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Group Rev. Flying


Guru4tru
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Hi,

As I mentioned I saw my first Groug Rev. Fly at the TISKC Festival and it was really exciting!! I've been flying my Rev. 3 to 4 hours a day this last week, weathers been good, in hopes by next year I'll be able to join in. (My concentration starts to wane if I go any longer, so I stop then and play with my dualies after that.)

But, I would like to work up a routine of configurations to fly for my "daily practice" and I was wondering if the "Group Flys" had any set routines they go through or what are all the configurations that could be expectied in the "normal" Group Fly, so I can work up my own routine.

Tom (who has great information, but enjoys confusing me sometimes :kid_loved::) ) mentioned the words "Cuban Figure Eight", which I had never heard of, so I looked it up:

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5/8s of a loop to the 45 degree line, 1/2 roll, 5/8s of a loop to the 45 degree line, 1/2 roll, 3/8s of a loop to level flight (half of the Cuban Eight is called a "half Cuban Eight", and the figure can be flown backwards, known as a "Reverse Cuban Eight").

And there is a picture at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_Eight

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After reading this and looking at the picture...I still don't understand what a "Cuban Figure Eight" is?!?!...what are those arrows...are they the flight path?!?! :confused!:

Keep It Up!

Duane

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Duane,

I feel like 45% of flying in a group or team is controlling your speed in any direction. Then 45% is being able to hold the kite still at any angle. I think I will add in another 5% for being able to fly in reverse. Days could be spent refining these numbers but as you can see this only leaves a small amount for learning things like the Cuban figure 8. If you simply have control of your kite then you can fly with anyone.

You can try to pick an object in distance like a tree or cloud. Hold the kite nest to it as long as you can. Do this over and over with the kite at different angles. (you never know which kite you will be in the next ball) Try flying to it from different places in the sky at different speeds. I know that it is very easy when you fly alone to let the wind determine the speed of the kite but you have to be able to fly at all speeds regardless of the wind which I might add I need lots of work on.

When it becomes work, stop! fly like you like to.

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Hi Denny,

Thanks for the suggestions, that sounds good...I'll start that tomorrow!

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I just had a funny thought...This would be a "piece of cake"...if you'all would let me be the 'leader' all the time!! heehee!

:kid_loved::)

Keep It Up!

Duane

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Duane,

The Cuban Eight is for airplanes not kites (ask your wife) ... but, teams will do some figure eight like moves to keep the lines from getting tangled. As MrDenny says: controlling your speed and direction, being able to stop and hold in any position, as well as, being able to back up are the real prerequisites for team flying. Attached is the "official" verbiage off the the iQuad site:.

Someplace there is a list and diagram of the common team maneuvers; put together by Mike Kory. I can't locate a copy right now. If no one else pops up with it, I'll dig in my brain cells a little more to see if remember where the electronic copy is stored.

Cheers,

Tom

...............

What does it take to fly with iQuad?

A good attitude will get you on the right path... iQuad is a fun loving group that is very serious, about flying hard and not getting too serious!

Seriously, here's what it takes:

* 120' quad lines - If you don't have 'em, forget about it... With so many kites in the sky, the 120' gives us all the room we need to operate and do our maneuvers.

* Revolution 1.5 - We use full and vented sails with a combination of 2-wrap, 3-wrap, 4-wrap and SLE rods, depending on the conditions.

* Basic control - An absolute must, here is what a flier must be able to demonstrate:

1) Dead hover... Ability to do a stable hover in any orientation (i.e. with the leading edge facing in any direction), in any part of the sky.

2) Reverse flight... A key element of iQuad maneuvers, fliers must be able to back (reverse) their kites up from and to just about any position in the sky.

3) Speed control... Must be able to manage slow, medium or fast speeds flying in any direction.

4) Tip pivots... Another key component in many of our maneuvers, a flier must be able to rotate their kite around one wing tip, from a stopped position to a stopped position.

5) Sense of humor... Even the best fliers get into a real snafu sometimes, and if you can't laugh it off... Well, good luck to you!

We often do quad mega-flies at events throughout the year, and we heartily encourage you to come on up and try your hand at team flying... It's great fun, and we're always willing to spend time with a new flier to help them learn - even if they're not up for team flying yet.

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Hi,

As I mentioned I saw my first Groug Rev. Fly at the TISKC Festival and it was really exciting!! I've been flying my Rev. 3 to 4 hours a day this last week, weathers been good, in hopes by next year I'll be able to join in. (My concentration starts to wane if I go any longer, so I stop then and play with my dualies after that.)

<snip>

Keep It Up!

Duane

Dang, that does it. I've been lucky to get 4 hours/month this winter. :kid_loved:

I'm ready to hop a bus to Floridah! :)

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Team animations can be found......here. That said!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First off, I admire your tenacity. Good on ya first for having the time to get out there and then sticking with it through what is the most frustrating aspect of Rev flying, the learning process which can be lonely and heart wrenching.

The learning curve could be dramatically reduced if you had another flier with you to help correct bad habits. Since you don't, just continue to stick with it.

I think Tom has hit the main points quite succinctly but feel #5 should be first on the list. That being Sense of humor and having fun. After all, that is what this is all about!!!!! His last paragraph is also one we encourage heartily!

Denny too, has given great advice. While holding a hover in any place in the sky and a dead hover are extremely important and required, the thing I see new pilots having the hardest time with is speed control in a line/team fly. Riding the brakes as it's called is a process that can be learned and practiced as a solo pilot but when the pilot is first introduced to flying in line the ability to control it or not becomes evident.

