EFM - DRAFT --------------------------------------------------------------------- jeffy@syrinx.umd.edu (Jeffrey C. Burka) 14 Sep 92 20:42:14 GMT Manufacturer: Big Easy Kites Materials: sail Spars Beman Wind Range: Span: Height: Type: Delta I also got to take a closer look at one of the new EFMs from Big Easy Kites. I first flew the EFM (then the Mariah--Trilogy got their Moriah on the market first, so they got the name) when it was still being worked out and was impressed with it's light wind capabilities, silent flight, and solid feel. But it never appealed to me like the Phantom (the kite from which the EFM is partially derived). Even the original Mariah has the innovative stand-off system which relieves pressure from the lower spreaders. Over the past 6 months or so, Big Easy has been making a number of innovations to the EFM that are quite neat. The most obviously visible one is to the bridle. The EFM's bridle is rigged like the Phantom's--the static line goes to the t-fitting instead of the lower leading edge. But that's where the similarity ends. On the EFM, the dynamic line has been shortened and the static line lengthented. Instead of attaching the flying line to he junction of the two lines, the flying line is attached to a loop of line that's on the static line. Both the static and dynamic lines have markings for wind ranges, with corresponding color. For instance, for light winds, put both lines on the black mark. Once you've adjusted both lines for the right wind, you can then adjust the static line for oversteer. By doing it this way, you can adjust the attitude of the kite without changing where the bridle is set over the pocket of the sail. It's quite neat and something I'm anxious to experiment with. Another advantange to this bridle method is that it supposedly increases the wind range of the kite into the 20s (the EFM is sparred with beman 5.5). The other major innovation is to the lower spreader. There are 3 ways to use the bottom spreader, thanks to vinyl stops glued to either end at different lenghts from the end of the spar, *and* a removable vinyl stop that can be slid on one end. The t-fitting is extra wide to allow different amounts of the spreaders to be inserted. By using the shorter options on the spreader, you pull in the bottom of the leading edge, creating a camber in the sail. Also included with the kite are two different top spreaders. All in all, it's a neat package, and one I'm far more interested in now than I was when I first flew the kite. Jeff Burka