PHI ALLEGRO

Technical data

Weight ranges

Colours

Standard colours: Blue-White, Orange-White, Purple-White

Package

• Wing
• concertina bag
• repair material

ALLEGRO: fasten your seat belts!

As the name suggests, the ALLEGRO is agile, dynamic and--above all--damn fast!

Designer's note

The ALLEGRO is designed with an aspect ratio of 6 and pilot demands in the low level of the C category. This follows our strategy of taking small steps between each wing model in our range.

I'll save you the usual marketing spiel. You know what kind of performance level to expect from us in the C class!

- Hannes Papesh

Technical features

The finished ALLEGRO is the result of an intensive optimisation process. Technical features were proven and adjusted to reach our goal: a wing that's nice and easy to fly with dynamic handling yet also a pure-blooded racing machine.

In this way the ALLEGRO has two facets: like a family car which transforms into a formula one beast when you step on the gas pedal.

The technical effort to reach this goal was high: 72 cells, with additional mini ribs in the leading- and trailing edge, double zigzag 3D shaping on top and single on the bottom. Plenty of straps inside the wing to offer the best possible load distribution and form stability. A well balanced mix of newest line materials to minimize drag and avoid trim deviation.

Material

Porcher Skytex 32

Risers

Standard: Comfort R01

Optional: Semilight C Handle R07

See Phi risers

Flybubble review

Flybubble's Carlo Borsattino and Nancy Elliott have tested Phi's EN/LTF C certified sport wing, the ALLEGRO, extensively, in a wide variety of conditions, over a period of months, with a variety of harnesses, and had great opportunity to compare it with many other wings.

"The Allegro is a sports class wing with pilot demands that are in the lower end of the C-class bracket. It's great for launching in all winds, from nil wind to strong winds.

The Allegro is also excellent for kiting. It has a very nice control, great for kiting back up the hill, which I do quite a lot on our little hills. I enjoy that aspect. So it's brilliant for that. For the class, the Allegro is relatively easy both on the ground and in the air.

The Allegro is very agile. It's an exceptionally nimble glider.

An important point about the handling is that whilst some gliders turn very flat, and are very efficient, they are a bit slow and sluggish. Some other gliders turn quickly and are responsive but they tend to roll a lot and be inefficient. So the challenge for any designer is to get a glider that turns nimbly and is agile and responds but is still efficient and turns flatter. I think the Allegro does that absolutely brilliantly.

If you hit a punchy core, and you just want to turn right on that core, then you can do that right off on the Allegro. The glider doesn't have a tendency to pitch back a lot. It does a little bit. There's a bit of pitch back, but there isn't much delay. There's a short pitch, then the glider bites in nicely. You can turn the Allegro very flat and efficient but very tight as well.

If you really want to bank the glider around, you can just stuff the brake a bit harder and the glider will bank up some more. Then with just a bit of outer brake you can make the glider turn flat again. So there's a really great degree of control there.

The Allegro isn't a very "floaty" glider. It's more trimmed for speed and agility In terms of the feedback from the wing, the Allegro is actually pretty solid. The sail doesn't move about and "jellyfish" around or anything. It's pretty solid. But it definitely does communicate to you. It's quite "feedbacky". It tells you what's going on in the air.

So, if you're a pilot that just wants a real steady calm glider that just sits above your head, and doesn't talk to you much, then this probably isn't the glider for you. But if you're a pilot that loves good communication or plenty of feedback, so that you can feel what's going on, and you know how the air is, without being overtly yappy and chatty, then you're going to love the Allegro!

In terms of playfulness for wingovers and dolphining - a bit of wagga, joy of swooping - the Allegro is almost like a mini wing, it's so fun to fly!

In terms of performance, the Allegro is pretty equal with any of the current good mid C gliders. The Allegro is a bit faster. It's a bit more tuned for speed, particularly when you use the speed system. When you use the speed bar, just in the first third you definitely really feel the glider picking up a good amount of speed.

