Help/Advice

[Lulu]

So I consider myself to be New to this style kite. I live in Pa and wind is always spotty at best. I bought my kite at the beach. And can’t get it off the ground. Thinking I may have made a mistake with the Rev Exp. I was told it was a great flyer for very low wind. The line weight is 90 pounds at 65 feet. I’ve watched every video I can get my hands on. So should I go to a 50 pound weight? Or keep trying the 90? I don’t have money to replace the kite for another, probably shouldn’t have spent the money on this. But flying a kite relaxes me. Sadly no kite stores around me nor clubs. Plenty of cows though. Haha. I’d be happy with any suggestions ☺️

[makatakam]

Welcome to the forum.

The EXP will fly in a 2 mph breeze quite easily -- for a flyer with enough experience. It sounds like you're relatively new to quad-line kites. If you have flown it successfully on the beach in steady ocean breezes then it will be easier to deal with inland winds like you have and like I have here in the Midwest. Until you get more experience you'll just need to wait for stronger wind to fly without too much frustration. Four miles per hour or more will keep you smiling. If you get 50-lb lines you can bring that down to 3 mph, so save your money for now. It won't make enough difference to justify the cost. The other thing that may be keeping you "grounded" is the tuning of the kite. There are tutorial videos on this forum, so find them and watch them. What JB (John Barresi) tells you is Gospel for beginners. Listen and watch the videos until you're sick of them, and then watch a couple more times, especially the tuning and low wind ones. With enough experience you can fly your EXP when there is no wind at all, but it takes some time to become that proficient. Fly when you have enough wind and it will happen eventually. Time on the lines is how you gain control of it. Basically there are three stages of flying a quad:

1. The kite flies you.

2. You fly the kite.

3. You and the kite fly as one.

Even the best and most experienced flyers are not in that #3 frame of mind at all times. You'll know when you're there. Your mind will be clear of all else.

[Lulu]

Thank you so much. Since I’m grounded working on set up and tear down. Want it to be second nature. I’ve been watching as many videos as possible which has helped. ☺️

[windwarrior]

As far as tuning, one of the biggest things was making sure the lines are connected to the correct knots on the handles. If you're using the farthest knots out then I could almost guarantee you that is where your problem is. That video Makatakam mentioned will enlighten you! You'll see that and you'll have the "aha" moment. 😉

[John Barresi]

Easiest reference for tuning:

Start at longest knots on top, shorten until the kite provides powered forward flight for you but still responds to brake inputs.

This method will help you find the right setting for pretty much any wind / kite combination.

Conversely, if you start short as possible on top (too much gas) and lengthen until the kite slows down, it will still usually leave you with a setting that is still too forward heavy (not enough brake).

[windwarrior]

What he☝️☝️☝️ said🤣🤣

[Lulu]

28 minutes ago, John Barresi said:

Easiest reference for tuning:

Start at longest knots on top, shorten until the kite provides powered forward flight for you but still responds to brake inputs.

This method will help you find the right setting for pretty much any wind / kite combination.

Conversely, if you start short as possible on top (too much gas) and lengthen until the kite slows down, it will still usually leave you with a setting that is still too forward heavy (not enough brake).

I’ve learned that I can’t access anything because I’m not a member.   Not sure if I should. Reasons for joining?

[riffclown]

There are a few Tutorials that are free. Some require paid membership. The bulk of the Beginner Tutorials are free..  
Most are also available via the KiteLife Youtube Channel

https://www.youtube.com/c/KitelifeMagazine/videos?view=0&sort=dd&shelf_id=4

 

https://kitelife.com/video-tutorials/

 

Subscriber Benefits

As thanks for helping support our efforts to keep this resource alive, subscribers receive the following benefits:

    Automatic prize drawings every 4-6 weeks
    Access to our full archive of Kite Tutorials
    Special forum recognition

 

 

 

[lazrcub]

I am pretty much a novice and still learning. I think it is well worth the money to join the forum. The pay tutorials are a big help.   In this age of Covid, it is difficult to get together with anyone, but If you go to the Jersey Shore, there has been a great weekend event, usually early October called LBI Fly. This may or may not happen this year, but if it does, there usually are people there who can help you learn to fly. It is at Ship Bottom NJ on Long Beach Island. 

[riffclown]

@Lulu If you are on the fence about a paid subscription let me suggest you go through what's available for free and practice those pieces. At that point you can make a decision if the other tutorials are for you.. Please DON'T skip any because the line management, assembly/disassembly, line equalization and launch and control videos are "must know" information for quadline beginners.

