Author: Ziad Bassil

ADVANCE Sigma 9 25 Test flying gliders and putting my personal findings into words is the most difficult thing to do. Even flying the gliders in different conditions i can only give my personal opinion. But if i don’t write exactly what i felt and seen, then why should i write tests anyways ! Here’s what i found flying the Sigma 9 25 (75-100) from 92 till 97 all up. Opening an ADVANCE glider is always a moment of excitement. The quality of workmanship, cloth, sewing, are beyond a doubt the best you could find. The Sigma 9 has a…

U-Turn Lightning S Having had some happy times flying the Blaklight S and SM size, here is the Lightning in size S ,a light version of the Blacklight for a test flight. Of course lighter cloth…It weights around 4 kg risers included. The risers are very thin and the line attachment point are covered with neoprene and linked with a thick Dyneema line. Taking off with 88 all up on the S (70-90) is simple.The glider rises quickly and need just a small brake pressure to keep it overhead.The launching is fast. Turning behavior is among the best i have…

Looking the the new Mac para Elan, showed a more clean and better construction than before. The sewing are very neat and the finish is excellent ! The Elan has a shark nose, with a new and simple interesting construction. The lower lines are sheathed and the upper ones are unsheathed. The thin risers looks very sporty, with the handles on the C risers very well placed ! Launching the Elan is straightforward and simple. In the air : The Elan takes it’s pilot quickly in charge for a quick take off. Once in the air i could sense an…

The new light C glider from SKY arrived .The Argos ! A clean and ‘normal’ paraglider…very difficult to see in those days… Flying the Argos ML 85-100 at 96 all up. In the air : First contact with a rough and turbulent thermal, and the glider has that very little pitch back in entering it. In smoother conditions the pitch back is not felt. The Argos feels like it is always surfing the air and the authority on the brakes doesn’t quickly slow the glider inside the core, for very tight turning, so in weak conditions the pilot must be…

Ozone Rush 4 SM And finally, the long awaited glider came to my house this morning. Being a Rush 4 SM ,i rushed to the take off to get a taste of its features. Laying it on the ground and as an SM with 25 sqm, it looks a bit smaller than the Delta 2 SM which has also 25 sqm. Today i flew at 92.4 kg all up on the SM size (75-95) Launching : Reverse launching at 15 km/h wind on a relatively 30 degrees slope, the Rush 4 doesn’t overpass it’s pilots, and needs a steady but…

More feedback, Today i was hoping to get a long glide with the Buzz Z4 with same loadings, but the conditions weren’t so ideal for comparing. But after some hours in the air, here is what i found more : Climbing : Flying the Ion 3 S today with ballast at 96 all up. First it was a bit windy and in those conditions when on a thermal and facing the wind, the Ion 3 as a low B glider behaves like the class above in surfing upward the air with each turn.It means that the leading edge would convert…

First, i am not an expert in super light pod harnesses ! I can only compare it with the Advance lightness. Because this one is super ‘duper’ light and i could find just the necessary things to hold me into this pod harness. Seat adjustment with folding lines, and no seat board. Sitting in the L size harness and M pod, with my 1.81 and 75 kg is just ok. Proper time is needed to adjust it. I could only say that it was a bit less comfortable than the Lightness i had, but not everyone could agree as we…

Gin Carrera I flew a bit the M size but will wait for the S size to get a larger idea for a more accurate test report. 92 all up on the S size with a Woody Valley GTO harness, here i am flying the Carrera in a relatively weak to turbulent conditions sometimes especially on the higher layers, with 10 km/h north wind, making it interesting for discovering the ability of the flown gliders. But the glider was completely pressurized and it wasn’t susceptible to deflation whatsoever like the lesser loaded M size i flew earlier. Both gliders are…

The Geo 4 is the light version of the Buzz Z4. I found it very similar in flight which is superb !! despite the lighter cloth. Handling , brake pressure , comfort, pleasure in thermals, light speed bar ….really superb combination of light and efficient low end B. A must to try ! See Buzz Z4 for a full review if needed.