No compromise

Aerie introduced this new kite at the KTA. It has a deep Icarex sail, and, although the seams are not rolled, the kite is very well detailed. The Mystic is reinforced with Mylar film in numerous places, particularly around the stand offs and the tail. This gives the kite a fine finish overall. The APA connectors are of very good quality and have stoppers to keep them in place. The stand off connectors let the kite down somewhat. Similarly, the system which links the cross spars with the spine is a bit odd and difficult to assemble.

With its relatively broad tail and deep sail, I expected the kite to exhibit good stability and precision, but in fact the kite tended to oversteer. Once I had lightened the factory bridle setting a little (by 5 mm), the ammount of oversteer was reduced, but then stability suffered. The Mystic will take off in little wind-around 3 mph-and its upper limit is around 20 mph. Thus, its wind range is pretty good.

The Mystic will trick pretty well. It recovers easily after a move and is quickly ready to go again. Consequently, it handles figures and combination tricks well and it is very pleasant for ground-work. It is not very fast and the kite tends to pull a bit, because it has lots of sail area and boasts a big 250 cm wingspan.

To summarize, the Mystic is a versatile, easy-to-fly kite with a few surprises. However, it is well built and nicely finished.