February 18, 2017
To Whom it May Concern;
We are happy to report that AirWolf is currently for sale in select sizes and we would like to clarify some information regarding the materials used for its construction.
The Fluid Wings AirWolf wing is constructed entirely from zero porosity nylon (ZP and FT-30). We use differing materials and processes; all of which meet an engineering definition of zero porosity (ZP) nylon. The AirWolf does not have “sail” material in it. Some of our other products such as the HK and the Helix utilize a material that could be classified as sail. However, none of that material is used on the AirWolf.
For the following reasons we classify the materials used in the AirWolf as ZP:
The term “sail” originates from that fact that these materials were developed and used for sail spinnaker cloth. The “sail” material is a ripstop nylon that is coated with an epoxy or urethane coatings that give the material stiffness. Sail materials are distinguished from materials traditionally referred to as ZP nylon by the lack of a siliconized impregnation/coating (no spinnaker material uses a siliconized process).
The Fluid Tech FT-30 proprietary materials used in the AirWolf were developed in conjunction with one of our fabric suppliers, especially for our use, and coated/impregnated to our exact specification, and are in fact siliconized. These materials are not available from any other source including spinnaker material manufacturers, and were never intended for that use.
Our fabric meets the requirements of PIA-C-2004 as a “type I” fabric. It should be noted that this document does not define “sail” materials.
No objective quantifiable industry accepted method (e.g. PIA, AATCC or ASTM testing specification) exists to define “sail material”. Fluid Wings asserts our right as the manufacturer to define and classify the materials used in our products in accordance with our designs.
Therefore, the Fluid Tech FT-30 material should be considered a differing grade of what would be referred to as ZP or zero-porosity nylon.
Thank you,
Scott Roberts
President and Lead Design Engineer
Fluid Wings LLC