Author: Ziad Bassil

I have an MS available now @ 93 all up ,and it seems that it resembles the ML @ 102 .It has the same feeling in the air .It is a bit floaty and efficient in weak thermals as the glider always continue to bite in the thermal (nice feeling) .The handling is the same as the ML. I was hoping for more dynamic response,but it felt exactly as the ML ,may be just a very slight increase in brake pressure and same reactions to maneuvers. The ears are quite usable ,because you could loose some heights,and if the accelerator…

Mentor 2 S & Sprint Evo S, & Rush 3 M Most easy to fly: 1-Sprint EVO 2-Rush 3 3-Mentor 2 Climb rate in weak conditions .NO head wind (

My ever first school glider 20 year ago was a UP Flash. I still remember the red cloth with multicolor design on the edge, that feeling and that smell of the tissue with this arrow logo going UP in the sky. Uli Weismeyer legend pilot ,Richard Gallon were on UP gliders at the time and the brand was very strong in the competition scene with their Katana ‘s and later on with the Gambit, escape with Oli Russell, Steiglar ,Brinkeby… I flew quite all the UP range, from Stellar, Vision, vison classic, Soul. All the Summit range ,nearly all the…

OZONE RUSH 3 After flying the Mantra 4 and the Delta before I realized that OZONE has found a very comfortable profile with excellent performance. Now after the NOVA Mentor 2 has raised the bar for the new EN-B’s, I was intrigued to see what the Rush 3 would be like. Standing on take-off with 96 all up weight on the M (85-105) size. Launching is easy and the glider lifted me quickly into the air. The brakes travel is the same as on the Delta (Typical OZONE) Long brakes, soft very easy to steer with an average to good…

https://picasaweb.google.com/Ziad.bassil/OZONEMANTRA4ML# After the success of the Ozone R-10 series, a big majority of pilots were waiting impatiently for the birth of the M 4. Knowing also that OZONE has a very efficient marketing team, the M4 was keeping almost every interested pilot wondering what the M 4 would be like. After I tested the Delta, l knew it was on top of its class, but I lately realized that it was the easiest one to handle, and has that comfortable feeling that could be mellower than some new EN-B’s. I was impatiently waiting for the M4, to see if that…

GIN SPRINT EVO After leaving EDEL in 1997,Gin founded his own factory GINGLIDERS and with the success of the Boomerang 1, he has made lots of head turning toward the brand. Hans Bollinger world champion at the time (Ex-ADVANCE ) has left to join GINGLIDERS. Some years back, we could see 9 boomerangs on the top 10 . Over the years, too many futuristic designs have emerged, from some legend designers who are pilots and passionate for the sport and one of those is Gin himself. Unpacking the Sprint Evo, will surely lift your eyebrows. For an EN-B glider, it…

It is really a hard time for me when evaluating a new glider and having a live conscious make the job even harder. I fully understand that in a glider development there is lots of pressure, money to be spent on R&D, worker, expenses, prototypes, tests before certification, the certification and its cost, the construction, the sales & marketing…. All that is with the passion involved to create a new glider better than the old one, with the ingredients to make a safe, but competitive design in today’s hard fight for existence. The company investments are huge, and any flaws…

Pictures@ https://picasaweb.google.com/Ziad.bassil/Mar32011# Laying the glider on the ground looks like having a high AR. The leading edge is without Mylar reinforcements. It has small nylon rods to keep the nose in shape. Lines are very few, and the risers are now better looking and thinner than the Venus 2 ones. The glider is far away from the pilot (longer lines than Venus 2). Launching the glider is a non-event. The trim speed is high for that glider. A little higher than the Peak 2. Brake pressure is medium and the glider beautifully turns toward the core easily. When you are…

SKYWALK POISON 3 S (80-100) Last week I had the privilege to drive the NEW Porsche 911 turbo !! Amazing experience. Speechless in front of perfection. Opening the SKYWALK POISON 3 reminded me of that feeling standing with my eyes opened, starring at the super light aluminum cloth, the jet flaps, a new system on the lower brake lines! The risers with separate lines…All this with a quality that is truly beautiful. It is true that’s my first SKYWALK glider for a test, and maybe I am always a bit sensitive in front of a new glider ,but the impeccable…

Unfolding the glider shows a very neat job. Amazed by this excellent and surely durable construction which is a classic one with A lines attached near the leading edge, and not far as the R-10.3.There is no plastic inserts, only Mylar on the side panels. I was really wondering what would it feel in the air! Here it is…Launching is very easy for a 7.3 ar. Even kiting the glider feels that it has homogeneous movements .In the air the glider moves more than most EN-D I have tested, but much less than the R10.3.The glider feel well tensioned and…