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AFS is part of the Foil&Co group, a French company from Brittany designing and manufacturing hydrofoils, wings, windsurf boards and SUP boards for AHD, Sealion, AFS and Nah Skwell. The foils are all produced in France.
The AFS Flyer range is composed of a large quiver of sizes, with all elements of the range being modular and covering a large range of sports, from surf foiling to SUP, wing foiling and downwind foiling. The wings come with a beautiful yellow brushed-finish layer and the T-bar mast and top plate are made of pre-preg carbon. They come from two different molds and are then glued together and reinforced by three unidirectional carbon stringers. The baseplate is made out of compressed carbon fiber and is thicker than most of the baseplates on the market. The front wing is mounted on the bottom front square section of the fuselage using three M6 Torx screws and the stabilizer is mounted the same way using two M6 Torx screws. It is extremely rigid, stiff and light (3.2kg with the 1300) and looks great. One shim is provided in the pack to adjust the pitch of the front wing.
The Flyer series is dedicated to winging, downwind foiling and the smaller sizes are suitable for high-performance wingfoiling. The tests were run by wingfoiling in various conditions from extremely light winds to 35+ knots, with two different boards (5'0 surf foil board and a 6'0 wingfoil board) and different sizes of wings in open ocean conditions as well as in 4ft waves surf foiling.
The Flyer provides really early lift with amazing glide and pumps impressively. It is a perfectly balanced freeride foil providing a lot of lift. The stabilizer counters the extra amount of lift and is well tuned. With the shim provided, you can adapt the AOA of the front wing depending on your riding expectations. I found that in stronger winds I liked it tuned slightly downwards because it provided more control at higher speeds. The Flyer offers an impressive pitch stability that could be taken as a lack of maneuverability but once you are dialed in this results in a very predictable and enjoyable ride and a wide range of speed and control at any wind strength, providing tons of lift and generating speed instantly, remaining stable and predictable when the wind gets stronger. The foil is really stiff, giving you a highly controlled amount of energy, building speed gradually and gliding comfortably with a really low stalling point (around 8 knots). The carving control is not the most responsive but that is not its design brief and it is a pumping machine. Perfect for training on dockstarts and when the wind shuts off. The extra lift and stability makes it a really comfortable pumping foil that will take you hundreds of meters without burning your legs. It has a comfortable speed range but is noticeably slower than other speed-dedicated wing hydrofoils.
We also rode the Carver 1700 front wing and we felt that this is a particularly great combination for anyone getting into wingfoiling. The Carver will ease you into your firsts steps, while the Flyer will take things up a notch, and help you get through your transitions without any struggle.