On full speed bar I was picking up on average around 20 km an hour, which is pretty impressive for a low C wing. Gliding next to other wings showed me this glider is quick, there's no doubt about it. For a low C wing, it's faster than most of the mid C wings, and keeping up with the high C wings.

If you're a pilot looking to move up from the high B class but not wanting much higher pilot demands then the Allegro is a perfect option for you. If you want to upgrade from your high B wing but you don't want to go too high into the C class then the Allegro is a perfect upgrade for you, especially if you like very nimble and agile handling!

Also, if you're a pilot that's been flying higher C class gliders, or even D class gliders, and you want to move down to something safer but you find the B class gliders a little bit too low for what you want - you want a bit more than that - then the Allegro is also a perfect choice."

Details

"The Allegro comes as standard with the R01 comfort risers fitted, which are easier to handle on the ground. Really good to see these have really nice high quality 20 mm Ronstan ball-bearing pulleys for the speed system.

There is the option of fitting optional R07 risers, which are more performance oriented and feature a BC system. The R07 risers also have 20 mm Ronstan ball-bearing pulleys for the speed system, and also the BC system. It's got a very nice carbon bar for the BC handle as well. We'll cover the R07 risers in more detail in a future review."

Allegro 19

"The Allegro size 19 is different from the other sizes of Allegro. It's effectively an Allegro light 19 made from standard weight materials. The most important difference is the number of main lines. All other sizes of Allegro have three A, B and C lines. The Allegro size 19 has only two. On the risers it has two A's, two B's and two C's, plus of course the stabilo line and the brake line."

— Carlo Borsattino, Flybubble

"Launching the Allegro in a soarable wind, I found it light and easy to control with no tendency to shoot up or hang back.

In the air the Allegro feels nimble and responsive but not overly aggressive. It has a fun and fast feeling.

With the longer, optional R07 risers fitted I sometimes felt I wanted to raise my hands so that no brake was applied. Resting my hands on the C handles is a very comfortable position.

Even applying only half speed-bar I noticed a significant difference in speed, which really made me smile! My vario GPS showed an extra 10k per hour and a pilot flying an older sports wing later commented how much I pulled away from him!

Applying the speed bar is light and smooth and the C handles work brilliantly for fine adjustment and extra control.

To summarise, the Allegro is a fun and fast sports wing and a top contender for pilots who enjoy agile handling."

— Nancy Elliott, Flybubble

Watch the Flybubble video review:

Phi ALLEGRO pilot feedback

"I agree with all the comments Carlo and Nancy make about the Allegro. I went from an Artik 4 to the Allegro. So it was a drop in Aspect Ratio but no drop in performance. The thing that I really noticed was making turns. It has a real ability to make fast efficient turns. The speed system goes on very smoothly which is an added bonus. Great wing for its class." - John Turczak, Southern Hang Gliding Club (SHGC) Chairman and Cheif Coach

"John Turczak yep, agree totally with them and you. I dropped from a high C (which I usually preferred) to the low C Allegro and was very impressed with it instantly on my test flight. So many great aspects in one wing is quite rare. I bought it without hesitation. It really is a fantastic glider." - Kym Fielke

"Brilliant review thanks Carlo and Nancy. I agree with every single point you spoke off. I decided to buy the Allegro only 30 seconds after launching on the test flight. I never had that instant connection with my previous high EN C gliders; I just learnt to like them. The playfulness, speed, tight-but-flat and efficient turning ability along with the lift bite you spoke of was all apparent within the first 5 mins of launching. It really is a great fun+performance low EN C glider that Hannes has produced." - Kym Fielke

"What a glider! Agile, responsive to small inputs, especially weight shift. Stable and FAST. C riser steering is great! Speed bar is easy. Into wind gliding is incredible." - another happy ALLEGRO owner

"Very good, agile, fast. Very good glide and easy to fly." - another happy ALLEGRO owner