From: jeffy@syrinx.umd.edu (Jeffrey C. Burka)
Newsgroups: rec.kites
Subject: Re: 3-D flying: HUH?
Date: 2 Sep 92 01:01:34 GMT
Organization: University of Maryland at College Park

In article <1992Sep1.124625.1@oread.cc.ukans.edu> guip@oread.cc.ukans.edu writes:
>OK OK OK
>
>
>What is 3-D flying?  Is it flying your kite out of the spherical lune defined
>by your kite line length?   Or is it something that people with REV's do--i.e.
>the ability to fly 'backwards?'

Well, you're half right on both counts.  3-D flying (which I originally heard
of as a javelin, but that only names the throw, not the catch...) is a 
technique mostly only done with Revs that involves taking your kite out
of the spherical surface it usually flies upon.

The most common trick is a catch-and-throw, which as I said is referred to
as a javelin.  As far as I know, Lee Sedgewick was the first to do it (at least
in competition), and the move's been around for at least a year and a half 
(I've been doing it since June '91).  

To do this move:

a)  fly your kites on short lines.  I'd say lines between 30' and 60' are
best; 60' is pushing it...

b)  fly the kite to the top center of the window and park it.

c)  give a sharp yank on the top two lines.  For the Rev I, it's usually
sufficient just to jerk the handles really far back with all pressure on the
top lines.  For the Rev II, it's best to quickly put one handle into the other
hand and then use your free hand to grab the top lines about 2-3 feet from
the handles and yank.  The kite will suddenly start falling out of the sky
right at your face at an alarming velocity.  For me, the hardest part about
learning to catch a Rev was learning not to flinch as the kites come toward
you.  I find it particularly unnerving with a 9' kite.  Don't worry, though--
the kites are quite gentle when the hit your hand.  All you do is put one 
handle into your other hand (if it isn't there already), reach up and
catch the kite.  The main advantange to the second yanking method (grabbing
the lines) is that you have far more velocity directly toward you so the kite
tends to fall right on the flier, making it possible to catch the kite without
taking a single step.  This is particularly important with the Rev II--the kite
is so light that it tends to get moved around by the wind as it falls.

d)  You're now holding the kite in one hand and two handles in the other.  I've
seen two techniques for throwing.  Both involve having the kite pretty much
parallel to the ground with the face down.  One method is to grab the kite
right at the center and swing your arm around letting the kite go at the end
of the arc.  The method I use is to hold the kite by the right wing tip and
balance the center of the kite with my left hand (which is also holding my
handles).  I then do much more of a javelin-esque throw straight down wind.
Which ever method you use, the effect is that the kite floats downwind to the
end of the lines.  It then stops and grabs wind, always inverted, so you have
to be ready to give it some reverse to help it start to fly.  Depending on
the throw and the wind conditions, you may need to step back a bit.

Once you get the hang of the throw, it's a great way to launch the kite--no
need to worry about staking it down.

On an innovative note--it *is* possible to catch and then throw a progressive
two-stack of Revs.  I haven't gotten around to trying three kites yet 
but it's pretty wild with two.  ;-)

Jeff
-- 
|Jeffrey C. Burka                | "Show what you are / Be strong, be true  |
|                                |  Time for you to / Be who you are."      |
|jeffy@syrinx.umd.edu            |                         --Happy Rhodes   |