Here in the Rain City, we can go weeks without a windy day. So we have decades of experience designing iconic ultralights that’ll fly even when the flags hang limp and the water has barely a ripple. In fact, we’ve come to love flying those drifter days more than anything else. All it takes is the right equipment.
The all-new Aether is incredibly light and beautifully balanced to perform when your regular kites are grounded. It responds to fingertip inputs with a lively precision that’ll give you the confidence to explore graceful stalls, flat spins, axels, fades, and all the core maneuvers that form the building blocks for more advanced combinations.
If you’ve never owned a kite that flies in the light stuff you’ve got a treat coming. And if you’re working on more advanced tricks there’s no better way to improve your touch and finesse than flying in light winds. Flying with fingertips on the line and just a breath of wind gives you sensitivity and touch that’ll supercharge your skills.
Unlike many exotic ultralights, the Aether is light without being fragile. It’s framed with flexible carbon leading edges and spine that absorb impacts and turbulence, combined with wrapped, tapered carbon lower spreaders for crisp response and a wide wind range. The ultra-lightweight ripstop polyester and mylar laminate sail won’t absorb moisture and get heavy on humid days. Light winds can be fickle, so if there’s a hole in the breeze the wing is nicely balanced to float patiently in a stall while giving you time to recover.
Light winds favor shorter lines, so we built the Aether a tad smaller than our full-sized models to be perfect on 50-75 foot lines. This gives you more room to move as you fly and opens up smaller flying spots that might be too turbulent in stronger winds.
As your touch and finesse develop you’ll be able to feel smaller and smaller subtleties through your lines. That’s why we include a floating center T with adjustable inhauls and adjustable outer standoffs that let you tune it perfectly for the conditions and your flying style. The floating T also allows a higher lift wing while eliminating the hard connection that so often breaks spines in a crash.
Whether you’re new to light winds or on your way to becoming a trick guru, the Aether has a place in every collection. It’s a delightful, beautifully balanced wing that’ll make you a better pilot and let you have a blast flying even when there’s barely any wind.
Design Details
- Resilient pultruded carbon spine and leading edges absorb gusts and turbulence for a lively, responsive feel.
- Dynamic DT10 wrapped, tapered carbon lower spreaders put stiffness in the middle of the kite where you want it for performance and minimize weight towards the wingtips for quick response.
- Adjustable standoffs allow precise control over wing twist to add or reduce lift when the wind changes.
- Floating center-t provides flexible spine connection to absorb shock and reduce spine breakage.
- Adjustable bridle inhauls let you fine tune turn radius and control response.
- New APA leading edge connector fittings reduce weight, make assembly easier, and capture the bridle legs so fittings can’t get lost in the grass.
- Lightweight sleeve fits easily in a kite bag without extra bulk.
- Lightweight 1/2 oz ripstop polyester sailcloth minimizes weight and won’t stretch and absorb moisture on humid days.
- Captured upper spreader increases upper wind range and prevents it from getting lost.
| Wingspan | 80 in / 203 cm |
|---|---|
| Skill Level | Intermediate to Expert |
| Wind Range | 1-12 mph / 2-19 kph |
| Height | 40 in / 102 cm |
| Weight | 6.6 oz / 187 grams |
| Sail Area | 8.6 sq ft. / .8 sq m. |
| Aspect Ratio | 2.0 |
| Sail Loading | .77 oz/sq. ft. / 234 grams/sq. m. |
| Frame | Dynamic DT10 wrapped tapered lower spreaders, 4 mm pultruded carbon leading edges and spine, 4 mm carbon upper spreader, 2 mm carbon standoffs |
| Sail Materials | .75 mil mylar laminate, .5 oz ripstop polyester |
| Bridle | Stitched 1.3 mm Dyneema core with polyester overbraid |
| Does Not Include | Flying Lines, Printed Instructions (available online) |
| Recommended Flying Lines | 50-75’ x 50# Dyneema |