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"Look Ma, I'm flying upside down!"


airin

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Today I felt like the Revinator!

With some steady clean westerlies blowing off the water and my nice new vented 1.5 gleaming in the sun, I was a happenin' Rev'er.

I was actually sliding across the window....at least I think that's what it was when the kite is in a horizontal position and it moves from right to left or left to right in a straight line.

And I was holding some decent vertical and horizontal hovers.

I could often tip the kite to vertical and fly in reverse - big fun.

And I was flying upside down! Yay for inverted!

I was able to hold the inverted hover now and then but mostly it was wanting to slide/glide to the right or left towards the edge of the window. I could hold it there sometimes but just could not seem to get it to fly back across again. I'm looking for some tips so I can get my inverted to go back and forth across the window. Bring 'em on, the Revinator is waiting!

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We will work on that at WSIKF! I am sure by Saturday we will have you ready to go for a Mega Fly! One thing that does help inverted flight/hover to be more stable is to walk toward the kite if the wind is strong enough, or walk backwards if the wind is light. It is not actually adding stability to the kite, I think it is making your mind not concentrate so hard to achieve inverted stability.

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Wow, you are just "flyin'" along! Excellent!

I have been having trouble with the slide lately too. I can get it going good in one direction, but not too come back. I used to be able to go back and forth just fine so I have no idea what I have started to do wrong in there. It doesn't help that sometimes it is a right to left problem and sometimes a left to right problem.

If you get it figured out let me know what the problem was. Might be my problem too.

Bart

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Hey RS67 thanks for your offer to help....would you mind coming up to Vanier tomorrow?! ;)

So if I was to work on this skill of the inverted slide, like before I got to WSIKF, what would I be focusing on?

I like the idea of the little movement forward or back depending on the wind. And what else does it take to get that inverted Rev to glide ever so politely from one side of the window to the other? You know, just a rough idea of some stuff to try so I can get a little jump on the festivities of next week (and so that bart has something he can be working on too).

And don't worry, I am sure I'll still have a ton of stuff that needs tweaking and teaching when I see you next week RS67! :)

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Hey RS67 thanks for your offer to help....would you mind coming up to Vanier tomorrow?! ;)

So if I was to work on this skill of the inverted slide, like before I got to WSIKF, what would I be focusing on?

I like the idea of the little movement forward or back depending on the wind. And what else does it take to get that inverted Rev to glide ever so politely from one side of the window to the other? You know, just a rough idea of some stuff to try so I can get a little jump on the festivities of next week (and so that bart has something he can be working on too).

And don't worry, I am sure I'll still have a ton of stuff that needs tweaking and teaching when I see you next week RS67! :)

Hi just a small point I find walking forward in light wind help helps inverted reverse, we sometime play were we all see how far up we can reverse in the window - starting from the ground. So that might be your next lesson at WSIKF.

As for sliding side to side, try just sliding the kite side to side on the ground first (grass is easier on the material here) this will allow you to start the muscle memory of where you are hands are when sliding, then just reverse off the ground and repeat the movements.

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Hi just a small point I find walking forward in light wind help helps inverted reverse, we sometime play were we all see how far up we can reverse in the window - starting from the ground. So that might be your next lesson at WSIKF.

As for sliding side to side, try just sliding the kite side to side on the ground first (grass is easier on the material here) this will allow you to start the muscle memory of where you are hands are when sliding, then just reverse off the ground and repeat the movements.

Thanks, good ideas!

cheers,

Erin

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Nicely done!

I've often wondered if it was possible to order it that way now.

I have heard it said that anything is possible.

The question would be, is the price possible?

Something like this today would require a special production run of the center panel. That is where it could get expensive for you.

You can always call Revolution and ask them what this type of custom would cost you.

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Today I felt like the Revinator!

With some steady clean westerlies blowing off the water and my nice new vented 1.5 gleaming in the sun, I was a happenin' Rev'er.

I was actually sliding across the window....at least I think that's what it was when the kite is in a horizontal position and it moves from right to left or left to right in a straight line.

And I was holding some decent vertical and horizontal hovers.

