Working on inverted hover, a possible simple solution

[Captainbob]

My big goal now, going forward with my Rev learning, is to get the inverted hover down. I realize that practice is the key, and going back to my RC helicopter days, I can remember practicing hovering for probably hundreds of hours to get the hover as smooth as possible. Learning this hover, I would always try to figure a way to imagine the control inputs when the copter was facing a direction other than the tail towards me, because at other angles, left becomes right, back becomes forward, etc. etc, and this continually changes with the angle that the copter is at in relation to the pilot looking forward.

I was browsing the Rev forum this morning and when I read this post, I said to myself... " Wow, this explanation makes inverted hover on the Revolution simple"... http://www.revkites.com/forum/topic/1398-maintaining-inverted-hover-help/?p=74592

Basically, the author of the post is saying that if you think of the handles as controlling the rotation of the Rev, rather than turning the Rev right and left, it then doesn't make any difference if the kite is leading edge up, or down, or at any other angle. Moving the right thumb forward, will always make the kite rotate clockwise, period.... And left thumb results in counter clockwise rotation. So if I am hovering inverted, and the left side of the kite starts to drop compared to the right side ( meaning that the kite is starting to rotate to CCW, all I have to do is apply right brake or right thumb forward to stop the rotation and bring it level again. No confusion about which handle is controlling which side of the kite, it makes it simple..... Can't wait to try it....

[Paul LaMasters]

I have always started a rev lesson with the kite inverted (that's how it lands in a crash). The first thing learned is the cartwheel, then you don't need someone down-wind assisting.

You can't drag my leading edges to launch, you shall instead "rock the kite" onto one wing-tip with control inputs to the halfway point, then relax your handle position back to neutral (in front of you, parallel, loosely held, imagining the fat parts of your thumbs were touching). If you hold the roll-over too long the kite will keep going across the window, now you have a wrap and it's still inverted.

Next push both thumbs instead of a single one and see the kite fly backwards. No, that's too much control, just a tiny bit of inputs, relax everywhere, loosen your grip (you're choking the poor thing!)

Every kite goes forward, just run down the hill Forest,..... no run FASTER!

In an hour they are holding a hover inverted, it's the first thing to get, easy in good smooth beach wind.

"Less is more" on the controls, nope you are STILL squeezing a cobra instead of gently grasping a baby chick!

Did I show you THAT? You look like your auditioning for referee in the NFL. I never told you to fly with the handles up next to your shoulders, instead I want to see your thumbs getting caught into the jacket pockets. That stake (and holder) at your waist has got to go too!

Add or take-away energy using your feet (with lesser handle movements to smooth things out). It's okay to move around, rotate your hips

[Reef Runner]

Deep !

[West Australian]

Keep up the practice Bob. You are going very well

[Jim Foster]

Holding an inverted hover is a "muscle memory" thing much like riding a bicycle. One you get "it" you really don't have to think about it, the kite just does it.

One of the easiest ways to learn the inverted hover (after you can fly in any direction controlling you speed) is to fly to the top in the center of the window, invert and fly straight down over and over, each time controlling your speed downward, slower and slower. After a while you will be able to stop your downward flight momentarily, and continue at will. This will become easier and easier as you gain that "muscle memory". Once you get the inverted hover, you can then pull one handle back and then the other back, and you will then have the inverted slide. Get the hover first.

Just as in riding a bicycle, you really don't have time to think just how to move your hands. It will become automatic. Trust me, it will.

[John Barresi]

No doubt everyone here has already seen it, just posting for posterity.

http://kitelife.com/forum/files/file/683-rev-tutorial-inverted-hover/

[Captainbob]

Spent about 4 hours today flying my Rev B m/v in some good winds , for a change. I am focusing on one thing at a time, in learning how to fly the Rev properly, and right now it is the inverted hover. I started by going to to the top of the window, inverting, and slowly descending to the ground. Problems I ran into:

1. Decent too fast ( solution, more brake as soon as inverted)

2. Sliding to one side ( correcting the inadvertent slide by keeping hands together)

In working at this , I came to a couple of conclusions that I think are important. The first was, keeping the kite level LE down ( I shall say wings level from my piloting background) , utilizes the exact same control inputs, as when the LE edge is up. I realized this almost immediately. Left side of the kite goes down when inverted, right thumb forward on the right handle. which is the exact same input if the kite is LE up, and the left side goes lower than the right. So looking at the kite, forget for a moment, LE up or LE down, the control inputs to bring the low side level with the right are the same whether you are LE up or LE down. Hey, this makes it really easy, since this is the correction that you have to immediately make when you go off wings level, or whatever left right attitude you are trying to maintain.

The second conclusion, which is much more obvious, is for forward-reverse, or slide left and right, control inputs there are reversed or opposite LE up, when LE is past level and pointed down. This makes in really simple in my opinion. Within about 30 minutes, I was able to go to the top of the window, descend at a slow rate controlled rate , LE level while descending, not sliding either left or right, and land softly, flat, on the leading edge.

Now I have to work on maintaining a level inverted hover for long periods. The wind was very gusty today, averaging around 14 mph gusting to over 20, so I will wait for a more consistent wind speed to work on a solid inverted hover.

