Author: Ziad Bassil

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…

This paragraph will be published before every written glider review. -Gliders sizes may differ a lot ! The smaller ones react very differently sometimes with less gliding power. One review for a size doesn’t include all… -Personally i like to fly gliders at + 70..80 % of their weight range…Sometimes at top weight…As i believe in (Being a pilot underneath a glider, is much better than being a passenger) when you load your glider at it’s perfect load, it would be much more efficient in all conditions, and you will have a better feel through the brakes with a more…

After test flying some light harnesses with and without seat board, here’s the X-light 2 from SOL with a good solid seat board. The construction seems good, and much better than previous Sol harnesses. The pod looks like the 720 gr of the Forza (to give you an idea) Test flying harnesses is even more difficult than test flying wings. Our body shapes differs a lot ! From long legs…to wide, larger bodies..or slimmer ones…there’s a big gap in measurements, yet only 3-4 sizes for any harness for all manufacturers, which are especially focused on pilots height. That’s why, some…

PHI is the new brand of the well known and leading designer Hannes Papesh. The Synphonia is the first PHI glider to be released with an A certification. The construction of the Synphonia is very neat. The materials used are the latest in terms of technology from the cloth, lines to the sporty risers. A little pull on the A’s and the Synphonia launches gently and quite easy. No hard points. It just sits above the pits head. Flying the Synphonia felt a bit like flying some low B gliders in terms of pilot level, but the roll movements and…

After test flying the Delta 3 in MS and ML size, here’s the Alpina 3 MS test flight, loaded from 92 to 94 all up. But flying the Alpina 3 more and more, i saw some slight differences in handling that were felt on longer flights. The overall feel (feedback) under the Alpina 3 is very close to the Delta 3 with a bit more, positive comfortable feedback coming from the glider. The overall gliding performance in multiple conditions are exactly the same, like the Delta 3 MS. Even the climb rate in weak and strong. The handling and the…

Finally the long awaited Queen replacement arrived. Triple Seven offers the Queen 2 with an aspect ratio of 6.3 combined with very reduced line diameter and a very pointed shark nose. The cell openings are rather small. The attachement points on the A’s seems further back, and the certification is into the C box. I flew the Queen 2 from 96 to 99 ,to find out that the best weight is around 98-99 on the SM in moderate conditions. The brake travel is short, linear and precise. The pressure on the brakes are moderate to ‘slightly’ hard. The glider feels…

ADVANCE Iota 2 25 Here it is..The new Iota from Advance that replaces the first version. What are the visual differences? A very reduced line diameter with carefully mixture of unsheathed thin lines, and thin normal ones. The C’s are equipped with handles for control at high speed. Launching the Iota 2 is straightforward with an immediate take off even loaded at top. Easy for a high B pilot. Feeling in the air compared to the Iota 1: The Iota 2 feels very different from the Iota 1, where the first version had a feeling of flying a playful B…

After test flying many wings I’m now more and more convinced that even with the same glider technical details, gliders with lighter materials, will have different feel with sometimes enhanced performance or sometimes much less ! In the following review, the Cumeo will show its true identity. Launching the Cumeo is as easy as a school wing… In the air: Compared to a Chili 4 XS, with similar load the brake pressure is lighter on the Cumeo with slightly longer travel. Nevertheless, the agility is very present. I could place the Cumeo inside the thermal very precisely. The…