SKYMAN Cross Country S (70-90)
The new light B glider from Skywalk has arrived. The S size 70-90 flown at 85 all up .
The Cross Country is made from the same material used on the Cross Alps and show on this glider a very nice and neat construction! The Cross Country has unsheathed lines on the upper cascades and sheathed lines on the lower ones. There are only 2 A’s, 3 B’s and 2 C’s ! that’s it !
Launching this very light glider is super easy and even with 3 km wind, the glider could hover above the pilots head waiting to get airborne !
First turn and the feeling of the brakes are toward the light side and getting slightly firm on the lower part. The travel is short to medium and the agility is very good !
The Cross Country has the tendency to turn flat and small weak thermals are caught efficiently with little amount on the brakes.
It seems that the Cross country is a well dampened glider and the gap in liveliness is big behind it’s bigger sister the cross Alps. So the Cross Country is a very comfortable B glider with very simple requirements to have a smile while flying.
I have made some transitions with other gliders and noticed that the Cross Country is fairly competitive and could be placed in the mid of the high B category. It reminded me well of the UP Kantega XC2, which is a very efficient and cool glider.
The speed travel is long and could get the Cross Country at +13 km/h over trim.
Ears are super efficient and -5 m/s are easily achievable.
Conclusion: The Cross Country is a light B glider with a very neat construction.The overall comfortable performance will indeed put a large smile on the week end pilot. Test flying this glider is an interesting option for the pilots who privilege comfort, ease of use and super light equipment with a very satisfying overall performance.
15 Comments
Quite exactly what I felt when flying the CC at 82 Kg.
Where would you place it in your B ranking for comfort in strong conditions?
Please, more tests of the 85 Kg class.
Hi ,It's similar to the Kantega XC2 comfort.
Cheers,
ZIAD, sou do Brasil. Você poderia fazer o favor de COMPARAR o IOTA com o IKUMA da Niviuk.
Grato
The Iota like the M4 is a B+ in overall performance…
Your reviews are great Ziad, especially for those of us living in distant countries where it is often impossible to demo wings before buying.. Thank you.
It would be good to know your thoughts on how well the Crosscountry climbs in light and strong conditions, and how it goes into wind, compared to the Mentor series.
HI Pedro, Thank you ! The Cross country climbs very well in weak and could have the edge, but in pure racing mode the M4 is another step in performance.
Thank you for your lovely post. You've added some valuable tips on you post. Your blog is very helpful and informative.
kimera
Hi Ziad
In the case of performance, safety, XC how would you rank Cross country, ION 4, Mentor 4.
Thank you!
Best regards
Please see the B comparison update.
Cheers Ziad
Hi again
If I look at DHV protocols it is harder to operate Cross Country than mentor 4. On the other hand on all forums they claim that Cross Country is easier to operate. It is the same on your blog. You rate it the same as ION 4?
There is no possibility to test Cross Country. How come?
Thank you for answer and your blog!
Best regards
Both are manageable B wings…ion4 and C. Country…very close…
The M4 needs more activepiloting.
Cheers,
Ziad
Thank you.
We are happy to have your blog.
"The new light B glider from Skywalk"
you misspelled "Skyman" here 😉
Nice video!! Is this BEY? No no-flight zones and you can land by the sea?? Wow.. btw, the Skyman seems to be the 5 legged sheep (as the french say). How does it rank vs. the Leaf? Christian
Hi , Thank you. Two separate flights.
Please see the B comparison.
Cheers