Reflex Skills Are Possible for Everyone by Revolution Kites

Transcript

1. ›

   Flying in light wind

   0:00

   Hi, I'm Joe Hadzicki, inventor of the Revolution. Have you ever gone out for a day of flying, and when you get there you realize there's not enough wind to fly? Well, we've got a solution for you. The Revolution Reflex is designed to let you fly in light wind conditions, no matter what your skill level. Have you tried the new Reflex glide skills yet? Keep watching to review those skills. If you're thinking these skills are too hard to do, a recent Club 38 member came down to visit and gave it a try. Let's see how she did.

2. ›

   Suzanne's catch and throw

   2:18

   Joe: Yes. Right there, that's it. That position, that full position, was so much better. There you go. Now take it over. Yes! Wow, Suzanne, that was amazing. Remember, you didn't think you could do it, but now that you've accomplished the catch and throw, what do you think about that whole experience? Suzanne: Well, Joe, I only come once a year.

3. ›

   Suzanne's reaction

   3:29

   Joe: Only once a year. You need to fly more. Suzanne: I do need to fly more. Then you showed me the trick. You showed me this fancy trick, and I said no, there's no way I could do it. Joe: Yeah, I know, it looks complicated, but it's really not that hard. Suzanne: No, and I did it. I couldn't believe it. I can't wait to take this trick home and do it in my backyard. Joe: Well, your backyard is not very good, from what I've seen, so this is probably the perfect skill for you. All right, high five one more time. Suzanne: Thank you. It was freaking awesome.

4. ›

   Why the Reflex floats

   4:01

   The Reflex is easy to fly in light conditions for two reasons. Number one, your old school Rev without the Reflex stalls and falls when it's on the edge of the window, but with the Reflex in place, your Rev floats and recovers. And the second reason: once you fly overhead and release your Rev into a float, you can relax for a moment and regain ground as your Rev floats. To start practicing the Reflex skills, fly your Rev up overhead and continue, then step in underneath it, causing your lines to go slack, which will initiate the float as your Rev recovers and floats away. This naturally leads to the Follow the Leader skill, where you just follow the lead of your Rev.

5. ›

   The 360 skill

   5:52

   For the 360 skill, launch overhead as before. As it's driving forward, slide it down to the side, then pull on the top line, causing it to fly across the window and circle. While it's flying across and circling, you walk down and around the other way, coming upwind, so you catch it at the end of the 360.

6. ›

   The catch

   6:28

   Similar to the 360, for the catch and throw, fly your Reflex up overhead and continue, then drive it down, slide it down to the side, and tug the top line. If you tug while it's too high, it'll fly up and over the top, just as before, so let it slide down lower, depending on your wind conditions, then tug it. Then that height will be correct for you to catch it.

7. ›

   Tossing options

   7:07

   All right, now to finish that skill, the catch and throw, we need to toss our Rev back out. The Reflex is interesting because it gives us a lot of possibilities for the toss. Remember, your Reflex will float out on the edge, so you can throw it straight out at 90 degrees, or you can throw it slightly upwind of 90 degrees, or downwind. If you want a slow float, throw it at 90 or slightly above. If you want a faster toss, throw it below 90, or downwind.

8. ›

   Trying the 90-degree toss

   7:33

   Let's start with a 90-degree toss. 90 degrees is right about there. Make sure your lines are clear, both handles in one hand, and I'm ready to split them and fly. Make sure I don't step on a line. Then throw it like a spear. We should get a pretty good float because we're crossing the wind, and the wind's blowing about five to six miles an hour. All right, let's try one straight downwind. I'm left-handed; if you're right-handed, throw it from the other side. Like this: grab your tip, check your lines, handles ready to go.

9. ›

   Why short lines help

   8:29

   Light winds are easier for the Reflex skills. I also suggest 30-foot lines, for several reasons. Number one, it's easier to control the glide on short lines. Number two, it's easier to toss on short lines. Number three, it's easier to recover your Rev, because it's not very far away. Number four, short lines will make you a better flyer, and they'll also make a better video. Most of us don't have great wind conditions to fly in, so the Reflex is amazing, because now we can have fun even in light conditions. I'll leave some links in the description below for more Reflex videos.