Ashe - 9-10-2007 at 07:56 PM
Had a quick static session on the 10m Air Evo X-air. Great kite. Winds were light, 8-11mph. Launched the kite from the side of the window, no
problem. Appreciate the ease of open cell handling, even less work than my Flysurfers (which isn't much). I'd been told kites like the Montana II
and Ozone Frenzy really want 12mph+ to perform well, but this kite provided me several 6 - 10 ft jumps just racing up the window and sheeting in. It
also proved plenty responsive, turning on its own wingtip and able to do tight loops in relatively light winds. The swallow-tailed trailing flap
seems to work really well.
The depower is definitely not on the level of the Psycho III or my SA1.5, and I probably could have had the Silverarrow out and been just as
comfortable, but it was fun having a fast and responsive kite out instead of the slow train that the SA is. However, my 220lbs probably would have
needed another knot or two to board with, while the SA would have had me cruising. All in all though, this was a great intro session. Again, on
packdown, I really dug the open cell kite. I'm sure inflato fans will think I'm spoiled, but I liked not even having to roll the air out of the thing
(a la Flysurfer).
Ashe
SecondWind - 9-10-2007 at 08:03 PM
Good deal - I'm really glad to hear the first flight went well 
tridude - 9-10-2007 at 08:40 PM
I told you shes an awesome kite! Enjoy and wait till those 15 to 20 winds roll in! Yep the pack down folding is very easy!
Ashe - 10-10-2007 at 06:23 AM
Woke up this morning at 4 am because...well I have no idea why. Anyways, the wind was whipping 14g22 mph, and I figured it was a good time for
session #2 in the high school parking lot. The kite did not disappoint. Setup and launch as easy as before. One thing I noticed this time, since
the kite has functional ailerons, Air Evo has been able to use a pretty short bar for the size, and it ends up being really easy to fly this kite one
handed. The kites about as stable as my old P3 was - you can't completely forget about the kite like you supposedly can with a Peter Lynn ARC, but it
doesn't need to be actively flown around at zenith like a race kite or the FS Speeds do. Just some little corrections now and then - and the ease of
doing this single handed helps while you mess with your gear or board.
As I said before, there is not as much depower readily available to sheet out with like a Flysurfer, however, the Air Evo has a much shorter throw and
I did find plenty of depower available through trimming. I'm thinking of playing around with gust absorber to extend the bar's throw a bit.
Nonetheless, I did hit a nasty gust, probably 28-30mph. Pulled the safety, kite flagged out on it's right side steering line and came down no
problem.
Otherwise, smooth sailing. Jumps for me did not require much re-direction - sheet in hard and up you go. Kite turned tight enough to dodge light
poles at the edge of the lot.
Now I just need to try a 10m Frenzy FX for a comparo...and maybe a 10m Psycho III to give an even FS comparison...and I suppose a Montana III couldn't
hurt..and several other kites until I'm completely broke! Ha!
Ashe
tridude - 11-10-2007 at 06:24 AM
Ashe,
For lower winds, dont forget the second set of knots on the rear lines nearer the bar. Those are for unhooked riding and provide excellent low
wind/unhooked performance. All you need to do after adjusting the lines is find the sweet spot on the trimmer. Nice to hear youre enjoying the X Air.