Khal

Does anyone have any advice on Pair flying for a Rev Rookie?

 

My advice is fly with someone much, much better at it than you are.

 

My first pairs experience came at Kittyhawk last fall after the OBSKC. Dennis Smith was kind enough to show me the ropes, and thanks to his calling and flying I managed to not crash either of our kites. I almost looked like I knew what I was doing, but I knew it was all Dennis.

 

It was about the most fun I've had flying since I first picked up a Rev. I highly recommend it.

 

Last Sunday at a club fly, a buddy and I were flying two of my Revs with dual tails on them. We hadn't planned on pairs. These kites had different venting, different line lengths, even different SIZES. He hadn't flown quad in years. We just kind of gravitated into the same space in the sky and started playing. It was a blast. And even our impromptu antics looked cool enough with all those tails that people were putting down blankets to watch.

 

I'm hooked.

I was really surprised when I first tried flying solo with music. I expected it to not be much different. I thought that instead of flying my kite, I'd be flying my kite...with music playing. But something else happens. Even if I'm not concsiously "flying to the music" I find that things just kind of start to sync up and flow. It just feels good. I fly very differently.

 

I don't do it if there are other flyers there, or I'm trying to practice a particular move, or I forget my earbuds.

I've found a lot of things a bit easier to do with a twist or two in the lines. Most recently I noticed that I'm less likely to flip a wingtip (i.e. "bowtie") when flying in reverse if the lines are twisted.

Another possibly helpful newbie tip for the inverted hover:
This really seemed to help a friend of mine who is just a bit behind me on the learning curve. I suggested that he fly forward to the top of the window, turn over and fly back to the ground while trying to slow down as much as possible. He seemed to have a much easier time flying slowly forward while inverted than trying to hover outright. Of course, as he continued to slow down with control he was eventually hovering.

I've got some more sunscreen tips for all you festival-goers!

1. Want to look good at the festival? Get Neutrogena Ultimate Sport sunblock lotion. This sunscreen goes on without being shiny! And it actually has a decent fragrance (for a sunscreen). It also costs 3 times more than most sunscreens! Worth every penny.

2. Going to the festival on a budget? Try Equate SPF 50 Baby Sunscreen (Walmart's house brand), or Banana Boat for Kids (yellow bottle). Both are very good sunscreens. Both will have you looking "greasy" after application, and both will have you smelling like, um, plastic, but protecting yourself from the sun is more important!

3. Begin the day with a lotion-based sunscreen, and use a spray-on sunscreen for re-application throughout the rest of the day.

4. Wash any sunscreen off your palms and fingers! Touching your kite lines with palms and fingers covered in sunscreen will result in sticky, gritty lines! Most sunscreens are water-resistant, so I like to use Dawn or a concentrated dish soap to clean up (try and not wash the sunscreen off the back of your hand, just from the palm-side of your hand).

Great tips on sun protection!

I haven't tried the Neutrogena Ultimate Sport, but I'm a big fan of their Ultra-Sheer Dry-Touch formula. It is by far the most comfortable sunscreen I've ever used (and I HATE wearing sunscreen). After application it dries completely, leaving nothing feeling sticky or greasy. The Walgreens store brand equivalent is almost as good (and considerably cheaper).

"Kid" and "Baby" formulas often contain physical (vs. chemical) blocking agents like zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide. The plus? Physical barriers don't break down in UV like chemical barriers do, so you don't have to reapply quite as often (though they still rub off). Some also believe that the chemical barriers (and their breakdown products) can be somewhat toxic. The minus? These compounds are what gives suncreen a heavy whitish appearance. I have used the Banana Boat for Kids (yellow bottle) and Banana Boat Baby (pink bottle). Even with the same SPF and same ingredients listed, the Baby has always seemed to work better for me. Not sure why. Note that these Banana Boat products are part physical and part chemical barrier. For an all physical barrier try Neutrogena Pure and Free Baby or it's generic equivalent.

Only other danger is stretching out the trailing edge by flying with too much forward drive or too much wind for the kite. (Beginners start with their lines adjusted for more lift, which is a little more stressful for the kite in high wind). I did this. I flew my B standard in too much wind, because I didn't have a vented yet. Oops. This was my second kite, mind you, after just a few months on my SLE starter kite. And then someone said, "here, try this B."

Sorry if this is off topic, but I am really curious about this. I knew you could stretch a sail flying it in too much wind, but this is the first time I've heard about too much forward drive having the potential to stretch the trailing edge. Is this a well known problem? My (limited) understanding of the dynamics would suggest that more forward drive would result in spilling more wind, which would reduce the sail pressure and make stretching less likely than with a neutral kite that is cupping the wind. Do I need some corrections to my mental model here?

I have noticed that lots of forward does tend to make the trailing edge flutter, which could increase wear in that area I guess. Is that the problem?

And to the OP, I think all the advice you've gotten so far is sound. I would guess that the most bulletproof Rev configuration would be a B-pro vented with SLE rods. That is not necessarily the best flying configuration, just the sturdiest. The B-pro's I have seen have some extra stitching and finishing details that help prevent fraying in some spots. And the SLE rods are realy tough, though too stiff for many tastes. If price is an issue, an EXP is a great kite. Mine took a solid year of heavy abuse when I was learning to fly, including flying in too much wind, too much sand, and too much water. It still flies beautifully. That being said, I found myself doing just what others have predicted. I bought a B-series long before wearing out my EXP.