Review: Eddie Green kHiTe Editor.

Introduction

Someone once rather unkindly described the French approach to designing a kite was to produce a good ballet kite and then add weight until it performed tricks. This is of course not really fair as anyone who has flown an un-weighted French kite can testify, but there is a modicum of truth - adding weight to a kite with the right bridle adjustment can make a significant difference to the way a kite performs and flies and open up a whole new range of freestyle flying.

The T2 Solo at 2.2m x 1m has for many years been considered a very solid individual ballet kite with good precision and good basic trick capabilities. With this update from the hands of designer Peter Taylor and flier Matt Stevens the repertoire of the Solo has been blown wide open. Furthermore all the changes can be retrofitted to existing T2 Solos. So how does this (re)new(ed) British kite measure up?

Construction

Airdynamics make kites to a quality that is increasingly rare these days, The PC 31 sails rolled seams are very neat, and the attention to detail is superb. Airdynamics craft is at the top of sport kite manufacture. The wing tip bungee pass through a metal eyelet, the fittings are stopped and glued securely. The winglet tensioners are held onto the sail with good quality rubber bands. The three point bridle is tied neatly with easy adjustment knots at the upper spreader fittings to change the angle of attack.

Included with the kite are optional yo-yo glides, and with the review kite a yo-yo line. The exact details are yet to be finalised, as Peter is still considering yo-yo stops and different methods of glides. Suffice to say Peters approach to building kites is on a by order basis so it is quite possible for the purchaser to specify their preferences.

The shape of the kite itself it traditional, with a long tail, a reasonably deep single stand-off sail and winglets. The nose webbing is also traditionally cut which means that taping is required to prevent line catches. There is no reinforcement on the trailing edge, Airdynamics are happy to fit a W trick line to prevent sail wear if it is a concern, which is a solution that avoids the shuddering sometimes caused by taped trailing edges. There is no leach line either, but the Solo is quiet.

The frame is, as is usual for Airdynamics kites, a mixture of materials. The spine is an 8mm pull-wound extrusion carbon tube reinforced with glass fibre. The top spreader and leading edge are the same material in 6mm with a 4.5mm internal diameter. The bottom leading edge is Carbon K 6mm with a 4mm internal diameter. Carbon K, otherwise known as snake tube, is carbon with aramid (like kevlar); it has quite a lot of bend but is very tough and hard to break. In case you were worrying that this would make the kite too bendy the lower cross spreaders are G-Force SUL which adds a lot of stiffness to the kite.

The T2 Solo 2005 comes with three different spine end nocks. The standard end nock has a carbon insert, and with this in place the kite is un-weighted. However there are also two nocks with 6mm brass rod inserts at 8cm and 12cm in length. These provide different weight options for the Solo, opening up a wider range of tricks to the experienced flier. Changing the weights is very simple and quick. For those who like nose weight it is quite possible to trim the spine and use the weights in the nose instead, or even put one at each end.

Weight System

It is clear that considerable thought and attention has gone into the framing and construction of this kite. For this Airdynamics should be applauded, especially in this price range.

Style

The sail layout of the Solo is mostly one colour with four colour panels on either wing. It is unashamedly old school in this respect and some striking combinations can be achieved. It is impossible to comment on standard colour schemes as kites are built to order.

From a competition point of view the Solo stands out in the sky and a dark large centre panel and colour panels radiating from the tail area are generally considered to accentuate the look of straight lines and corners. However it is possible to ask Peter to make a wide range of colour schemes.

Flight

The Solo has an advised wind range from 3-18mph, and we have flown it in that full range. Adjusting the bridle for light winds we found that the Solo performed as well as many UL's, especially with no weight. It is these conditions that the Solo's character immediately begins to display it self. Anything involving rotations the Solo performs very flat indeed. Helicopters and 540's are silky smooth and axels give you a clear on view of the reverse of the kite. Lots of tricks that are harder or just plain ugly on many modern kites look fantastic on the T2 Solo and multiple axels from a single pop are possible too.

Cascades are straight forward, although the kite doesn't relish the French nose down style as much as some kites, but it stalls well between each half axel making slow rivers possible even in stronger winds. Ground work is solid, the precision side of the Solo comes into play and it lands well. The T2 is not an easy dead launch kite, but few kites are these days. However most of the take off combinations you can think of are no problem - including the super start.

In flic flacs, the T2 with no weight flares out slowly which is attractive but somewhat out of fashion these days. Adding either of the two weights and the kite becomes quicker but even with the heaviest weight the Solo is not super quick. Like some other kites the Solo does have a slight dead spot in a pancake which needs to be watched for. Although the weight system makes the Solo more pitchy it is certainly not a fast wrapping and unwrapping kite; it will yo-yo comfortably but in its own time and at its own pace. Fliers who are used to the weighted French kites may find the pace too slow. The T2 Solo turtles well, and lazy susans nice and flat rather than deep. It is certainly quick enough for jacob's ladders and multi-lazies are not a problem, but this is not a multi-lazy machine like the Transfer. The T2 Solo is fully pitch capable but not pitch focused and ultimately this is linked to the large sail area.

Pop the T2 Solo into a fade and all that sail comes into play - it is absolutely rock solid. Pop a line and the T2 Solo completes a perfectly flat single backspin rotation and returns to the fade position. This kite is quite simple the most controllable backspin cascade machine we have ever flown. On our first test flight in light winds we were performing backspin cascades going clockwise once, counter clockwise once, clockwise twice, counter clockwise twice, clockwise thrice, counterclockwise thrice, consistently without loosing height. Hold back on the slack and the T2 does very impressive barrel rolls too. Combine the control in this area with the 540 performance of the Solo and there are some exciting combinations waiting to be found.

It should perhaps go without saying that the T2 Solo has solid precision in a snappy style. Square turns and 45 degree turns are not difficult. As we pushed over the top of the Solo's wind range at 20mph we found its performance degraded, and it generated significant pull - so there is a vented option for this sort of wind condition. Despite this it was still possible to stall the kite in a hind wind and over steer is never a problem. In strong winds the Solo is stable enough at the edge of the window to perform 540's and cascades. Our favourite strong wind trick was a right handed backspin at the left edge of the window which once initiated would zip at high speed into the centre.

Even though the bridle doesn't catch on the tail we found that the lines catching on the tail can be a problem in radical moves. The wing tips with their winglets can also snag, however neither of these drawbacks are a problem in the flying that the Solo excels at - axels, flats spins, fades and backspins. We had some difficulty with the comete especially in this regard, but get it right and the Solo cometes very nicely. With practice and hard work we feel that the Solo is capable of performing most of the 'in' tricks being flown today in a purposeful style, but to get the most fun out of this kite the flier has to explore the kites strengths which make it fairly unique.

Conclusion

The T2 Solo 2005 is a beautifully constructed kite in a very British style with a smattering of Gallic sauce. This kite is not a direct competitor to the Nirvana or Transfer, but more of its own form of cuisine. It is very tasty indeed, but may not be what you are expecting. If you are tempted by a kite with great light wind capabilities, good precision, a capable pitch side and the most fantastic 540's and backspins then the T2 Solo is definitely at the top of the menu.

Metaphors aside the Solo will, with practice, handle almost anything you can throw at it. It feels like a big kite - bigger than the Nirvana. It will perform tricks slowly, smoothly and purposely, and if you have a taste for old school flying will generate many smiles. The T2 Solo is also very good value. A great update of a classic design, and hopefully a sign of things to come from Airdynamics.