18 replies to this topic

[vwbrian]

What is the trick to relaunching the REV.
I did not get the video with my kite and can't seem to find info.

I have a 1.5 SLE.

Does it help to have longer handles?

Edited by vwbrian, 15 January 2010 - 01:08 PM.

[Baloo]

Hi, welcome to the Forum.

If you are re-launching with the Rev in an upright position you simply (yea OK none of it is simple when you are starting out) pul in on the lines that are upper most on the kite, no matter if they are the top or bottom lines.

If the kite is flat on the floor you are best staking the handles and walking out to stand it up again. You risk damaging it if you try to launch whilst it is laying flat as a beginer.

Just in case you dont understand the handle stake bit. You need something to stick into the ground, even an old screw driver will do. Put it near the top lines, so the bottom of the handles is pointing towards the kite, walk out and stand the kite so the leading edge is on the ground, with the lower edge leaning away from the stake. This means it is in effect trying to fly into the ground and is safe. Walk back tothe handles, work out which hand they need to be. And away you go.

There is lots of info on setting up and launching etc. if you look back through some of the older threads.

Have fun, let us know how you get on.

[JoneZ]

I'm in the same boat m8,, being new to rev flying as well.
Launching right side up is a pain in lighter winds. You have to launch as baloo said. I also take a few brisk steps backward tp keep the sail filled, as well as keep the kites forward momentum going. When you give that first pull back to launch, you should end up with your hands close to your upper chest, your thumbs closest to your body (if that makes sense). Keep this hand position while you step backward.
It's still a little hard for me at times, but is getting easier the more i practice it. You can also launch easier inverted, but it can be a little hard to rise without over controlling the rev, being new. It all gets easier with patience and practice.
Do some searching on handles and leader lines here on the forum,, theres a lot of good info.

Cheers, and welcome!

[JoneZ]

When you give that first pull back to launch, you should end up with your hands close to your upper chest, your thumbs closest to your body ...

Clarifying: The bottom of the handles should be jutted out, and the tops should be jarred back.

Make yourself 2 sets of leader lines, made from 150# bridle line. Make the top set about 11" or so, with about 4-5 knots tied in it about 1/4" to 1/2" apart from eachother - starting at the very end of the leader.
Make another set for for bottom lines -- these ones about 4-5" in length with a few knots about 1/2" apart. Try different settings and see what works best for you.
BUT before you do, read this post for starters: http://www.revkites....der-adjustment/
As well as do some searching here or on kitelife's forums for leader lines.
Heres a pic I borrowed from kitelife, so you can see kinda what Im talkin about:

Guru4tru's handles.

Attached Thumbnails

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[vwbrian]

I was thinking of when the kite is on the ground laying flat. Do you have to walk and set it up right or is there a trick to launching it from flat. I have only flown the kite 2 times and forgot to bring a stake with me. The first time the school had a traffic cone that I leaned the kite up to and launched that way. The winds were gusty then no wind then gusty. So I kept having the Rev fall over when it was on the ground.

I have been flying 4 line foils for about 2 years, so I have some 4 line experience.

Edited by vwbrian, 21 January 2010 - 11:01 AM.

[REVflyer]

you need a stake
(holds the kite from falling over during non-fly times
OR
a set of training wheel/magix sticks)

you need a set of properly tuned leaders,
(tops are to be three or four times longer than the bottoms, with knots to adjust lengths independently)

you need to insure all four flying lines are exactly equal in length,
(stake 'em down and check them regularly!)

okay, so all your usual stuff is right,
now on to your question.

The kite has fallen over (leading edge is facing you with the bridles underneath, correct?)

How do you launch from here?
The fact is you can't! The kite has to be rotated 180 degrees so the leading edge is back down wind. You need to carefully slide one side of the leading edge over the flying lines and not snag anything. Pull one handle back like your infant kid was stuck in quicksand BUT watch to insure you don't snag an end-cap, bridle knot or an elastic bungie's washer. Lower the handle that's not being used a bunch and allow lots of slack, put a nice snappy short action "jerk" on the other handle to spin it 180 degrees and you're back ready to relaunch.

nothing is foolproof 100% but the sissy sticks will prevent this catching almost always and you don't need a stake anymore either!

[Dean750]

Or you could set up or land your Rev flat on the ground tips away with the birdle on top. Pick up your handles, give brake to stand up, a little more and off ya go. If you don't have a stake it works.

Dean

[REVflyer]

This response is not relaunching necessarily, but it is related. How to do a cartwheel, which gets you back into position to easily go airborne once again. Sometimes the best pilots still end up de-powered and impacting mother earth! This is the first thing I teach during a newbie Rev lesson. After mastering this technique you'll never need to offer yourself as an assistant or ground crew! No matter how the kite ends up on the ground, the student can roll it over and relaunch.

if the kite is already filled with air (powered-up) and ground resting on the leading edge (inverted) all you need to do is

-step back
to remove all of the flying line slack, centering your handles in front of you, both waist high, loose grip, close together
(think the fat part of your thumbs are just touching lightly in contact together)
-relax
all your muscles,... take a couple of big breaths
(this part is so easy)
-look down the lines,
lifting each hand independently to determine
"WHICH HAND" is on top?

None of these steps outline above have anything to do with the actual technique. It is just detailed to explain the teaching calls and so the student can determine which direction the cartwheel needs to go without invention by the coach. The above steps should place the pilot comfortably at what I refer to as "neutral".

