Untitled - KiteLife

MODEL : INTERCEPTORFABRIC WEIGHT : .75 oz . ripstop nylonFRAMING MATERIALS: graphite (AFC .2540)WIND RANGE : 7-25 MPHCONFIGURATION : delta-type (99 inch wingspan)SKILL LEVEL : intermediate/advancedMFGR'S SUGGESTED RETAIL : $149 .00MANUFACTURER; PARAGON SPORTS KITES INT'LWe caught our first glimpse of theInterceptor at the AKA Nationals lastfall . It was just through the cameralens, though, and we never got to flyone . The KTA convention in Dallasafforded us our first chance to nab acouple from Paragon's Craig Wong .The models that he set up for us wereboth "S° versions utilizing heavygraphite frames (AFC 2540) .From the onset, it was obvious thatthese units were intended for significantlyheavier winds . They were ashade smaller than the usual "fullsize". The kites fittings used werepositive and heavy . Although standoffswere employed, they were onthe short side . Still, the sail was quitetaut .Undaunted by the obvious, wetook the Interceptors out in somevery light wind (4-5 MPH) . The performanceswere below average . . . thisparticular model simply wasn't designedfor this low stuff! As the windpicked up, so did the kites' effectiveness. At 8+MPH, we began to geta glimpse of the capabilities of thisparticular model . Flying on 110' of1351b . Spectra, the Model S's cutsome very nice figures . Straight linetracking, tight and wide turns, andangular maneuvers all got markssignificantly above average .As the winds breached the midteens,the Model S's really started toget into it . Surprisingly, the kites werenot as fast as we had anticipated .This made the Interceptor a naturalfor team flying . There are a couple ofother factors that will help the teamaspect, as well .The first of these is the Interceptor'srelatively small amount of pull . This isa real plus in high wind . Lighter teammembers won't have to struggle tohold their ground with this one .The second factor is the near absenceof either over or understeer .The kite can be very accurate .Couple this with an available windowof better than 170 degrees andbetter than average overall stabilityand the Interceptor begins to lookeven sweeter .Turning our attentions to the Interceptor'sconstruction, we not iced some "echoes" of anotherkitemaker. The seams and generalconstruction reminded us of GeorgeEdmonds' Geosport . Checking withParagon's Craig Wong confirmedthe notion : the two are close friends .The kite is, like most of the "MarinaGreen" products, very well made .Reinforcement is applied in the usualstress points and appears very clean .All seams are rolled and zigzagstitched . The trailing edge is bothsingle and zigzagged .Retaining vinyls are placed bothabove and below the spreadervinyls on all wing fittings . This willpresent some problems when sparplacement eventually has to bedone, but in the meantime, they'regoing nowhere! Vinyls on our highwindmodels are thick-walled . This isone very solid kite!The nose on the Interceptor is cutwider than many kites . This serves toenhance the flexibility, and thereforethe turning ability of the kite . Ourtest models had only one flaw : thatbeing that the spine could have beena bit longer. When the retainingbunji cord was tightened, the resultantpressure on the sail worked topull it towards the center from thestandoffs rather than tighten it on anose-to-tail basis . There are two waysto deal with the situation : either raisethe bridge (lengthen the spine), orlower the river (shorten the sail) . Whenwe contacted Craig, he had alreadyremedied the problem in the secondmanner on production models .The Interceptor S was built to withstandsome pretty significant wind .We have little doubt that it wouldcontinue to function, distortion-free,into the 30's . Although we testedthem primarily as team kites, theyhave obvious capabilities as individualperformers. Those fliers whoare looking for great amounts ofpulling potential or blinding speedshould probably take their searchelsewhere . They have, however,earned a place in our kite bag . Theirpotential as a mid/high range teamkite is too good to be ignored!CB/SB