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Stephen Hoath

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Posts posted by Stephen Hoath

  1. Anyone care to advise? I've pored over various retail sites and of course RevKites, but find I can make a case for EVERY model - right up to the Blast (which sounds fantastic and is SORELY tempting me, even though I just KNOW would be a silly first purchase!).

    Anyway......

    Fraser

    Hi Fraser the Rev 1.5 is the best all round option. Go for the Exp if budget constraints exist. If not then the Barresi 1.5 is offering great value for money.

    Can you get down to the Sunderland kite Festival (Tyne & Wear) the first weekend on July? If so, come and see us and we will go over the pro's and con's (im not sure i can think of any) and maybe get you on the end of a kite. Also you will be able to see some team flying and maybe find some other fliers nearer to yourself.

    Welcome to the club

  2. A While back we fitted magnets to Robs Rev 1, it was then possible to pick up tails (with small metal washers fited) and fly them. Plenty of scope for the magets to pick up other things. It was possible to detach the tails in flight by catching hold of them.

    I love this idea do you mind if I try it with the team?

  3. A few ideas...

    Picking up and moving objects with a hook, "handing off" between kites.

    Dogstaking.

    Balloon popping.

    Candy drops.

    Dave, with the balloon popping put some fine powder in the balloons before you inflate them that way when you pop them you get a nice explosion. Also if it is a sunny day under inflate the balloons by some 25%, the sun makes the air inside the balloons expand and they burst on their own. Is this for Exeter?

  4. Hi Stephen!

    Because our members live not close together I did use MACROMEDIA FLASH to animate our routine. Ok, the handling of FLASH isn't easy first time, but I use the animation for our homepgae, also.

    For fast results, your Powerpoint-Solution works also.

    Regards

    Stefan www.team-4-fun.de

    Hi Stefan, love the animation on the web page. I spent ages trying to make the kites go backwards but it didn't work! :P

  5. Clock might be confused with clockwork turns, that is, staying in place and snap turning to right , down, left, up.

    post-14-1179925368.gif

    The move you describe are individual pin wheels. ie any figure where the rotatation is around the centre of the kite or formation. Individual 180 radars are turns around the tip of the kite.

    I have used this method frequently as you only have to understand what a pinwheel or radar are. Then if someone calls an 90 anti, indi pinwheel and you are already facing up you will know you need to turn to "face" left. The speed of the move can also be called. A fast 90 anti indi pinwheel might be called a left Flank.

    Whilst I applaud the efforts of uniformity and fully support the need the most important thing is that, on the day, all the pilots understand what is expected of them. It is always advisable to set some ground rules, even when you are flying with people you regularly fly with. From experience I can promise that this will save a great deal of time :rolleyes:

  6. I do both :wub::P . Could be why I don't have a wife! :lol: I can tell your wife that a good driver can cost over $500.00. (Ooooo masterpiece time) When that runs out a new set of irons is around $1,500.00 Putter $150.00. When that runs out you have hybrids, wedges, balls,bag,etc. I could go on but when it is all done. It's time to upgrade, or something new comes out.Sounds familiar doesn't it. :blink:

    I went the sneaky way and encouraged my wife to join the team. Now she flies rev team too and we have more revs than I know what to do with!

    The only down side, she is as good as me now and that is hard on the old ego :rolleyes:

    Pairs/Team Rev flying is a good way to spend some quality time with the significant other. You're outside and have time to talk or just be cose to each other.

    I don't think I am alone in this, how many other Rev "couples" are out there?

  7. Can some of you experienced people talk about what's expected and what to expect when competing?

    A couple of us are about to jump in to competition this summer and quite honestly, I don't know what to expect on both the precision/ballet side of things.

    Thanks!

    I don't know what is happening in the US right now but the way it used to work was this.

    Each competition was split into two parts, Precision and Ballet. In turn, Precision is split into two parts, figures and freestyle.

    Precision figures are a bit like figures in ice skating. Before the event the "figures" are published so that you can practice. See the AKA or STACK web sites for these. Mr Mitchell is a good person to comment on these.

    Precision freestyle is a routine (length depends on whether you are flying individual, pair or team) in which you should try and show as broad a range of moves, flying styles & speed control as you can. Points are awarded for various elements such as execution, technical difficulty etc.

    Ballet (length depends on whether you are flying indi, pair or team) is just as it sounds, you pick a tune, choreograph some moves to it and fly it for the judges. Points are awarded for timing, artistic interpretation, execution etc.

    Competition is the best way of rasing skill level (especially if you can also do it in a team or pair) and having a goal to strive for. Whilst I no longer compete I have benefitted significantly from participating in competition. (not least because I now have good friends around the world)

    As to what is expected, there is a rule book that sets out expectations for routine length, arena discipline etc. It is always good to read the rules as they can be your friend when the going gets tough.

