3 Tips for Flying Your Rev in Small Spaces and Challenging Locations by Revolution Kites

Transcript

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   Flying in small parks

   0:00

   I'm Joe Hadzicki, inventor of the Revolution. People often tell me, I'm going on vacation for a week to the beach, it's the only chance I get to fly my Rev. Well, I've got news for you: the Rev can be flown in a wide range of conditions and locations, so look around your neighborhood and see if you can find a new place to fly your Rev. I visited a few different pocket parks in my neighborhood, and when I looked at them it looked pretty impossible to start out, but after a few minutes in each park I realized they're all flyable. Now, I'm not saying every place is possible, but many of them are.

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   Why the Rev fits

   2:02

   For example, this park looks impossible, but the Revolution makes it possible. I wouldn't fly a single-line kite in this park; usually you're flying on a long line, and there's just not enough room here. I also wouldn't fly a two-line kite in this park; there's just not enough room to maneuver. But the Rev is perfectly suited for this type of flying.

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   Common beginner problems

   2:23

   A common problem I see with new Rev pilots is that they spend too much time resetting the Rev. For example, they fly off to the edge, it lands, there's not enough wind, and they bring it back on wind. Another thing: they land and then step forward, the Rev lays down on the ground, and they have to go set it up again. So I'm going to give you three tips to get you to spend more time in the air flying and less time on the ground resetting your Rev.

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   Wind direction and landing

   2:47

   Tip number one: know your wind direction. The wind is blowing this way, and that way is downwind. You want to launch your Rev downwind, and you also want to land your Rev downwind. If you land off the wind, you won't have enough wind to relaunch and you'll have to go pick it up. Launch downwind, land downwind. Number two: land your Rev and instantly tilt it back. Don't lay it down on the ground; just tilt it slightly back. This is a more stable position for it, and you'll be ready for your next launch.

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   Hand launch and short lines

   4:05

   Number three: when flying on short lines, practice the hand launch. The hand launch makes launching super fun, and it also eliminates the need to set up your kite. Today I'm flying on 30-foot lines. The park is so small that I can't really find anything longer than that. If you fly in a small space, you might want to consider 30-foot lines. When I travel on vacation, I usually take two line sets: a short 30-foot set and a longer set, 60 to 80 feet. This allows me to cover all the flying options. Even though your Rev will fly in virtually any conditions, just make sure you fly smart. Don't fly above your skill level, and always make sure you've got clearance from trees, streets, fences, and people.

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   Step one: launch and back down

   5:10

   Let's take a look at this difficult location from three different skill levels: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. If you're a brand-new Rev flyer, I wouldn't fly in this park. The trees are just too close. You take it up, lose control, and you could very easily land in a tree. With that said, for the first step: launch, stop, and back it down. Remember, we want to be downwind, we want to go straight up, and we want to land downwind, and then tilt our Rev back to keep it ready for the next launch.

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   What step one teaches

   5:44

   I know that seems very simple, but you're actually accomplishing three things at the same time. Number one, you're seeing how much energy you need to launch your Rev. Number two, you're backing it down in the same place, downwind. And number three, you're practicing that tilt back, so you're ready to go. You didn't waste any time landing off the wind and having to go pick it up.

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   Step two: use the Reflex

   6:02

   Okay, now for step number two. It's still basic flying, but we're going to use our Reflex abilities. We have our Reflex, so what we can do is take it overhead and float it, which gives us some time to reposition ourselves. So for step two, launch just like we did before. Step back to generate enough wind. If you're in poor, light, bumpy conditions, get it up overhead, turn it, and float it back. The goal is to get back to where you started, land your Rev, and tilt it back so you're ready for another go. All right, we launch, we step back to generate the wind to get us up in the air, then we turn and use our Reflex to float back. Did you land in the same spot? Did you land downwind? Did you tilt your Rev back so you're ready for the next launch? Good job.

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   Step three: float and walk back

   6:57

   Step number three: let's take it one step further. Take it up, float it in the air, turn around, walk it back without landing it, turn it, slide it back up again, and repeat that process. This means that you've got control over your Rev and you can keep flying even when the winds are turbulent or almost nonexistent.

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    Adding skills

    8:02

    Okay, our conditions have dropped from about zero to one, somewhere in there. We've got turbulence, of course, with the wind coming off the trees, so I shifted over to the XX Full Sail. For this intermediate level, what I want you to do is basically the same thing we did in the first skills. We want to go up and maintain that position, using walking back to gain altitude and floating back downwind to regain our distance. Then I want you to start adding in some skills: maybe a spin, maybe some reverse flight, maybe even a dive stop. So step back to generate the wind for the dive stop, then get it back up overhead and float it back to your starting position.

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    Advanced levels and Club 38

    9:21

    For the advanced levels, start including the Reflex floating skills, for example the catch and throw or the fly-by. Applying your Rev in difficult conditions will take your skills up several levels. Our goal is for you to have as much fun as possible with your Revolution. Who knows, you might even be able to fly your Rev in your own backyard. We'll see you on the field.