Untitled - KiteLife

In flight, the spine flexes inwardat the trailing edge giving thevisual impression of a wasp readyingitself to sting . . . hence the kite'sname. This bowing also helps thekite's ability to withstand somefairly significant crashes . The cutawayin the trailing edge alsoopens the Wasp up in sail area .This produces a noticeable lesseningof pull while sacrificing nothingin the speed department .The sections of the trailing edgebetween the battens and wingtipsare scalloped . This seems to helpthe kite's turning ability in verypositive fashion . . . wing-tip turnsare not really a problem and, onseveral occasions, I was able toturn within the Wasp's wingspan .Off-wind maneuvers can be extendedsignificantly into thedown-wind area because of thekite's greatly lessened pull .I tested two Wasps, one whichhad been modified additionallyby the addition of stand-off sparsbetween the lower spreader andsail . Of the two, the modified versionwas the favorite, particularlyin lighter winds . Addressing thesituation of varying wind conditions,When Striker Kites did the bigground crash last fall, a lot of flyerswere upset because they didn'tget a chance to pick up on thecompany's really BIG stunter . Well,all of those folks can rest easy becauseone of the former Strikerprincipals, Steve Shapson, hasbegun producing it under thename Force 10 .At the beginning : THIS IS A BIGKITE! If you've never had achance to fly 28 square feet ofcontrollable stunter before, you'vegot a treat in store . The Force 10 is,simply put, a regular stunter builtto massive proportions . It is notbuilt nor intended as a speed kite. . . it is primarily a power exercise .Bearing that in mind, we decidedto test it as a precision unit (wesometimes are given to flights offancy like that!) .the manufacturer providesan additional set of lowerspreaders to be used in higherwind conditions . A full high-windkit consisting of the spreaders andadditional heavy wing spars isavailable .Also recommended is the use ofdifferent fly line for varying windspeeds : 75 lb . for 4-8 mph ; 135 lb .for 9-12 mph; 200 for 12-18 mph ;and at the flyer's discretion inheavier breezes .I first flew the Wasp at the KTASan Diego convention in somevery light wind situations whichprobably tipped the scales at nomore than 4 .5 mph and found it tobe a consistent performer . At thelow end of the suggested range,the kite generated enough pull tolet you know it was there andresponse was very quick. Midrange,10-15 mph, appears to bethis kite's true home . There is anoticeable absence of oversteerwhich, combined with a potentiallytight turning radius, opens upthe opportunity for some veryprecise figure work . There isenough billow in the sail to makethe Wasp very forgiving, as well .At the upper limits (themanufacturer suggests the substitutionof the heavier spreadersat 12+ mph), particularly in the 20-25 mph range, we did noticesome distortion which was, for themost part, cured by spar substitution.When we tried the reverse,that is putting them in during lowerbreezes, the sluggishness wasnoticeable and expected .Workmanship on the Wasp isvery good, the test model nowhas about 8 hours of air time withno adverse side-effects . It is apparent,however, that the kite is ahand-made product . . . seams arenot die-cut straight. Each kite carrieswith it a bit of its creator. Notto say that manufactured kites donot . . . most do, in fact . But as thissport of stunt kite flying creates forits suppliers more and greaterdemands for product, individualefforts like the Wasp are destinedto become fewer and furtherbetween . It's nice to see themwhen they come along . . . particularlywhen they are, as theWasps, great flyers .C .B.MODEL: FORCE 10FABRIC WEIGHT : 1 .5 oz. ripstop nylonKITE WEIGHT: 1800 gramsCOLORS AVAILABLE : Hot pink and blue with black wingtipsWIND RANGE : 4 to 25 mph .CONFIGURATION: Camber-induced delta with scallopedtrailing edge . 15 ft. wingspanMFGR's SUGGESTED RETAIL : $349 .MANUFACTURER: FORCE 10 POWER SAIL STUNT KITES