The F-One strike has been the go-to wing in the Otherside school since the original version. With the upgrades listed below, it doesn’t appear to be going anywhere any time soon!
This wing did have a strut blowout in Egypt (be careful using air tanks!), but was professionally repaired by Airtime, and as with all of their repairs, you’ll be hard pressed to find any evidence! The canopy is still tight and not stretched out, in overall great condition. There are also 2 repairs on the LE bladder, but holding air perfectly.
Since F-ONE introduced the first edition of the Strike, it has been a firm favourite amongst wingers worldwide. Whilst the Strike has always been marketed as 'the ultimate performance wing' (and it doesn't disappoint in that regard), thanks to its balanced flight characteristics, predictable performance and light feeling, its performance can still be exploited by less experienced riders also. As a result, the third iteration features significant construction changes, and the size range has expanded to include everything from 2.0m-5.5m^2 in 0.5 increments (larger sizes up to 9.0 are covered by the new dedicated Strike CWC V3, which we'll cover separately).
F-One have gone to great efforts to optimise the panel layout and orientation to improve performance, increase rider comfort in challenging conditions and prevent deterioration of the wing's performance over time. F-One have focused a lot of its marketing on introducing a number of new canopy and load frame material weights used in different locations throughout the wing to increase stiffness only where required so as not to increase the overall weight unnecessarily. Whilst this significant change isn't visually obvious when you first pump up the wing, many other design details implemented to control canopy tension distribution are. One of the first things you'll notice is the 'load diffuser' on the back of the strut at the leech of the wing. This reinforced mylar and dacron section ties nicely to the radially cut canopy sections in this area. These panels have been arranged to ensure the material fibres are oriented in the direction of maximum stress within the canopy. It is worth mentioning at this point that F-One's objective with all this was not to make the stiffest wing possible, but this so-called 'adaptive wing design' promises the perfect balance between performance and comfort. So, how did it stack up on the water?
The F-One Strike V3 will not be unfamiliar to those who have tried its older siblings. It is still a very nimble wing that feels light in the arms, balanced on the depower handle and manoeuvrable during turns. In addition, compared to previous versions, the response to input is even more instantaneous. This is likely a result of both the V3 handles (which are still lightweight 'soft handles' but have been 'rigidified') and the new design resulting in constant canopy tension irrespective of the wing's angle of attack.