Additionally, smooth turns and turning where the kite in front of you turns and not before is also key. The latter part is learned once the pilot feels confident that he can keep up with whats going on in front of him with out feeling rushed to do so. Again having at least a partner in flight would be key to speeding up the learning process.

The former, riding the brakes, is more easily learned as a solo pilot but can be seen more easily once involved in a group fly. I try to encourage folks who have the basic abilities down to relax their grip on the handles by lowering their hands and loosening their death grip on the handles. The way to do that is let the foam sit in the crooks of your fingers near the their tops and to take your thumbs off the handles, basically using very slight pressure/inputs from your 3rd finger and pinky to drive the kite in figure 8 patterns across the window. You'll be amazed at how much more control you will feel almost immediately.

I know this contains less about what you asked for in your message about figures to do to improve but those will come quickly for you, especially given your time and dedication.

I will say one other thing as I put on my headsets & flame retardant suit for the response(s) that might come but you're hurting yourself by going from quads to flying dualies if only in the sense that the processes are so totally different from one to the other. Semi-kidding here as there are many many folks that fly both for fun and competitively, (myself included for fun only, tho not in a very long time). I just think that as a new pilot trying to learn new skills that are radically different from dual line kites, rather than switch to them when frustration kicks in, sit down, have a drink, enjoy that you're outdoors and then get up and repeat!

.02 deposited!

P.S. Forecast for my flying today..... bright sunshine, 30 degrees with NNW at 10, effectively making the wind chill about 15!!!!! Enjoy Florida my friend!!!!!

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I just had a funny thought...This would be a "piece of cake"...if you'all would let me be the 'leader' all the time!! heehee!

Sounds like you are onto summat Duane, what ya wanna call ?

BTW did you wrap lines with anyone at TI ?

Well, I feel like I have a pretty good idea as to what and where to put my efforts now and what I need to practice the most. I did question the wisdom of jumping over to dualies and not letting the quad experiences settle in a bit first, I think you confirmed what I was feeling. (Destiny and Serenity will just have to have their own days with me.) :kid_loved:

Basicly, it means just getting better at everything I'm doing, (excluding the axel and Tristan's "2 skips and a throw"--for now). But it is really good to see things now in their "part", instead of one big fuzzy blur of movements. That will help me alot! Thanks for all the information.

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Hi Choccy---No...I wasn't think about "calling", just flying around and everyone would have to do what I was doing!! heehee!

Yeah...when I was at TI, Paul from DC, came over and was flying beside me and giving me hinters. He wanted me to join the group...to which I replied, "Next Year!" and then he moved his kite real close to mine, which freaked me out so much that I jerked away and crashed to avoid a tangle.....then seeing what I did, I started laughing and said, "I scare easy!" heehee!..."Next Year!!"

(The only other person that ever got into my kite space was my wife---so you can understand my reaction!!) :w00t:

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Yeah...after I feel I'm good enough at the basics, MrDenny and I are going to get together and surmount the "Another Kite in My Space!!" FEAR!!

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And Horward----don't complain----I told you you could park your RV in my yard for a month or two!! heehee! ;)

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Gotta go! I don't want to keep Elvira waiting---(she can be such a "b___h", sometimes!!)

Keep It Up!

Duane

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Duane,

Rich gave you the link for the animations, but the link I had in mind contains the paper copy with some written instructions. It's also located on the Revolution web site (duh) ... just above the animation link. Print out the .pdf version and you can refer to it on the beach.

Don't get too hung up on memorizing all the figures and associated moves. Use the manual two ways;

1) Gain an understanding of the general moves associated with the figure names. Watch some iQuad videos with the manual in hand to help learn what the figures look like in practice.

2) The real value of the manual is to show you the simple maneuvers you will need to perform to participate in a team fly. The team captain (caller) will use maneuvers based on the skill set of the members ... if you can't do compound benefits, then the captain will not call that maneuver ... well, at least more than once!!!! Can you do a tip pivot? Being able to do a tip pivot and having a general understanding of what the maneuver looks like is actually all you need to know to be able to do compound benefits.

Again, speed and directional control, along with being able to hold your kite steady in all different situations, is all you need to know to enjoy flying with others.

One last thing ... do you know about the techniques manual? If not, then that's one other booklet that you should print out and keep with you to help direct your practice.

So, take a deep breath, relax, and have fun ...

Cheers,

Tom

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Tom...You are Beautiful!! I can't thank you enough for the help you have given me. I Love You!! (Well, second to my kites...and third to my wife...and then there are my sons......and then my truck....!)

You give me all that information :kid_loved: and then close with, "relax, and have fun ..."

OK, I expect you to be at next years "TISKC Festival" and fly beside me in the group fly!! That would be great!!

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Keep It Up!

Duane

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I had a few good hours flying today. Now that I have a better idea of what the "group flys" encompass I'm more relaxed and enjoying it all!

And I made copies of all the Mega-Fly Figures and the Rev. Techniques and will probably start studying that tonight.

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It's funny...less then two years ago (after watching Kite Runner) I went out and flew a $5 dragon kite, just to have some fun! I later heard about the AKA. When I first heard about an American Kiteflyers Association I laughed and told my wife about it. "How could they ever have an American Kiteflyers Association? People just standing around holding a string!?!?".....How "LITTLE" did I know....!!!! Then Jonez and I talked in the AKA forum and he told me to check out Kitelife. "When the student is ready, the teacher(s) will appear!!"

Now, about two years later...(and a little poorer, I might add...heehee!) I feel I'm just scratching the surface of kiting! And what I do know about Kiting has become my life!

:kid_loved:

Thanks again for all the help...(this is certainly a newbie friendly site!!) :w00t: (And a special thanks to John!)

Keep It Up!

Duane

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