Reef Runner Posted February 13, 2014 Report Share Posted February 13, 2014 OWN your wind-up ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reef Runner Posted February 16, 2014 Report Share Posted February 16, 2014 Well, at least CB's last report was better........... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captainbob Posted February 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2014 Spent hours with the Rev today. Kept having a problem with it turning to the right on launch. I figured it was just me, or a crosswind, or the Rev Gods , but I found l could correct it if I acted quickly enough to level it out during the launch. As I was packing up tonight I decided to check the equalization, so I removed the lines from the handles, staked them, and looked at the left and right top lines, and sure enough, one was at least 1/2"- 3/4" longer than the other. I had carefully checked this prior to flying it for the first time last week and they were spot on then, so this line must have stretched in just a few flights. Guess I will have to check the equalization more frequently. Then I tried to adjust it down at the field, and when I loosened the knot's, the lined pulled into the sleeving. ( of course). So back home, I got out the sleeving kit I bought, and it has the sleeving tool, so I fixed that, and will equalize all the lines tomorrow morning and try flying it again. So I learned a bunch of stuff today.... 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reef Runner Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 So I learned a bunch of stuff today.... Excellent..............not that you didn't get to fly, but that you really learned something. Glad you had a sleeving tool, and figured out how to use it. As I've mentioned before, "this ain't rocket science". It's just a bunch of nylon and/or poly fabric, tubing, and string. It flies, it's all good.......... and you're getting it Go CB ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tmadz Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 So I learned a bunch of stuff today.... Excellent..............not that you didn't get to fly, but that you really learned something. Glad you had a sleeving tool, and figured out how to use it. As I've mentioned before, "this ain't rocket science". It's just a bunch of nylon and/or poly fabric, tubing, and string. It flies, it's all good.......... and you're getting it Go CB ! no substituting time on the lines and handling your equipment. (no pun) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reef Runner Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 no substituting time on the lines and handling your equipment. (no pun) For sure..........experience is worth a thousand words & videos, although, they do help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oapbillf Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 Spent hours with the Rev today. Kept having a problem with it turning to the right on launch. I figured it was just me, or a crosswind, or the Rev Gods , but I found l could correct it if I acted quickly enough to level it out during the launch. As I was packing up tonight I decided to check the equalization, so I removed the lines from the handles, staked them, and looked at the left and right top lines, and sure enough, one was at least 1/2"- 3/4" longer than the other. I had carefully checked this prior to flying it for the first time last week and they were spot on then, so this line must have stretched in just a few flights. Guess I will have to check the equalization more frequently. Then I tried to adjust it down at the field, and when I loosened the knot's, the lined pulled into the sleeving. ( of course). So back home, I got out the sleeving kit I bought, and it has the sleeving tool, so I fixed that, and will equalize all the lines tomorrow morning and try flying it again. So I learned a bunch of stuff today.... Hi Captainbob Remember that you could have just tied an extra knot or two on the sleeving for the long line, one knot at either end of that line would have taken out about ¾ inch, sorted ! Or you could have come back a knot or two on your top leaders, if they were fitted that is ! Bill 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captainbob Posted February 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2014 Found this today on a Google search. Lots of good stuff. http://www.gwtwforum.com/pdf/revbook.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captainbob Posted February 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 OK, today was a total success so far. Got to the field early this morning, and the winds were around 12 mph. Set up the SLE, rolled out the lines, and no tangles or knots at all. I did use 2 stakes rather than one, to stake the handles. Set up the kite, and used the launch method that was discussed in the chat room last night, and up I went. Got up to about 20 feet, kept it level, back down an landed. Kept doing this and getting higher and higher. Meanwhile the wind was also getting stronger, and at one point the Rev really took off and headed for the top of the wind window. I started to freak, and then thought, "Hey, this thing has a throttle, all I have to do is slow it down", and it slowed , stopped and I backed it down to the ground and landed. Did many takeoffs, hovers, and