Air Flight Lite II. 2001. Circa Late Spring/early Summer IIRC.
Here's what Professor K had to say about it in the day.
Most of Nike's hoops shoes make use of either polyurethane (PU), Phylon, or a combination of the two in the midsole. PU is very dense, firm and durable,but because it is so dense it is relatively heavy. Phylon is a step down from PU in density, firmness and durability, but is lighter. The Air Flight Lite II,on the other hand, makes use of a material Nike calls Phylite, which is even lighter than Phylon, but is the least dense, firm, or durable of the threematerials. To our knowledge this is the first hoops shoe in which Nike has used Phylite as a midsole material (I've previously only seen it used in runningshoes). Teamed up with the Phylite midsole is a full-length encapsulated Air-Sole unit. As expected, the feel is unique.
Immediately after putting the shoes on I could feel that the cushioning, particularly in the heel, is much softer than any other Nike hoops shoe that I'vetested. With every step the deformation of the heel can easily be felt. This is unusual for a Nike Air-based shoe, which generally provide heel cushioning thatis quite firm. The deformation is even more acute when making quick or sharp lateral movements. The midsole actually appears to be designed to deform whenpressure is placed at any edge (see figure 3). This is a strange design decision since the midsole material is already softer than the norm. The combination ofthe material and design of the midsole compromises the stability and feel of the Air Flight Lite II. To make a car analogy, it feels like riding in anold-school Lincoln Continental with pillow-like suspension. The Lincoln is not very good in corners and neither is the Air Flight Lite II. But while themidsole may not be up to the job, the outsole is, providing excellent stop-on-a-dime traction.
On the other hand, when going in a straight line the soft ride of the Air Flight Lite II can be an asset. Pure jump shooters will like the soft ride that theshoe provides and the light weight is a definite asset. Thankfully, the cushioning in the forefoot is much more firm than it is in the heel and I didn'texperience any problems with shin splints or lower leg pain.
The upper of the Nike Air Flight Lite II is quite unique and it's clear that it was designed with weight and comfort in mind. Made predominantly of mesh,the upper is reinforced with a TPU-based anti-inversion device on both the the lateral and medial sides and injected PTU strips covering the forefoot. Anyonewho has read our review of the Nike Air Zoom GP III will recognize the structures on the upper. The TPU supports, sometimes called the monkey paw, are meant toprevent ankle inversion and the PTU strips are meant to provide a locked down fit.
Another interesting aspect of the upper is its asymmetrical lacing system, which runs along the medial or inner side of the foot. This isn't the first timethat Nike has used such a system (it was employed by Nike in the Air Flight Determination and by New Balance in the New Balance BB800), but it is unique inthat, unlike the Air Flight Determination or New Balance BB800, there is no traditional tongue. The upper wraps around and under itself, almost like a burrito.The lack of a tongue and assymetrical lacing means fewer parts, fewer stiches, and fewer possible hard points, which results in an extremely comfortable upper.
In concept the upper of the Air Flight Lite II is basically a well padded sock with reinforcements to enhance support, fit and stability. In practise, whilevery comfortable, the Air Flight Lite II is lacking in support, fit, and stability. The support structures just aren't enough on their own to provide thekind of support necessary in a hard core hoops shoe. That being said, this shouldn't be a problem for people who don't do a lot of cutting or for"weekend warriors" who only play a few times a month. And for players fitting these profiles the comfort, light weight and soft ride of the AirFlight Lite II will probably outweigh the downsides.
To sum up, the Nike Air Flight Lite II is unquestionably a light shoe, the lightest that we've reviewed to date in fact. Unfortunately, that lightness is aproduct of compromises that make the shoe less than ideal for people who play a quick cutting, hard slashing type of game. The super soft cushioning and lessthan average level of support also makes it less than ideal for bigger/heavier players. But for people who play a straight up and down kind of game, areprimarily jump shooters, or who simply want an extremely light and comfortable shoe, the Air Flight Lite II makes just the right set of compromises and at $90it won't break the bank.
