Swallowtail - DRAFT 
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jeffy@syrinx.umd.edu (Jeffrey C. Burka)  14 Sep 92 20:42:14 GMT

Manufacturer:       Fizz Sport Kites
Materials:  sail
Spars   

Wind Range:         
Span:         
Height:         
Type:         Delta


I got to fly (finally!) Benson's new Swallowtail.  Ooh!  Nifty!  
Instead of the normal dart keel, this kite has two little sailettes 
(;-) extending down from the t-fitting, like the tail of an angelfish 
(or Joel Scholtz' Neptune).  Benson is far more sensible about his 
tail than Scholtz.  On the Neptune, the tail is kept taut by a piece 
of fiberglass that curves by the sail.  While this works, it distorts 
the sail by the spine.  Benson simply has what amounts to leading edge 
pockets that meet at the t-fitting, and the swallowtails are held out 
by graphite spars (held in place with the obligatory bungee).  All 
this is stuck onto a kite that looks an awful lot like a Phantom, in 
terms of size, geometry, and construction. 

So how does it fly?  Well, the Swallowtail seems to take a bit more 
wind, but once it's in the air is shockingly reminiscient of the 
Phantom.  It sounds just like a Phantom and has the same solid feel 
through turns.  The big differences seem to be that it turns an awful 
lot faster (though nothing like the High Profile, Benson's other new 
kite) and it skates beautifully. 

While not an overly radical kite (certainly more than the Phantom 
though), this kite needs the now ever-present piece of monofilament 
strung along the bottom--the double tails just provide too many places 
for your bridles to get snagged. 

Jeffrey C. Burka