landing. When It would land leading edge down, because of a last minute gust, I would just flip the kite back leading edge up, using the brake one one side, and off I would go again. I love the re-launching capability of this kite, saves miles of walking back and forth. About 90% of my landings were smooth, and on both tips at the same time. I took a quick break, and used the Android App I got on my smartphone yesterday, to read the wind, and it was now measuring over 16 mph with some higher gusts. I was almost going to quit, but I decided instead to just practice low altitude hovering , and got to the point where I could keep it fairly level for sometimes a minute or more. I did a bit of forward flying back and forth, but stayed really up high for that. Got to work on sliding it towards the top wing, so that I don't lose altitude while going forward. Anyway, had a blast, and may be back out there after lunch, wind permitting. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reef Runner Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 :clap2: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Dowler Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 I'm guessing that you had the 3 wrap frame in it!! Gets too much higher and you'd be well served to put a vented kite on the lines!! Yes, you can fly the SLE in high winds, but the sail stretch that occurs will never be reversed!! You'll also find the venteds so much smoother, able to handle the gusts better, and just able to lessen any strain on you as a flier!! One of the reasons so many of us have such a variety of sails to use: we match winds to sails to get the best out of our equipment, everyday we fly!! For a simple set of choices: have a full sail and a full vent on hand to switch between, as conditions warrant! They overlap enough to let you fly in most conditions you'll encounter!! PS: since you have the handles and lines that came with the full sail, you can now get a "kite only" pkg that will save you having to get duplicates of things you have already! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reef Runner Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 For a simple set of choices: have a full sail and a full vent on hand to switch between, as conditions warrant! They overlap enough to let you fly in most conditions you'll encounter!! And if you just got to..........slip in a Mid-Vent.............. Every full set of Revs, that I've ever had, I used the MV more than either of the other two (personal preference, I suppose), but Wayne's right, a standard & full-vent will get you through just about anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captainbob Posted February 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 I'm guessing that you had the 3 wrap frame in it!! Gets too much higher and you'd be well served to put a vented kite on the lines!! Yes, you can fly the SLE in high winds, but the sail stretch that occurs will never be reversed!! You'll also find the venteds so much smoother, able to handle the gusts better, and just able to lessen any strain on you as a flier!! One of the reasons so many of us have such a variety of sails to use: we match winds to sails to get the best out of our equipment, everyday we fly!! For a simple set of choices: have a full sail and a full vent on hand to switch between, as conditions warrant! They overlap enough to let you fly in most conditions you'll encounter!! PS: since you have the handles and lines that came with the full sail, you can now get a "kite only" pkg that will save you having to get duplicates of things you have already! The problem with that is where I live, winds like today are a rarity. I think if I got a vented kite, it probably would get flown very rarely.. Right now, the afternoon will probably have be back flying the 4D, since the wind now is 4 mph. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reef Runner Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 Vents are cool, and they smooth out everything ! Like driving a car, with, and without, shocks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captainbob Posted March 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 Got over 3 hours flying in today/ Wind was great, around 8-14 or maybe higher at altitude. Could have used that V mid vent. today. Worked on hovering, forward flight, figure 8's, and slides. At one point, when I was forward flying heading for the ground at Mach 1, I hit the emergency brake, and stopped about 2 feet from touchdown. Revs have great brakes.....!!!!!! Used 2 winders today, going to see how that works out. Should be getting my 1.5 B mv tomorrow. Oh, used my new wind gauge today, and I think I was overestimating the wind speed when the wind was low. What I thought was around 6, was actually a tad under 4 mph. 6mph and above , and my SLE leaps off the ground Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHBKF Posted March 3, 2014 Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 One of my quad foils has it's lines on two separate winders, top lines or flying lines on one winder & bottom set or brake lines on the other winder. The flying lines are 300# x 100' & the brake lines are 150# x100'. Unwound both today to check equalization left & right, top to bottom. It was quick & easy to run them out. With two kite