Author: Ziad Bassil

“ESCAPE” a new brand, motivated people, new ideas, and new possibilities. Laying the glider on the floor showed impeccable details and construction. Plastic inserts on the leading edge, no Mylar reinforcements on the cells like all the new generation designs. All the lines are unsheathed, a true 3 liner, looks very slick and sporty. A new innovation for that class is the WTS (Wing Torsion System) Two lines each side connected to the stabilo edge of the wing that let the pilot steer the wing in accelerated mode or at trim if they wish without touching the brakes, when they…

U-Turn Blacklight In 2010 a successful manufacturer made an impressive EN-B wing that can out glide some higher rated gliders. Since then, many manufacturers worked hardly on something to beat it… Last month, I had a U-Turn Passion EN-C to test fly it. I was very impressed by the total package this glider offers, especially its capacity to absorb turbulence for its 6.85 ar to keep its passenger quite comfortable. I was eager to find out what U-Turn will bring to the market in the B segment especially that they claim for the new Blacklight a glide of 10 !…

UP Trango XC 2 S/M 80-95 Swept wings,6.8 A/R glider, thin risers, unsheathed lines everywhere, aggressive look, nylon rods on the edge and more in the back, beautiful design .That’s the Trango XC 2 S/M EN-C ,lying on the take off and ready to be airborne. I flew the glider with the Genie Lite harness size M, with a total weight of 90 kg all up. Launching: Pulling the inside A’s ,and the glider rises quickly without any delay. In strong breeze, it is better to stop it a bit at 75 % of the rise. The conditions of…

U-Turn Passion After receiving so many e-mails about the 6.85 AR Passion, and especially that some were praising its calm reaction in turbulence, I was very curious to get one. Did contact U-turn and purchased the SM size. And here it is after a long wait… I have flown in the earlier days many designs made by the U-turn designer Ernst Strobl, when he was designing for UP and later with Airea. They were indeed very special ! Construction: The Passion has a very clean, neat and sophisticated construction to the smallest detail. The SM size is very light even…

https://picasaweb.google.com/110040226962521480605/SKYWALKCayenne4

Some feedback. ” weak or strong thermal. I can confirm that the Race version loaded at top is the fastest at trim i flew here …I had the feeling i could soar with “nearly” a speed wing

GRADIENT Aspen 4 When GRADIENT first released the Aspen 4 ,with minimum line configuration ,my eyes opened wide, and I was concerned about the stability and how they could manage that. The first Aspen 1 was fast, quite alive but it had a very nice crispy handling. Now I have in my hands the Aspen 4 to fly. Here’s what I found: Launching this glider in nil wind require a gentle but steady pull for the first 80 % .The Launching is a non-event. Immediately after take off the feeling of security and comfort is present .It is like you…

Launching: 1- Omega 8 25@94 = Magus XC2 = Poison 3 S @ 94 =Mantra 4 ML /MS (Very easy even in no wind) 2- GTO M & GTO Small 3- AD-Pure -Venus 2 M& S 4- Peak 2 A- Climb with a head wind (>15 km/h) 1- Mantra 4 ML @ 103 – AD-PURE M/S @ 93 2- Mantra M/S @ 93 – GTO M @ 103, Magus XC 2 25 @ 96 3- PEAK 2 24 @ 60 % of the load range 4- Omega 8 25 =POISON 3 S @ 95 = VENUS 3 M @ 104…

Mac Para Marvel And finally it arrived. As with all Mac Para gliders this Marvel also made by Gin factory has an excellent finish. The Marvel has an aspect ratio of 6.5 for the EN-C certification, and laying it on the ground shows clearly its sporty look. Launching the Marvel with 10 km/h wind require a light but steady pull on the risers to get the glider above your head. So I think it could be a plus in strong wind. In the air: Getting next to similar EN-C gliders gave me immediately the feeling of an excellent climb rate,…

Mac Para Magus XC 2 The MAGUS XC 2 was already available in may 2011 to order, but I wasn’t able to get any Mac Para glider. Now I have one to test fly. The construction of the XC2 is superb. This glider is manufactured in GIN factory. In fact, putting the Boom GTO and the Magus XC 2 close on the ground, shows an identical sail finish. There’s some Mylar on the leading edge and some plastic reinforcements. Launching this glider with 6.8 AR is relatively easy for that category, and I didn’t find any thing unusual about it,…