There are benefits to joining as a paid subscriber but there is truly no pressure to do so. The free tutorials will help you get set up correctly AND will get you the knowledge you need to get the kite aloft and under your control.

 

 

 

[frob]

There is a big learning curve. If you are learning from video without a guide, probably around 10-20 hours before getting consistent flights rather than exercise walking to the kite and back.. A skilled guide can help reduce it to 10 or so but usually it still takes several flight sessions.

Be grateful you have videos and online resources, many of us learned to fly before them; I first learned to fly dual lines from magazines and library books. 

There is no substitute for time on the line. Get in person help if you can, but keep trying on your own. Record videos and share them when you need help, but don't be surprised if the answer is "more practice". Techniques like inverted flying take many hours of practice to develop a good feel for them, and many more hours to make the skill appear natural. 

Just like so many skills, people often discount the hours of practice. A concert pianist or basketball star spent many thousand hours honing their skill before reaching performance levels. Kites are similar. While any kid can pick up a ball, it takes hours of practice before throwing a basket is more than just luck. Similarly, it will take some hours of practice to develop basic skills with a quad-line kite. There is no substitute for time on the line. 

[windwarrior]

Another option is joining the whole array of Facebook groups out there and then posting to see if there are any local flyers nearby to show you in person. 👍

[midibot]

I have a couple of EXPs and while I am not an expert, in my opinion you have a fine kite that will give hours of fun.

As has been pointed out, setup and configuring the line lengths including leaders is a key to success, and I defer to the other comments in that regard. (Hands on help is useful if you can get it, but flyers are often few and far between.) 

As far as wind: I, too, fly in shifty (with an ‘f’!) inland winds and in my experience the sweet spot of winds for a current EXP, until one gets more familiar, is approx 5/6 mph *minimum* to 9, maybe 10 mph max. The actual range of the kite is much broader, but will complicate things for you early on. You want the ‘drive’ the wind provides, but not too little or much. You have enough other issues on your hands. (The lower end can be further extended with a lighter frame.)

It may be that you are familiar with wind from other kiting, but if not, and if it assists, there are simple charts which may help give a visual on winds that you might encounter, such as the one below.

Hang in there. Keep at it. And the 3 Ps: practice. Practice. Practice.

.

[DonFibonacci]

12 hours ago, midibot said:

The actual range of the kite is much broader, but will complicate things for you early on.

Totally agree. As you get better, you will easily fly in a MUCH wider range of wind, but when first learning, it's frustrating to have to deal with BOTH basic control and too low/too high wind.  That doesn't necessarily mean wait to fly until the wind is perfect - all your time on the lines will pay off - just realize it's going to be harder and don't get so frustrated that you give up!

Side note - I think it's funny that what I would locally call a "really windy day" is officially known as a Gentle Breeze. 🙂

[makatakam]

And if you have any questions, ask! We'll help. Kite flyers are a friendly bunch. We don't bite. However, we do occasionally wave our arms frantically. 😁

[Lulu]

On 8/24/2020 at 9:35 AM, windwarrior said:

As far as tuning, one of the biggest things was making sure the lines are connected to the correct knots on the handles. If you're using the farthest knots out then I could almost guarantee you that is where your problem is. That video Makatakam mentioned will enlighten you! You'll see that and you'll have the "aha" moment. 😉

Sadly right now until I go back to work I can’t watch the videos. But here is a picture of my line set up. Not sure if you can see it. 

[Lulu]

On 8/24/2020 at 9:35 AM, windwarrior said:

As far as tuning, one of the biggest things was making sure the lines are connected to the correct knots on the handles. If you're using the farthest knots out then I could almost guarantee you that is where your problem is. That video Makatakam mentioned will enlighten you! You'll see that and you'll have the "aha" moment. 😉

 

17 hours ago, midibot said:

I have a couple of EXPs and while I am not an expert, in my opinion you have a fine kite that will give hours of fun.

As has been pointed out, setup and configuring the line lengths including leaders is a key to success, and I defer to the other comments in that regard. (Hands on help is useful if you can get it, but flyers are often few and far between.) 

