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Revolution Flying Strategy: Different Wind Conditions by Revolution Kites

Building a flying strategy for the wind: choosing tricks suited to the conditions and to your level, practising carefully in high wind, and choosing the right Rev.

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

Revolution Flying Strategy: Different Wind Conditions by Revolution Kites

Key takeaways from this video

  • In high wind, favour total control, slow flight and the hover; in light wind, the techniques specific to light wind.
  • To practise dive stops and snap spins in high wind, use longer lines, practise higher up and slightly to the side, away from the strongest wind.
  • In high wind, a vented model; in light wind, the XX Full Sail; for speed and power even in almost no wind, the Reflex Blast.
  • In light wind, fly left and right, turn low and use the float to lift the Rev at the edge of the window.

Transcript

  1. Building a Rev strategy

    0:00

    I'm Joe Hadzicki, inventor of the Revolution, and today's video is about having a strategy for different wind conditions. A good strategy will keep you in the air and having more fun. Here are three suggestions to build your Rev strategy. Suggestion number one: fly the appropriate skills for your wind conditions. For example, in high-wind conditions the key is to stay in total control. The best skills for this are slow-motion flying and hovering. In light-wind conditions, I want you to use light-wind techniques; check out my light-wind techniques video.

  2. Match your skill level

    0:52

    Suggestion number two: fly skills that are appropriate to your skill level, especially in high-wind conditions. For example, if you're just learning your dive stops and your snap spins, if you do those too close to the ground, there's an excellent chance of damaging your Rev. I'm not saying you can't have fun in high winds. What I'm saying is, let's see if we can build a strategy to deal with that situation.

  3. Practicing in strong wind

    1:15

    Let's say we're practicing a dive stop and snap spin combination in 20 mph winds. In the first case, we use 30-foot lines and we stop two feet off the ground. In the second case, let's practice with 80-foot lines. This gives us more time to think. Let's also practice higher up, since there are fewer things to hit. And finally, let's practice slightly off to the side to avoid the strongest winds. Fly up, dive, stop, snap spin, up off the ground.

  4. Choosing the right Rev

    2:20

    Suggestion number three: choose the appropriate Rev for your wind conditions. If you're flying in high-wind conditions, I suggest a vented model. Here we have the Reflex XX Super Tarantula, which means we have venting in the wing and also in the tip of the wing. If you're flying in light conditions, my go-to Rev is always the XX Full Sail. I can even fly this indoors. If you want more speed and power, even in zero or near-zero wind conditions, there's the Reflex Blast. This model flies in near-zero conditions even with a standard leading edge, but if you want that speed and power, consider the Blast. I like to do everything with my travel frame. I have a travel frame and two sails, my Full Sail and my Super Tarantula. That way I have all the conditions covered.

  5. Today's conditions

    3:09

    In today's conditions I would fly my Reflex XX Full Sail, and I would probably fly on 30-foot lines, since I've got a tight space here. Then I would use my light-wind flying techniques. The winds are probably 3 to 5 miles an hour. I would fly mostly left and right, so I don't have to lift the weight of the Rev. Secondly, I would do bottom turns, using gravity to help me through the turns.

  6. Float technique and Blast

    3:32

    And thirdly, I would use the float technique to help rise and lift the kite up, especially out on the edge of the window. To have more fun, I like to use the 3D float skills with the Reflex. Another great option for light-wind conditions is the Reflex Blast. In fact, in almost any wind condition, the Reflex Blast will take your fun to a whole new level. We'll see you on the field.

Keep going

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

  1. Revolution Reflex Blast in High Winds: Speed, Power, and Total Control
  2. Rev Mastery, Episode 3: High-Wind Mastery
  3. What Is the Wind Range of My Revolution? Tips and Tricks to Increase Your Wind Range
  4. Revolution Flying Strategy: Different Wind Conditions — you are here
  5. 3 Tips for Flying Your Rev in Small Spaces and Challenging Locations
  6. Flying Your Rev in a New Location: 3 Rules
  7. Urban Flying with Your Revolution

See the 16 videos of the series

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