New Slingshot Diesel

Bill C · Guest

Anyone fly the new Slingshot diesel? I am trying to find a comparison between the diesel and the crossbow.

blancoh2o · Since 15 Mar 2005 1154 Posts Oregon Phishy

Sorry, but you are going to have to wait until next month. They should (officially)be here in October sometime.
You probably will not have to look too hard to find reports on them once they do hit the U.S.. It sounds like Slingshot has addressed a lot of the concerns people have had with other flat kites.
Just hang in there and you will be able to see for yourself.

Bill C · Since 15 Sep 2005 203 Posts Portland Stoked

Thanks. Have to admit I am getting caught up in the 'flat kite' thing. I read Slingshot's writeup on the Diesel and they characterize it as a beginner or intermediate kite. However, I don't see the Crossbow being painted with the same label.

lance_k · Since 04 May 2005 565 Posts Hood River Photographer

I heard a report from a reliable source that Slingshot just recieved some hot new kites today from abroad...

Spencer · Since 24 Jun 2005 29 Posts Portland

The rumor is true. I wasn't able to make it out yesterday, but my friend was just leaving the sandbar when a SlingShot truck literally filled with Turbo Diesels arrived at the spit yesterday afternoon. Don't know how soon we'll start seeing them in the shops.

4Stringer/KipWinger · Since 27 Apr 2005 541 Posts Hood River Addicted

Spencer's report is correct Sir. At approximately 17:00 hours on Thursday, September 15th, I made visual contact with a number of inflated Slingshot Turbo Diesel kites on the wind shadowed south end of the sandspit proper. A number of civilians, associated with Slingshot brand were standing at close proximity to the beached kites. Not long after, it appeared that riders were assigned kites and a mission with an undisclosed purpose commenced. It is this writer's observation that the five or six kites were used for testing purposes, with the results of those test highly classified. Rider's were undoubtedly told by their Slingshot Commander in Chief; "...Listen here sumbitch, you tell anybody anything, I'll have you carabined to a 30 meter and launched in a gusty 35 mph westerlies just west of the paddlewheeler."

I must say that I am dissapointed to learn that Slingshot does not use a more scientific testing approach. If the company truly believed in it's product, it would use a double blind approach to testing. Riders would be blindfolded before launch, the kites would be wrapped in toilet paper to conceal the kite brand/model, and finally the testing coordinator would not be allowed to view the test. Shame on Slingshot.

A double-blind test is a control group test where neither the evaluator nor the subject knows which items are controls. A randomized test is one that randomly assigns items to the control and the experimental groups.

The purpose of controls, double-blind, and randomized testing is to reduce error, self-deception and bias. An example should clarify the necessity of these safeguards.

Jim