I really think much of flying the REV is thinking about what you are doing as you fly it, figuring out what you are doing wrong, and correcting it, and trying again. It's a fun learning experience. I do much talking to myself while learning the Rev, but hey, I can remember doing the same thing when I was practicing for my Pilots License.

[makatakam]

Just remember, when you're headed straight at the ground very fast, you can ease up on the throttle.

[Captainbob]

Just remember, when you're headed straight at the ground very fast, you can ease up on the throttle.

More fun to slam on the brakes.

[Tmadz]

Don't forget to periodically check your lines for length. Since you still have few hours on the kite, the lines may still be stretching a little bit. As you begin to gain feel, check the lines before adjusting knots on your leaders. I flew in gusty day, calm day, gusty day, calm day. At the end of two weeks I was like "what the hell happened here?" I thought I left the parking brakes on. Took 15 minutes to fix.

[Captainbob]

Don't forget to periodically check your lines for length. Since you still have few hours on the kite, the lines may still be stretching a little bit. As you begin to gain feel, check the lines before adjusting knots on your leaders. I flew in gusty day, calm day, gusty day, calm day. At the end of two weeks I was like "what the hell happened here?" I thought I left the parking brakes on. Took 15 minutes to fix.

I do that every 3 flights or so.

[Tmadz]

Good habit to keep. Being a former pilot you got your pre-flight checklist.

[Skyclad01]

I was browsing the Rev forum this morning and when I read this post, I said to myself... " Wow, this explanation makes inverted hover on the Revolution simple"... http://www.revkites.com/forum/topic/1398-maintaining-inverted-hover-help/?p=74592

Basically, the author of the post is saying that if you think of the handles as controlling the rotation of the Rev, rather than turning the Rev right and left, it then doesn't make any difference if the kite is leading edge up, or down, or at any other angle. Moving the right thumb forward, will always make the kite rotate clockwise, period.... And left thumb results in counter clockwise rotation. So if I am hovering inverted, and the left side of the kite starts to drop compared to the right side ( meaning that the kite is starting to rotate to CCW, all I have to do is apply right brake or right thumb forward to stop the rotation and bring it level again. No confusion about which handle is controlling which side of the kite, it makes it simple..... Can't wait to try it....

In working at this , I came to a couple of conclusions that I think are important. The first was, keeping the kite level LE down ( I shall say wings level from my piloting background) , utilizes the exact same control inputs, as when the LE edge is up. I realized this almost immediately. Left side of the kite goes down when inverted, right thumb forward on the right handle. which is the exact same input if the kite is LE up, and the left side goes lower than the right. So looking at the kite, forget for a moment, LE up or LE down, the control inputs to bring the low side level with the right are the same whether you are LE up or LE down. Hey, this makes it really easy, since this is the correction that you have to immediately make when you go off wings level, or whatever left right attitude you are trying to maintain.

I just bought my first Rev(exp) slightly less than a month ago and have already put 30 hours flying time on it. Most of that time has been spent learning basic controls and just general flying all together. I have practiced holding inverted hovers, but have always found it very difficult to do. Not only because I am new to Rev flying, but because up until getting this kite, I have always flown dualies. With dualies, pretty much all you need to know for controls is pulling on the left line will make the kite go (or spin) to the left.. and same goes for the right.

When I got my Rev, I knew before hand, from watching tutorials and reading up on it, that I would basically have to forget everything I learned with a dualie when flying a rev. All that was simple enough, but one thing that stayed was left hand for left controls, right hand for right. Normally not a bad thing, but basically dailies do not fly inverted in the same sense that a rev does. So controls became very confusing when flying inverted cause I was still stuck on the whole left/right steering idealism (I hope im using that word correctly here).

Then earlier this week, I found this specific thread. And when I read Captainbob's breakdown of the post he found it right away clicked and made sense for me. I'm only a few hours in putting the clockwise/counter-clockwise practice into effect when flying my Rev and have found this to be extremely helpful when dedicating those hours to practicing my inverted hovers. My hovers are still a little wobbly, but that is to blame with these Arizona winds as they are never smooth or steady. 98% of the time, the winds are bouncy and inconsistent, and a quarter of that time, the wind is either changing direction or getting a bit of a crosswind.

Though when the winds happen to be steady at times, I am actually able to hold a steady and level hover in one specific spot with very little movement. And when my hovers wobble, my response time for calming down wobbles have become much easier to do and my response time a lot quicker. Also, in turn with learning and improving my inverted hovers, I have also noticed a big improvement in my left and right facing hovers as well. Plus my response time with turning and spins have become a lot quicker in which all of this as a whole has helped my overall flying skills.

So I gotta say thank you to Captainbob for his posting here of which has been extremely helpful for me, and im glad I found it.

[Wayne Dowler]

Now to add inverted side slides to those hovers!!!

[Skyclad01]

Now to add inverted side slides to those hovers!!!

That shouldn't be a problem once my inverts become a little more stable.

[Wayne Dowler]

Gotta always have goals!!! Keeps the learning curve interesting that way!