THE REVOLUTION INDOOR

by Ron Kramer

Kite flying indoors is slowing increasing in momentum, yet is still primarily a 2 line activity. While it's true that a few pioneers have entered into the quad line area of indoor flying, there have not been any well known quad line kites designed specifically for the task of flying indoors. For this reason the most proficient indoor flyers have been forced to customize kites designed for outdoor use, in order to allow them to fly indoors.

Modifications have included resparring kites with ultra-light frames and removing the extra weight of the bridle. Even with these changes, a great deal of effort and skill is required to allow these modified quads stay aloft in the zero wind voids of inner space.

Until now, the best production quad line kite for indoor flying was the Synergy Great Deca. And even this kite has had several manufacturing hurdles to overcome and  its fate is still uncertain. I last heard that this fantastic, yet fairly unknown zero wind quad line kite is no longer being manufactured and that only a handful are still available. Maybe this is just an ingenious marketing tactic? The news made me quickly snatch up a backup Great Deca for fear of not being able to get one in the future. Hopefully this will not be the case and we will continue to see this wonderful Marc Ricketts design available.

So, has the indoor world of quad line kite flying come to an end? Not if Revolution has anything to say about it. The recent KTAI trade show was the official introduction of the new Revolution "Indoor" zero wind quad line kite. As I passed by the Rev booth before the show opened to the public I couldn't help but notice their new 16 foot quad line traction design, but what really caught my eye was the cute, sporty looking black and white kite in the corner. Its shape similar to the past Rev quad lines we've grown to know and love. But its design changes were quickly evident. First the kite is a new size.  Larger than the Rev 1.5 and smaller than the Rev I, the new Rev 'Indoor' has an 8 ft. wing span. Another change is the absence of the vent/screen material normally found just under the leading edge. The Rev 'Indoor' also has an increased LE curve sewn into the sail, making the LE rods conform to increase the LE curvature. The rods themselves are very light, and feel very fragile. On the kite I have, they are still two wrapped rods like those on my Rev UL kites but the Rev 'Indoor' rods are a smaller diameter, resulting in a lighter frame. The entire kite, ready to fly, weighed in at a mere 4.5 ounces. The bungee cords and end caps are like those of the other Rev 'UL' kites, in fact their larger size makes them hold the smaller diameter rods in a very loose fashion. However, this shouldn't affect the kite negatively at all. In fact the extra play at these connections may even absorb a bit of shock should the kite adversely connect with the ground. Another major change on the Rev 'Indoor' is the lack of a bridle. Instead, 4 lightweight pigtail attachment points are used for connecting your lines to the kite.

Rev Indoor has an 8 ft wingspan

Visually the kite is similar to the previous models. Graphics haven't changed much, but have changed for the better. The new 'Indoor' is released in black/white, blue/white or red & white combinations. The black and white model has a nice classy look to it. The center panel still shows the classic Revolution logo, but on the center panel has the word 'INDOOR' on it, as well, written in a really neat high-tech looking font. Also on the center panel is a circle with a slash through it over the word 'wind'  (meaning zero-wind).

So enough already with the description, you want to know how it performs, right? With other indoor kites, I always anticipate them flying with little or no effort only to be a bit disappointed when I actually get a chance to fly one for the first time. In this case it was just the opposite. In the past, attempts to fly my Rev '1 UL' as well as my '1.5 UL' indoors were greeted with mixed success. Although both were possible to fly indoors, neither was a really enjoyable experience. The Rev 1 flew with less effort due to its increased sail area, but the 1.5 was easier to control due to its smaller overall size. After attempting to fly my outdoor UL Rev kites indoors, I quickly resorted back to my Great Deca as the quad line of choice for indoor flying. Until now!

Using 16.5 foot lines, I have to squat a bit to miss the lights

Please don't take me wrong, the Great Deca will always be a favorite of mine.  The two kites really don't compete with each other because they both fly so totally differently. I can't really say one is superior over than the other... only that now we have a choice. The Rev 'Indoor' performed better than I ever imagined. It lifted off slowly and I could feel a good amount of pull from the light bit of air in the sail. Unlike the Great Deca which can be difficult to perform   'up and over' maneuvers with, the Rev 'Indoor' loves performing this move.   Almost instantly, my flying buddy and I noticed a strange characteristic as the kite approached the ceiling. I found that giving the kite a little slack while flat above me during an up and over move allowed it to almost stop and just follow on a parallel plane with the ceiling. I quickly yelled, "Did you see that?!" and Tom said, "Yeah, must have had some updraft or something." Though this is what it seems like, it's just a characteristic of the kite. It goes up easy but just doesn't want to come down! This holds true with other moves such as a snap and catch. I gave the Rev 'Indoor' a snap and the kite's leading edge starting flying toward me. I predicted the place where it would come in contact within my reach and raised my hand straight up to that point. To my amazement the kite stayed aloft so well that it passed at least 1.5 feet over my reach, continued sailing about 10 ft past my position and settled to the floor. I quickly thought - this kite is going to take some getting used to.

This extra float capability of the kite is a big plus, but will require some experience with the kite to anticipate what the kite is going to do. The kite's loftiness is a real plus when performing tricks such as axels. The Rev 'Indoor' makes these very easy and most impressive. Just flatten the kite out and give one handle a snap and the kite rotates in one place, flat and slow. So what's wrong with the kite? At this time I can only say: very little. It appears the kite was created ahead of the required accessories, that is, it lacks well designed handles. When I got the Rev 'Indoor' I asked at the Rev KTAI booth, "What handles should be used?" I was told to use the regular extended UL rev handles. I was skeptical but gave them a try. If I hadn't known better I would have probably shelved the kite after 5 minutes and felt it was a poor effort. The standard UL handles are far to heavy for this kite. So heavy that you can't feel the kite at all and control is next to impossible. Luckily I had a set of my Great Deca handles with me and made the switch. The change was like night and day. Using the light weight handles made all the difference in the world. Until someone comes up with handles specifically designed for the Rev 'Indoor' I would highly recommend using the Great Deca handles or some form of homemade 'light weight' handles over what Revolution suggests.

All in all, this is a must-have for any indoor quad line kite flier. I can only anticipate what it will be like outdoors on 15-40 ft lines in 0-1mph on the beach. I look forward to flying it when everyone else is grounded due to lack of wind. When looking at the kite I can't get the idea of stacking them out of my head, although I think it would be a mistake, as the spars seem very fragile. I would think that the added strain of multiple kites pulling on each other would be too much for the frame to handle. But If you don't mind a little experimentation, I bet a stack of 2 or 3 of these would fly nicely outdoors in 1-2 or even possibly indoors!

In closing I give this kite a high recommendation to anyone who wants to learn or already flies quad line kites indoors. Its only problem at this point is the lack of decent handles which, if available, would create a wonderful indoor quad line package. Be warned of its slow float characteristics... once at the top of the window it doesn't want to come down, especially if there are lights or other fixtures for it to cling onto.  (see photo)

Reach Ron Kramer at:
www.houseofphotography.com/kramer/kites.htm