Nike Flightposite

We Fly High

The Nike Flightposite is a shoe that was ahead of it's time.Released in 1999 it pushed the limits of design and performance.It was Nike's second application of Foamposite technology and made improvements on the previous Foamposite One/Pro.Many considered the design a work of art while others thought it was plain ugly.In the end what matters the most on this blog is will it perform like art or be thrown out with the rest of the trash.

figure1
the beautiful profile and lines of the flightposite

The design of the shoe was meant to be an extension of the wearer's foot.The upper is made out of a single piece of Foamposite material.If you are unfamiliar with Foamposite material please refer to the Nike Lebron IV review.Unlike the previous Foamposite One/Pro it doesn't suffer from any weight issues normally associated with Foamposite based shoes.

figure2
The outsole mimics the lines on the upper

In figure2 you can see the flex grooves on the outsole that allow greater flexibility and better court performance for high speed cuts.The outsole performs reasonably well on most courts.I found I was slipping at times on the dirty tile floor but for the most part the traction was solid.The shoe doesn't have the typical upper/midsole/outsole setup.The Foamposite upper is glued directly onto the outsole with a phylon/zoom air insole above the outsole.This creates low to the ground responsive cushioning.A TPU shank provides extra midfoot support.

figure3
note the organic design of the shoe

Another way the shoe performs as an extension of the wearers foot is through the fit.Foamposite material has properties that allow it to mold to the wearer's foot creating a custom fit.It is a single piece of material that doesn't stretch so from a total foot support standpoint it is excellent.Aside from the Foamposite upper it also features a dynamic fit sleeve which forms the the foot's contours.To lock the whole package down is a full length zipper/velcro enclosure that forms to the player's foot.Mind you it takes a number of wearings before the shoe conforms to the wearer's foot and those with feet a little bit on the wide side(myself included) will feel a bit of discomfort during the first few wearings.After the 3rd or 4th wearing though it is extremely comfortable.

figure4

Overall the shoe stands up well to time despite being released eight years ago.Even at a time where designers push the limits this eight year old design still manages to surpass.Performance wise the shoe is solid.Traction is good and support is excellent.

Comfort and Fit-4.5/5
Cushioning-4.5/5
Ankle Support-4/5
Traction-4.5/5
Overall-4.5/5

The shoe loses points for break in period.Everything else was solid down the line.The design is what really pushes the shoe.While other shoes have done certain aspects of the Flightposite better,there's no denying 8 years ago this shoe was on top of the game.Even today this shoe remains in my regular rotation of basketball shoes I play in on a weekly basis and haven't run into a shoe that will retire it yet.