    As tp what you can expect...a lot of practice, insomnia, nervousness, making lots of new friends, a massive leap in skill level and a huge dollop of satisfaction. Kite flying is one of the few sports I know where your closest competitor will do their upmost to get you back up and flying when things go wrong. That kinda restores your faith in human kind.

    Sorry for the length of this reply but it has only just scratched the surface of competition.

    As a famous American firm says........just do it!

    My qualifications in case you wonder why I am commenting:

    2 World Championships

    7 European titles

    lots of English titles

    International Judge

  8. Sorry Americans. You got a hell of alot of good things going on, but there are somethings and Englishman just must have!

    Stephen can you imagine having to drive 2 hrs for Branston? or a decent chedder?

    I know you would! ;)

    Bazzer

    I bet there is an illicit supply of Branston if you know who to talk to !

    The Cheddar on the other hand......some things are just too good to export. :P

  9. I was thinking of doing a Poll for this question, but I want to know the nationalities of the responders, so a poll wouldn't work.

    Here's the setup:

    • A Brit is flying with some Rev fliers in Spain.
    • The team leader is Spanish.
    • 6 kites are arranged in a vertical line, all of them facing left.
    • The goal is to have the odd numbered kites face right and then go into a Blender.
    • It is agreed that the word "Blender" will be used to call the Blender.

    What does the Spaniard call to get kites #1,3,5 to turn 180° and face right?

    Short answer is that for now the English guy calls. :rolleyes:

    However, next year Team Bolau can call eh Tonet?

    Dos Vino Tinto pour favor :blink:

    On a slightly different note are we getting the input of the non-English speaking fliers as this is a predominently English speaking forum? What do the French/Dutch/Spanish think?

  10. Having called many International teams English tends to be the one language that everyone has in common. Having said that most people pick up the words for Ball, left, right, burst fairly quickly in another language. Certainly the latin based languages.

    I tend to try and use a mixture of the languages when calling and this helps people get it right. So for example, in France I will call in both languages and then say "Go" This only gets difficult when the team has more than 2 nationalities in it. Europe is not that big and it is fairly common to have a team with English, French, Dutch and German fliers in it. Calling in another language proved a lot harder in Spain earlier in the year, but we were getting it by the end.

    If it can be translated then I would love to see it but I agree a glossary at the end is probably the best option. The difficult decision is how many languages? French & Spansih & English covers a large population of the Rev teams but what about Japanese, Flemmish or Dutch? The glossary could end up being bigger than the main text ;)

  11. I also completely forgot about the screening being a problem,

    On a practicle note there are ways that you can reduce the risk of tears. They mostly start on the fold lines (where you put the kite away) so try to vary how you fold the kite up. Another technique is to remove the leading edge each fly and fold the kite completely differently each time. This will help also help with the fold lines in the sale.

    I have seen kites that don't have mesh at all but use a series of small holes (cigarette size) instead.

    Hope this helps

  12. You're right. We all have our favorites. Mine is Kites Unlimited in Atlantic Beach, NC.

    You should do fine over here with the pound sterling worth two bucks! It's killing me -- I'm going to the UK in a month and the cost is kinda staggering!!!

    Doug

    Bring an umberella! :P

  13. Hi Chris

    Whilst i can understand your sentiment I am not sure that the situations you describe are sufficiently significant/large scale to require a manufacturer fix. To change the situations you describe (quite elegantly) at a manufacturing level I would suspect would be quite a lengthy and I suspect costly process. Now this may be the right thing to do if the situations you describe were a universal "issue". However, I am not convinced that the majority of Rev fliers (and they probably don't subscribe to this forum) are in the slightest bit concerned about knots catching when trick flying as they probably don't fly tricks. The same would be true for the sail wear on "average" usage (is this a beach fliers issue only?). I suspect that the majority of people who "chat" on this forum would probably not be described as the average consumer and are very interested in the fixes you describe, but then again, we are happy to try them for ourselves.

    So whilst I agree that your suggestions seem to be very effective fixes for the issues you outline, I am not sure that it is practicle/cost effective/ or necessary to apply them on mass. Of course, Rev maybe missing a trick by not suppling a "Top of the Line" ;)/Platinum version product for those in the market who would appreciate this kind of detail and who would be prepared to pay the extra price for the extra spec and there is of course the ever present "quad sticks" debate.

    On a personal note I would be very interested to see a picture of the end cap solution you refer to (cause yes I do fly a lot of tricks) and I believe that another spar manufacturer does provide sanded rods if you are finding sail rub an issue.