- (slowly rotate that handle) towards the kite while holding the other handle absolutely stationary!
"PUSH the top thumb"
the kite will slowly roll over, unwrapping the line twist and balanced on the tips of the down spars, ready for relaunch

as the kite reaches the mid-point in the cartwheel (now standing up-right on the leading edge end-cap) allow the thumb to
return back to neutral and realign with the stationary handle. Without this step the darn thing just keeps bouncing&rolling across the window out of control.
"RETURN to neutral"



PS: In low wind conditions
you must push the thumb at the kite
as well as sweeping the entire handle smoothly
down and backwards
towards your kneecap/hip area.
You still need to begin your return to neutral at the halfway point too (watch the kite NOT the handles!) but it's a longer action, so it will be slower (which looks kewl anyway!)
"SWEEP it down"

to review the calls, "Which hand is on top, go to neutral, relax, push the top thumb, (you may need to add "sweep it down" in low wind), STOP, now return to neutral"

[vwbrian]

Thanks for the tips. I will give that a try next time I fly. I am going to make the magix sticks next time I get to the kite shop.

[REVflyer]

easy enough to be worth the trouble,...
at least give 'em a fair chance and see if you do like or not.

nothing (except a rolled-up launch or landing) is impossible WITHOUT the sticks,
they just allow you to be sloppy and still look magical,... flying line snags/tangles are almost always eliminated

take the length of down spars and use a 1/3 of it as the basis for the magix stick size (sissy sticks for non-users!)

I use a point 125 carbon tube (light weight and strong) with a point 098 end-cap (it force-fits and you do want it tight)
it comes in a 48 inch length, so roughly 3 sixteens or 4 twelves are possible from one tube.

You'll run a line (75 to 90# spectra is sufficient) from each corner and larkshead it to the end-cap.

Send me a private email message if you want more detailed information.

At least a few kite merchants sell these all ready to install,
Elliott Shook and Scott Weider for sure,
I think Teresa out west could set you up also.
-paul

PS: You don't need these, but you certainly may enjoy them!,... it's not a big price-tag or labor consideration to give 'em a chance. I flew the first seven years without 'em and laughed at all the sissy stick users, now I'm one of the most diehard supporters. I tried and liked, you may also.

Attached Files

•  Magix Stick copy.pdf   962.37K   151 downloads

[vwbrian]

Here is a good description of relaunch after a crash.

"Ok, the kite is still belly down, LE toward you. Doesn't matter which hand you start with but gently tug the top line. Which ever hand you tug on, that side of the kite should slide toward you. Keep doing that till you can see the end of the end cap. Stop tugging on that hand. With the other hand, pull those lines strait, but not tight. Now gently tug on the brake line of that hand.
When done right this method spins the whole kite 180 degrees and when it pops up ready to fly it's inverted. Get the hang of this and you won't have to make that last trip back out to set the kite up. Comes in handy in cutting the walks of shame down a bit in other situations too I'd of given up trying to learn the dive stop axle if I'd of had to walk out after all my failed attempts.

Dean "

[Stone in Shoe Bob]

Not seen or heard of that before but it all sounds very logical, I must give it a try.

[vwbrian]

I finally got to fly the Rev again. Went to the beach and had steady wind and relaunching the kite was much easier. Only flew for about 15min then the rain started. It flew really well this time around. I still need to get some proper handles.

[Kitelife]

Aha, I nearly forgot why I did this specific tutorial... You inspired me.



Remember, I'm nearby in North Portland, we could hook up at East Delta Park some time if you'd like for a fly.

[Baloo]

Well that looks REAL easy

Note to self, when I win the Lottery and buy a second home inthe USA, make sure it is next door to JB.

I actually just watched that witout sound, stupid me. One bit of advice if you fly on the beach mostly (JB might have covered it), take care with pulling the kite round TOO much as the sand will damage it over time. Much kinder to the kite on grass.

[REVflyer]

I've been flying over pavement for the last month or so, (the snow is still too deep for trudging across the park lawns)
That is some abrasive stuff,... my bridles look like they fell onto a chainsaw and the end-caps are getting nicely rounded off!

[Aerochic]

I've been flying over pavement for the last month or so, (the snow is still too deep for trudging across the park lawns)
That is some abrasive stuff,... my bridles look like they fell onto a chainsaw and the end-caps are getting nicely rounded off!

I know what you mean! If we continue to have winters like this I may have to get a pair of snowshoes next year!

[vwbrian]

The video did wonders for me. Thanks John. I made up some magix sticks but have not tried them out yet.
How tight do you want the long line to be? I thightened it so the leading edge just started to flex.

[REVflyer]

Magic stick truss lines should be tight, . . but not so much that the frame is distorted when slack (if your kite were to be laying on your living room floor, for example!)

Adding curvature will help flying on the window's edges, but cuts down on the kite's low end of the wind range's performance overall. I'm from the land of no wind, so feel free to ask about modifications targeted towards this objective. There's a lot of fiddling that's been done by the WOW Kite Club members over the years, which we can share if you're truly interested. Hybred frames, different bridles and handle/tuning settings.

My coach taught on a REv2 with 19 inch throw handles and no bridle,... thanks Burka! (you've ruined me,... I'll always be a flailer, HA!)