10 replies to this topic

[fai2]

Hi guys
lm just a newbie and l have just brought 2 new kites a EXP and a SLE to learn on , l know what you are going to say but l got steard in the wrong direction
l a sure you my next kite will be a B series recomended by JB him self he also asked me to ask you guys on the forum your thoughts and not to take his word into concideration .
Seems lm doing ok , well lm just teaching my self as no one here flys Revs , they all just fly 2 string stunters .
l have now been flying for 2 weeks and after a heap of crashes l can finely keep the kite in the air and do a few tricks with it .
The thing l want to learn now is how to fly my kite backwards, l can reverse it from the top but not side ways , can you please help ..
Cheers marce

Edited by fai2, 04 February 2010 - 09:26 PM.

[KaoS]

Hi guys
lm just a newbie and l have just brought 2 new kites a EXP and a SLE to learn on , l know what you are going to say but l got steard in the wrong direction
l a sure you my next kite will be a B series recomended by JB him self he also asked me to ask you guys on the forum your thoughts and not to take his word into concideration .
Seems lm doing ok , well lm just teaching my self as no one here flys Revs , they all just fly 2 string stunters .
l have now been flying for 2 weeks and after a heap of crashes l can finely keep the kite in the air and do a few tricks with it .
The thing l want to learn now is how to fly my kite backwards, l can reverse it from the top but not side ways , can you please help ..
Cheers marce

Hi there Marce

Nothing wrong with the EXP or SLE, don't beat yourself up.

Reversing your Rev is probably the most difficult direction to control when learning. There is a tendency to pull on the lower lines too much and one or both sides of the kite will flip over really quickly. So the best thing is to learn how to initiate the reverse without needing too much bottom line pressure.

Try hovering your Rev on one side of the wind with the leading edge spar facing out. For example, fly the kite to the right hand side of the wind with the leading edge being the furthest part of the kite to the right. If you can hover there, this is a good starting point.

Next, very gently put a bit of pressure on the bottom lines BUT only a little. The kite should start to hover slightly closer to the middle of the wind. Okay, you've reversed it ... a little.

The next time you put a little pressure on the bottom lines and the kite starts to reverse towards the centre...STEP TOWARDS THE KITE. Don't increase the pressure on the bottom lines, just keep stepping towards the kite. It will reverse in a controllable manner. Once you are comfortable with this, you can work out how much pressure you can exert on the bottom lines and still maintain control.

Of course, the next thing to do is PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!

Best of luck

Edited by KaoS, 04 February 2010 - 10:17 PM.

[Baloo]

Welcome to the Forum Marce, and the Revolution of course.

If you have only been flying for a couple of Weeks, on your own, and already have forward flight pretty much sorted you are doing well. It took me ages to sort out how the handles worked the kite, let alone being able to say I was flying it, rather than it flying me.

Good advice above. I am a rather "ststic" flyer. Right from the start if you learn to walk with the kite you will find control much better.

And the EXP and SLE are cool kites. Better any Rev than no Rev. The B is just more of a Supercar compared with the Family Saloon's you have.

The main thing is keep practicing, I dont fly any where near enough.

[Love2fly]

Hi Marce-

Welcome to the Rev family and the forum. You are doing just fine for a couple weeks of flying. What Kaos told you is fine.

A couple suggestions to help you develop good habits now, instead of trying to break them later on. Relax and have fun! OK, so relax by keeping your elbows down and close to your sides, instead of having your hands way up high. It is real important to do this so that you don't fatigue various muscles that wouldn't tire normally.

Have fun! You will be developing "muscle memory" in your hands (mainly) but your arms as well. Don't hold your handles too tight. You will actually develop a smoother type of control; where you will be less twitchy overall.

Have fun! There's tons of great info in the old threads. Read over them a few times. I was amazed, early on, how little tidbits of info would pop into my head when I was struggling and flying alone; it truly does help.

Have fun! OK, so you're getting the idea here... lol. Remember that it's a kite and having fun is the ultimate goal, so don't get frustrated if something doesn't go right today, it will tomorrow or the next day. If it doesn't and you get stuck, feel free to ask any question here. The gang here, are a great bunch of people; eager to share their knowledge.

"Own Thy Hover" - to quote John. It is EXTREMELY important to be able to hold your kite still in any position. It will happen in time. You'll acquire the skills along with that "muscle memory"

Good luck and HAVE FUN!!!