stakes I can run them out at the same time. The flying lines were equal but twelve inches longer than the brake lines. Brake lines were slightly off so I first equalized them & then matched the heavier top lines to the bottoms. These sets were purchased separately so it was not too surprising that they were that far off. I decided to wind them up on their separate winders just to see what I thought about the time involved & the ease of it. When I pack up is when it might take more time but I don't think it really is going to be significant. Some of the desire to put all four on one winder may just be our desire to conform to the norm. Checked another heavier set of quad foil lines & they were all on one winder. I noticed the line winding went fast & handled more easily but the heavier set seems to want to get little kinks from the twists in the line itself. Sort of like yo yo strings do. Glad that line set was all close enough to being equal as they had sewn sleeving. Now that would be a challenge to change lengths but you can just knot it for small incremental changes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captainbob Posted March 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 One of my quad foils has it's lines on two separate winders, top lines or flying lines on one winder & bottom set or brake lines on the other winder. The flying lines are 300# x 100' & the brake lines are 150# x100'. Unwound both today to check equalization left & right, top to bottom. It was quick & easy to run them out. With two kite stakes I can run them out at the same time. The flying lines were equal but twelve inches longer than the brake lines. Brake lines were slightly off so I first equalized them & then matched the heavier top lines to the bottoms. These sets were purchased separately so it was not too surprising that they were that far off. I decided to wind them up on their separate winders just to see what I thought about the time involved & the ease of it. When I pack up is when it might take more time but I don't think it really is going to be significant. Some of the desire to put all four on one winder may just be our desire to conform to the norm. Checked another heavier set of quad foil lines & they were all on one winder. I noticed the line winding went fast & handled more easily but the heavier set seems to want to get little kinks from the twists in the line itself. Sort of like yo yo strings do. Glad that line set was all close enough to being equal as they had sewn sleeving. Now that would be a challenge to change lengths but you can just knot it for small incremental changes. I have flown my SLE about 10 hours total, so before winding up the lines today, I decided to check the equalization again, and it was almost an inch too long on the right top. I got that taken care of when I got home. I was wondering why the kite had a tendency to turn right when launching. This week I am going to modify the handles with the no-snag mod. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Dowler Posted March 3, 2014 Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 BE REALLY CAREFUL when you pull the vinyl cap off the steel tubes!!!!! There is a nasty burr there - LOOK OUT for it!! It cuts fast and deep!! Use a file or something to remove it safely before continuing on!! It's left over after Rev put the holes in for the triangle ring (hog ring)!!! I did this for 5 sets before I got "snagless" handles, and had great results for many years with them!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captainbob Posted March 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 BE REALLY CAREFUL when you pull the vinyl cap off the steel tubes!!!!! There is a nasty burr there - LOOK OUT for it!! It cuts fast and deep!! Use a file or something to remove it safely before continuing on!! It's left over after Rev put the holes in for the triangle ring (hog ring)!!! I did this for 5 sets before I got "snagless" handles, and had great results for many years with them!! Ok, just finished the no-snag mod on my Revolution handles. Piece of cake, made very easy by my Dremel tool. I used a flat grinding wheel on the Dremel to smooth out the area around the holes that the hog rings were in. Used a channel lock pliers and a regular pliers to pop the hog rings off the handles. Pried up the black rubber covers with a flat surface. Then I used a small pointed grinder on my Dremel, to enlarge the holes in the black covers a bit to make it easier to snake the leader lines in. I then used the grinding wheel with the flat edge, to widen just a bit the space between the bottom of the head of the screw and the beginning of the threads, so that the leader would not come in contact with the threaded portion of the screw. First handle took me about 15 minutes to complete taking my time, and the second one under 10 minutes. They look great. I believe the no-snag handles sell for about $90, so it was well worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reef Runner Posted March 3, 2014 Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 I think you'll be happy with that little conversion. Glad it worked out for you............ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_(on-light)110px.png.f871ac6915a5dfb149c2fb26bbaf0493.png)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.