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Pairs Advice Wanted


West Australian

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Hi all,

I have been thinking about getting shoulder to shoulder with the other WestAussie Flyer SparkieRob.

He has said he is interested too.

Now I am aware that my Skills need practice, practice, practice.

Believe me I am flying as often as I can.

But I don't want to hold back and wait for some time in the future to try out any new aspect of Rev Flying.

So I want to try Pairs Flying now.

I am thinking of starting out simple, Hovering around the same space, lining the kites up.

Does anyone have any advice on Pair flying for a Rev Rookie?

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Here follows the 3 most important things you need to know...

  1. BREATHE !!!!! (trust me, you will forget)
  2. Watch your own kite (trust me, you will mess it up when you watch the other guys kite)
  3. Have fun (this is the point is it not...)

Don't worry so much, and don't be so driven to formalise it that it takes away from the experience. Just get used to standing next to each other and flying in the same air space as each other comfortably.

Basic stuff to mess with is either following each other around, doing the same pattern flanked (side by side) or hovering/moving around each other.

I'd say that key things to get down are speed control (this comes in everywhere - if you don't have it you will get it soon), figure 8's (this is curved flight practice and diagonal practice) and squares (this is hard corners and straight lines).

Have fun and mess with it ... if it's not fun then you'll stop doing it

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there are precision figures available (for pairs multi-line) which you can examine, fly on sticked micro kites to understand the necessary movements and then practice them together in the air when you get around to meeting up as partners. This is a great practice technique as you can easily refer back to the active diagrams created by ReedDesign. Hit the animate button under each diagram < http://www.aka.kite.org/kite-genres/sport-kite/compulsory-figures >

Fooling around flight patterns available include: ~ you can "mirror" each other ~ you can fly aligned on each other's leading edge (formation) ~ follow the leader and ~ interact with each other/(while one hovers the other pilot moves).

The old adage is own your hover to fly with other Rev pilots, (that means getting comfortable with the kite an inch off of the ground and in a stationary inverted hover, flying it all by yourself!) Practice the side slides in all directions, it is a lot tougher to master when mixing-in with your partner. Try balancing on a wing tip, walking the kites in unison is a real crowd pleaser too!

Dual throws and catches, in unison? Nesting one's throw thru the other lines as you intentionally "cross the streams"? Kisses or an the Iron Cross, how about a refuel?

You should have line sets just for using as a pairs team performing (or practicing together), not for you own general usage at all!

Cleanly flown straight lines and tight corners make the tricks stand-out if you choose to add them, but you have to master speed control as a unit to look like you belong together as a pairs team. Slow and precise flights mixed with sudden bursts of excess as appropriate, in time with your music, plus a lot of practice hours flying together will make you guys into a dynamic pairs team!

The kites should be the same style/size (if not matching or at least coordinating in color schemes) and both should be tuned such that either pilot can fly them consistently. In my local club this is an utterly foolish expectation! Everyone does their own thing, like it or leave us. Some are home-builders but refuse to copy exact dimensions (so their kites fly differently, however slight the change happens to be). Some of us prefer the Shook weaves and some prefer the Bazzer mesh venting choices. Some frame light & flexible, using venting to tame the savage beast. Some of us frame heavier and use less venting or a full sail as long as possible. We don't even keep a common line weight or brand between us.

Keep us informed and enjoy the journey!

-plm

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Starting out, we both have a full set of B Series kites, we can match frames, we can match brake settings. We can match these and practice these "settings" before our own preferences become too ingrained. <br /><br /><br />Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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You got matched kites and can use similar frames -good! Brake settings are still an individual thing, so you don't "have" to use exactly what works for the other! Use what works for you!!

Simple follows are a good starting point! Take turns being the leader, eventually someone will emerge as better at it! But the follows do a couple of things - learning to keep a constant distance from the leader and good speed control! Start with a simple figure 8 pattern -both of you should have "clean lines" going left to right and a 1/2 twist going right to left!

Don't worry about messing up - we all do!! Takes about 5 minutes to untangle the lines and up you go again!! As your skills increase, make things more precise, then add difficulty!! All in all, you'll have a ball!!

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One thing that really helped me to gain confidence with another kite in the sky was set up my Rev, then put a single line kite in the sky and use it as a "Target". Fly up to it and stop. Hover. Move your kite around the kite. The target may move some from side to side or up and down. Learn to account for that. Get confident flying close to another kite. That will make it much easier to fly with someone else who may not have the same level of skill that you do. If you have someone in mind to fly with and they are new as well, they might want to do the same thing with a single line kite. Learn what I call "defensive flying". That will save you many trips across the field to get one kite untangled from the other.

When you start flying together, there should be only one "captain of the ship", usually standing on the right. Let the other person know what you intend to do with your kite and get them to follow you and they should do what you do, where you did it. Turn where you turned etc. In no time you will be amazed at how good you are doing. Leader should maintain constant speed and follower should try to maintain constant space between kites. Once you master following one another you can progress to more complicated moves.

Good luck and enjoy flying together.

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We did the Rok and Rev tour with JMH in 1992 taking in Denver and then the AKA event at Lubbock. We had c1.5 meter Roks and flew them on spectra to reduce 'risk' but found that they really did need a more elastic line to absorb turbulence. We found that the altitude that they 'settled' at was also an issue and experimented with various line and bridle configurations.

Somewhere I have some images from Lubbock.

Felix

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<snip>

When you start flying together, there should be only one "captain of the ship", usually standing on the right.

<snip>

Hey Jim,

You know full well that 'standing on the right as captain' is for many folks the wrong place to be! <grins>

Felix

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Hey Jim,

You know full well that 'standing on the right as captain' is for many folks the wrong place to be! <grins>

Felix

For sure. I really don't care where the caller is standing. I'll fly no matter what.

Where do the French stand? And the Swedish? They would have been on the left until 1967.

How about the Japanese?

And then there are the Scots who would just as soon pull away from the whole thing, but that's for another time. (Grins from across the pond)

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Hey Jim

I like that a lot ... I will remember this one as I (hopefully) bring more people onboard smile.png

You can also use a target kite if you find yourself flying without a partner. Can be colorful fun just to play around. Just be careful not to get mixed up with line that may cut your rev lines. Never had that problem myself, but I suppose it could be a concern.

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We and the Pittmans did a seven flier demo with Too Much Fun at Kite Party in which there were only two words called. I called one from the right end of the line, and Mark called one from position #3. But then, Mark is from your side of the pond, and now living on this side, so I really doubt if he cares from where he calls.

Fun Stuff.......

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You can also use a target kite if you find yourself flying without a partner. Can be colorful fun just to play around. Just be careful not to get mixed up with line that may cut your rev lines. Never had that problem myself, but I suppose it could be a concern.

Did you mean something like this ;)

post-3221-0-24617500-1363553433_thumb.jpg

post-3221-0-61584000-1363553435_thumb.jpg

post-3221-0-45087500-1363553437_thumb.jpg

post-3221-0-10120900-1363553439_thumb.jpg

post-3221-0-15134000-1363553441_thumb.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

slow,

try to turn where your partner did, (the location) not when he turns

try to follow the line drawn by #1 and keep a even speed, so you (the 2nd flier) can set the pace influencing spacing between you.

hover or tip land

slow

breath and relax

this is great fun, enjoy

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