[fai2]

Hi guys
lm just a newbie and l have just brought 2 new kites a EXP and a SLE to learn on , l know what you are going to say but l got steard in the wrong direction
l a sure you my next kite will be a B series recomended by JB him self he also asked me to ask you guys on the forum your thoughts and not to take his word into concideration .
Seems lm doing ok , well lm just teaching my self as no one here flys Revs , they all just fly 2 string stunters .
l have now been flying for 2 weeks and after a heap of crashes l can finely keep the kite in the air and do a few tricks with it .
The thing l want to learn now is how to fly my kite backwards, l can reverse it from the top but not side ways , can you please help ..
Cheers marce

Thanks Guys

l cant wait to go out and try everything you have all just told me .l have tought myself and my lady Jax how to fly these awesome kites by just watching utube videos .
l can now fly my EXP like l fly my E2 2 line kite and Jax picked it up in just one lesson so hopefully l will have someone else to fly with soon after she has done her masters degree .

Edited by fai2, 05 February 2010 - 11:59 AM.

[beach]

Hi guys
lm just a newbie and l have just brought 2 new kites a EXP and a SLE to learn on , l know what you are going to say but l got steard in the wrong direction
l a sure you my next kite will be a B series recomended by JB him self he also asked me to ask you guys on the forum your thoughts and not to take his word into concideration .
Seems lm doing ok , well lm just teaching my self as no one here flys Revs , they all just fly 2 string stunters .
l have now been flying for 2 weeks and after a heap of crashes l can finely keep the kite in the air and do a few tricks with it .
The thing l want to learn now is how to fly my kite backwards, l can reverse it from the top but not side ways , can you please help ..
Cheers marce

Welcome to the "Family" and just practice is how we all learned as for the 1.5 and the EXP they are both very good kites and when your ready
you can just sell them off and get into your new B-Series cause the kite hold real value...... Ben

[awindofchange]

Yup, all great advice above. Can't go wrong. The EXP And the 1.5 are awesome kites and will take you far! Remember that you can actually swap the leading edges from the EXP and the 1.5 back and forth, giving you different control with the two kites. Depending on the wind conditions, you may want to experiment with that as your skills get better.

Practice is all you need - just don't forget the fun!

[fai2]

Yup, all great advice above. Can't go wrong. The EXP And the 1.5 are awesome kites and will take you far! Remember that you can actually swap the leading edges from the EXP and the 1.5 back and forth, giving you different control with the two kites. Depending on the wind conditions, you may want to experiment with that as your skills get better.

Practice is all you need - just don't forget the fun!

Hi Guys

Thanks its great to be aboard , l was told you were a great bunch .
Can someone please tell me what you mean by 1/4- 4 " warp 4 .
l have just made myself a Freedom 2000 and l will need some spars for it , what sort do you think l will i need ..

marce

[BillLamm]

Hi Guys

Thanks its great to be aboard , l was told you were a great bunch .
Can someone please tell me what you mean by 1/4- 4 " warp 4 .
l have just made myself a Freedom 2000 and l will need some spars for it , what sort do you think l will i need ..

marce

if the rods from your revolution kites fit your Freedom 2000 than you have two choices...
1: order Rev rods made by revolution
2: order 5 Sky Shark or avia 32.5 " spars and a few internal ferrules then cut them to fit
(in this case I would get the rev rods... you can buy a set of rods that rounds out your needs for all three)

if the rods from your revolution kites DON'T fit than your best option is to get skyshark or avia rods and cut to fit... (you could cut the rev rods I suppose but that would probably be a mortal sin in this crowd)

I built my first quad line kite (mostly a freedom 2000) with tyvek and duct tape... used 5 arrow shafts and aluminum tubing for ferrules... it flies good... little heavy but good trainer..

revolution makes several strenghts/weights of rods...
the 2 wrap are light and limber, good for low winds
the 3 wrap are little stiffer and heavier good for most winds
the 4 wrap are stif and heavy, good for higher wind

the B series kites come with two different rod sets and you can slip an extra rod in the leading edge for higher winds...

the race rods are light like the 2 wrap and strong like the 3 wrap... I would get those if I was in your situation (presuming you dont have high winds all the time) and use the rods from your SLE in the Freedom

[awindofchange]

One thing to note is that when Revolution builds their rods, they add a couple wraps of carbon on the very ends to reinforce the connection point. This is usually referred to as "scrim" if I am saying it correctly. This scrim on the end of the Rev rod gives it a bunch of extra support where the two rods come together. Because of this, I wouldn't recommend cutting the Rev rods, or if you do, use the cut end on the outside of the kite and keep the scrim end on the inside with the ferule. Draw a mark on one end to help remember which end is which. That way you won't be weakening the rod at all.

As mentioned above, there are different amounts of wraps on each of the rods. 2 wrap, 3 wrap & 4 wrap. 2's being the lightest and most delicate, 4's being the heaviest and strongest. Along with that, you have two different sizes. The small size which is usually referred to as a standard rod and measures at 1/4" diameter. And the SLE rod (stands for Super Leading Edge) which is a larger diameter rod measuring in at 7/16" (also referred to as the 1/2" rod). Both the standard rods and the SLE rods come in different wraps and both use the same labeling system. The SLE rod comes in 3 wrap and 4 wrap. I have never seen an SLE rod in the 2 wrap configuration.

