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Master Light, Unsteady Wind with Your Revolution Reflex by Revolution Kites

Flying in light, unsteady wind by making your own wind, then letting the Reflex float the Rev so you can win back your ground on foot.

From the series Wind and places to fly. Transcript by QuadKites.org.

Master Light, Unsteady Wind with Your Revolution Reflex by Revolution Kites

Key takeaways from this video

  • Change your conditions by moving to make your own wind; walking back endlessly eventually runs out of room.
  • The Reflex floats and glides the Rev back downwind, where without it it would stall.
  • Basic sequence: launch, fly, float the Rev towards the edge keeping the thumbs back, then walk downwind once the hover is balanced.
  • If the Rev drops below 30 ft (about 9 m) during the float, head back upwind to regain height and start again.

Transcript

  1. Changing your conditions

    0:00

    I'm Joe Hadzicki, inventor of the Revolution. Many Rev pilots have the challenge of flying in light and unsteady conditions, but the incredible design of the Revolution allows you to fly in virtually any condition once you know a couple of techniques. Here are a few quick tips to get you started. If you find your conditions difficult to fly in, change those conditions by moving and creating your own wind. You can keep flying by continuing to move back, but finally you're going to run out of space. The solution is to use the Revolution's exclusive Reflex design to float and glide your Rev back in and regain that space. The Reflex design allows your Rev to float and glide back downwind. Without the Reflex, your Rev will simply stall and fall to the ground.

  2. Launch, float and recover

    2:18

    Now let's practice the basic sequence of launch, fly, float, and recover ground. The main thing we need to be concerned with is keeping that float steady and smooth as we're walking downwind. Watch your Rev up overhead, and then pull the wing, causing a sliding motion off to the edge. As it's floating out on the edge, keep it flying forward. That means keep those thumbs back to keep it moving in the forward direction. Carefully balance it in that hover position.

  3. Balancing the hover

    2:46

    As you feel it stabilize, take a couple of steps downwind to start regaining that ground. As you develop a better balance for your Rev in the hover, you'll be able to walk faster and over longer distances. You might even be able to run downfield as you gain ground. This technique will take a little bit of practice to master, so here's a technique to help you out during your float sequence. If your Rev drops and floats lower than 30 feet, stop going downwind, come back upwind, regain height with the Rev, and begin the sequence again. You can of course fly Rev skills while practicing this technique.

Keep going

In the series Wind and places to fly — Revolution Kites tutorials

  1. Light-Wind Flying with the Rev Reflex, for Everyone
  2. 4 Techniques for Light-Wind Rev Flying
  3. No Wind? No Problem! How to Fly Your Revolution in Light Winds
  4. Master Light, Unsteady Wind with Your Revolution Reflex — you are here
  5. How to Reach the Highest Levels of Rev Mastery, Even in Light Winds
  6. 6 Tips for Flying Your Revolution in High Winds
  7. Revolution Reflex Blast in High Winds: Speed, Power, and Total Control

See the 16 videos of the series

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