Date:	Mon, 14 Jun 1993 09:39:18 -1000
From:	jeffy@syrinx.umd.edu (Jeffrey C. Burka)
Message-Id: <1vik56$55p@umd5.umd.edu>
Organization: University of Maryland at College Park
Subject: more Rev stuff

On Saturday, I built myself a new Rev II.  It's 3/4 oz Icarex ripstop
polyester on SkyShark IIIp sticks.

Construction was fairly standard.  The sail is in two halves, right 'n
left, with the fabric biased along the inner trailing edges.  Standard
fiberglass screening and 3.9oz dacron reinforcements, but the actual
leading edge is 1.5oz ripstop.  For the frame, I used 4 sticks of IIIp
SkyShark and 3 ferrules.  From two of the sticks I cut a 24" piece and
a 4.5" piece.  The remaining 4 inches were discarded.  The 4.5" pieces
were ferruled onto the remaining full-length sticks to create the
requisite 37" leading edge sticks.  The kite has no bridle.

It weighs about 2 ounces less than my bridleless stock Rev II, a weight
savings of 33%.

Over all, I was rather pleased with the flight performance.  The wind on Sunday
was very light (0-5 all day) and it was impossible to guess what the top
end of the SkyShark frame's range might be.  And, unfortunately, I managed
to break one of the sticks.  I will note, though, that this was entirely
my fault--I managed to trip and step on the leading edge.  Honestly, I would
have been surprised if the stick *hadn't* broken!

With sticks so cheap, though, it's not a big deal to replace.  And this
time, I've ordered a spare.

After breaking the rod, I put my stock 3-wrap Advantage leading edge back
in the kite, maintaining the SkyShark down tubes.

-------

A few comments on leading edge spar weight:

The weight of your leading edge will have quite an impact on the way the
kite glides in 3-D flying.  With extra mass, the kite moves significantly
faster and tracks better.  The momentum given by that mass can also be
helpful.  I ran one 360 yesterday in which I actually stopped moving
after about 225 degrees.  The kite had enough momentum that it finished
its way back into the center of the window while I stood still.  It was
a nice looking move, and I don't know that this could have been done with
the lighter leading edge.

On the other hand, in very light wind flying, the heavy leading edge 
detracts from the kite's ability to float slowly toward the ground whilst 
inverted.  I was very impressed with my new kite's light wind ability.

-----------

Handles:

In very light wind situations, I found myself wishing for a longer "throw"
on the bottoms of my handles.  Unable/willing to shell out the $30 for the
Rev I ultralight handles, I decided to experiment a bit.  The result is
a modified Rev I handle that works exceptionally well in super ultralight
conditions.

Basically all I did was to take a piece of Easton 3-30 and cut it to twice
the length of the bottom (post curve) portion of the Rev I handle.  I
then pushed this all the way into the handle, wedging it in firmly where
the handle starts to curve.  Next, I wrapped a bit of tape around the
end of the actual Rev handle to further secure the extension.  And
finally, I added two little pieces of vinyl to the Easton, one at the
very tip and one just below the end of the Rev handle, as line attachment
points.  This way, I can use the "new" handles as ultralight or as Rev I.
I find that the Rev I setting is fine for light-to medium winds.  In strong
winds, I prefer to use the Rev II handle.  And in none-to-light winds, I
use the new extension.

These handles are significantly longer than the Rev I ultralight handles,
but not quite as long as Brittain/Sedgewick's titanium handles.  I find
they make a tremendous difference.  In fact, I was flying an SUL Rev I
for a bit yesterday, and really felt that the Rev I UL handls were too
short!

Jeff

-- 
|Jeffrey C. Burka     | "When I look in the mirror, I see a little clearer/ |
|SAFH Lite [tm]       |  I am what I am and you are you too./  Do you like  |
|jeffy@syrinx.umd.edu |  what you see?  Do you like yourself?"  --N. Cherry |