I could often tip the kite to vertical and fly in reverse - big fun.

And I was flying upside down! Yay for inverted!

I was able to hold the inverted hover now and then but mostly it was wanting to slide/glide to the right or left towards the edge of the window. I could hold it there sometimes but just could not seem to get it to fly back across again. I'm looking for some tips so I can get my inverted to go back and forth across the window. Bring 'em on, the Revinator is waiting!

Hey Revinator,

Sounds like you're having fun & looking for ways to get better.

An idea or two -- when you want to fly up with LE up you pull your thumbs back towards you so the LE is closer to you than the bottom of the kite. The wind slides off the bottom & the kite goes up.

Now inverted - Thumbs forward pulls the bottom of the kite towards you & the kite slides up as the wind slides off the bottom or LE of the kite.

The idea is the same for side slide whether inverted or LE up.

Put the kite in the air & hover with LE up. Pull your right hand towards you & the wind slides off the left edge of the kite forcing the kite to your right. Hover again then pull your left hand in & the kite slides to your left.

Inverted or LE up is the same concept as far as side slide. The right or left hand closer to your body is what slides the kite. If one end of the kite tips up or down then you have tipped your thumb out or in on one hand.

A fun one to try is a vertical slide. Start with a vertical hover near the top of the wind window. Pull in the hand that controls the bottom wing of the kite closest to the ground -- the kite will move down. Hover before you hit the ground. Now pull in the hand that controls the top wing. The kite slides back to the top of the window. Try to keep the kite vertical by controlling thumbs in or out on either hand as needed. I think this is called a Pez when it's flown from top to bottom.

Have patience & keep practicing. Put some different moves together so it makes it more fun.

Good luck & maybe I'll meet you at WSIKF. B)

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Hey Revinator,

Sounds like you're having fun & looking for ways to get better.

An idea or two -- when you want to fly up with LE up you pull your thumbs back towards you so the LE is closer to you than the bottom of the kite. The wind slides off the bottom & the kite goes up.

Now inverted - Thumbs forward pulls the bottom of the kite towards you & the kite slides up as the wind slides off the bottom or LE of the kite.

The idea is the same for side slide whether inverted or LE up.

Put the kite in the air & hover with LE up. Pull your right hand towards you & the wind slides off the left edge of the kite forcing the kite to your right. Hover again then pull your left hand in & the kite slides to your left.

Inverted or LE up is the same concept as far as side slide. The right or left hand closer to your body is what slides the kite. If one end of the kite tips up or down then you have tipped your thumb out or in on one hand.

A fun one to try is a vertical slide. Start with a vertical hover near the top of the wind window. Pull in the hand that controls the bottom wing of the kite closest to the ground -- the kite will move down. Hover before you hit the ground. Now pull in the hand that controls the top wing. The kite slides back to the top of the window. Try to keep the kite vertical by controlling thumbs in or out on either hand as needed. I think this is called a Pez when it's flown from top to bottom.

Have patience & keep practicing. Put some different moves together so it makes it more fun.

Good luck & maybe I'll meet you at WSIKF. B)

Thanks Ray!

Yup, I'm starting to get those principals happening more solidly now, of course I have a long ways to go but it is so exciting to taste the flavour of flying a Rev!

Last night, after showers off and on all day, there was a little spell with some light winds. I practiced the techniques suggested here and was delighted to be able to move the inverted hover around a bit. I think the right left slide will take a bit more fine tuning though. I do pull in on the wing tip to get the slide going but unlike the upright horizontal slide, I don't get much response from the kite and it still tends to drift across the window with the wind of its, seemingly, own accord. But I think I just need to build a little more of a relationship with the kite when it is in the inverted position and I will discover the subtle touch I need to get the slide under my control.

One other question I had was where to place the lines on the pigtails at the handles for optimum inverted flying control. Somewhere I think I read to have the top lines out as far as possible and still be able to launch. Does that sound right? And what about the lower lines, right now I have them in the middle of the pigtail, above the second knot. What's the best combo to have good control when flying upside down.

cheers,

Erin, The Revinator

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I prefer the bottom lines to be on the second knot out from the handle. It seems like when the bottom is close to the handles the kite is too twitchy for me when I apply brake. I get a lot more flips. I'm sure I'm just over-controlling though which has been the story of my kiting the whole time!

