The Supair DELIGHT 3 is a lightweight pod harness with a fairly upright seating position which makes it easy to transition to for pilots unfamiliar with the reclined style of harness. With the traditional rear position for a reserve parachute and a simple ‘get-up’ leg strap design it is easy to get into and prepare for launching. It has a well-finished look and eye-catching style, but what is it really like in the air?
Supair DELIGHT 3: Construction
The classy new styling of the Supair products is evident on the Delight 3 with clean lines, harmonious colours and durable fabrics. It has sturdy construction and high quality components.
Supair have improved the shaping of the back support, and it’s really noticeable in flight. You’ve got great comfort due to the high density foam that extends all the way up your back.
The uniquely grey webbing straps slide easily in the adjusting buckles, making it simple to find the right flying position. There is a good range of adjustment.
There are many clever small details, like the emergency webbing strap and karabiner (for securing yourself in case of a tree landing), special clips on the flight deck to help secure your instruments and a concealed pocket for an external battery for charging your phone/instruments during flight. These all add to the impression of quality and thoughtful design.
Supair DELIGHT 3: On the ground
In England we are able to slope land and walk the wings back up for a quick relaunch, so we often spend time kiting our wings. In this situation, harness comfort is noticeable, and the Delight 3 is great! It’s light enough that it moves with your body, the pointed tail doesn’t interfere with your helmet during reverse launches, and the mini-seatboard is small enough that it stays out of the way and doesn’t knock against the back of your legs (as almost all ‘full’ seatboards tend to do).
Getting into and out of the pod is also very easy, so we felt able to play close to the slope.
Supair DELIGHT 3: In the air
It’s very calm and comfortable in the air. Compared to other harnesses in the class, it has reduced roll while also being very stable in yaw and pitch. The harness feels reassuring but we were still able to get a really good turn and movement with it. The legs straps and harness geometry restrict your movement in a supportive way.
Probably aided by the mini-seatplate, you can lean and weight shift and get extra leverage if you are determined to induce more roll, so it’s available should you need to really bank up in a turn, but it will naturally keep you within moderate roll angles. Within this range, the movement that the harness transmits to the pilot is low, but surprisingly the feedback is good with a nice connection with the air currents, like a music player with the volume turned down to ‘ambient’, you can feel what is going on but won’t be overwhelmed. It does a great job of filtering out the turbulent noise.
Supair DELIGHT 3: Pros and cons
Pros
- A great first pod harness, stable and supportive
- Easy to adjust, simple to setup, good range of adjustment
- Easy entry and exit into the pod
- Lots of packing space to rear, under the seat, on sides and in front.
- Good back protection and extended back support
- Great styling and top quality finishes: quick buckle closures, speedbar pulleys, fabrics
- Removable seat plate offers extra leverage in turns
Cons
- Pack volume is large for the class due to the extensive supportive back foam. The harness does not fold completely flat, so it takes up space. It’s best to unzip the rear pocket to allow the pointed tip to fold down nicely.
- It’s possible to get your feet tangled in loose adjustment straps inside the speedbag.
- Reserve strop channel unzips itself under pressure (not unsafe, just annoying). Take care to check the zip during pre-flight.
- Instrument panel can be slightly too low with heavy instruments. Use an add-on instrument panel and position it to project slightly.
- Requires effort to maintain large bank angles (but it doesn't prevent strong input)
Supair DELIGHT 3: Who is it for?
Pilots progressing up to a pod harness for the first time, and pilots who want to reduce the weight of their old generation cocoon without losing the feeling of having roll control through the seatplate. For winter warmth and cross country comfort, the DELIGHT 3 offers a supportive, stable harness with good protection and ample storage space. It reduces the pilot workload in active air, gives a good connection with the air and feeling in turns, and provides excellent filtering of the air currents to transmit only the information you need with calm feedback and reassuring balance.
We don't recommend beginner pilots get a pod harness: beginners already have more than enough to think about during the critical launch and landing stages without getting distracted by struggling to get in and out of the speedbag which can become a hazard to others as well as to yourself. It’s best to have your legs free for safety during your early days.
Supair DELIGHT 3: Video review
Useful Links
See Supair DELIGHT 3 technical details and other info.
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If you want a removable instrument panel, check out our current range of Flight Decks / Cockpits.
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