Hasek Posted April 15, 2013 Report Share Posted April 15, 2013 I was able to fly my B standard today. I equalized my lines and that fixed a fluttering issue I was having on one side. The right upper line was easily 5 inches longer than the lower. The left side lower was about 2 inches longer than the R, and the L upper was about 3 inches longer. Thanks to JB's equalization vid I was able to get them all good. It took a while as I am not great with knots, but it all went well, I launched after the equalization and the kite flew better but still some things I need to figure out. I had some noise flying on the 3rd knot from the end of the leader and the inside knot on the lower. I moved to the 2cnd knot and that minimized the noise.. The Rev is still a bit twitchy and it seems to want to go slight right on launch. I was flying black race rods in 6-10 mph winds. A couple of times my leading edge met the ground one or both of the LE spar caps popped off. The lower verticals possibly stick out an inch or two more than in the first pic below. I was on 120 foot lines and it was a bit difficult to determine exactly how far the verts were sticking out I hope these pics can help with the sail tightness question. I am believing the bungees may need tightening based on some info from JB. The pics below were taken in 4-6 mph winds. Thank you Edited to swap pics around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Meyer Posted April 15, 2013 Report Share Posted April 15, 2013 Hello Hasek, I have had the same problems with sail tension. This is what I did: Tighten the bungees on the end of the leading edge by adding one extra knot right up against the original knot on the right and left side of the kite. This will stop your end-caps from popping off if you hit the ground. If they still pop off, add another knot. It's best to alternate knots at each end of the bungee. Whatever adjustments you make, the key is symmetry. If too much of the spars are hanging out on the lower wingtips, add a knot on the outside of the bungee on each lower wingtip, again as close to the factory knot as possible, on the outside of the washer. (It helps to take the spars out when you do this.) This will tighten the sail. If that isn't enough, add a knot on the inside of each lower bungee. Again, the key is symmetry. If you continue to have sail-loading issues it is just a matter of finding the right adjustment on your top leaders. It seems easiest to me to set your bottom leaders at one length and just leave them alone. That way the only variable you are dealing with is your top leaders. The farther out your top leaders are, the more brake you have. Watch JB's tutorial on Tuning (would provide a link but you can easily find it here) .... On every flying day, set your top leaders out as far as you can and still take off. Then pull them in knot by knot until it feels right... It usually takes a few flights to get my leaders right on any flying day, and sometimes I have to adjust them according to the wind. Whatever adjustments you make, the key is symmetry. This is a summary of information I have gleaned from this forum and JB's tutorials. It works in practice. Wouldn't be flying without this website... Good Winds Justin. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hasek Posted April 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2013 Cool Justin, thanks for the info. I have watched JB's tuning vid numerous times just as I've watched all the tutorial vids. As far as the lower verticals are concerned, I understand they should look like nubs rather than antenna while the sail is fully loaded. Would that equate to just having the cap extended, maybe a touch more? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Barresi Posted April 15, 2013 Report Share Posted April 15, 2013 FYI, photos of from the pilot's perspective (front facing) or from the back would give a better indication. Because the sail does stretch, there is no "perfect spot" for the end caps. Main reference is looking at the sail along the leading edge, when the kite is staked down leading edge first and has fair wind pressure in it... When the sail is too loose, you'll see the fabric bunching or folding along the leading edge, particularly near the top of the vertical spars. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Dowler Posted April 15, 2013 Report Share Posted April 15, 2013 Sounds about right for proper tension! Just don't over do it, you permanently stretch the sail and there's no going back!! Sounds like your left top line is still a hair long from your description! Maybe an extra knot in the loop can take it out if you don't want to equalize right now!! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Meyer Posted April 15, 2013 Report Share Posted April 15, 2013 I was reluctant to do any adjustments on the bungees because of the risk of stretching the sail, but tiny adjustments seemed to work wonders. I kept the knots as close to the factory knots as possible.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hasek Posted April 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 16, 2013 That worked like a champ Justin, thanks. I made the adjustments then headed out. Luckily the wind was too high at the place I normally fly and was able to go to a University nearby and further inland and the wind was less. I popped the Ultra Light rods in and off I went. Yeah, much better. I even got a few compliments on the kite as the team was finishing practice and walking back to the locker room. Off the top of my head I can't think of the name of the sport; 4 foot sticks with small baskets on the end. Hahaha, it's been far too long since I've heard a compliment by college aged women and never multiples at one time... I'll have to fly there more often LOL. I flew for an hour or so then the winds started to pick up some more and I bagged up the B and busted out the II. I gotta be honest, as much as I am beginning to groove on the B, I like the II flight characteristics more. Maybe because I have a boat load more time on it than the B. Regardless, I have both (and a Shockwave I haven't really flown yet) and am glad to have a bunch of awesome Revs. Here are some pics of the the kite as JB suggested, front and back angles after my bungee adjustments. I think I am gonna loosen the top ones a bit as I am nervous about the sail stretch. Edited to move pics to first post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Barresi Posted April 16, 2013 Report Share Posted April 16, 2013 Tension looks good! Should be a whole new animal now. Don't loosen the top ones, they should be tight and close to the kite, otherwise you get nubs on top that are easy to catch. The bottom ones (top in the pictures above) are where all the tensioning is done. After 4-6 hours of good flying, my new knot is generally about 1" in from the old one. Just use your eyes and common sense, the sail should be drawn, but not stretched. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Meyer Posted April 19, 2013 Report Share Posted April 19, 2013 Glad it worked for you Hasek. Like I said, It was all information gleaned from this website thanks to JB and other friendly kite pilots! You should be able to find any info you need here or at the Revolution Forums. Happy Flying! If you ever get out to Hawaii, hit me up for a fly! Justin 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Meyer Posted April 19, 2013 Report Share Posted April 19, 2013 P.S. Hasek: I don't have a B-2 but I want one! I can imagine many places to fly it that the 1.5 standard is too big for... I have a shockwave and I love it! The Shockwave flys completely differently than a standard 1.5 but the tuning theory is similar. The Shockwave is a BEAST and minor tuning adjustments seem to have a greater affect on it than the 1.5. I found that marking the position of the original knots on the leading-edge bungees with a sharpie helped to keep me from over-tuning it. Instead of adding new knots I loosened the factory knots and slid them down a few milimeters to tighten the leading edge. Haven't had to adjust the wing-spars yet. Leader (brake) tuning is similar but more sensitive than a 1.5. Again, it is a matter of "feel." Set your leaders as far out as you can and then inch them in until it feels right, then inch it in one more point and see what happens. The Shockwave is not as precise as the Standard 1.5 but it has it's own unique charactaristics. It tends to slide depending how you control the brakes, but when you load the sail, it takes off like a lamborghini! It is downright scary in high winds! It will drag you down the field or at least man-handle you if you aren't prepared. There is a video on flying the Low-wind Revolution Blast that I have used to translate into flying the Shockwave. The slide techniques in this video help with flying the shockwave. Wish Revolution would produce a Shockwave flying manual but this will help. .... Justin 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hasek Posted April 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 21, 2013 Awesome Justin, the info on the Shockwave. I just sold my Quadrifoil 3 and am kinda sad about it. I sold it because with the pull, it isn't fun to fly for me as it was when I got it many many moons ago. I do like pull so reading the Shockwave pulls in higher winds may just be the pull I like. It was great seeing the Joe vid as well. I've seen another Joe vid, I don't remember if one came with the II, if one came with the Shockwave, or it may have been the same one you posted. I do remember it was on a VHS tape...lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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