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iFlite handmade by Patrick Tan

iFlite, "The Windless Wonder". That's the motto you will find at the official home of the iFlite, and that is just what it is. Handmade by Patrick Tan in Singapore, Singapore, the iFlite is a very unique little aircraft, indeed. Right away you notice that it is very special, starting with its storage case. It is folded and packaged in a clear plastic tube, with little plastic plugs on each end. When you open the tube, and "pour" the iFlite into your hand, you find yourself holding a kite that weighs less than a penny. That 2.9 grams includes a bridle, a carbon fiber spreader bar, little rubber sockets to hold the bar, and the three main carbon spars, all affixed to the incrediably thin icarex fabric with perfectly placed small drops of glue. Two pieces of clear tape help to secure the main spar, and three pieces of composite tape are used to reenforce the nose and along the wing's edge where the sockets attach. There is even a very useful little rubber fitting on the nose of the kite. The iFlite is built on a tiny scale, almost like it's a replica of a glider, instead of actually being one itself. The iFlite looks like a little hang glider, and if it were large enough I am sure it would serve that purpose quite well. The craftmanship and care taken in both construction and design creates a kite that is fun just to look at. The slipknotted rigging looks like tiny ropes on a model ship. The carbon fiber spars are actually two different sized carbon pieces cleverly attached so that the trailing end of each spar is extended with a single carbon fiber. The simplicity of a design so functionally complete, combined with such elegant workmanship, really make this small creation a fine work of art and engineering. And to that end, each individual kite is artistically signed, dated, and numbered by Patrick. Once the kite is unfolded, the spreader bar is in place, and the line(string) is attached, the iFlite is ready to fly. The wind is blowing outside at 3 mph. If we walk out there and hold the string, the iflite would jump into the air and fly downwind of where we stand, just like a regular kite. And, I know that can be fun, all on its own, but that's not really what this kite is all about. Not only does it not need wind, it actually prefers absolutely no wind whatsoever. Because that's when the iFlite gets to glide. And the iFlite is all about the glide. When I was a kid, I made one or two thousand paper airplanes. I may be underestimating, but let's go with that for now. There was a design that I learned from my best friend that created a center-balanced airplane. It would follow a long glideslope rather than stall and nose down. I can remember on more than one occasion, attaching a string, and later a thread, to the paper airplane, trying to get it to glide around the room on command. I was not very successful at all, but i tried nonetheless. The iFlite is that glider on a string. And it flies like a graceful balanced paper airplane, only one or two thousand times better. For its size, the iflite is so light in weight that it forces you to treat it very delicately. But don't let that fool you, the iFlite is actually very durable. I have tested this fact many times, I can assure you. The fabric is extremely resiliant and the carbon fiber speaks for itself. So despite the fact that it feels as if one sneeze would destroy the entire craft, it actually is going to easily handle most of the punishment it receives. If you take care of your iFlite, it should continue to fly for quite some time. My iFlite's are iFlite #576 created on June 21st, 2012 and iFlite #621, created on July 9th, 2012. Each iFlite has its own personality. They handle differently and each has flight qualities and features that are unique to themselves. iFlite 621 will spin and turn more freely but it also has a higher angle of attack and tends to buck when on an extended glide, while iFlite 576 flies very level and glides very smoothly, but tends to fly faster and does not respond as quick to control impulses. Both iFlites are lots of fun to fly, and choosing only one is an extremely difficult choice to consider. These are both Non-Vented iFlite Model I's. Out there in the world are the other versions and flavors of this kite. There are two models, iFlite I and the larger iFlite II. Each model may be vented or non-vented. At the moment, iFlites are offered in either White or Pink, however there are hints of new colors being considered. A picture of a blue iFlite surfaced on the facebook page, but it was a fabric-test prototype and it is unclear if it will ever make it into actual production. (*update* Blue iFlites are now available, dec 2012) Flying the iFlite is a dynamic activity. The learning curve definitly lies ahead of you, but the fundamentals come quicker than you might think. After that the rewards grow with each flight as you gain experience in creating smooth glides, 360 spins, and graceful controlled flight. The iFlite was created to fly in a small living room, but that probably isn't the best learning environment. If you find yourself constantly crashing, while practicing in the limited amount of free space, don't be discouraged, and don't expect too much too soon. Limit your flying sessions to just a few minutes at a time and before long you will notice your flights becoming longer and crashes fewer. The iFlite can be flown by "hand", or by using a stick to help control the line. Control of the iFlite is centered on how quickly line can be alternatly drawn in and then released. A quick pull at the right time will cause the iFlite to climb a few feet in the air. Releasing the line at just the right instant, can allow a sharply banking iFlite to quickly center itself and glide gracefully for 20 feet. If you cannot release 20 feet of line quick enough, or if your resistance on the line is too much, the glide would be intruppted and the glider would spin back toward the pull. Effectively controlling that resistance is the steering mechanism of this single line kite.A stick can be helpful to allow a quicker pull, since a small wrist movement will move the stick, with line attached, quickly through the air. I highly reccommend the iFlite to anyone wanting to fly a kite inside the house without wind. Which is pretty much everybody, right? Recently while reading Dr. Suess's "One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish" with our son, we came across the page that reads, "Did you ever fly a kite in bed?". We both smiled. The last time we read this book we had definitly not flown a kite in bed. It had been inconcievable. But no longer! I routinely fly the iFlite while sitting on our bed. Dr. Suess would be amazed, my wife, not so much. iFlites change the historically accepted preception of what kites can do. iFlite brings the ability to fly a glider kite in a small space whenever the desire arises. It is capable of responding to quite intricate control impulses as it smoothly and silently glides through still air. iFlite offers the Zen of flight to both the pilot and the spectator and is simply a blast to fly. -g (this review was written over a period of time from october thru december,2012. Send comments to glenn@windstock.net )

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