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Feather Review
Manufacturer Wind Range: 0 - 9 mph Optimal Wind Range (IMHO): 0 - 5 mph (can be flown in 5 - 9 mph but I wouldn't) Weight (my actual kite) 4 3/4 oz 138 g October10, 2003 I sold this kite to fund my Mamba, which in turn was sold to buy my Masquerades. Anyways, I always regretted selling the Feather & now I did a trade to get back MY original Feather. A Special thanks to Rod247, for doing the deal. You da man ;-)
June 26, 2001 Tried the Feather indoors & it really performs well. The space was small but the kite is very graceful in no wind. Floats, axels, 540 & throws, the Feather in an absence of turbulent low wind is really awesome. Soon I will get access to a full gymnasium then I will try some Up & Overs. Also I like to toss the kite while it is positioned in a turtle. It floats away from you, then pull lines to move into regular flight.
June 24, 2001 Recently I have been getting more air time with the Feather because the winds seem to be low on every occasion I get to fly. On this past Sunday, I flew the Feather for 1.5 hrs & the wind conditions went from zero to about 3 mph. In zero wind, I was able to consistently do 540s & did two 360s. However when the wind picks up above 2 mph the kite is harder to pancake out to do a 540. I am now convinced that the Feather would make a great indoor kite & is a pretty good low wind outdoor kite. In 2-3 mph wind the kite's forward speed is great & it has some pull. Axels are easy to pull off & you can literally fly it while seated (I sat on a bench to try this out). The down side is in that 2+ mph wind the Feather doesn't want to go flat which makes 540s very difficult to do. Overall, I still really like this kite & would recommend it as a SUL.
April 15, 2001 Flew the Feather in zero wind conditions on 25' lines. Nailed the 540 with it. I love the Feather as a SUL kite. A definite purchase for those looking for a low wind kite. The only problem I have with the Feather is that its performance is vastly superior in smooth wind. If the wind is turbulent or inconsistent the Feather quickly becomes frustrating to fly. Now that can be said about most SUL kites but I will have to try a few others to know for sure.
February 10, 2001 I was out at my club fun fly on a frozen lake. The winds were really low & at one point the only kites in the air were my Feather & an Ozone. I was able to fly it in 1 mph wind without have to constantly move around (moving around was not exactly easy on a smooth frozen lake). Also, I was able to consistently do a 'Helicopter' with the Feather & now I have to practice catching the kite. If you are looking for a full size indoor kite then I would recommend the Feather. Very good quality, price is competitive (compared to other full size indoor kites) & it looks really good.
October 15, 2000 I am getting more time with the Feather. At first I have to admit, I was becoming disappointed with its performance. Then I realized that light wind flying requires a much more delicate hand movements. Once I stopped muscling the kite around, I was able to do more things with the Feather. Now I must say I really enjoy this kite & would recommend it to people for a light wind kite.
Feather Review (maiden flight Early August 2000): Finally I get a chance to fly my Feather. Well, I go out the field with my daughter, to try to get some flying time. Flags are moving well near the field, so I thought I would be flying the Stiletto. But at the field I could feel no wind. I thought could this be true after 1 month of owning my Feather that I might actually get a chance to fly it. So out it came. After assembly, I finally got the Feather airborne. I decided to launch the kite from the windows edge to test its really low wind ability. And it launched easily, bring it into the centre of the window and it quickly gained altitude. Now to test it, I had to be quick my daughter is bugging me to set-up a kite for her. So I do a few figures in the sky. The Feather has a bit of over steer to it but manageable. Axels on the Feather are flat and seemed rather quick for such a light wind kite. Double axels were hard to get on it (after all it is a SUL), however the Feather is very stable in a Fade. I put it in a Fade (ala Axel to Fade) and if you are near the centre of the window it seems to just hang there. Well so far so good. I only got in 10 minutes on the Feather but so far all signs point to a good light wind kite. On the other hand, I am not sure how it will perform inside under true zero wind. Need to get more time on it, hopefully these winds here will cooperate and stay around 5 –8 mph and not the 15 – 20 mph that I have been seeing lately. (Update: I really enjoy the Feather in light winds) Now my only problem is to find an accessible gymnasium to try the Feather inside.
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