12 replies to this topic

[estill]

Since this my first post, I should probably start off with an introduction. I've been flying the dual line kites since 6th grade. I still have my first Skynasaur; it hangs on my cubicle wall behind my computer monitor here at work. We mostly made our own kites for the first couple of years, and my first "real kite" was a Fire Dart. Since then I have progressed through Flexi Foils, North Shore Radical's, and now I own a nice selection of Prism's line-up. About 8 years ago I picked up a Revolution EXP. I've always been fascinated with these 4-line things. (I had a quad line bridle for my Fire Darts.) I've flown the EXP off and on since I bought it, but I have never been able to get to where it is comfortable to fly. I would consider myself an advanced recreational flier in the dual line world. I can do basic tricks, but I more enjoy trying to fly as precise as possible. Now that we have kids I only get out 5-10 times a year, with usually 2 or 3 trips to Ocean Shores, WA.

This past weekend was one of our Ocean Shores trips, and the weather was beautiful. With the winds holding steady between 10 and 15 MPH, I decided to dig out the EXP and give it a try again. I have always been able to fly forward and hover with the leading edge up to nearly vertical. Sliding still give me some problems, but that is getting better. The reason for joining this forum is to get some pointers for hovering/flying inverted. The problem I have is when inverted one tip likes to flip over on me. I have always thought that I was over-controlling the kite, but this weekend something just didn't seem right. Simply trying to launch with the leading edge down was causing the one tip to flip over, or the kite would spin quickly and take off.

I've done some searching around here, and the two tips I've come up with is building knotted leaders for the handles, and stop over-controlling the kite. I've also watched the videos here, to try and see if maybe there is something wrong with my hand placement, body posture, hair style, etc. The two things I picked up from the videos are, I never have had to pull my lines to get the kite to launch, this thing wants to fly forward, and if I jerked on the lines that hard this kite would come crashing down.

I understand this kite can be sensitive to what my hands are doing, and my hands need to learn the feel of a quad line kite. That said, how well can I expect the EXP to track while flying inverted? Should I be looking at the bridle to see if it is not setup properly? (I wouldn't know if it is right or wrong, since this is the only quad line kite I have.) Can the controls be tamed be building the knotted leaders, and adjusting the line lengths?

[awindofchange]

The EXP is a perfectly fine kite to fly on so you shouldn't have any problem at all doing all the advanced stuff on it. The B-Series is obviously much nicer and always preferred but the EXP is still an awesome kite that you can grow with.

First things first. Check that your vertical spars are on the BACK of the kite, not the front. This is usually one of the most common problems people have when trying to learn. With the rods on the front, the kite will still fly but control is very difficult and it will cause some of the problems you are listing above.

Next, the knotted leaders will help a lot with tuning the kite to they way you fly. By pulling in the brake lines you can stall the kite out easier which makes control and hovers a breeze. Usually when you get tip flapping it is caused by over controlling the kite and by adding in the leaders and tightening the brake lines, this may make matters worse for you so keep that in mind when you start to try out the different adjustments.

Another thing to check is to make sure that all four lines are exactly even. If your top lines are longer than your bottoms (or vise versa) this will make forward and reverse flight very difficult to do. If they are off from left to right, your kite will always try to turn to one side or the other.

One thing to remember about the Rev's is that it is all in the wrists. With dual line kites you control mainly by pulling left or right, with the Rev's you control by rotating your wrists forward or backwards. Once you get the basic turns down you can start to include pulling left and right to get different effects (such as the bicycle) but all turning needs to be done with the wrists. Also, just a flick of the wrist is enough to get the kite to turn, you don't need to pull 18-20" worth of line or you will be way over driving the kite. Just flick and turn is all you need. If you need to pull harder than that then your lines are probably not set up properly.

Those are just some of the basics to check.

There are also a ton of awesome tutorial videos that John has just completed on the Kitelife site (I believe they are uploaded on Youtube too). Perhaps someone can post in with the direct links for you.

Hope this helps, let us know how it goes and welcome to the forum!

[Kitelife]

Quick link for tutorials - http://www.learnkites.com

[estill]

Thank you for the advice. It's comforting to know that the it is a problem with the blockhead at the end of the lines.

I will probably make up a set of leaders before I go out again. Reading a little more about them last night they appear to be analogous to the minor adjustment I make on my dual line kites to compensate for the wind conditions. (The exception being I probably won't need to adjust them very often.)

Yes I will admit to making the mistake of putting the vertical spars on the front of the sail. I promise to never do that again.

The lines were exactly the same the last time I checked. I don't thnk I've flown it enough to be concerned about the lines stretching, but this leads me to my next question. I usually wait until the winds are above 10 MPH before I get this kite out, should I be flying this in lighter wind?

As for flicking the wrist to turn, I'll have to try that. I seem to remember though that I need a steady input to get it to turn. Like I said I've watched the videos here, and his hand motions seemed very jerky compared to what I do. I'm not a kitelife subscriber, so I won't be getting to the HD/iPod videos anytime soon. I will double check youtube to see if they are available there.

I was admiring the B-Series at Cutting Edge Kites last weekend. Unless I can figure out a way to commute to work with it, I don't see one of those coming home any time soon.

Now the real problem is finding the time to get back out flying.

[REVflyer]

you need a coach to assist with set-up, tuning adjustments and the basics of flight control, that will really save you some money and time!

[kimbo]

Had all the same problems at first, till I shaved my head. Hovering like a champ now.

Sorry bout that one. Practice and more practice along with all the tips found here helped me the most.
Don't own a EXP but my SLE full vent seemed to help me learn easier than my B-series or Rev II.


Carry on

[estill]

And to think, all this time I has hopping around on one foot while cross-eyed. I'll check with the wife about the "shaving my head" part.

Good news is that it look like I'm heading back to Ocean Shores soon for another long weekend.

[stroke survivor]

Ok - you've flown on one leg, crossed your eyes, shaved your head?, any luck?? Did your leaders help? We're waiting to hear how it went?? Hope you had time to play around with the Rev and have some success with it!! Give us some info on how it went!!! OK?

[Theresa]

And to think, all this time I has hopping around on one foot while cross-eyed. I'll check with the wife about the "shaving my head" part.

Good news is that it look like I'm heading back to Ocean Shores soon for another long weekend.

Have been to the Pacific Beach Up Your wind Festival? It's just north of Ocean Shores.
We'll be there Sept 9th to the 12th!

[estill]

I've been installing cabinets at home. The only good part is the weather has been lousy when I have time to go outside.

Our plan is Sept. 24th and 25th at Ocean Shores. So at worst I have a couple of weeks to wait.

I'll have to check out the festival at Pacific Beach. Probably won't be able to make it, but you never know.

Edited by estill, 01 September 2010 - 01:31 PM.

[estill]

Thank you again for the suggestions. I'm here at Ocean Shores, and last night I had a more successful time flying. I built the leaders and the first thing I discovered is one line is about an inch longer than the others. I was able to tune out some of the tendency to take off in the forward direction. the biggest thing I learned was the wind I have been flying is is too much. Last night was another example of a 15+ mph wind. I was struggling when I first started out then the wind dropped significantly for about 5 minutes. During the lighter wind I looked like I knew what I was doing.

Off to the beach again. Though this morning looks like I will get to spend time dropping airplanes from single line kites.

[estill]

That was much better. I was flying in a steady 5 mph wind, which was a little too light. Inverted flight was more of a controlled descent. I was able to hold vertical and back-up across the entire window in a semi-straight line.

[stroke survivor]

Adding to your skills, more tools in your box!! Keep it up!!!