Hi everyone,
Ben (Concept'Air) is releasing a new version of the Firefly these days, called Firefly 3.
Sizes announced: 2, 4, 6, 9 and 11.
I've had the 4 and 6m since April. Ben wanted feedback before the official release.
Ben's objectives for this new Firefly line:
_better upwind
_larger wind range
_less/no flapping
In terms of design for the 4 and 6m, and compared to the previous model, the FF3:
_are slightly longer
_ the 4m (and the 2m seen in the photo) has 2 more air inlets on the leading edge, for more rigidity.
_there are 2 complete cells at the wingtip (over the entire chord), instead of one, and with a profiled bulkhead.
_on the single-skin part of the wing, there are 3 clamping points every 2 partitions.
_the “bulkheads” on the single skin part are less spaced, resulting in one more bulkhead on each side of the wing.
_there may be other changes that are less accessible to my eye (Profile? Volume of the leading edge?).
Regarding behavior in flight:
I confirm the lower and higher wind range. FF3s are very stiff. We get a lot more power in loops and wing accelerations than with the FF2. The shock board is very long and progressive, like a box wing, whereas the FF2 was very on/off. And the wing does not flap when you hit, it accelerates. So it means that we can draw a lot of power from it by driving it and playing on the accelerations produced by the shock.
The high range is also much wider, due to the stiffness of the wing. It stays far at the edge of the window when impacted, instead of narrowing the flight window like the FF2 flapping did.
The upwind is excellent. We go up without thinking about it as with a box wing, and for the reasons mentioned above. The wing is very rigid and does not flap, so it stays far away from the edge of the window even when fully extended.
The steering is very precise. The wing makes right angles. "Like a razor," Ben said. And the useful length of the shock board makes the speed management of the wing very precise.
For the windy beaches, and at 75kg with a 1200 foil:
_I go out on the 6m at 10 to 20 knots, and I went out once in Sweet Potato with 18 knots and it worked very well. I'm very curious to explore its capabilities in surfboard (without foil).
_and the 4m from 15 knots to 25 knots. At 30 knots, it's not comfortable on a strapless foil, but the wing doesn't deform (I had these conditions once in front of a storm).
My more subjective impressions:
These wings are very different from FF2 and I love them. I liked the FF2s for carving down-wind in the waves, but I didn't take them out on flat water because the maneuvers specific to the foil that I love and which require having the wing well at the zenith with a little of sustenance were inaccessible to me.
I take the FF3s out on flat water and I can do whatever I like. When the wind picks up, I switch from the FRS9m UL to the FF3 6m, and I don't lose any pleasure in sailing. I gain even with the very superior drift of the FF3, and the shorter radius of turn.
With the FF2, I went out in 24m lines, sometimes 21m, but not shorter, because they didn't like to be starred. I released the 6m in 18m line this week and it works very well!
The 6m and 4m have good lift at the zenith even in their low range.
Personally, I find these FF3s to be an incredible achievement. They are very different from FF2. I have fun with it in waves as in flat water. I think they are less suitable for children/beginners than FF2 because they are fast and powerful. We get a little ripped off on takeoff in the middle of the window, while the FF2s started off more in chewing-gum mode. You can still have a shorter edge/shock by adjusting the clamping as on the other ConceptAir.
Still waiting Derek?derek440 wrote: ↑Tue Jul 26, 2022 5:12 amStill waiting but our Gin team in Switzerland have flown it and they report that its a massive step forward in performance from the V1 Marabou. I'll report back when I receive these kites, I am expecting this to be a bit of a game-changer, fingers crossed. The other kites that Housi has designed and with similar cloth have been all incredibly high performance, very promising that he spent so much personal time on this and that his team are really happy with the outcome.
a99 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 06, 2022 10:41 amin official spec chart 6m range is just from 13knots to 23 knots, not impressive, also aspect ratio is just 4, what is very low aspect kite, but maybe it turns well, still seems Peak5 6 m is better in all aspects, alos weight just 0.8 kg vs 1.1 kg of Marabous v2 6m.
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