Author: Ziad Bassil

I would humbly like to share my personal feel and opinion from all my tested C gliders, here is my choice for the most complete ones in 2020,2021, until 1st July is:2- Sigma 11, size 24 , Why? Just because they offer the most relaxed flying with top-end performance without going out of trim in the first 30 hours. 5- Q-Light S ( needs active control) IN the B category, 2-Rook 3, R-Light 3 ( But I don’t like the take-off in nil wind ) There are more good gliders that don’t go quickly out of trim OF COURSE,Important notice that I would like to share>So…

The Explorer is GIn’s light high B glider. In 2017, I have flown the first version of the Explorer https://dustoftheuniverse.com/search?q=explorer That version was easy to use, and the overall performance was fairly good for the category, while the Carrera and Carrera plus were unreachable in overall performance for the Explorer. Now with the second version, everything has changed!In the air flying with my X-rated 6, and some ballast to reach 93, the brakes have a moderate length for turning in thermals. They are not as short as the Artik 6, Delta 4, Rook 3, R-Light. It is slightly 1-2 cm…

PHI Allegro X-Alps 20 The glider comes up easily even in nil wind. In inflating the glider I already sensed a different feel of the structure.In the air, the X-alps version moves in itself a bit more than the normal one. The normal version felt much more compact. That’s why when flying it later at 95, it enhanced that feel for a more compact structure.Climbing next to reference C gliders, showed me that the X-alps version resembles the original one with a little more breathing when surfing the airmass. At 90 all upon the 20, it climbs like the original version. …

NOVA Ion 6 XS 70-90 The construction and finishing details are excellent! Lots of stuff coming with the glider as seen in the picture. It is easy to launch the Ion 6 in 10 km wind, without touching the A risers! Smooth rise with no surge or delay. Usually, I find some low B gliders to be boring by the very restricted and dull feel under them. But not under the Ion 6, which gave me the pleasure I needed to fly it with a relaxed smile. The speed over trim is around 11…

The light cloth, risers, and overall construction is well made. Nice work on the inner construction, to minimize the use of rods for compact packing. In the air, the brakes travel are moderate to long, with a very nice coordinated and soft to quite a good responsive turning behavior. The climb rate seems really good in soft conditions. The comfort rate is high as all low B’s and offers more quality time in thermals, as it is intended for pilots to enjoy flying as a priority. I’m not going to speak about gliding performance for any low B…as all those…

This is my first Little cloud glider. I flew one time an MK2 from a friend, and I appreciated the handling and the swift response. As the Puffin came out and lIttle cloud specifically made it for high wind soaring and playing on the dunes, I was excited to get one. The Puffin has a shark-nosed three risers with trims. My first encounter with the Puffin 16 happened on a day with a wind over 40 km/h. Over the years, it happens that when exchanging wings so quickly for testing, I developed an ability to quickly assimilate the newcomer. But the Puffin…

Details:Launching: When flying next to the Swift 5 S I used my Delight 3 harness as the Swift pilot did also. When flying next to the Base 2 M I used the Genie light 3.Let’s talk about the Genie light 3 / R-Light S. The Genie light 3 harness gives a nice weight shift authority with any used glider. With the R-Light S, it was indeed a pleasure to fly! In strong air, the R-Light S with both harnesses showed me a relatively comfortable ride for a High B. Some will prefer more dampening like the Swift 5 or the…

Finally my first Nearbirds harness! I flew the L size, with an M pod. My height is 1.81cm and 73 kg. It fits perfectly. Lots of adjustments on the Vibe! Immense adjustments I would say! 5 straps from each side to ensure that your body fits perfectly. Everything was thought of on this harness. It feels like the designer is really out of this world or should I say into the harness world! This harness looks and feels like no other harness. The design and love of perfection were deeply incarnated into that harness. From the easy reach, side zipper for…

The workmanship on that glider looks very neat. The light cloth seems the same used on the first version. There are some stainless steel small anchors in the leading edge to prevent the glider is sliding on snowy take-offs. There are 2 A’s, 2 B’s, and 2 C’s! Flying the size 24 at 93 felt very good in overall conditions. The Cross Alps despite its aspect ratio has a nice authority on the brakes! In this test, I will compare it with the Alpina 4 and mainly the Savage because of the same aspect ratio of 6.5. And will talk also about…