Almost three years ago, Advance entered the ‘high B’ class for the first time with the IOTA. This proved to be a popular wing, providing performance, stability and good handling to pilots wanting to extend their cross country achievements. With the recent releases in the XC class, the Advance design team had to raise the game. Using the original Iota as the reference, what could be improved upon?
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The Mentor series is well established. According to Nova, "For many years the MENTOR has been setting the standard for XC-intermediate wings. It combines impressive performance with a high degree of passive safety and it encourages you to exceed your boundaries." Every edition has promised more performance. Greg Hamerton tested the Mentor 5 S.
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You’d expect a designer with such a long tradition of excellence in paragliding to have something special up his sleeve when he starts his own brand. Something that not only displays his mastery of design but creates a space within a crowded marketplace. A disruptor. There’s no question that the Symphonia will be a defining wing for PHI.
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The TASKA is Supair's first foray into the Sports Class (EN C). Aimed to deliver 'accessible performance' it is a semi-light construction, avoiding the compromises of extreme lightweight product while still being compact and easy to carry at only 4.5kg in the medium size. Carlo and Greg take to the skies to investigate the handling and character of the TASKA.
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Carlo has flown the wing in a variety of conditions: "The level of pilot demand feels just right for ‘Mentor pilots’ i.e. at the mid level of the XC Class (high B range), both on the ground and in the air.
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Dave Southern reports on the hike-and-fly combination of Advance PI 2 and EASINESS 2 (Skywings Magazine, January 2017). "The Pi 2 27 and Easiness 2 ‘security configuration’ are an excellent combination which should pass unnoticed by the most eagle-eyed flight desk attendant and go into the overhead lockers for air travel. All of your kit, including an ultralight reserve, could weigh less than 7kg and you’d still have a glider that is capable of good, safe XCs."
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The Gin Explorer is "a lightweight sports performance wing aimed at seasoned XC pilots who want to fly a wing that's comfortable, responsive and performant." Apparently, development of this wing began at the same time as the Gin Carrera, but as it pursued a lightweight philosophy, the design took another direction, and resulted in a lengthy development and testing phase. Flybubble's Carlo Borsattino and Nancy Elliott share their first impressions based on their experience on the wing in UK winter and spring conditions.
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Flybubble team pilot Malin Lobb pushes the limits of the Skywalk CHILI 4 in Annecy, testing its responses to extreme flight situations.
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The Flybubble crew have now flown Skywalk's new high-end EN B wing, the CHILI4, a good amount in a variety of conditions. Carlo was charged with getting to know the CHILI4 intimately and then publish his findings. After numerous flights, lots of ground handling, and much poking and prodding, here they are.
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The Skywalk CHILI 3 developed a reputation as the 'climbing king' in the XC Class. It also had a fairly impressive accelerated glide, making it a favourite in the UK, where escaping from small hills usually involves pushing upwind from a poor climb before making the best of weak lift that struggles through the ground inversion and into the really good sky near the clouds. The CHILI 4 has slightly more aspect ratio, more cells, is slightly heavier and is designed with more loading. From that I'd expect the wing to be slightly faster and offer better glide. The introduction of a shark nose should increase the speed range and safety. So is it an outright winner?
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