A blast from the past, Surf Expo 2002 to be exact and a Bi-Wing LEI Kite?! This writeup was lost during a crash of Kiteforum back in the day. Keeping fairly complete archives I was able to find it again. There is even something about the founding manufacturer of LEI kites, Wipika in its later days.
The front
and rear view
This is what I wrote about it in my writeup of the 2002 Surf Expo:
"I just spoke with Will Harper, sales manager of WINDWING about their new variable area kite, the D-MOD. The prototype kite was on display at Surf Expo last weekend (see below).
http://groups.msn.com/flkitesurfer/s...oto&PhotoID=30
http://groups.msn.com/flkitesurfer/s...oto&PhotoID=31
This is an innovation in kite design for kiteboarding applications but a very recent one. Will told me that the kite went from concept to prototype in only TWO WEEKS! The patent for this kite is pending. The kite appears to be a conventional four line inflatable kite with the addition of a supplemental lifting section that is secured by zippers and Velcro beneath the arc of the kite. This panel significantly increases the lifting area to facilitate low end performance. With the panel removed, I understand that it flies just like a conventional four line leading edge inflatable (LEI) kite.
The D-MOD was designed by Bill Hanson who has extensive foil design and production experience. Bill has designed several foil kites for Slingshot and has designed the snow and buggy traction and trainer kites currently being sold by WINDWING. I understand that the buggy kites have been very well received. WINDWING has been producing an unusual lifting wing for skiing/snowboarding and windsurfing sails for years.
The prototype D-MOD kite shown at Surf Expo has a convertible flat area of 18 m to 12 m with projected areas of 14 m and 8 m respectively. Two other as of yet undisclosed sizes are contemplated for production as soon as March 2003. The prototype has been flown on land but not over water as of yet. I understand that it launched readily and flew well. Further trials and tuning are underway including selecting an appropriate angle of attack or trim angle for the removable panel.
Aside from being the first variable area kiteboarding kite that I have encountered it has another unusual feature. The kite has a "beak" at the leading edge that facilitates rolling from one side to the other when the kite falls on the water. Add to that the transverse stiffing provided by the removable panel and the D-MOD and they believe that it should re-launch far easier than other LEI kites on the market today. The kite is intended to be used by intermediate to advanced kiteboarders as opposed to new riders. Will felt that with the panel removed the kite should perform just like a regular LEI kite.
Will indicated that they kite is to be flown with a conventional four line bar with chicken loop. I asked him about how the kite would be depowered with a kite leash. If the panel remains in place the kite will not fully depower. He indicated that if the kite is flown off of one line only, it will not fly and will fall to the water. They are still evaluating if the kite will present excessive residual area for wind loading once the depowering leash has been used.
Will passed on some observations about the reaction of some of the other kite manufacturers. He said that Naish was amused by the design. He reported that Flexifoil was interested in the concept and asked a number of questions. Will said the Bruno Legaignoux of Takoon was very interested in the kite and took extensive notes and sketched the kite on graph paper. I expect to read about more developments regarding the D-MOD kite in the future. For additional information regarding WINDWING products you can contact Will Harper at
info@windwing.com.
Finally, I asked Will about the recent major transitions in the North American distribution system for Wipika. Principals of WindMall are responsible for the distribution of Wipika and WINDWING products in that territory. He said that things have been going very well although it happened quite recently. Will said that during the first day of Surf Expo the reactions were mixed and uncertain. By the second day however confidence in the new distributor was building and they acquired a number of new dealers. Will was quite pleased with the experience at this Surf Expo."
Kiting has changed so much in that time. Wonder what will be next?