Author: Ziad Bassil

Nearbirds Zippy 3 Light XC harness. Nearbirds has its unique touch when creating paragliding harnesses. The Zippy 3 is some kind of a lighter, the light version of already light Airy Vibe, with an ABS adjustment option. That harness resembles the Airy Vibe, but lighter. The straps are sturdy for high durability and strength. If you want a light harness but durable for hike and fly, XC, a travel companion, the Zippy 3 offers that solid package. The comfort inside that Zippy 3 highly resembles the Airy Vibe. Lots of straps for adjusting to the perfect comfort. I feel more…

NOVA Vortex XS, Light 2 liner EN-C After a few modifications on their EN-C Codex with its normal cloth glider, NOVA released a light 2 liner with the same aspect ratio of 6.1 I flew the XS size that goes from 70-95 with a recommended weight of 80-90. Here’s the link: https://www.nova.eu/en/gliders/vortex/#c16770 After some hours flying the Vortex with different harnesses ( Arrow-P, Nearbirds Zippy 3, Normal Arrow), I think the Vortex is easy to fly in all harnesses with a mild character. Of course, you know me well, that I like to fly my gliders well loaded, I felt…

BGD Base 3 M, BGD released its new B-class glider for 2025 and beyond. Here is the BGD webpage for all the specifications:  https://www.flybgd.com/en/paragliders/base-3–paraglider-2021-2272-0.htmlSince I have already flown the Base 1 and 2, I can easily describe the differences in the Base 3. I flew the Base 3 M (75-95) at 92 and later at 95, to realize later that the optimum weight I found myself efficient in all conditions is near the top weight ( for me 94..95) Launching:The Base 3 is constructed with excellent materials, Porcher Skytex 38 and 40 /m2, which are very good and durable. Pulling on the A’s is straightforward,…

NIVIUK Hiko P size 22 After some good learning hours on an A glider, a friend got her new Hiko and was keen to know what it would be like in comparison to another B glider. Since I can fly the size 22 at 84 all up, I got a brand new Hiko P, which is the light version of the original Hiko.Construction and details are excellent on today’s Niviuk gliders, and the Hiko P is no different with that light cloth.My first pink-colored Hiko with my Arrow P at 84 standing on launch.Even in nil wind, the glider inflates…

GIN Fuse mini 35 Tandem (90-210) GIN introduced that special line of tandems to cover more pilot accessibility on strong and windy days. Here’s the link:https://www.gingliders.com/en/paragliders/fuse-mini/What would the Fuse Mini offer? Here is what I found… History: Back in the days, in the mid-90s my first tandem was an Eden Space. I didn’t fly commercial tandems, but only to get my family and friends airborne. Later I flew many tandems probably around 20…from SOL, NOVA, UP, U-Turn, Gin, BGD, Eden, etc…But I didn’t write any report as I was obsessed with the solo wings. To this day, I have had…

SKYWALK Sage 95! (The art of flying) Skywalk introduced for 2025/26 the new light 2 liner C class glider. The light version of the Mint ( Handling enhanced) The Sage has a 6.4 aspect ratio and is certified in the EN-C category. Its overall construction is very neat, and the glider looks beautiful! The risers are made with Cousin Freres 7mm webbing. https://skywalk.info/project/sage/I have over here two sizes the 85 and 95. I flew the Sage 95 from 90 to 93 all up. And the Sage size 85 at 85 all up. Launching:The light material makes launching very straightforward even in no…

Niviuk Artik 7 P size 23 For 2025/26 Niviuk released a new light construction, 2-3 hybrid line version of the EN-C certified glider.When I test-flew the Artik 6 three years ago, I still remember its pleasurable and direct handling and its subtle character for the C category. The Artik 7 P has a light construction and weights around 3.25 kghttps://niviuk.com/en/artik-7-p I flew the Artik 7 P with my Arrow harness from 89 to 93 all up to find out later that 90–91 is good in all conditions. Launching the Artik 7 P couldn’t be as straightforward! In nil wind, the…

FLOW Vissta XC (harness) Size M. This harness has been in development for 3 years, with Felipe Resende and Bach le (architect and designer) with lots of ideas and development. The Vissta XC has a long fairing for aerodynamic purposes. The interesting part is that the shape of the pod, and the shape of the rear fairing are narrow. In designing that harness, Flow said: We aimed for a fully featured conventional competition harness that offers the best low drag coefficient in the market with around 5 kilos and especially for packing it small to fit in a large bag. …

NEO Suspender 2 L size The NEO brand is a workshop that designs and manufactures top-of-the-range textile products for paragliding and outdoor activities. Neo is a French company located In Doussard near Lac Annecy (France). All the products are designed and manufactured in France! https://www.neo-paragliders.fr/en_GB/ My test today is the Neo harness for XC the Suspender 2.0. (https://fly.neoatelier.fr/en_GB/shop/suspender-2-0-6833?category=4) Video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxBzMtvBeNg With 1.81 cm and 74 kg, the L size fits me quite well. The manufacturing process is elegant yet quite simple. At first glance, the harness gives an authentic impression of the sport but is full of useful details. There’s…