  14. yet again another eye catching piece of art by rev .. man do they know how to find the right people or what?? a truely sweet kite indeed ;)

    I would be interested to know how many of the Master Piece series have gone to Europe of Japan. Are the tastes similar? If not, what are the differences and will Rev be putting out a Master aimed at the European taste?

    :rolleyes:

  15. The French also have a novel approach,

    look for the split screen.

    I think Stephen has seen this but some of you guys in the US may not have done.

    Hey Bob, I was there (I seem to remember the mother of all hangovers!) Steve Matchett & I then "flew" our pairs routine. I didn't really enjoy the kiss that much though!!!!

    On a slightly more serious note, this is actually a fantastic way of visualising complex moves. .....feel the kite....... be the kite...... :rolleyes:

    If you can't get a handle on a pass through burst, try running it!

    ps.... never go drinking with FLIC :(

  16. man all of those are great i like thw danceing quad the best

    The "Dancers" is an enchanting kite to fly. Not all unusual quads fly that well, but Kisa seems to have a knack for getting it just right. This kite slides very gracefull too and with a full turn you can literaly waltz this kite around the sky.

    I did want to get a team set but I was outvoted. :(

    Also look out for the "Shopping Trolley" by the same artist. It has velcro patches in the trolley so you can even change the shopping! :rolleyes: I think there is a great team ballet there as well but only one kite exists so far.

    mmmm. now what music would you use?

  17. Hello José, welcome to the Rev forum. ;)

    Very cool mini Rev!

    John, that's not small it's just very far away ;)

    Hi Jose, good to have you here. Take a look at the new Rev Team area on this forum. If there is any specific help we can give, you know where we are.

    Can't wait to see some videos of the team.

  18. Truth be told, I'm already familiar with the move from my dual line team days, but wanted it explained for posterity.

    And since you mentioned it, well... ;)

    Thanks for that.

    I couldn't have explained that better if I tried (which I didn't :P )

    The Flying Squad also used the technique described by John. For those budding team flyers out there, the most important thing about gaining ground in light winds is that it is a TEAM move. It is not use if the best flyer (usualy me ;) ) makes a great deal of forward ground if the the rest of the team can only make half that.

    So the best advice is to take foward ground where you can (it may not always be in the same bit of the move for every flier) and if one goes back, try and stay within 10m's or so. This makes gaining ground easier. Also, if you really do have to scratch the demo, you are all together and not one lone flier who gets all the blame and feels bad. This generally looks more professional as you can end wtih some dignity :rolleyes:

  19. That makes total sense Mark, and leads me to believe that I may not have explained clearly.

    We use very much the same technique in decent wind (sufficient wind for easy hovers)...

    I switch to the rhythm when winds are light and I need to keep everyone moving. ;)

    Absolutely right. Light wind equals more following and less holding. Compound calling is the way to go and if the moves enable a degree of "forward ground" making then this is even better. Such a move would be "ladder down" in a follow. The leader flies to the top of the window and flies horizontaly (using the float technique) then at the edges (actualy around 75%) they "U" down taking a few steps forward.

    Has anyone used "Around the World" as a technique to gain forward ground?

  20. What do other teams call this move?

    True, but it might make for an easier shorthand when discussing a routine. It's a matter of striking a balance between too much vocabulary to learn vs long explanations of a common routine. I'm not arguing for either way here, just pointing it out.

    I think it is important to remember in all these discussions that we are talking about situations where people get together as-hoc. At those times it is helpful to have some basic terminology that all can agree on.

    However, for those of you who can get together more frequently, you will quickly develop your own short hand, move names and style of calling. This is not a case of one size fits all.

    I am very fortunate and have had the opportunity with flying with a lot of different teams over the years. Each time I learn something new or find a better way of calling an old move. What I am already getting from this forum is some new ideas and a fresh perspective.

    The best lesson I have learnt when flying with a new group or new pilots is to keep it simple and repeat a few basic moves until they are second nature. The crowds love it and will watch for hours and the fliers are building up team time which is money in the bank for when you try more unusual/complicated moves next.

    Keep 'em coming

  21. For years I have been manualy drawing kite routines out, copying them for the whole team then spending ages trying to explain what the pretty little pictures mean. Sometimes it is very hard to visualise what is required.

    There have been several solutions to this over the years but my current favourite is using Microsoft PowerPoint 2003. This enables you to animate quite simply (though labouriously) and you can of course use photo's of your favourite kite. This really helps when you have a team that is spread over a wide area ;)

    Here is an example of the begining of a routine I wrote some time back. (some of you will have seen it)

    It is a first attempt and a bit rough around the edges but I hope it gives you an idea of what can be achieved.

    This should be viewed using Power point 2003. There is a link to the free viewer in the previous post.

    So my questions are, what other techniques are out there and which is the best one?

    MUHKTA.ppt

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