra line that runs inside the trailing edge and dangles out a few inches at each wingtip. If this line is tensioned and tied off at the wingtips, it stabilizes the trailing edge of the sail and prevents it from fluttering in flight, keeping the kite silent. With the leechline loose, the sail will buzz in flight, especially in stronger winds. By adjusting the tension on the leechline you can set the kite up for your preferred flying style. We tend to prefer the tight precision and reduced pull of a loose leechline, but some pilots don’t like the noise and prefer the silky-smooth feel of a silent setup. There’s no need to tension the leechline for your first flights; we suggest you get to know the kite first and then if you want to mess with it, follow the directions below." So it would appear that the main purpose of the leech line is to reduce noise.

Well I have to admit that since I got my Niknak, and started learning how to fly a dualie, and then adding the Widow NG, I haven't flown my 2 Revs at all. Only few weeks ago, I gave away a Dualie that I won, thinking that I should stick to Revs and wouldn't fly the dualie at all, and after starting to fly dualies, I'm hooked on them. I just came from the field, and in between T-storms and Tornado warnings, the weather this morning wasn't bad. Wind about 4-6 mph at ground level, and probably around 12-15 and gusty at altitude. I flew the Zephyr for about 1 1/2 hours, and was easily able to launch it and fly around. Got alot of buzzing when the wind would pick up, but no wingtip shaking, and it flew great. I didn't want to use the leech line cause I have read posts on problems with the trailing edge caused by the leech line, and I don't mind the buzzing sound at all. It is really docile in stalls and side slides, very easy to control. Looks great in the air. When the wind would pick up a bit at altitude, I would fly around the edges of the wind window. I finally quit when the wind picked up a bit more and got really gusty, didn't want to break anything on the first day in the air.

I already subscribed to his videos. Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

They also sell the Widow NG at Kites and Fun Things, that is where I ordered mine. They also sell a 3/4 size that Premier makes called the Wolf NG, that was designed by Jon Trennepohl, which is also getting some excellent reviews. http://www.kitesandfunthings.com/category.aspx?categoryID=1

Ordered a set of 90# 50 ft lines.

Just got my latest kite, an Inferno Zephyr. Can't wait to fly it. The wind quit right after it was delivered.

I have flown about 10 hours in the last three days, and experimenting with different ways to hold the lines, and decided that for now the method that Dodd uses in his videos is the most comfortable for me, index and middle finger holding onto the end of the wrist strap.

Been watching kite videos on my Roku and YouTube on my large screen tv.It's an entirely different experience than watching it on my PC.you can see the flying lines and exactly what the kite is doing and even the sound of the lines.Love it, and I can sit in my living room and go flying. Here are some examples of videos that look great on a large screen. Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

Not good.....

Found this video today on Youtube, love the sequence at the end with JB vs the big Black Dog.

Found this thread on the same topic. http://www.gwtwforum.com/index.php?topic=2367.0

Dodds videos were what actually prompted this question, because I noticed that he uses a normal length strap, that would normally go around the wrist, but holds it with his index and middle finger. I was trying that today, and it seemed to work well, but I was flying the Niknak. Not sure how well this would work in a 18 mph wind on the Widow NG. I will check out the Cal Straps. That video is "my kind of flying".....

In watching videos of good flyers flying dualies, I see several ways that the flyer holds the straps. Some wrap the straps around their wrists, and hold the strap in the palm of their hand. Others use two fingers holding the end of the if each strap. I have also seen some using a D ring to shorten the loop in the strap, and using fingers to hold the shortened loop. What is the preferred method that dualie experts use?

I have had my Widow NG for almost 2 weeks. Love it.... http://kitelife.com/forum/topic/5948-premier-widow-ng/

That is kind of what I am finding out. I keep waiting for the winds to improve as time goes on, but I am starting to think that " It is what it is". CB - you're understanding it!! You just have to go out and learn to fly in the conditions at hand!! Wait for perfect winds and you'll be doing just that - waiting!! Figuring out how, in less than perfect, will gain you more in the long run! Sure might seem annoying now, but learning to handle less than perfect winds - PRICELESS!! Yes, beginning to realize that. The "perfect" winds don't occur often enough to rely on them, so you have to play the hand you are dealt, which is part of the learning experience. Today the wind was erratic, but I made the best ot if, flew for about 3 hours, and did my first snap stalls on my Niknak...