Author: Ziad Bassil

It was obvious when test flying the Tequila (Four) two years ago, i wrote that that low B had some super fine qualities and incredible handling. Many pilots around the world had sent me email’s about their happy experience underneath that glider. Also many reported that for a low B it was a bit handful in strong air especially for fresh pilots coming from an A glider. For sure the Tequila 4 has some incredible flying qualities enabling it to surf quite well in tricky air without loosing on glides. So i think SKYWALK philosophy was to introduce a glider…

In the C category, Niviuk is introducing it’s Artik 5 for 2018 with an aspect ratio of 6.3. The construction details are really nice, with Nitinol rods on the leading edge and a shark nose. I flew the Artik 5 24 from 90 to 95 . Flew this glider in multiple conditions, from weak to slightly strong, and sometimes turbulent with some sharp 7m/s thermals. To understand this glider better i was alternating on the same day, landing and flying the Alpina 3 MS and the Sector XS. Explanation: The movements under the Artik 5 are at first a slight…

Ozone 2018 high EN-B has arrived. There’s a mild shark nose, barely visual. The cloth on the Rush 5 seems heavy duty, and the lines are similar to the Rush 4 ones with a bit more diameter on the Middle A lines. My take off weight was from 90 to 93 all up with an X-rated 6 harness. At that weight i never felt that i needed to be heavy on it. It worked fine. Some pilots commented that the Rush 4 needed to be loaded at top in order to bump less into thermals. The agility in turns is…

I received finally the new 2018 Range X-alps harness in M size. The X-alps 2 harness receive the feedback from any glider without any loss of information or lack of precision. In that matter, i think it delivers the information accurately without any delays. Therefore i can say its relatively the most comfortable harness to fly in turbulence among the Lightness2, the Ozium 1 and 2, and much better than the Impress 3 for sure. Those informations are very well balanced. No strange and unnecessary roll movements. Just the exact needed informations are delivered. Now comes the sitting comfort…

The last U-Turn paraglider i test flew was the Black light2. Here’s the light version of the BL2 but it seems it’s a completely different story … Launching the Crosssrock is a non event, very easy in nil wind, and doesn’t overshoot in strong breeze. In turbulent air, and flying those different harnesses didn’t affect the glider stability or even handling whatsoever. The Crossrock turns well, stays calm, and climbs remarkably well. Saying: Hey dude …hang loose…man… 🙂 So overall it has a moderate to good handling, and quite an impressive comfort ! especially for an S size (70-90). …

I flew both sizes, the XS size (70-90) at 84 all up, and the S size (80-100) at 91 all up. The Ion 5 turns on every centimeter i pulled on the brakes. It can be steered with only 10 cm of travel, yet the long brake when pulling 50 cm are very forgiving. The feedback coming from the glider is more pronounced on the Ion 5 over the Ion 4, but in a more subtle and positive way. Some pilots commented that the Ion 4 is a bit too stiff and has a heavy feel sometimes. The pressure on…

Luc Armant was so kind to answer a few questions for all of us flying vultures 🙂 Luc Armant : Great stuff still to come. Yes ! some revolution should come. Future will tell… Luc Armant : Still experimental stage. Long term project. We want to create a new reference 3 liner wing. Luc Armant : Yes, it’s possible. Current prototypes have 6.5 aspect ratio with much more performance. Luc Armant : I’m glad to read that. Delta3/Alpina 3 was a long and difficult project to get finished. Design philosophy for the M7 is simplicity, pleasure and high performance. Luc…

The last Swing glider i flew with the RAST system was the Arcus RS, and here’s the new high-end B from the same manufacturer, the Nyos RS in size S (75-95) flown at 93.5 all up with an X-rated 6 harness. Launching is quite easy in nil wind, and even in strong breeze. The Nyos inflates quite smoothly and evenly. The handling alone doesn’t really matter sometimes if the glider above the pilot is jumping around all the time. Underneath the Nyos RS, the movements in turbulent air can be described as “computerized self controlled” , as the Nyos RS…

After 10 years, NOVA finally released their new C replacement. A flat aspect ratio of 6.0, unsheathed lines all over and a 3 line configuration setting. Launching the light cloth Sector is easy in all conditions. Those light gliders can launch even without touching the A’s ! IMHO, Its better to put the exact pressure in a car wheel in order to take corners at high speed. Any less pressure in those wheel won’t give you optimum efficiency. It’s the same with gliders they will perform much better (when they reached their optimum shape design) by loading them precisely. I…