Author: Ziad Bassil

1-Ziad: Do you consider the new concept of the Phantom an open gate for future glider designs? Philippe Medicus: I don’t think, that the Phantom is going to stay the only wing of its kind. Philippe Medicus: Current competition wings have a similar cell count already. Adding the complex internal structure of the Phantom would decrease weight and increase dimensional stability. But compared to the advantage of the concept in the “Low-B Class”, the benefit would be a lot smaller. Philippe Medicus: The concept does not increase the collapse resistance, but the dimensional stability benefits a lot. So the wing…

5- Ziad: Some pilots said that the M6 and Enzo tendency to cravat are high after a collapse ,So did you make any re-arrangement for the Zeno design ,not to have cravats? or may be less… Any comments? Luc Armant: I’m not sure about that comment. And I would need to know what sort of cravat they are talking about. Pilots use the word cravats for many different things. After collapses, sometimes the M6 or the Enzo2 does a small wing tip knot that you can remove by pulling the stabilo line. I did not make special arrangement but the…

SUPAIR Leaf EN-B The Leaf (nice name for a paraglider ! ) is the first Supair certified as a B glider and intended for a larger group in this segment. The take off is super easy for a B with no hang back or shooting forward. I flew the Leaf in different conditions from weak to rough conditions and i have now a solid idea about it’s behavior. In rough turbulent thermals the Leaf resembles the low B category gliders ex: Ion 4 by the comfort it delivers and ease of use. Inside the thermals, the Leaf S (75-95) loaded…

Air cross ( U-Cruise M ) My last glider from Air cross was the U cross EN-C glider. The U-Cruise is their new 5.6 aspect ratio intermediate B glider. I flew the M size (75-100) from 94 to 98 all up. I felt that 95-97 could be an efficient option in all conditions. The U-cruise features a shark nose, thin unsheathed lines on top and regular covered ppsl lines on the bottom like the ones on the modern gliders like the M4, Rook 2…with a 3.5 line configuration. The risers are thin and sporty, the speed lengths on the risers…

2-Nevada = Triple Seven Rook 2 SM @ 93 = U-Turn Blacklight SM= Rush 4 SM = Mentor 2 S (Still Efficient) = Mentor 3 S ( it is very dampened) = Tequila 4 SM = AD Rise 2 M = Atlas S = Base M = Rise 2 S Superlight = Atlas X-Alps S & M = Ion 4 S @ 95 = Eden 6 26 @ 96 = Buzz Z5 SM @ 92 = Skyman Cross Country S = Gin Sprint 3 M @ 101 = Sky Apollo M = Arriba 3 S @ 92 = Mentor 4…

UP KIbo SM. After test flying the Summit XC3 and the Trango XC3, here’s the Kibo test flight in SM size . The Kibo has a 5.7 aspect ratio and has a B rating. UP created the Kibo for B pilots in mind and should be easier to fly than the Summit XC3. Launching the Kibo is super easy and smooth . No shooting forward or hanging back. Just a steady climb to rest above the pilots head. I flew the Kibo SM (75-95) at 93 all up as i felt it is a good load on this size. The…

Test flying wings is the most difficult thing to do…Not only by flying them…But by typing the letters… GIN, for all of us flying pilots, is one of the top leaders in paragliding industry. With the state of the art Boomerang 10, what should we expect when he releases a 2016 B+ glider? knowing that there are lots of very good new B+ gliders… a normal B+ with average performance and handling ? Lets see… Here’s what i found flying the Sprint 3 M from 98, 101, till 103 all up . Flying he Sprint 3 M at 101 feels…