So just who Is this Jack the fly then? Is it a man? A machine? Reality Or pure fiction? In any case the Jack Keltic in question undoubtedly has many hidden talents.

Design/Construction
The first thing that strikes you when you unfold the kite is the unusual material. The 31g polyester is two-tone with one side metallic green and the other in black giving many new possibilities to the designer as demonstrated for us here by Level One.

The Jack the Fly is made from six main panels and four double thicknesses The sail of the kite is a real work of art. The six panels that make up the sail are nicely sewn with French seams. The sewing, which attaches the decorative material, serves a double purpose as it holds the kite together as well as the design in place. The leading edge

pockets are made from spinnaker and they too have a little touch of class with four small coloured bands on each wing tip. The nose has two layers of Dacron. The trailing edge has a thin Dacron tape that encloses a leech line keeping the kite completely silent. There are Dacron reinforcements in all the places where they are required.

The frame is made from Avia .196 (5.3mm) in the leading edges, top spreader and spine with Avia .230 (5.9mm) in the lower spreaders. The hardware comes from APA and Jaco.

The kite has a turbo bridle with an intermediate leg. The incidence and the intermediate leg are regulated with a system of knots A trick line is attached with elastic bands

FLIGHT TEST
Looking at the kite's design and build, it is clear that the Jack the Fly is destined for light winds. The wind range given by the manufacturer is 2 to 18mph, but the kite really flies best in a wind of around 4 to 8mph. It is a fairly good all round kite with the preference for the freestyle side. The kite's quality of precision is not quite so hot although it can make nice snappy angled turns and does not oversteer out of a spin. It is however a little more difficult to keep the Jack the Fly on a straight line. When you turn to freestyle, the Jack the fly gets a lot more interesting. Axels of whatever type are fast and positive and are done without fail. Fades, pancakes and other tricks done with the kite flat are all easy as the kite is happy in this position. The kite's predilection was the dead leaf, which it did beautifully in light winds. One little niggle: the trick line was not as good as it could be and line tangles were quite common as one got more used to the kite. Gaining more confidence more ambitious tricks were attempted; we found that the lines caught on the bridle clips. While on the subject of the bridle the regulation of the intermediate leg was found to be easy as it corresponds to that of the incidence. Groundwork was very good. The curved leading edges allowed easy rollovers and the flexible spars made one feel confident about tip stands In its upper wind range, the Jack the Fly becomes less easy to use as it has a tendency to deform and becomes more powerful. Its trick ability is reduced but it is still able to do many things

Conclusion
The Jack the Fly is a kite for light winds, which is accessible and pleasant. Those who are after a precision machine will have to look elsewhere but those who like throwing in a trick or two will enjoy the good all-round ability of this kite. All this combined with a stunning appearance means that young Jack the Fly has plenty going for him.