As far as wind: I, too, fly in shifty (with an ‘f’!) inland winds and in my experience the sweet spot of winds for a current EXP, until one gets more familiar, is approx 5/6 mph *minimum* to 9, maybe 10 mph max. The actual range of the kite is much broader, but will complicate things for you early on. You want the ‘drive’ the wind provides, but not too little or much. You have enough other issues on your hands. (The lower end can be further extended with a lighter frame.)

It may be that you are familiar with wind from other kiting, but if not, and if it assists, there are simple charts which may help give a visual on winds that you might encounter, such as the one below.

Hang in there. Keep at it. And the 3 Ps: practice. Practice. Practice.

.

Thank you for the wind scale. It’s helpful! I’m not giving up at all. Fixed my very first delta. Needed some tlc it’s well over 20 years old and still flies like a champ. 

[Lulu]

4 hours ago, DonFibonacci said:

Totally agree. As you get better, you will easily fly in a MUCH wider range of wind, but when first learning, it's frustrating to have to deal with BOTH basic control and too low/too high wind.  That doesn't necessarily mean wait to fly until the wind is perfect - all your time on the lines will pay off - just realize it's going to be harder and don't get so frustrated that you give up!

Side note - I think it's funny that what I would locally call a "really windy day" is officially known as a Gentle Breeze. 🙂

Sadly I can’t say it’s been dead here. Of course later today it will be picking up as the thunderstorms come rolling in. But I’d prefer not to imitate Benjamin Franklin, at least not today 🪁

[windwarrior]

19 minutes ago, Lulu said:

Sadly right now until I go back to work I can’t watch the videos. But here is a picture of my line set up. Not sure if you can see it. 

From the looks of those lines coming off the handle, I can almost guarantee there's where your problem lies!! Where in the world did you buy that setup???

[Lulu]

8 minutes ago, windwarrior said:

From the looks of those lines coming off the handle, I can almost guarantee there's where your problem lies!! Where in the world did you buy that setup???

It came in the revolution exp kit. I just attached as per instructions. 

[windwarrior]

These are my handles. So I'd try and mimic the amount of knots then do what John Barresi suggested. 

[windwarrior]

3 minutes ago, Lulu said:

It came in the revolution exp kit. I just attached as per instructions. 

My apologies, it's been so long since I've seen the original setup that I've forgotten how they came. 🤣

So yeah, just add knots, make sure they're even then proceed to John's recommendations on his first response to this thread.

[Lulu]

1 hour ago, windwarrior said:

These are my handles. So I'd try and mimic the amount of knots then do what John Barresi suggested. 

Okay will do. Thanks. I’ll get there. 

[DonFibonacci]

2 hours ago, Lulu said:

Sadly right now until I go back to work I can’t watch the videos. But here is a picture of my line set up. Not sure if you can see it. 

That looks like a stock Rev handle with stock EXP leaders to me.  It's possible you have the leaders reversed.  It looks like the brake leader is longer than the top leader.  If so, I would reverse them at a bare minimum.

The stock leaders provide a TON of forward drive (in an effort to make it really easy for beginners to get off the ground).  Having them reversed like this picture would result in even more forward drive - so the question is, what exactly do you mean when you say.you can't get the kite off the ground?  Will it literally not take off, or does it take off, fly to the side and fall?  Because with the setup you have here, it should want nothing more than to take off.

[Lulu]

22 minutes ago, DonFibonacci said:

That looks like a stock Rev handle with stock EXP leaders to me.  It's possible you have the leaders reversed.  It looks like the brake leader is longer than the top leader.  If so, I would reverse them at a bare minimum.

The stock leaders provide a TON of forward drive (in an effort to make it really easy for beginners to get off the ground).  Having them reversed like this picture would result in even more forward drive - so the question is, what exactly do you mean when you say.you can't get the kite off the ground?  Will it literally not take off, or does it take off, fly to the side and fall?  Because with the setup you have here, it should want nothing more than to take off.

I did not change anything in the handle leaders.  I just checked them. They are all the same size. Meaning that the top and the bottom handle leaders that came attached are the same length 3” each!  So not sure where to add knots as instructed above?  Because as Windwarrior stated above that I should try to mimic his leads. But they are very short. Not sure what to do in this instance. Plus I do not have any extra leads and no kite store in my area. I attached a picture but did invert the handles to show one lead on top and the other on the bottom. 

Sorry let me clarify to not being able to get it off the ground. It does go up and then goes to either side and crash. However, I do believe that this is pure pilot error since this is my first Rev. 

I feel bad to have caused so much confusion. It’s okay there is no wind anyway. 🙃