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Short lines for a beginner?


BookBoy

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Hi all,

As per my other topic, my new Rev is on it's way to me as we speak. I'm getting 80' lines but was also thinking about getting myself some shorter lines pretty soon.

I understand many people like shorter lines for lower wind conditions, but they would also open up some more flying locations closer to home that would not be ideal with 80' lines.

However, I also understand that shorter lines make everything happen faster with less time for reaction.

I guess my question is, should I avoid the shorter lines until I've developed my skills a bit, or is it ok to be also using them while still learning?

Thanks

Jonathan

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Use the longer lines until you no longer crash. When you are about to crash, throw your arms towards the kite and move your body forward to reduce the severity of the impact. Learn to hit the bottom (brake) lines hard to avoid hitting the ground really hard. The kite will handle most crashes, but enough force can cause damage.

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Hi Jonathan,

Welcome to the Rev family.

Wayne is right. 50 ft may do ok. 30 foot now would be way fast.

Mark is right. 'Brakes' is an important move. You can practice putting on the brakes 30 ft in the air. You don't have to wait till you are inches from the ground : )

Have fun !!!!

Lolly

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Welcome to the family first off, and hope your kite gets there fast. I would recommend flying on the 80 foot lines for a while, maybe a few months or until you get the idea of the Revolution. Flying on the longer lines gets you a bigger wind window, more time to react, and opportunity to learn the basic figures/tricks.

However if you have areas to fly that you won't be able to fit 80 foot lines in, it would be a good idea to pick up some a bit earlier, but make sure that you have plenty of room on each side of you because beginners tend to fly off to one side and crash, and trees are not friendly. Its from experience... cat_lol.gif

Anyways, to answer your question, it will be fairly hard to learn on short lines, but its possible. There are different tricks to learn on short lines like catch and throws, slick axels, and crown interaction. But these tricks really require basic controls that are much easier to learn on long lines. Hope my advice was helpful and have fun!!!

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Devils advocate...

Get the short lines, and a six pack of Red Bull and lace that mother...

Seriously, get used to the controls and then skip the 50's and go to 30's if you're over grass. A playing field is great to get used to the rate a Rev can move on short lines. Dial in a bit of brake and put on some tunes.

Feel it.

Fly it.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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So my Rev arrived and I staked out the 80 foot lines to equalise them. First thing I noticed - 80 feet is a lot shorter than I had thought. Which means I now totally understand the above comments about 30 foot lines and why SparkieRob suggested the Red Bull!

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80 feet is actually mid-longish....120 feet and up is long; I have flown on 250 feet, however, at that length you give the kite input and three seconds later it reacts. It's like flying slow-motion. 120 feet is the accepted team standard around the world, so it would be good to have a set if you care to fly with others. You can fly with others on 80-foot lines too. 30-foot lines would be difficult, at least, and give you a faster kite moving very quickly in a very small window. 80-footers are not bad to learn on. I did it, so can you. It helps you stop making mistakes faster, and when you get on the 120's you'll feel like you've got all day to make a decision. Don't try to learn on 30's, you'll just break the kite.

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My latest video was on 30' lines ....totally possible. Most of JB's recent solo videos were also 30' length as well.

I find 80' to be a good length to work on if you're flying solo and learning.

Where I am, space limits us to 50' almost all the time. One could go longer, but you will have no space to use footwork, can fall down a steep bank formed by the ocean, can overfly fences, dunes (with vegetation) or other hard objects or end up in the surf zone itself looking for space. It's possible with control, but not practical for learning and requires too much focus away from the flying itself.

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Devils advocate...

Get the short lines, and a six pack of Red Bull and lace that mother...

Seriously, get used to the controls and then skip the 50's and go to 30's if you're over grass. A playing field is great to get used to the rate a Rev can move on short lines. Dial in a bit of brake and put on some tunes.

Feel it.

Fly it.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ha Ha Ha Ha - you been talking to Rich Comras?????????????????????

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80 feet is actually mid-longish....120 feet and up is long; I have flown on 250 feet, however, at that length you give the kite input and three seconds later it reacts. It's like flying slow-motion. 120 feet is the accepted team standard around the world, so it would be good to have a set if you care to fly with others. You can fly with others on 80-foot lines too. 30-foot lines would be difficult, at least, and give you a faster kite moving very quickly in a very small window. 80-footers are not bad to learn on. I did it, so can you. It helps you stop making mistakes faster, and when you get on the 120's you'll feel like you've got all day to make a decision. Don't try to learn on 30's, you'll just break the kite.

A few years ago at Kite Party, there were 18 of us flying together on 75' lines. Much of the time it was a traffic jam, but we had loads of fun.

"Don't try this at home"

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