Disclaimer:
I am in no way affiliated with Force-10.  I do not sell kites or anything
else!  This report is meant to simply inform the power hungry kiters amoung
us about a prototype kite that I had the priviledge to fly at the South
Suburban Kite Festival in Chicago Heights on Saturday, July 22.

OK, Here's the scoop.  Steve Shapson (of Force 10 Foils) was one of the
attending sponsors of the SSKF last weekend.  He brought out a couple of
prototype foils for us power hungry kiters to try.  

Before I knew who he was, I noticed he was flying this eliptical foil with no
manufacturer's markings.  The foil sparked my interest.  So, being the busy
body that I am, I casually strolled toward Steve and asked if the "bag" he
was flying was some kind of custom colored Quad Trac (from the eliptical
shape, that's what it looked like to me).  I'm sure he took offense to this
comment, as he quickly responded by telling me who he was, and that this was
his prototype for Force 10's new 50 sq.ft. foil.  He told me that the new
design should be available in about three weeks.  He explained that the new
foil was being assembled in Israel.  He also noted that the design and
eliptical shape of this new foil would translate into a more efficient,
exceptionally more powerful kite than the Force 10  Model "4.4"  foil that I
was carrying onto the flying field.  

Before I could ask anymore dumb questions, he handed the controls over to me
for a "test drive".  The first thing I noticed was the new handle design.
 Steve told me that the new handles were made of a nearly unbreakable PVC.
 They were much lighter than the metal handles that came with my Force 10
 "4.4".  He pointed out that the new handle design would eliminate breakage
of the thick connection lines that are attached to the handles.  This new
handle design has foam padding and was also much more comfortable for my
thumbs than the old handles.  On to the foil.

As I previously mentioned, the foil has an eliptical shape.  Steve told me
that this new foil had a polyester sail cloth and will be bridled with
Spectra line (the prototype had kevlar).  It did not look like the Icarex
sail cloth I've seen on the Sky Tiger Hi-Aspect 60 (the one my flying buddy
brags about all the time).  Steve's new foil flew effortlessly.  It turned
very smoothly, quickly and tightly.  I found that the foil had very good pull
in the center of the wind window. The cells kept their shape and did not
collapse as much as my 4.4 does at the edge of the wind window.  By visual
comparison, it appeared that the new 50 sq.ft. foil was not as wide as the
4.4, but was obviously deeper.  OK, so the kite can fly, but can it pull my
220 lb. butt around the field on my buggy?  You bet!  I felt that this foil
was much more powerful than my 4.4, and much easier to control while
buggying.  

After my "test drive", I asked Steve how much this new foil would cost. He
said that it would definetly be more expensive than the 4.4 Model (for which
I paid U.S.$300 retail), but he could not be more specific.  I guess that
we'll just have to wait for pricing untill he gets the first shipment in from
Israel.  I asked him if he would trade his prototype for my 4.4 model.  He
just laughed.  He said that he really prefers to fly his newly designed foil
much more than his old, rectangular-shaped foils.

There's the scoop.  Remember, the opinions that I've expressed above are
mearly that, my opinions.  I don't care what you fly or buy, JUST FLY and
HAVE FUN!

"Good Winds and Good Friends,
 That's What Kiting is All About!"

Jerry Yurek