Allen Carter

This is my favorite Rev sail pattern. I think it's a great looking kite. But I rarely fly Revs, and I've only flown this one maybe twice since purchased used a few years ago. It is a stock Rev 1.5 SUL, with very light LE & bridle and 2 Wrap frame. With pocketed Rev bag. There are some creases and marks on the sail from long storage. Some wear, including a small hole in the LE that could use a patch. $150 shipped CONUS PayPal preferred.

Geezer was a wonderful guy. One of those people who makes you feel good just having a chat.

Tying an extra knot in the end of a loop is no problem, but they do tend to creep under pressure. I avoid sleeving, as it is an complete waste of time and effort. Without sleeving, you can use a quick release on your bridle pigtail as shown below: Just tie a knot in the pigtail, fold over the pigtail at the new knot and larkshead around the folded over pigtail. To release the flying line loop you just pull on the end of the pigtail.

I'm In!

Wish I could have been there! I looked forward to this event!

Whatever is comfortable, but being able to feel what the kite is doing is important. Try gripping any way you like. depends on your hands, the strength of the wind, what the straps are made out of, etc, etc. I use wrist straps probably 90% of the time these days but very rarely put them around my wrists. I like to hold them in my fingers, pinching the straps with thumb and forfinger for control and feel. The material the straps are made of is most important. I have several pairs of these cheap straps which came with cheap line on cheap kites. They are a very soft, thin material. As you can see, they are getting pretty frayed, but are comfortable. Other "better" straps are often thicker or harder and not as comfortbale for the long haul. I used to use finger straps held the same way, but almost always the seams and such end up rubbing on my first finger. The JOE finger straps shown are probably the best Ive used. The stitching isnt too abrasive. For years, my favorite straps for low wind flying were made from loops of a very soft rope I found at the supermarket. I've found that if the wind is too strong to hold th straps in my hands rather than around my wrists, I should probably stop flying, or just take frequent breaks. These days the straps only go around my wrists when I'm taking pictures or otherwise need the use of my hands while the kite is in the air.

NIce video! Nice kite! I was flying the same kite with two tails last week at Kite Party largely because I didnt have gloves with me and it doesnt pull very hard compared to even an 8' delta. The times I've found myself in higher than expected wind pulling down a big kite with no gloves I've found that using the kite sleeve folded over several times as a sliding strap works well. Friction would get pretty high if I went too fast, but I go slow if the wind is up.

Cool! Stop by Half Moon Bay some time if you're in the neighborhood! We have nice wind.

Yeah, I've shipped a lot of kites USPS and never had one damaged. Probably has more to do with the default packaging than anything else. The full size triangle tubes provided for free by the shippers are very robust. Smaller diameter triangle tubes often used for spars or small kites seem to be handled more carelesslly, or are just more fragile. Almost evey time I've had something arrive in terrible shape it's been in a square or small diameter triangle tube. Even though I've had a number of scares like the OP, I've rarely had broken goods. Kites stuff is tough. Delivery reliability seems to depend on local couriers and routes, so one shipper may be more reliable in a certain region than another. USPS is the only one I can reliably get to leave stuff at my door, so I prefer it for incoming to my house. I think it's cause they know the neighborhood.

Buy from people who are regulars on forums like this and GWTW. Folks in these social groups tend to be honest about the condition of used kites and are easy to track down if you have questions or need help with something. I've bought and sold well over 100 kites this way and never had a problem. Anonymous transacations over other media are more risky. I've made great friends swapping kites over the years. If you cant fly with someone, share kites with 'em! I tend to buy beat up kites for cheap and fix 'em if needed, but stretches and tears in mesh and fabric should be avoided unless you are are real DIY kind of person (with a sewing machine). One of my most bet up Revs is one of my favorites.

Dipping the nose will not keep the spine from wearing through the nose fabric. In fact, once the spine has made it through the dip layer the fabric will be worse than it would have been in a normal puncture. Better to pad the inside of the nose with something replaceable. As it wears, remove it. The built in nose never wears. Usually a bumper on the end of the spine is sufficient, but I don't know how much room is in the nose pocket of a 4d. A layer of fabric between the spine and nose is good. Kevlar is usual, but anything thin and tough will do if checked and replaced frequently. Dipping the nose on a kite that gets lots of nose abrasion can be a good idea, such one flown on asphalt or hard dirt. This is more about wear from the outside-in rather then from the spine rubbing and poking inside the nose.

The variability of wind is something you just have to get used to. A lot of it comes from knowing your flying locations. Wind behaviour changes throughout the year and over time you'll get to know from various indicators what conditions are likely to be at your flying spot. For years I lived about 5 miles south of my field and the main weather station was about 2 miles east of the field. From looking at the wind in my neighborhood and checking the readings from the weather station I could pretty well tell you what was happening at the field. The main thing is getting comfortable with the decision to fly or not. I know the kinds of conditions when I might not even bother (usually variable conditions like what you describe). Who needs the frustration. Variable speed mayb be tough, especially when starting out, but gets to be less of an issue with kite selection and skilz. Variable direction is always a headache. Short lines and good sneakers can help... :-) In my area variable winds are often pretty easy to forcast. When a storm is coming the wind shifts direction and comes over a metro area and while stronger, tends to be pretty crappy. Unstable wind, not just variable, can be impossible sometimes. This is often caused not just by weather but by site conditions. Heat sources and obstructions upwind can make wind that's like oatmeal. A big obstruction like a city tends to make wind unstable. While learning your local wind patterns a site that provides data from lots of sources is handy. I use Wunderground.com. The commercial stations (often airports) tend to be the most reliable, but neighborhood stations can be great, once you know where they are and if they are accurate. A lot of weather stations don't pay much attention to wind speed. A lot of them may have wind measurements which are totally meaningless. But, sometimes they are great. A local high school has thier anemometer about 50' up on a radio mast and there are no nearby obstructions. Thier local data is good. A nearby firestation has their wind meter on the wrong side of a three story building with trees nearby. Useless. Once you get used to your local conditions this stuff isn't needed so much, but it sure can teach you a lot about the wind.

What have I gotten myself into? OK, so I only asked myself (and a few select advisors) that for a couple of days. :-) I'm stoked to be involved, flattered that John is trusting me with his baby and optomistic about the future of this institution. Allen

Yeah, 14 teams makes for a pretty good competition. Wish I could be there to root for my local boy AirZone! (wish I could be there even if I didn't know a soul!)

Hi Kite-head, this is Kitehead. Weird... Anyway, it may not be a good idea to put weight on a kite unless you have a real specific goal in mind. In most cases weights are used to help the kite rotate on it's pitch axis. This would be the nose of the kite moving forward or back as opposed to side to side. In the case of the Seduction, weight added to the tail would typically make the kite less stable in a fade, increase the kite's spin rate (oversteer) and make flat spins (axels, etc) less flat/more wobbly. Since this kite will probably never be a "rollup" monster, it's just not designed that way, you might be giving up more than you gain.