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darthsean

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darthsean last won the day on May 26 2016

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  • Location
    Albuquerque
  • Favorite Kites
    Ones that actually fly

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  1. I saw a rev kite at a kite festival in DC and bought an EXP. Watched the videos. Read the manual. First attempt resulted in kite doing multiple uncontrolled spins and then crashing. 30 minutes untangling lines. Second attempt resulted in uncontrolled spins the other direction and crash. 30 minutes untangling lines. Packed it up for the day. My second and 3rd attempts were similar disasters. Just uncontrolled spins and crashes without any sense that I was even momentarily controlling the kite. Most of my time is spent untangling lines. I watched the video about line management and tried to follow the instructions. Still took 40 minutes to untangle the lines setting kite up. The videos just don't seem to cover anything that I am experiencing. Nothing about how to maintain level flight. Some videos mention "adjusting the trim" of the kite and it appears to be a continuous action. The videos do not mention what specific motion in response to what specific stimulus. ie. when the kite starts to roll right, what do I do? When the kite starts to dive, what do I do? What is supposed to happen if I launch and just stand and do nothing? Another thing is how do I tell if the kite is tied properly? Some people mention checking the length of the lines but I don't see how. At 80 feet, the lines are stretchy enough that their length depends upon the tension on each line. In addition,there is no way to do a fine adjust of the line length. A single loop knot takes up just under 1cm of length and I don't understand how to shorten or length a line when the sleeve slips all over the place and I can't be sure the tension is the same and I am trying to compensate for the length of line the knot takes up. My fingers aren't sufficiently calibrated that I can be certain the tension is the same on both strings especially when trying to tie or untie a knot in one of the strings. I also have no basis of comparison to tell if the bridle is tied properly. In one of the crashes one side somehow managed to untie itself. I examined the knots on the other side of the kite and tried to get it right but really have no experience and the pictures in the manual are of insufficient resolution to tell if a knot is tied correctly. I had hoped that the kites and strings would come properly set up from the company. It would be nice to find an experienced flyer and I contacted Wings over Washington three weeks ago - no response. They say they have monthly flying events but do not mention the time and no response to my asking what time. I am really frustrated and would send the kite back for my money if I thought I had some grounds to do that. "Learn to fly in under an hour" "Exciting in the hands of a beginner..." Nonsense. Kite is hard to learn to fly and videos and manual are completely inadequate and there do not appear to be any resources. Closest kite shop is 3 hours away. Kite shop listed on revkites in the DC area is out of business as far as I can tell. So, other than just leaving the kite in the closet and considering it $250 wasted or travelling many hours and paying someone hundreds more dollars to learn to fly the kite, any practical advice?
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