87 replies to this topic

[Baloo]

Just had another think about it, might have got the turn the wrong way. I dont have the kite on the end of the lines while I type.

And I am pretty Old now so when I close my Eyes the RAM wipes itself clean ready for a new Day of input.

Anyway, you will either find it works, or the Kite will spear itself into the Beach.

If it spears itself I am sure you can work out why and turn the other way.

Oooooppps, hope the info is not too late.

[Rigster]

Hi Baloo - no the info wasn't too late ... the wind yesterday was way higher than the local forecast said it was. I tried to fly but it was badly distorting the kite, I had tons of brake on & I felt barely in control. Being a devout coward I could only see it ending in tears & a "W" shaped hole in the ground so I valiantly gave in, did my best Sir Robin & ran away. I will experiment though when the wind is better. You're UK aren't you Baloo? Do you get much flying done over the winter or is it just the odd day when the clouds part?

[Baloo]

I hibernate during the Winter, come to think of it, it is getting a bit chilly. Time to start putting weight on for the big sleep.

[RevJB]

Rigster,

Any recent flying attempts? I'm missing the sunset pictures.

[Rigster]

Hi John - the weather is conspiring against me - when I'm at work it's beautiful outside, when I get home it's either flat calm or snapping branches. I never really thought about the weather prior to getting this kite, now I'm borderline obsessive ...
I'm hoping to get some flying done this weekend & it's half term next week so I should get some done then (I'm trying to gather brownie points to get out flying instead of fixing the house up). I'm keen to try your suggestions about inverting it on purpose & running it up & down until I can do it without thinking about it. If you have any other 'exercises' you do to train muscle memory I'd love to hear them.
I forgot to reply to you earlier sorry - the lines are within 5mm of each other (about 1/4" in old money) so any failings in flight are my fault, not the line manufacturers but I'd pretty much guessed that from the off if I'm honest.
John

[stroke survivor]

Sounds like you need either a SUL or a Zen for no wind days!!!

[tommylurvebus]

Hi John - the weather is conspiring against me - when I'm at work it's beautiful outside, when I get home it's either flat calm or snapping branches. I never really thought about the weather prior to getting this kite, now I'm borderline obsessive ...
I'm hoping to get some flying done this weekend & it's half term next week so I should get some done then (I'm trying to gather brownie points to get out flying instead of fixing the house up). I'm keen to try your suggestions about inverting it on purpose & running it up & down until I can do it without thinking about it. If you have any other 'exercises' you do to train muscle memory I'd love to hear them.
I forgot to reply to you earlier sorry - the lines are within 5mm of each other (about 1/4" in old money) so any failings in flight are my fault, not the line manufacturers but I'd pretty much guessed that from the off if I'm honest.
John

Hey Rigster.
just read your post to my wife ( I am off work to paint doors)
She is thinking of starting up a revs wives (widows) support group.
Keep up the good fight
tommy

[stroke survivor]

Hey Rigster.
just read your post to my wife ( I am off work to paint doors)
She is thinking of starting up a revs wives (widows) support group.
Keep up the good fight
tommy

Hate to say it - THIS MIGHT GET SUPPORT!!

[tommylurvebus]

I always come home (late) to a warm welcome

[Rigster]

I'm worse though - I still haven't gained enough confidence (skill if I'm honest) to go flying alone yet. As a result Jude has to tag along all for the 5 minutes prep & holding it down while I run back to the stake (I know, I know - it won't self launch if tilted back properly but I'm not that certain yet) - she has the patience of a saint, poor woman.
I'm going to do the dishonorable thing & not tell her about a potential rev widows support group though - she might realise how put upon she is ... a case of hot tongue & cold shoulder would be followed by the smell of lightly roasting martyr.

[--Pete]

I discovered 25 years ago that having a couple at opposite ends of a set of flying lines is a recipe for disaster. (Especially with a 13 kite train.)

