As an experienced hike-and-fly enthusiast, a lightweight C is something I am interested in, so I was excited to receive the Q-LIGHT for testing. Triple Seven say “The Q-light is the ideal tool for long, difficult hike&fly adventures in remote mountain areas. It has a high passive safety level in combination with performance that is way out of its class.”
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Miniwings for high wind soaring are one of my personal obsessions and I spare no effort in finding the worlds best. I live in Auckland, New Zealand with large picturesque sea cliff and conditions that are often strong, laminar and superb for high wind soaring/speedflying. This is unusual in the world, so we are lucky and constantly looking for better miniwings to give us more fun in our smooth 20-45km/hr coastal winds.
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It’s only two years since I reviewed the Mentor 5 (and the Mentor 4, 2 years before that). NOVA have a regular release schedule and are bang on target with this update, ‘A sports intermediate for cross-country and fun flying’. Has the reliable stalwart of the ‘high B’ class changed much?
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The Phi MAESTRO is designed for recreational pilots with some experience who want to excel at cross country flying or are looking for a wing with feeling and feedback. It’s what we call a ‘high B’ or B+ for short, which means it passes the standard EN-B certification tests, but requires more piloting skill to fly when compared to something like the Phi Tenor.
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The Leopard is distinguished by its opportunistic hunting behaviour, strength, and its ability to adapt to a variety of habitats including arid and montane areas. It can move at speeds of up to 58 kilometres per hour (36 mph). Phil Clark takes delivery of his Gin LEOPARD (EN D) and takes to the skies.
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The EPSILON 9 is designed to help you progress in your flying after your first wing, or just have fun in the air without worrying. It is placed mid-way between the very-capable Alpha 6 and the higher performing Iota 2. We test the handling and safety of this modern EN B wing from Advance.
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I was excited when PHI released a lightweight version of the TENOR. The original wing (also a mid-B) has impressive performance, nippy handling and great passive safety. How does the new TENOR LIGHT compare to the full fat version? I flew it in the UK winter and then for 30 hours in Colombia in a wide spectrum of flying conditions whilst leading a cross country paragliding tour, which gave me a great opportunity to test the responses and compare it with other current wings. Is it any good? Let’s find out.
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The Skywalk ARAK is aimed at the centre of the large EN B pilot target market, mid-way between the ‘low B’ Tequila 5 and the ‘high B’ Chili 4. Nancy Elliott flew the ARAK M in the winter (UK) and in varied conditions in Tenerife, and shares her experience. Light but durable, agile but calm, simple but efficient. Did they get the balance right?
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The Gin BONANZA 2 makes it clear, it’s aiming for Sports Class, and the EN C rating leaves no room for misunderstanding: it’s only suitable for experienced pilots. It looks especially clean, high aspect and racy. Is it too hot? Carlo Borsattino tests the wing in a range of conditions in Tenerife and the UK to analyse the handling and features.
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The original Gin ATLAS was released in 2013, and has been a hugely successful Progression wing offering ‘easy B’ handling and good performance. It still holds its own against newer wings.
Gin was clearly in no hurry to replace the Atlas. The Atlas 2 is a refined version, not a completely new development.
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