Author: Ziad Bassil

Being in Saint Hilaire festival in 2012 I passed by the NIVIUK stand. There was a Peak 3 picture on the wall and after asking when it will be released there was no answer … I moved on, thinking it must worth the wait, as NIVIUK seems developing a nice D glider. Here is what I found flying the size 23 at different loadings from 90 to 95 all up: In nil wind the Peak 3 needs a steady pull. It is a bit slow to reach overhead .In strong wind it launches perfectly without any tendency to shoot forward.…

It has been a long time I have flown a SWING glider. The M7 S is now available and I flew it from 88 to 92 all up. The Mistral 7 has 7 lines /side, a nose shark profile, unsheathed lines at the top, with very minimalistic layout. In the air: Once airborne, the pilot will immediately feel the high trim speed for a B glider even if flown at mid weight. It has a trim speed of 39.5 km/h at 88 all up. The pilot must let the M7 S with its energy, slip though, then control the pitch…

–> UP Kantega XC2 S (70-90) My favorite glider in 2012 was the Trango XC2 .I really liked that glider ability to fly efficiently. I was waiting for Franta’s new creation the Kantega XC2. And since I can be min at 90 all up I preferred to get the S size for a test flight. Launching is easy …even if there’s a little wind it can inflate without touching the brakes… In the air at max load on the S size, I could sense a low trim speed that was confirmed afterward by flying next to gliders in the same…

On the 23rd I was on our flying site ‘Mezyara’ flying a Mentor 3 with superb XC conditions… I landed switched glider and harness to be at 91 all up at the Atlas S and here I am airborne. I have test flew 2 years ago the Sprint Evo,and the Atlas was something very different in a much more positive way… It has been ages since I found that crispy, direct ,linear handling on a B glider! I was flying next to my friend on the Chili 3 S at 98 all up, and we did some long XC flights…

I never flew a Chili before. My last testing on a SKYWALK was with a Cayenne 4,and now the Chili 3 S arrived . I added some ballast to reach 99 all up on the S (80-100) . I didn’t find any particular behavior rather than easy to launch it in nil wind or in high wind .I have tried to kite it in high winds on a soaring slope by pulling the rear C risers. It works fine knowing that the C attachment point is far away from the brakes attachments. They do break a bit the profile but…

Back in 2010, the first Delta 1 emerged. Test flying the Delta 1 M size showed a very comfortable ride, combined with superb performance. It was happily used all over the world in some of the nastiest air…The only thing I wasn’t comfortable with was its long and a bit delayed handling and the inconvenient pitch back when entering a thermal. Nowadays there’s a lot of nice C gliders out there, and to describe better the Delta 2, I am being a bit specific and explanative on this report. Launching: With its highly present shark nose the Delta 2…

But what matters are the flying characteristics of the glider in real air. Take off: In light wind the Tala rises smoothly and stays above the pilots. In the air: I flew the Tala M in smooth with plenty of lift everywhere to windy soaring and in strong turbulent thermals. In strong turbulent conditions the Tala was still very coherent. Pitch movement were present but not aggressive. It moves on a small axis above the pilot. The inside construction seems successful. Handling: I found that flying the Tala M above 97 all up is a good option for handling and…

I usually enjoy testing higher performance paragliders ,but I was intrigued by the Buzz Z 4 as the Ozone team ,back in Saint Hilaire were impressed by the performance gain of the Buzz Z4 over its predecessor. Launching is only for beginners. Please watch your steps !! 😉 In the air the roll response of the Buzz Z4 is exactly what a low-end pilot needs. It does give just the necessary amount, without too much feedback, and move on a very narrow angle above your head. Some low B gliders are dull but that’s not the case with the Buzz…

Hook 3 ( The Wise Buddha) Flew the HOOK 3 25 today at 97 all up. Conditions were windy and a bit turbulent. NIVIUK has only one category EN-B.And i was curious to see where could they insert the HOOK 3 ? Launching in light wind requires a steady pull until it settles above your head. Immediately after launch,i noticed the following . If i found the Eden 5 to be comfortable then i have to say that the HOOK 3 is even ‘more’ comfortable. Amazing what can they do with those new gliders. The handling is similar to the…

NOVA Mentor 3 S More pictures on dustoftheuniverse group on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/209637459105263/ ……… …