If the flyer isn't all that good, things will happen, mostly bad. To get them straightened out requires shouting instructions down the length of the line set. People's emotions track their actions. (Try it; deliberately frown for 10 or 15 minutes and you will discover yourself getting angry.) After shouting for a while, you get mad enough to really shout. Being shouted at for a while (even if it is just to be heard) eventually makes the other person angry. No malice; but now you have two angry people.

...and it all goes downhill from there.

I don't fly kites to make myself angry at my wife, and she doesn't like getting angry much either. Much better to do your own "walk of shame", or at least go down to the other end and quietly help straighten things out.

[REVflyer]

Rigster
you need a set of training wheels, (Magic Sticks)

there's no way you should need another person to help set-up or relaunch, particularly with a quad. If you are that uncomfortable I will send you a set to try-out. They install using the same knotting system as the bridle, (pass thru the hole, on the opposite side as the bridle exits, loop around the back of the end-cap and snug back tight by pulling the slack out, away from the cap).

A set of plans is published on here somewhere if you are in a big hurry. They aren't necessary, but in your "crying out-loud OMG" for the need of additional assistance they may SAVE your marriage! Send me a PM thru here with your address, I'm so happy to help save a relationship.

You'll find a snagged flying line is almost impossible (with the little knot & washers on the back of the sail). Your inverted glides will be lengthened as well, for field recovery efforts. Give 'em a few hours and see if it doesn't make a difference. You can roll-up the kite into the flying lines when it's sitting quietly on the ground upright, by snapping lots of slack towards the kite, so the wind blows it backwards, let it go, you can get out of it. Unrolling is a two step process, (look at it as an opportunity with music,.... beat!, beat!) You step back and it snaps back up-right (bam) , you slap-on the forward drive real quick (bam) and it shoots airborne. A pretty slick trick with a little practice. Don't snap it over so briskly that you break a stick either, it's a quad you always need less motion than looks right when learning it. Beginning: initiate by a step/Run towards the kite if necessary, a couple of good steps, but avoid the slack lines at your feet or it will roll-up croaked.

Here's why you need 'em immediately.
Magic sticks hold the kite stationary until you move it, doesn't matter if it's attached to the flying lines or not. They're training wheels, it can't fall over, it's tough to catch a flying line and if after week or so of trying 'em out, you can always return your kite to stock if you find no improvement. Just take it off. My guess is, you may like it. I flew the first 7 years without magic sticks, secretly laughing at folks that used a "crutch", then I gave them a long, hard look and found it did alter the flight dynamics, . . . but not in a way I found undesirable!

I've got a whole bunch of kites, I'll just pull a set off of an old kite and mail it you. Honestly you shouldn't have a problem without them. Take more time and set-up of the lines using a stake. When all the lines are tight, separated and aligned properly on the handles, just move them as far apart as your reach with allow and lay 'em on the ground. Now go remove the stake and affix your flying lines to the kite, being conscious of the fact the the kite is inverted (always for safety, always, set-up, take-down and during breaks in your flying action, always inverted). You are attaching the lines on the left side of the kite which will mean your right hand is holding that handle. Identify that handle with a wrap or 2, up top, of red electrical tape, RED =right. Now, every time you lay down the handles, you know which one goes into which hand.

Between marking the handles, effective use of a stake and repeatable line handling techniques you should not need a set of training wheels.

You want the little woman as a flying partner, not your sherpa! You'll be ever so lucky if she finds it as much (or more) fun than you! She'll fly the masterpiece and call for the pairs team, you make the sandwiches and get everything set-up on site. Make her 1/2 the better part of the experience and you'll go places all over the world together using kites as your tickets.

No dumping the "field crew duties" on the misses my friend!

[Rigster]

Good advice - thanks guys. To be fair, Jude only stands at the kite for launch then joins me at the business end & I try not to outstay my welcome. I like the idea of tape on the handles to identify them. When I stake the handles I put them so that they are applying full brake but can't shake that nagging fear as I'm walking from kite to handles that some freak gust will somehow defy the laws of physics ...
The real worry for me though is getting the handles off the stake & in hand properly without anything launching - I know it's just practice but the just the act of pulling back on the handles to lift the lines over the head of the stake makes me nervous. It is just practice, nothing more.
I'll try & get the hang of self launching before altering the kite REV but your offer is very kind, thank you. If it becomes an issue in future I'll PM you as you suggest.

