Advance Sigma 9 review (Carlo Borsattino)
First flights review of the Advance SIGMA 9 by Carlo Borsattino, MD & CFI of Flybubble.
The Sigma 9 is an easy, solid feeling, agile XC wing with good performance for the class. Very easy ground handling, great for kiting back up the slope. The speed system is noticeably lighter than the Sigma 8; it's also noticeably more solid on full bar. I had a lot of fun flying it!
We hold many demo Advance wings as part of our Flybubble demo fleet which means we get the chance to get to know them very well so we can best advice our customers. I've flown Sigma 9 size 27 (90-110kg) @ 95kg all-up and size 25 (75-100kg) @ 94kg all-up.
I've done about 10-12 hours of flying on each size in varied conditions in the UK from light to banging to gnarly. On our grassy UK hills we also get very good opportunity to try out another very important aspect of wings that's often overlooked: ground handing and kiting it back up the hill again.
I've soared. I've scratched. I've played. I've thermalled. I've searched. I've cored. I've gaggled. I've solo'd. I've raced. I've bimbled. I've glided. I've wanged it around a bit. I've full speed bar big-big-eared then spiralled to stop going into cloud/airspace. It's been fun! :)
The 27 lightly loaded @ 95kg feels steady, floaty, dampened, loose, calm, reassuring (it feels like a high end B). The 25 heavily loaded @ 94kg feels more agile, faster, more responsive, tighter, more dynamic, more energetic (it feels more like a low to mid C wing). Different pilots will prefer one or other. Personally, I prefer the latter.
Find out more about the Sigma 9 and watch our Sigma 9 review video
Advance Sigma 9 review (by Gavin Foster)
"We had a great comp week in Gemona with five outstanding tasks in the flats and mountains. We thermaled, soared, and raced; the Sigma 9 was put through its paces!
The Advance R&D team had told us all about how compact the Sigma 9 is with reduced AR of 5.8 from 6 on the Sigma 8, 0.75kgs lighter, with new cloth and materials. It is true what they say on the tin! Pilots commented that the presentation and build quality is exceptional (as to be expected with Advance). Adrian Thomas was very complimentary about Advance and Nova's quest to produce lower aspect ratio wings. He says the Papesh software is in front of all the other companies.
The Sigma 9's handling is really precise with sharp, direct, relatively short brake travel. Brakes are firmer than the S8, but direct, for general flying the range of movement is less. The turn initiation just fantastic! However the glider will tolerate deep brakes, useful for top landing for example. Kari Eisenhut, chief test pilot at Advance, made a big point of this unique feature. It has an amazing ability to re-centre if you need to tighten in the core!
The feedback for such a low AR wing is amazing; I thought this might be an issue: not at all!
The two other big factors are stability on bar and comfort flying. The Sigma 9 conveys incredible comfort without being too damped. The Ride is excellent. Plenty of feedback for subtle thermals and lift, but in the strong air the new Shark Mouth technology allows you to fly in comfort when others are thinking it is rough and time to land.
Speed bar and glide: Well this is quite something! Light easy to use and the second half of the bar the glider is still going and gliding. A significant improvement over the Sigma 8! Tim Pentreath and I had long glides with other gliders and I confirm nothing in the B or C class gets past. Against Delta 2 and Carrera for sure we have better glide. The comp wings go faster fully accelerated but we have better glide, often arriving above them at the next climb! Of course ridge racing and task racing the higher AR of the Enzo 2s and the Ice Peaks Pros win out, but the difference is smaller than you imagine. Tim flew pulley to pulley and the security at full speed is amazing! I caught one collapse as I barred 50% into a climb, but that was it all week.
Given the complexity of other current wings in its class, the lower aspect ratio of the Sigma 9, lighter weight, compact easily packable, simplicity, and ease of use surpass the opposition! The increased weightrange of the 23, 25 and 27 shows that the profile is tolerant, and some may load it up and make it a freestyle type of wing. (For UK flying I'd recommend being in the normal weight range).
The whole ethos of the Sigma 9 is about comfort and confidence so you can fly further and longer. I have a feeling that a lot of other pilots will feel unsettled when they go to Ager comp, and fly in boisterous conditions.
Allied to an Advance harness and rucksack you can have a small compact pack weighing less than 12kgs.
There is little doubt the Sigma 9 is another step forwards, and a really good one at that."
Advance Sigma 9 (by Tim Pentreath)
"Having flown the Sigma 9 against Enzos and Icepeaks in Gemona this week I can honestly say that the usable performance of the S9 is very impressive. Bashing along the ridge behind takeoff yesterday on full bar I overtook loads of wings including IPs and Enzos. And on glide against them when I'm on full bar and they're matching my speed the glide is pretty much identical. Obviously when they go on full bar they push ahead. Bar pressure is lighter than the Sigma 8.
Recovery from an asymmetric on full bar (whilst taking photos with hands off the brakes) was no great drama.
Handling is very precise with lighter brake pressure than the S8.
My verdict - a really superb wing!"
(Pictured below is Tim on a rare mass launch of Sigma 9's during a trip to Switzerland)
