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Mout Mout (Space Kite)

The latest from Space Kite, the growing French manufacturer.
The Mout Mout (small mosquito in Senegalese) is defined by its designer as a fast, lively learner's kite. We were warned!

PRESENTATION
The Mout Mout comes in a simple nylon bag with a catalogue and sheet of instructions. It is available with or without lines and handles. It is a squat shape with a short spine and curved leading edges. The seams are flat, glued and zigzag stitched. The whole kite is well finished with reinforcement at all necessary points, a webbing nose, stopped leading edge connectors and a leech line. The spine has a velcro fastener at the bottom, and a trick line. The bridle is made from sleeved Dyneema.

FLIGHT TEST
The Mout Mout takes oft positively without the need for great care plus it does not lose pressure in the sail as do many other kites of this type. It tracks well and stays stable which is a good asset. We did notice a small amount of oversteer when exiting a spin but none after sharp angles. The kite needed fairly gentle handling as large hand movements had a tendency to pull one wing flat.

The kite would recover well enough, but lost height. It was stable on the edge of the window and could be stalled and landed softly. Trick capability was basic. An axel is more of a rotation around the wing than really flat, and the kite will easily go on its back. Attention needed to be paid to the tuning after the first flight. On the test kite the knots had slipped and the Mout Mout didn't fly so well.

CRASH TEST
The Mout Mout broke before we got round to the crash test. The 2mm carbon stand-offs wouldn't take the pressure of the extent of the kite's bending in flight. Standoffs in a stronger material like GRP would be better. The kite stood up to crash test itself-nothing broken.

CONCLUSION
We thought that the Mout Mout would be best suited to the flyer who has progressed beyond basic flight. Fast and lively, the kite demands quick reflexes and anticipation from the pilot. For someone with those skills it was playful, fun and amusing. The price is a little high