I flew the 2020 Black Flite 14.5m this past weekend in 13kt wind with a TT @ a demo event in Michigan.
(OR- thanks for coming to KOGL!)
I previously owned and loved a 2015 Flite 14.5m for use in the same conditions. (The 2015 Flite still had a remarkably low mass...)
Positive observations:
+ More responsive to steering inputs = I can sine the kite faster and more effectively in underpowered conditions.
Neutral observations:
+ Makes the same power for a given size, in steady-state cruising. (I didn't get the foilkite 'wow' feeling of more power per size.)
+ LE coating feels like a rubberized whitewater raft or inflatable SUP. (But thinner, of course.) This is novel.
It was a positive impression. Kite buddy and I spent the ride home discussing
"If you could have a 12m Soul or a 14.5m Aluula for about the same money, which would you pick?"
If the wind dies, I'd rather swim with the Flite, so that's my answer...
(no brand affiliation)
A side note- I don't think any traditional LE is "puncture resistant"- dune grass grows with sharp chutes here, and every LEI I've made the mistake of putting in the beach grass has come back with a pincushion array of bladder leaks. We're at such a low baseline that I have a hard time believing that the change to a laminate is any
relative drawback, regarding needle punctures.
And "guerrilla launches" - new phrase, love it, applies to my local