SUPAIR Leaf EN-B
The Leaf (nice name for a paraglider ! ) is the first Supair certified
as a B glider and intended for a larger group in this segment.
The take off is super easy for a B with no hang back or shooting forward.
I flew the Leaf in different conditions from weak to rough conditions and i have now a solid idea about it’s behavior.
In rough turbulent thermals the Leaf resembles the low B category
gliders ex: Ion 4 by the comfort it delivers and ease of use.
Inside the thermals, the Leaf S (75-95) loaded at 92 is a real pleasure !
The brakes have moderate pressure similar to the M4 or the Ion 4. A
little more pressure than the Swift or the Rush 4.
The brakes are linear, precise and direct, delivering a superb maneuverability!
I could place the Leaf exactly where i wanted even in the roughest of
air. The Leaf reacts like an extension of the pilot arm. I
re-discovered flying pleasure on board this colored ‘toy’ !
Climbing with reference gliders showed me an impressive climb rate ! I
could easily stay near the excellent Swift 4 ! and in rough air i could
out-climb easily many high end gliders. For sure the climbing ability of
the Leaf puts it right among the top gliders in the mixed B category .
The speed system is easy to push with a moderate pressure, less than the
Mentor 4, a bit harder than the Swift 4 pressure. The top speed of the
Leaf is around 10 km/h over trim .
Doing lots of glide i noticed a nice trim speed in calm air for the Leaf
slightly more than the Rush 4 . The glide however puts the Leaf in the
first part of the mixed B category .
Big ears are stable, efficient and reopen by themselves.
Conclusion:
I enjoyed every second flying the Leaf. It was nice to feel like a ‘leaf’ again 🙂 .
The climb rate and the handling will draw smiles bigger than the pilots faces !
🙂
The Leaf is a moderate B glider just in the middle of this huge B
category. It is not a very low boring B nor a lively high B. It’s a
balanced well behaved mid B.
The Leaf glide angle will share the first part of this B category.
I think the Leaf with its sheathed lines all over was created not to
drag race the top B contenders with a knife between the teeth…. but to
deliver comfort, ease of use, excellent climbing, pleasure and a lovely
handling.
7 Comments
Video please.
Hi Ziad, thank you for your beneficial explanations. İf you have time to share a video with Leaf!…. Thanks in advance.
Hi Ziad !
In the scarce midd B Category, can you compare more precisely the Leaf with the Kibo ?
Both seem rather comfortable but you seemed to have been more impressed by the Leaf ?
If you had to choose one of this glider to fly XC in a relaxed manner, which would you ?
The Zeno 🙂
Seriously… It depends on the pilot.. The Leaf is very comfortable.. The Kibo is a good choice for XC…cheers
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Thx for the anwser ! I will need to try both the Leaf Light and the Lhotse, and see if they will replace my Mentor 3 light.
The Leaf has the advantage of suiting my weight range better (75kg) except during Vol Bivouac where I go over 80.
Ziad, can you clarify a bit on the glider performance of the Leaf. My reading of your review is that it does not glide with the better performing B wings. Is that correct?