Date:	Wed, 21 Feb 1996 17:57:12 -1000
From:	"George W. Gilchrist" <gilchgw@zoology.washington.edu>
Message-Id: <312BE998.4354@zoology.washington.edu>
Organization: University of Washington
Subject: Fizz Phantom Elite Review

Fizz Phantom Elite

What is the best kite in the world (other than the one you are flying 
right now)? In a recent poll on the rec.kites Internet group, British 
flyers chose the Phantom Elite. This kite is only recently available in 
the USA, but it is worthy of notice. Tim Benson, the designer of the 
original Phantom, is the force behind the PE. He wanted a kite that 
delivered crisp precision performance, but was capable of most of the 
radical tricks that are working their way into freestyle presentations 
in Europe and the western US. Bensons long experience as a flyer and 
designer has paid off; the Phantom Elite succeeds spectacularly.

As a precision kite, the PE tracks beautifully, then snaps into a 900 
turn like it was on casters. There is only the slightest oversteer, and 
it is completely predictable and controllable. On long lines, the PE is 
of moderate speed and crisply completes a staircase or a series of 
nested boxes with ease. Very few kites are more agile and predictable 
for doing figures. What astonishes most fliers is how good a radical 
kite the PE can be. Axels, coin-tosses, cascades, flat spins, you name 
it, the PE does it. I have never had a kite that so perfectly holds a 
stall as it slides across the wind window. No other kite on the market 
features both outstanding precision performance and this enviable range 
of radical tricks. For a flier looking for a single kite that will 
perform with consistent excellence in precision, ballet, and freestyle 
flying, the Phantom Elite delivers.

The kite is made with Tim Bensons usual obsession with quality and 
reflects his unique philosophy of kite design. Tim eschews the current 
rage for kites that, through multiple standoffs, removable battens, and 
complex bridling schemes, can be adjusted every possible way for every 
minute change in wind condition. Benson claims a properly designed kite 
requires no adjustment whatsoever in its recommended wind range, and 
that all those extra little carbon bits are unnecessary. You need never 
touch the bridle adjustments on a PE, believe it or not. My Phantom 
Elite UL flies perfectly in winds from 1 to 15 MPH without moving a 
knot. The PE is silent in flight, with a low to moderate pull. The best 
kite in the world? I have yet to find anything that performs so well in 
so many different ways with so little effort on the part of the flier. 

Phantom Elite standard: Carrington nylon on Excel 6 mm pultruded rods.
Phantom Elite UL: Icarex on SkyShark 3P (the most popular model among 
the pros).
	Weight: 8 1/8 oz. (228 g)
	Dimensions: 98"W x 44"H (250 cm x 112 cm)
Phantom Elite SUL: Icarex on SkyShark 2P (indoors only, but most indoor 
fliers use UL).

(Note: these reviews are done as a favor for my local kite shop, Great
Winds Kites, here in Seattle. I am employed by neither the manufacturers
nor Great Winds. The opinions expressed are solely my own.)

***********************************************************
George W. Gilchrist          gilchgw@zoology.washington.edu
Department of Zoology                  Phone:(206) 543-4859
University of Washington                 Fax:(206) 543-3041
Seattle, WA 98195-1800 USA


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