24 replies to this topic

[shadowshop]

I'm a new Rev owner! I went big, 1.5 B series. Very Happy, sort of, got out flying, managed to break my vertical spar's, one each of the 2 and the 3 wrap. More than A few hard landings, same spar leading edge side. I couldn't stop the upside down crash. Lessons learned, master the basics before I try some other things. Great Kite shop (Stone Harbor NJ, I was on vacation), will ship new spars within a week. Also, I have flown dual lines for a few years....needless to say, very different, and I was trying to over power the kite. Also I live in the Lancaster Pa area, and would love to know if anyone lives near by, I hear its best to learn with/from someone. I look forward to utilizing this forum more.

[Love2fly]

I'm a new Rev owner! I went big, 1.5 B series. Very Happy, sort of, got out flying, managed to break my vertical spar's, one each of the 2 and the 3 wrap. More than A few hard landings, same spar leading edge side. I couldn't stop the upside down crash. Lessons learned, master the basics before I try some other things. Great Kite shop (Stone Harbor NJ, I was on vacation), will ship new spars within a week. Also, I have flown dual lines for a few years....needless to say, very different, and I was trying to over power the kite. Also I live in the Lancaster Pa area, and would love to know if anyone lives near by, I hear its best to learn with/from someone. I look forward to utilizing this forum more.

Hi _________ (Shadowshop) -

First, let me welcome you to the Rev family... A.K.A. (not the American Kite Flyers Association ) ... the Dark Side!
The Jersey Crew is a great group of people from the South Jersey area to Philadelphia PA and even further west, all the way up to the northern end of Jersey AND flyers from way north, like Rhode Island. We fly practically every weekend. Liberty State Park in Jersey City is a popular spot, but we also fly the beaches all the way down to Wildwood and many spots along the way.
Liberty State Park (LSP) will be holding the NJSKC the weekend of July 18 and 19. Come on out and join us...just to fly, of course; no pressure to compete..... yet... .
We generally will post where we're flying, so look for us and feel free to hang with the "Crew". We're all happy to share our knowledge and silliness with anyone up for the challenge, I mean fun! ... and we have lots of fun!!!!!

[TimW]

Hi ShadowShop.
Your not alone with breakages on first outing, i managed to collapse the entire leading edge of my Blast, ground impact at full speed! It does teach you to slow down though.
I took it easy after that, trying each move in the instructions...slowly lol
I now have the opportunity to fly non-stop all day until we're called to standby, I'm really getting to enjoy my Rev now, you will too.

[Aerochic]

Hiya Shadow!

Where do you fly in Lancaster??? I know there's alot of farm country out that way. There are a few of us in southeastern PA scattered around between Philly and parts beyond that might be able to meet with you: myself, Wayne, Brad, JoeD. Generally we like to meet with up with the Jersey Crew as Lovetofly suggested and have a grand silly time together as you know how squirrelly PA winds can be. If you can make it to be Liberty, you won't regret it! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for that event as well. I work alot of weekends and it makes things difficult more often than not. :/

[shadowshop]

Hiya Shadow!

Where do you fly in Lancaster??? I know there's alot of farm country out that way. There are a few of us in southeastern PA scattered around between Philly and parts beyond that might be able to meet with you: myself, Wayne, Brad, JoeD. Generally we like to meet with up with the Jersey Crew as Lovetofly suggested and have a grand silly time together as you know how squirrelly PA winds can be. If you can make it to be Liberty, you won't regret it! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for that event as well. I work alot of weekends and it makes things difficult more often than not. :/

I fly (dual lines) around these open fields here in Lancaster, I will do the same with the new quad line. Sam Lewis State Park in York County, just close to Wrightsville is a good place to go fly, so I go there. We do get the the Jersey Shore about 6-10 times a year. Till Later....

[REVflyer]

You could consider coming down to the WOW (wings over washington, < wowkiteclub dot com > ) group too, although summer is the time of no-wind, the practice sessions will pay off in the long run. Ft McHenry, Sandy Point State Park, the mall grounds of Washington DC, the air & Space museum indoor fly, the Smithsonian kite festival, the MKS retreat in Frederick MD, okay I'll stop. There are lots of opportunities to fly with other quad-heads within a few hours of you!

