Author: Ziad Bassil

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…

I tested the BGD Cure 2 years ago, and as i recall, it gave me a very nice feeling of handling and performance. I tested the BGD Cure, 2 years ago, and as i recall, it gave me a very nice feeling of handling and performance. It had a nice glide, close enough to the best C’s of the moment. May be the trim speed and top speed were a bit low. I received some emails about test flying the light version of the Cure ! But unfortunately BGD didn’t want to sell me the Lynx or any other glider……

After the excellent Sigma 10, which is as i said a complete C glider with 6.1 aspect ratio, here’s the Omega X-alps 2 in size 23 test flight. Launching is easy for an aspect ratio of 7. Homogenous and steady rise, in 15 km/h with no overshooting if the pilot slightly control it by the brakes. The Omega X-alps 2 slows a bit before entering the thermals even hands up. It only pitches back slightly on strong thermals. But even when it slows down before entering, it slips through the thermal quite slowly. In the same air the Skywalk X-alps…

The Arcus is Swing 2017/2018 EN-B model with RAST system. I flew the Arcus RS size S at 92 all up. First day, conditions were really good ! With 1500 m gain above take off I could go anywhere, and stay as long as I wanted test flying the Arcus. And that’s what I did. In fact, I flew on the Arcus nice triangles that were previously done on higher rayed wings. Of course the conditions were exceptional, but I must say that I was feeling at first amused underneath the Arcus, because it was nicely and smoothly delivering ! …

Dustoftheuniverse: What was the most challenging part in finishing the Queen 2? DOTU: Did you manage to keep the same biting and feel through the air? DOTU: When the Queen 2 will be released? DOTU: Is the top speed limited by the certification? DOTU: What would be the optimum weight of the Queen 2? DOTU: Does 777 have other new releases for 2018? Rook 2 and King stays in production, and we are working on a single skin, and very promising, and this wing flies really nice ! A&U: Lighter construction, and reinforcement inside the glider, risers, soft links. A&U…

Skywalk X-Alps 3 size S (80-95) My last flight on a Skywalk D glider was on the Poison X-alps size S (70-90). The New Xalps 3 is the wing that have won the 2017 X-alps with Christian Maurer, and third place with Paul Guschlbauer. This new version was especially made for the X-alps with very light cloth and Dyneema risers. It’s the Hike and fly Skywalk latest competition wing. Taking off in light wind is easy on this 7 aspect ratio glider. I have the LM 6 in size MS (80-95) in order to compare the differences in behaviours and feeling under those gliders. With same loadings, (92 all up), the Xalps…