Older labeling on the rods use to be different but are the same exact rods as the newer rods other than the sticker has changed. Older rods were labeled with a gold sticker, newer rods are labeled with a silver sticker. This is the same for standard rods as SLE rods. The labeling is as follows:

2 wrap rods - New label has two feathers with a big number 2 - old label has the words "Professional Use Only" on it.

3 wrap rods - New label has 3 feathers with a big number 3 - Old label has the words "Ultra Light" on it. This is the most common rod used in most revolutions and also what is in your EXP even though your EXP rods don't have a label on them.

4 wrap rods - New label has 4 feathers with a big number 4 - Old label has the words "Revolution Equipped".

Race rods only come with the new silver label on it and say "RACE" with flames.

Regardless if you have the newer rods or the older rods, they are all the exact same. Only the label has changed.

You can put any one of the above rod configurations or even a mixed combination of rods in the EXP, 1.5 SLE, B-Series and B-Series Pro kites. They are all completely interchangeable - even the SLE rods (but don't tell the team fliers on here that you put an SLE rod in a B-Series Pro or it will get them flustered beyond reason) LOL (whistling silently)

Anyways, hope that helps explain the Rod confusion a bit more for you. Keep the questions coming, we're all here to help.

[fai2]

One thing to note is that when Revolution builds their rods, they add a couple wraps of carbon on the very ends to reinforce the connection point. This is usually referred to as "scrim" if I am saying it correctly. This scrim on the end of the Rev rod gives it a bunch of extra support where the two rods come together. Because of this, I wouldn't recommend cutting the Rev rods, or if you do, use the cut end on the outside of the kite and keep the scrim end on the inside with the ferule. Draw a mark on one end to help remember which end is which. That way you won't be weakening the rod at all.

As mentioned above, there are different amounts of wraps on each of the rods. 2 wrap, 3 wrap & 4 wrap. 2's being the lightest and most delicate, 4's being the heaviest and strongest. Along with that, you have two different sizes. The small size which is usually referred to as a standard rod and measures at 1/4" diameter. And the SLE rod (stands for Super Leading Edge) which is a larger diameter rod measuring in at 7/16" (also referred to as the 1/2" rod). Both the standard rods and the SLE rods come in different wraps and both use the same labeling system. The SLE rod comes in 3 wrap and 4 wrap. I have never seen an SLE rod in the 2 wrap configuration.

Older labeling on the rods use to be different but are the same exact rods as the newer rods other than the sticker has changed. Older rods were labeled with a gold sticker, newer rods are labeled with a silver sticker. This is the same for standard rods as SLE rods. The labeling is as follows:

2 wrap rods - New label has two feathers with a big number 2 - old label has the words "Professional Use Only" on it.

3 wrap rods - New label has 3 feathers with a big number 3 - Old label has the words "Ultra Light" on it. This is the most common rod used in most revolutions and also what is in your EXP even though your EXP rods don't have a label on them.

4 wrap rods - New label has 4 feathers with a big number 4 - Old label has the words "Revolution Equipped".

Race rods only come with the new silver label on it and say "RACE" with flames.

Regardless if you have the newer rods or the older rods, they are all the exact same. Only the label has changed.

You can put any one of the above rod configurations or even a mixed combination of rods in the EXP, 1.5 SLE, B-Series and B-Series Pro kites. They are all completely interchangeable - even the SLE rods (but don't tell the team fliers on here that you put an SLE rod in a B-Series Pro or it will get them flustered beyond reason) LOL (whistling silently)

Anyways, hope that helps explain the Rod confusion a bit more for you. Keep the questions coming, we're all here to help.

Hi Guys

Thanks for that l now have a better under standing of what is what . l brought my kites new off " kites classified" a guy charly whitaker he has been awesome in helping me get to the stage lm at now ..
He has also made me up line sets ,given me help finding things like this forum and you guys and now hes just given me a plastic end bridle set for nothing ..
lm buying another kite off him next week the URL as in the last 3 weeks we have had the weirdest weather here .
3 days of beautiful weather untill 5.30 then continous lightning and thunder for about 3 to 4 hours ...
Anyway l went out this morning wind being 3 knts SSE and flew in some strong thermals wich gave me some good air time and lm pleased to say l can now hover inverted and after half an hour of practise l can almost fly backwards.
Problem lm having is l think lm stalling the wing as when it starts to go backwards it wants to fall out of the air ..
l can almost fly my EXP like my E2 stunt kite back and fords, up and down , squares, loops, now almost side ways ..
l guess the 8 years of flying 3D RC aircraft has helped with my brain tangeling its self in knots lol..
Tomorrow lm off to a big air show and lm taking my Rev as l know there is a place l can go and practice .

Thanks again marce

Edited by fai2, 05 February 2010 - 07:21 PM.