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MisterNixter

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Took the new Rev out today and flew for about 2 1/2 hours. The results were less than stellar. ani_weightlift.gif

I was flying on a soccer field with no trees around and the wind was flakey, blowing really hard at times and then dying way down for a few minutes before coming up again.

I know there is no substitute for time on the lines, but I could use some advice here. The kite would launch fine and I could fly across the wind window in either direction. Going right was okay, but when I went left, or sometimes as soon as I launched, the kite would start spinning quickly to the left over and over again until it just seemed to lose life and would flatten out and fall out of the sky. Sometimes the lines would wrap around the kite and flip it around.

I tried working on just going up and down, as demonstrated in the Rev DVD and got it right a few times, but more often I'd go into that same death spin to the left.

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You've got the right idea on the "up and down" move! Launch, balance, land on both tips! Get comfy? Try it higher and higher, keeping the kite balanced and able to land on both tips!! Good starting place!

Having equal lines is very important!! Otherwise the kite tries to steer itself, not you giving commands to obey!!

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What happened to make it spin over and over to the left is, the right top line wrapped onto the end cap, knot or washer, if it spins out of control to the right, the top left line wrapped onto that stuff. Next time you go out, wrap left or right top line on purpose on one of those points. You'll see it happen and know why.

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It isn't something that you want to avoid, it's all part of a learning curve, I fly a lot of slack line, pushing the kite to the limits, sometimes it fall out of the sky, sometimes I catch it sometimes I don't. The only way of not having it happen again in the future it to never fly again, and you sure don't want to do that!

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One way to at least limit it from happening so much, is to be a bit "softer" with your inputs on the handles! You'll hear it called "over-controlling" by most! New fliers tend to use big movements for controlling the kite, as you fly more you understand that "less can be more"! You'll refine your movements to what you need and learn a lot is unnecessary!!

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here's some advice, take the flying lines and stake them down to something completely rigid. Insure each line is loose and individually affixed, no twists or nesting. Go back to the handles and fetch 'em up tight! Pull 'em really hard with both handles in one hand. Pull 'em up to eye level insuring both handles are perfectly aligned to each other in your grasp. As you gradually give slack the lines will show you which one is too long. First test the tops and then test the bottoms. It's also a good time to mark one of your handles as left or right. I use colored vinyl electrical tape. I recommend testing be done with the handles opposite of your markings, as noted above. Test the left handle while located in your right grasp,.... got it?

Do they align perfectly? My guess is HECK NO

If not, then you need to adjust them, before affixing the flying lines to the kite's bridle. You are either untying the sleeving and knots on the flying lines (on the longer line) or adding knots/adjusting those knot's locations on the handles' leaders until they do so!

This "pre-flight alignment test" should be like a religious experience. It is never a race to see who can get up in the air first, but more like insuring YOU have a neutral starting alignment between the point of contact with the bridle and your hands. It's great if all four flying line lengths match perfectly, you can switch 'em around to insure equal wear and stretch. But they only have to match left and right (top flying lines for example) ALWAYS always always.

Now from this neutral setting, you can experiment and choose the place where you are most comfortable. where are you going to place your hands?, how firm is your grip? (it should be so loose the handles could almost be jerked from your grasp,.... you're holding a baby chicken, not an angry cobra, light delicate touch, if not today then eventually!) How much "down" is placed in your leader tuning? do you use your thumbs? if so, where do you comfortably place them?

Without a neutral starting point, none of these personal preference factors are being refined thru practice repetitions. You can't develop you own style until you have a consistent starting point. There's not a single path to the destination! The destination is a neutral hover, anywhere in the wind window, in any wind conditions, in any flying orientation. "Own thy hover". how you get there is not important, not even what device you are flying, quad-flight is all about control. You will get to the promised land

Take the preflight test yourself, bet you see improvements after testing and adjustments to neutral. Remember to test with the handles in the opposite hand's grasp.

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Hi Wayne,

so you pull them equally,

when you test with the left (in the right hand) and then switch 'em everything should still align,

it's just another verification technique to insure accuracy

I fly occasionally one-handed. That's a sure indication of something out-of-wack if the planned flight path is deviated from neutral

I'm very one-hand dominate(a lefty), so by switching them during testing I overcome another possible personal flaw

(and I have many!)

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  • 4 weeks later...

I guess that you have mastered it by now, but for someone that can relate to your experience, here it goes:

Reminds me of my first flight! A good practice for starters, before you get flying, is to set the kite upwards in launch position (bottom part of the kite needs to come a bit closer, not to self launch, explained in the dvd). The handles should be in a fixed position using a screwdriver or something. Lines straight, untangled. Move back from the kite, hold the handles so that the upper lines are stretched out. Now pull the kite just a little bit, lines streched, evenly, (this is the part to discover if your lines are ok). Then, move your hands just a little bit forward to strech off the upper lines a few inches. Remain still in this position. Feel the wind for a short period of time, feel how it blows the sail, then feel it in the lines stretching and unstretching as it goes. If you remain still for a few minutes, you can get an idea of the gentle ammount of force the wind gives, and the gentle ammount of force you are called to apply as to have control.

My first flight ended up just like yours because I would generally apply off positions to my wrists, without proper feel of the wind, always overcorrecting. With a little ammount of practice as described above you will get the feel of the wind, which is the most important. Remember that the wind is the main force applied on the kite. Then practice a few gentle take offs and lands. This part is all you need to learn so that your kite won't crash right or left.

Wish you happy times of flying, and all the best for your grand daughter!

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Thomas,

I am not sure that I understand your anxiety. I have been happy to help here and on the field. Ashley and Rowan (my sons) both decided to fly Revolution Kites without any influence/pressure from me! Ashley is calling the team of late...

Felix

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  • 2 months later...

UPS is delivering my Rev SLE this afternoon. I have been watching the tutorial videos non stop for days, especially JB's tutorials on line equalization, line management, launching, and basic hover . He seems to cover everything. Can't wait to get it set up and try a launch.

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Remember - if all else fails and the kite is gonna crash no matter what you do - GIVE TO THE KITE!!!! Step forward, throw your hands forward, and depower as much as possible!! Makes the crashes a lot easier on the kite!! You pull - all you're doing is driving it harder into the ground!!!! ani_wallbash.gif

Breathe!!!!! ani_idea.gif

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  • 2 months later...

What happened to make it spin over and over to the left is, the right top line wrapped onto the end cap, knot or washer, if it spins out of control to the right, the top left line wrapped onto that stuff. Next time you go out, wrap left or right top line on purpose on one of those points. You'll see it happen and know why.

Had that happen to me for the first time today, after about 30 hours of flying Revs. Couldn't figure out what was wrong until I saw one of the lines wrapped around the knot. Thought the Rev was possessed at first. wink.png

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