Don't worry about breaking spars either, I still do that and I've been flying them for almost two decades. I've broken six Race frame members since they were introduced. (all in the leading edge). I've even busted down spars in flight by abusing their wind range.

It's all good fun with friends,
plm

[antman]

if your ever in the wildwoods look me up .. that is my local beach.. as for LSP i love flying there too and on the 18th the NJSKC will be going on and ill be there so i hope to meet you then

[mcruzzer]

To follow on with what REVflyer said, the WoW group flies the first Sunday of every month at the Washington Monument in DC...and generally it's a good mix of quad and dual line flying...though it's been more in favor of quads for a while now. Come on down and join the fun...it's not that far from you.

Jim

Edited by mcruzzer, 06 July 2009 - 11:16 AM.

[rdan1]

We're also new Rev owners and but not yet happy "flyers"..we're having lots of up and quick downs and after 5 outings with our new 1.5 we're pretty frustrated. We've been only single line before this and decided to take a leap of faith and go for the best of the quad line. Perhaps if there is someone in our area that could spare some time to a couple of newbies we could make some progress...or an event in our part of the world where some rev owners are meeting...We live in the St. Louis, MO area...

Thanks for any help or guidance...

Richard and Theresa

[airin]

We're also new Rev owners and but not yet happy "flyers"..we're having lots of up and quick downs and after 5 outings with our new 1.5 we're pretty frustrated. We've been only single line before this and decided to take a leap of faith and go for the best of the quad line. Perhaps if there is someone in our area that could spare some time to a couple of newbies we could make some progress...or an event in our part of the world where some rev owners are meeting...We live in the St. Louis, MO area...

Thanks for any help or guidance...

Richard and Theresa

Ah, yes, I know the feeling. I've been out twice with my new 1.5 and haven't really even had it in the air yet! Sounds and looks like fun when you read what other flyers have to say and see their vids but OH YEAH, this kite takes some messing with it before joining the 'dark side' which everyone seems to say when you're new to the Rev....dark, as in frustrating and confusing....? I'm sure that's not what they mean but it certainly feels like it as a beginner, doesn't it?

[bartman]

Although I had a Rev I pretty much from the very beginning I can't say I got "serious" until the last year. I had to learn to fly the Rev I by myself with just the video and whatever I could find to read. I understand frustration! That said, I did eventually get it to stay in the air although I mostly had to fly back and forth with no real idea of how to make things really happen. The kite got stuck in the closet at some point after that.

Then in 2007 I saw iQuad for the first time and was blown away by where things had come. It took another year for me to buckle down and really start to work at it.

So the moral of the story is don't get too frustrated by the initial stage of the learning curve. If you can find others all the better, but you can do it on your own too. Are you working, intially, on just going straight up and backing it right down again slowly? If you can do that without the kite wanting to go left and right you can move to simple left-right turns by doing one thumb push only. Not doing underturns intially helps to keep the kite from turning too wide and smacking the ground.

Bart

disclaimer: this approach worked for me. Your experience may vary. Not responsible for personal injuries. No animals were harmed in the making of this movie.

Edited by bartman, 12 July 2009 - 01:33 PM.

[Jim Foster]

I have never heard of a dual line flier who had an easy time of it learning to fly a quad.

You may want to practice flying the kite fast upward and putting on the brakes. Then side to side fast and putting on the brakes. Play a little "Red light Green light".

The kite will react about the same, no matter what the direction. Just get used to going and stopping. It will become automatic to apply the brakes before you hit the ground.

Trust me.

Oh,,,,,,,,and welcome to the wonderful world of Revolution kites.

[Kitelife]

Remember also, it's harder by yourself.

I can tell you resolutely, even 15 minutes of one-on-one with an experienced (not master) flier can cut your progression time way down... It's incredible, the night and day difference I've seen in pilots over the course of a single festival or clinic day when they've been exposed to some ideas and perspectives on Rev flight.

Do your research, come on out to an event somewhere... It's a great time, and the skill up is incomparable.