[RevJB]

John,

If picking up the handles makes you nervous, consider using two stakes. One, it will keep you from inadvertently pulling one handle through the lines of the other handle and second, it will allow you to pick them up one at a time which makes launching even less likely.

The other way to overcome your concerns is to lift them hard off the handles with brakes fully applied and you will see the worst that might happen is an extra walk of shame. Unless the winds are 20+ mph, and you fly with little or no brake, the chance of a self-launch is low. The good new is that you really won't hurt anything if you do launch. In two years of festivals and flying, I have never broken a spar and know only a few fliers that have actually broken one. Those fliers have lots of years and do lots of tricks and flying that can stress the spars. Not saying it can't happen, but it seems a lot rarer than the concern.

Check out the amount of brake you are using. If you don't have to give a decent tug to launch, I suggest using more brake.

Good winds.

[kwmf]

I setup my Revs inverted with the power on, which is opposite to my power kites - right side up with brakes on. In both cases, I am staked into the ground with a BBQ meat skewers which is about 3mm diameter and about 10cm into the ground.

If that can hold a powered up Flexifoil Blade 4.9m on the brakes without breaking a sweat the rev will be no problem.


A habit I have developed when setting up the rev inverted is once Ive attached the lines to the bridle, I pick up the kite to about chest height and let it go. If everything is right is should fly back to the ground, if I've done it wrong then it will start to lift.
(and if I've really things up it will probably try to spin around and go mad)

This little verification step has saved me in the past where I lost track of which lines were top and bottom and connected them the wrong way around on the kite side. Its rare that I mess it up, but we all make mistakes and if we get distracted by something then it's easy to get a line wrong. In nearly a year of flying I've only got it wrong once or twice, but my little verification step pointed it out for me.

In your case, lifting it of the ground a few times and having it fly back to a ready position may help build your confidence that it will stay planted while you walk back to the handles.

[fungus]

Hi Rigster
i think that you are still setting up with the kite upright, is that right ? , if so learn to set the kite 'inverted' so that it flies into the ground when staked.
there are tutorials available that teach set up and wrapping up of lines, can someone find links ?! please
i set up upright for years until i learnt the correct way

fungus

[Baloo]

I suppose you could call it the correct way, more importantly is a safer way to set up.

If the lines are "interfered" with the kite is less likely to go crazy and launch.

As for setting the lines up on the kite, I have made mistakes, however I have found it is never good to let anyone else wind your lines up for you. A novice might make a complete mess of your lines, a friend might just put an odd twist or two in for good luck. Larksheading the wrong pair of lines together is a "good" trick I have had played on me.

I also make sure the kite is "flying" into the ground. As KWMF suggests lifting the kite to make sure it is flying "into" the ground is a good check.

[Rigster]

Intentionally setting it up inverted is an excellent idea - I hadn't heard of doing that before - it makes excellent sense. I'm going to take those ideas with me - the seperate stakes for each handle, taped handles, the chest height check & the inverted set up. I'm careful not to let anyone else wrap the lines & I do larkshead the uppers & lowers together. Once told these hints all make perfect sense - the whole point of the forum I guess. Thanks again everyone for taking the time to help out.

[stroke survivor]

Another idea is to setup LE up, check that everything is ok, then go ahead and invert the kite! Like was described by others, the kite will try flying into the ground, and removing the handles from your stake should be safer!! Good Luck with however you go about doing things!!

[Rigster]

Hi Wayne - I agree - I was going to set up LE up as you suggest then turn the kite over. It may be a bit slower but I'll avoid confusion over upper & lower lines that way I figure.
I'm watching the skies all this week & I'd be surprised if a kite has flown anywhere in Cumbria so far. More flooding, more strong wind & a daylength that feels like it's measureable in minutes.