Author: Ziad Bassil

And here is the new Mentor 6 in XS size flown at 88 all up. Immediately after taking off and touching the brakes, I looked high up to see if it’s really a NOVA Mentor? Yes, it was…I was completely shocked to see that big switch from the older series! Finally, something new concerning the handling and agility to talk about! 🙂 I could really core the tiniest thermal available with infinite precision. I liked very much the authority on the brakes of that glider. The Mentor 6 nose pulls you smoothly inside the core, and searches for the best…

After more than 5 years over the efficient M6, Ozone has finally released the Mantra 7 with an aspect ratio of 6.5 flat. And it needs to be loaded when conditions are strong in order to have better authority under it. I flew in different air from turbulent and punchy thermals to soft and tricky ones. The feel under the M7 is more tamed than the M6 in all aspects. There are no yaw movements at all. The roll is present but really tame for a D. The pitch movements are stable, pretty moderate for a D and the overall…

The Freedom is Flow new B glider. The cloth used on this glider is relatively light. It has small semi-circular openings and all the lines are unsheathed. There are lots of lines on this Freedom and some are a bit thick. This configuration seems to last forever without going out of trim. The brake pressure is on the light side. They are a bit long and I could describe the Freedom handling and agility to be on the moderate side. It turns well into the core and has a nice climbing behavior. After some glide comparisons, the Freedom could be…

PHI is a new brand founded by Mr. Hannes Papesh. The team behind PHI is one of the most experienced pilots like Mike Kung for instance, who’s in charge of testing and fine-tuning the gliders. Hannes Papesh is a legend when it comes to designing gliders. His favorite class is the B class. I still remember the beautiful Mentor 2 S size at the time, as it was delivering a spice feel with a very competitive performance that was close to some C or even D gliders at the time! It was a special dynamic glider with a competitive spirit.…

I flew the Buzz Z6 75-95 at 92 all up. First turn felt a mellower Buzz. This version seems easier to manage than the Z5. The climb rate in weak and strong is very good. Climbing next to a Rush 5 shows me a very competitive climbing behavior. Doing some glides in moving air, showed me that the glide angle is of course not similar to the Rush 5..but still competitive enough for the low B category. Conclusion: A stable, mellow, easy to fly low B glider for the majority of low airtime pilots. More than enough glide and climb…

Taking off is super easy with the light cloth. First turn showed a very agile glider, with swift, direct handling. If i want to compare it with my new reference, the Swift 5 S, i can say it has a slightly more agile feel in turns. The brake pressure are similar to the Swift 5. Not really important, and still good gliding properties. Overall the Riot has a nice glide angle in the B category.

I already flew the Lightness2 in M size. My size is 1.81 and my weight is 73 kg. It’s a very comfortable harness for supporting the back and the legs are naturally supported. The Lightness 3 is indeed one of the most comfortable seatless harnesses for back and hip comfort. I have other ADVANCE harnesses, the Progress 3, success 4, easiness 2 and the Bi pro. They all share that exceptional finish ! As if they were all made in a very independent (Apple factory) 😉 I also sensed that for my shape, the harness has a snug fit and…

The tests are becoming sometimes awkward to write, when new gliders still open my eyes for their better overall behavior…But we are lucky to have them, and i’m also super pleased to fly them 🙂 I already test flew the Rush 5 in size S. The Swift 5 is the light version. The Swift 5 launches without any effort even in nil wind. The Rush 5 heavy cloth needed a steady pull, but the swift 5 launches effortlessly. The Swift 5 has a softer feel through the brakes, more precise, and linear. It is also more agile than the Rush…

I missed to understand the last question, and responded hastily. I think it’s an important one about what should i do if i want to rewind my flying career and also an advise to new comers to the sport. Since i was pretty alone and new to the sport at that time, it was difficult to act differently. The best thing i did is that i kited my glider and played on the sea cliffs several hours every day, even when there was no wind to lift the glider. Paragliding is an easy sport to learn. Its quite easy for…

Taking off is quite easy, and i didn’t find any particular problem in inflation in nil wind. In strong windy take off, the Agera RS also inflates quite nice and stays easily above the pilots head. The brakes have medium to light pressure and the Agera turns with very little action on the brakes. The turning radius inside weak and strong thermals are fairly agile. It turns inside a core but stops in the middle and needs to re-power it by releasing the inside brake in order to give it more energy, then lower it again smoothly inside a small…