[Jeepster]

... I can tell you resolutely, even 15 minutes of one-on-one with an experienced (not master) flier can cut your progression time way down...

Hmmm ... so one should stay away from the master fliers and only ask an experienced flier if they want to progress?

Tom

[Kitelife]

No, no... I know you're just nailing me, but for the newer members here...

I was just saying that it doesn't take mastery to share or gain knowledge, but I'd like to think that both "pro" and "regular joe" Rev pilots are equally accessible.

[Jeepster]

... but I'd like to think that both "pro" and "regular joe" Rev pilots are equally accessible.

That's been my experience. Every Rev flyer I've met has been extremely approachable and helpful, including iQuad, 180GO!, IKE members.

Well, there was one exception ... Ben did frown at me once ... but then again, he was flying to the music with a funny grin on his face and I probably just brought him back to the world of newbies.

Cheers,
Tom

[rdan1]

Thanks everyone for the encouragement to keep going,trying,learning......we're not about to give up and hopefully will have the opportunity to spend some time with an experienced pilot soon, either here in our area or at an event somewhere.

Our situation now is "we don't know what we don't know" and I'm sure we're probably making the same mistakes repeatedly. Both of us seem to launch the kite fine but then once it's in the air, lose control of it quickly. Also, on several of the days we've been out with it, we've had a tough time determining wind direction/window as it seems to be changing around us.

Thanks again...... We'll keep trying and we appreciate the help and support..


Richard and Theresa

[shadowshop]

More time on the Kite...I got my replacement spars and went out flying again. Managed to figure out how to stop an inverted dive to the ground, then came inverted flying. Yes, when you see things happen, it helps motivation. I seem to have a problem of wraping my line around the lower end of the spar....In any case getting better slowly.

[REVflyer]

If you find yourself frequently catching a line on the corners some pilots will place a belt-loop type of fabric cover
over the knots at the bottom triangles of the sail (where the elastic is tied off). You could sew it or use 9640 3M bonding adhesive tape and a craft iron, even duct tape, but the adhesive residue will test your patience when trying to remove it!

You could try the magix sticks too, . . .... I think Elliot Shook sells them as easy to use owner installation kit for the 1point5 kites
or just keep practicing and eventually you'll avoid actions that cause a line to catch. Practice fixes everything if done often enough!

As far as the swirling wind goes, well none of us like that either, but again practicing in demanding conditions will make you a much better all around flier. Everybody looks good is a steady 8 mph off of the pacific ocean! Those conditions aren't realistic expectations if you are an inland flier. Heck that 's one of the reasons we travel around to different spots of the nation, that and to fly with our friends. There's a huge difference between Jockey's Ridge at the outer banks and Dory Park in Richmond. Both locations will test your skills with different techniques and equipment!

[HedgeWarden]

I have never heard of a dual line flier who had an easy time of it learning to fly a quad.

Oh,,,,,,,,and welcome to the wonderful world of Revolution kites.

I have had an easy time learning Revs, after several years of dual line piloting! I've progressed faster than with the duals. However, I'm quite short of being the "experienced" pilot who could help a newbie.

Well, I did start with a New Tech Spirit Quad - advertised as an easy intro for dual line fliers. I only got a few hours of flying time on that, with only very basic maneuvers - up/down, left/right, swoops and landings. It would fly for me only in 10 MPH winds and above - or so it seemed. Some fun, but...

Transitioned to Rev EXP after watching 2009 Lincoln City, a short sample flight on a B and a coupon from Ben.

I'm far from good, but can hold ragged hovers including short inverted. Dive stops are OK, and sometime backing up comes easy and sometimes not. Spins and smooth loops are getting cleaner. This with maybe 10-15 hrs flight time.

The Rev exercises on their site are a great approach to learning the basics.

I find most my "woops" happen at the edge of the wind window. Unlike duals, it is much harder to recover from stalls, and all too easy to stall one wing and not the other.

Any way, if I can do it, you newbies can too. Get a few pointers from an experienced pilot - or lacking that use the Rev exercises, as I did. Practice the exercises to get basic command instincts, then fly to music (a tip from Ben) to develop a connectedness.