As for top out. I have been adjusting those for the most brake possible (so moving out from the handles) and still move forward. Again, if I get to too much top brake I run into twitchy problems. Right now I'm probably averaging 7 inches out from the handles. To some this isn't brake at all! :-)

I did get new top leaders made which allows me up to 10 inches out on the top and I immediately found the inverted stuff got about 10X easier so I wish I would have known about the benefits of more brake from the beginning.

Bart

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I prefer the bottom lines to be on the second knot out from the handle. It seems like when the bottom is close to the handles the kite is too twitchy for me when I apply brake. I get a lot more flips. I'm sure I'm just over-controlling though which has been the story of my kiting the whole time!

As for top out. I have been adjusting those for the most brake possible (so moving out from the handles) and still move forward. Again, if I get to too much top brake I run into twitchy problems. Right now I'm probably averaging 7 inches out from the handles. To some this isn't brake at all! :-)

I did get new top leaders made which allows me up to 10 inches out on the top and I immediately found the inverted stuff got about 10X easier so I wish I would have known about the benefits of more brake from the beginning.

Bart

Oh now you've given me a whole 'nother dimension to be considering. I am about to leave for the kite field now. I'll experiment some more with line length today. Very good stuff to know - I'm stoked - this Rev world is just such a cool place for an adventure!

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Oh now you've given me a whole 'nother dimension to be considering. I am about to leave for the kite field now. I'll experiment some more with line length today. Very good stuff to know - I'm stoked - this Rev world is just such a cool place for an adventure!

Don't worry too much about top versus bottom knot, though. Fix the bottom line in a consistent place, and then adjust the top lines with the top knots.

It doesn't matter which one you use, exactly, only that the relative length of the lines is changing. In other words, if you are using the closest knot to the handle on the bottom, and some knot on the top, then you have the same result if you let both out by one knot.

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Don't worry too much about top versus bottom knot, though. Fix the bottom line in a consistent place, and then adjust the top lines with the top knots.

It doesn't matter which one you use, exactly, only that the relative length of the lines is changing. In other words, if you are using the closest knot to the handle on the bottom, and some knot on the top, then you have the same result if you let both out by one knot.

Gotcha! that makes sense.

thanks

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Gotcha! that makes sense.

thanks

Over this side of the pond we've been using Leaders for years, tend to just use one knot on the bottom and then do all the adjusting on top < move back and forth as needed > to reduce or increase brake effect.

The Flying Squad, use team sets of leaders these have 6 knots on top and are colour co ordinated to our flying lines, on the bottom we have two knots to allow for line creep adjustments.

You will find as you become more able you will move the top line further away from the handle

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Airin,

Congratulations, I recon you can now claim to have popped your Rev Cherry, once you can fly inverted, you can call yourself a Rev flier, anything up until that point, is just adolescent fumblings, next stop Group Sex.

John and/or John – I know this is a family forum, so if a line has been crossed please accept my apologies and delete this post.

Edited by Stone in Shoe Bob
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Airin,

Congratulations, I recon you can now claim to have popped your Rev Cherry, once you can fly inverted, you can call yourself a Rev flier, anything up until that point, is just adolescent fumblings, next stop Group Sex.

John and/or John – I know this is a family forum, so if a line has been crossed please accept my apologies and delete this post.

I will agree. I resisted the group sex 'cause it seemed all scary, but really it was a lot of fun and now I can hardly ever wait to do it again.

Bart

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:P Ha, ha, ha.....

...well I dunno guys......

I had a great time flying in some nice steady westerlies yesterday and could do some reasonable up and down inverted plus some half decent inverted hovers and landings but I'd have to say my control in doing inverted slides still has a good ways to go. I'll definitely be looking to learn from the pros at the kite festival this week but certainly am not group flying material yet. Not to worry though, I am loving the feeling of flying the quad kite and will savour the learning experience, resisting the temptation to rush gaining the techniques, as much a possible. ;)

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