Time for a review :D so far I've only flown it static but here goes ...
Lovely bit of kit, of the same build style as the regular Revs but much chunkier in construction ... obviously designed for power.
Mine has the white 'background' with the black B-2 bomber shape but then has two red panels at each side, on the top - makes me think of an evil robot
Thompson (or Thomson) and is, IMHO, better looking than the plain ones on the homepage :D I'll get a pic of it eventually but keep forgetting.
Setup seemed fairly straightforward, if you're familiar with a regular Rev; the only thing you have to be careful of in assembly is putting the spars
under the bungy at the trailing edge of the sail.
The kite is, like my other Rev, flown on all four lines. But don't think of it as a Revolution in power kite mode - try and think of it as a power
kite (4-line fixed bridle I mean) that looks like a Rev.
Turns are best made with a fixed bridle pull on the handle and a tweak on the brake to whip it around, then easing off the brakes to accelerate it in
the new direction. You can do Rev tricks, like spins and slides and flying backwards but as the PowerBlast is so much heavier, there's not much point
really. That maneuverability is pretty groovy though for lining up a zoom through the power zone or a delicate landing ...
Power is made by balancing it on all four lines, with a slight pressure on the brake lines - as Kent says, it's a matter of less than an inch rotation
of your wrist.
Had a disappointing first day out, where I doggedly adhered to the video's instruction of keeping my hands in the middle of the handles.
The next time I went out, I played with moving my hand position on the handles - moving my hands down about an inch meant I could balance the
PowerBlast in its power zone much easier and just hang on, like you do with a fixed bridle.
Both those days was strong wind, probably too much for the PB - I'd have thought twice about putting a 5m fixed bridle up in those winds - so it
wasn't until today that I got to take the PB out in lesser winds... when I setup, there was the slightest breeze and as I was only a few meters from
the river bank I was worried I'd have to walk backwards to get the kite up and would end up taking a swim. As it was, the PB shot straight up and kept
on flying till I made a mistake and when balanced in the zone, pulled like a freight train!
When I packed up, I pulled out my anemometer and was reading just under 2 m/s, or slightly less than 4 knots!
The best thing about the Revolution PowerBlast is how easy it is to turn the power on and off, but that's also it's downfall for the those who like to
jump - a twitch of the wrist and it's totally depowered with NO float!
So to sum it up ... great engine for blasting around, especially in low - almost no! - wind. A bit tricky to handle, some Rev and fixed bridle
experience is a good idea.
Once there's enough daylight after work, I'll get into the park on a board and share those experiences too :Dbigkid - 19-1-2010 at 02:16 AM
nice revue, glad to hear you finally got the the kite in the air and lived to talk about itKnolee - 19-1-2010 at 04:57 AM
I flew one of these over the summer in about 5-7mph of wind. This thing is a monster.
Need I say anymore?
Very cool buggy kite I'd assume. I never got the chance to try it for that though.herc - 20-1-2010 at 04:34 PM
how about flying this powerblast on a depower bar? could this help in controlling the angle of attack better than with handles?
i am very curious about your report on using the powerblast with a board. should be a fantastic kite to go upwind!
maybe pictures or a video?
nice review !power - 20-1-2010 at 05:00 PM
Can you actually jump with them?Kamikuza - 20-1-2010 at 06:10 PM
Pictures when it stops raining (and I remember the camera) and video when there's enough light to get into the park after work.
I don't think a bar would work cos you need to pull the whole handle for a turn - just tweaking the brake lines doesn't do much.
I think you could jump but a slight tweak of the wrist and the kite is de-powered and you're plummeting :Dherc - 21-1-2010 at 02:58 AM
Quote:
I think you could jump but a slight tweak of the wrist and the kite is de-powered and you're plummeting
i think thats the price for total kite control and highest efficiency..
but it think and hope the powerblast would be a great snowkite and board weapon, allowing to go upwind in lightest breeze (at least on ski and hard
packed snow)..
