Untitled - KiteLife

The large version of the Speedwingis an exercise in simplicity . In fact,when we opened the bag, wethought that some parts had beenleft out . Only three spars comprisethe working skeleton of the kite . . .twoleading edge rods and a lowerspreader . There is no spine . There isno upper spreader .Bridling is, as might be imagined,unusual . Basically, it is a three-pointcrossover system that ties into thelower spreader vinyls and a metalring which is line-suspended from thenose . The effect is that which weused to get when we played "catscradle' as children .OK . So would it fly? That was thequestion we asked ourselves whenwe positioned the bridle on the marks,lifted the kite by the clips andwatched as the nose assumed adownward attitude of nearly 35 degrees. The answer was a qualifiedperhaps'In light winds of 3-4 MPH, we hadto adjust the Speedwing significantlybefore it would take to the air eitherwith or without assistance from a fieldcrew. At that point, the kite flewmarginally. Perhaps we had pickedthe wrong day . Certainly, we hadpicked the wrong wind .Another afternoon rolled aroundwhich saw the breezes at 12-15 MPHand, again, we unsheathed the largeSpeedwing . This time, we had gottenit right! Bridle adjustment on the kiteis critical . Positioning the settings onthe marks, we found that the kitewould only hop around, just off theground . Following the instructionmanual, we set the clips 114" closerto the nose and the kite shot into theair .Lacking the structure to confinethe billow of the sail, the Speedwingis an unusual flyer . When gusts hit thesail, it billows, flexing the spreaderrod, and narrowing the profile that ispresented to the wind . This can makethe Speedwing somewhat jerky inflight but not overly so .MODEL : SPEEDWINGFABRIC WEIGHT : .75 oz . ripstop nylonFRAMING MATERIALS : filament-wound (fiberglass)WIND RANGE : 5-30 MPHCONFIGURATION : delta-type, no spine (69 inch wingspan)SKILL LEVEL: intermediateMFGR'S SUGGESTED RETAIL : $130.00MANUFACTURER : VLIEGER-OPWide turns which utilized theSpeedwing's bowing lower spreade r proved good with one very interestingpoint . We could only force theSpeedwing so far. In the case of adecreasing radius turn, there is apoint at which the kite will turn notighter. No amount of additionalpressure on the lines would force theSpeedwing to go deeper into theturn . It simply stayed at its maximum .This could be a real asset in the precisiondepartment . Square and angularturns were handled by the kitewithout problem .The large degree of billow in thesail had yet another positive attribute .We found that we were able to pullthe Speedwing out of the wind quiteeasily, particularly overhead, let itfall, and then save it before it crashedby pulling on the lines to "re-inflate"the sail . It's a nifty looking, and quitesafe maneuver with this kite!Lacking standoffs (we're not sureexactly how they might be attachedon a kite of this configuration), thekite's landing-relaunch abilities aresomewhat impaired . When we didcoax it to the ground, it was generallya good solid landing, though wehad to be careful to not let the kitefall too far backwards lest it collapse .Not that this presented much problem. . . the Speedwing is launchablefrom nearly any position . The flyer justmanipulates the rear edge of the sailto a facing position, jerks the linesand the kite will take to the air .It will also take a dead-on, pullingon the lines, ground bash at speed,better than any filament- wound fiberglass-sparred kite that we haveever flown . There is not much thatcan be broken .As there is little tension on the trailingedge of the sail save that presentedby the lower spreader andinduced by the wind, the noise levelof the Speedwing fluctuates a gooddeal . It can be pleasantly quiet onemoment and quite resonant the next .As a precision flyer, the Speedwingcan stand on its European record .We see it, however, as a kite withgreat design capability as a highwindmachine . At that, it may beone of the best in the business!CB/SB