UP Trango XC 2 S/M 80-95
Swept wings,6.8 A/R glider, thin risers, unsheathed
lines everywhere, aggressive look, nylon rods on the edge and more in the back,
beautiful design .That’s the Trango XC 2 S/M EN-C ,lying on the take off and
ready to be airborne.
I flew the glider with the Genie Lite harness size M,
with a total weight of 90 kg all up.
Launching:
Pulling the inside A’s ,and the glider rises quickly
without any delay. In strong breeze, it is better to stop it a bit at 75 % of
the rise.
The conditions of the day were first turbulent and
punchy with very small cores with an easterly wind above take off. All you need
to get an uncomfortable flight, and to understand better the glider I am
testing.
In the air:
I cannot say that the XC 2 is a dampened glider like
the ‘C’s I was testing before. Immediately after take off the XC 2 showed a
more “performance” behavior in the air, as I may say that reminded me of the
old ‘D’s.
I remembered reading at the UP website that the glider
is intended for D pilots not wanting to go to that class at the moment but with
a ‘C’ rating for safety.
That’s exactly what the XC2 feel like in the air.
Flying the Trango XC 2,feels like a samurai solders
slicing and fighting with his Katana!
Going forward “very efficiently” in an XC flight, the
Trango XC 2 is the key to success. No thermal will make the XC 2 reluctant to
enter it.
Going forward is the name and XC is the game J !!
The Trango XC 2 feels very pressurized, and it feels
like a solid, complete wing above your head .Its coherent and moves as a whole
.It needs precise input to dissipate its energy and put it on track.
In the thermals:
The strongest point and very noticeable of the Trango
XC 2 is its brilliant climb rate!
And that is a direct statement after flying nearly all the new ‘C’s even
with some high aspect ratio ones…
Encountering a sudden lift or a small bubble, punchy
thermals, the Trango XC 2 is the queen! it will climb like a spring!
Immediately visible to the eye, and there’s a
difference.
In very weak “smooth” stuff <0.3 m/s the glider must
be lightly loaded at mid or a bit less to be as efficient.
Handling:
Surprisingly, the Trango XC 2 with its 6.8 AR is very
agile. In “homogenous” thermals it’s a delight to turn! Very narrow and
efficient. Just a dab on the inside break releasing completely the outside, the
wing feels like a speed glider going up !! ;-)
In a more turbulent “non-homogenous” core, it needs a
more precise input to control the energy of the glider and re-put it on its
path. But it is much easier that some ‘D’s.
I can describe the brake travel as short, precise with
average pressure.
Performance:
Gliding with the best ‘C’s of the moment, the Trango XC
2 is well placed on the top. Gliding in calm air the difference is negligible,
but when gliding on a ridge with lifts and going into wind, the Trango XC2 may
have the upper hand.
The speed bar is relatively light and pulling it at the
max, the glider remains very stable with speed near 56 km/h at 2500 ASL and loaded at max but with an
impressive glide angle!
(Video soon)
Big ears are stable and easily doable. Coupled with the
accelerator the descent rates are around 4 m/s.
Conclusion:
A new generation of UP gliders is born!
Frantisek Pavlousek designs and glider behavior is
strongly implemented in the Trango XC 2! Like the Venus 2 was, efficient and
dynamic.
The Trango XC 2, with its superb climb and fast
reactions will be a performant tool in the competitions.
It has indeed a ‘C’ rating but it’s not for everyone!
It needs a good pilot to fly it, but I can assure you
that the feeling under it is a pure joy to the educated pilot wishing to fly a
high end ‘C’.
You can drive your Ferrari or your Bmw ! Everyone has a
choice.
The Trango XC 2 is now the glider to beat in the ‘C’
category in terms of “climb and efficiency”.
UPDATE:The XC2 SM size with a total weight of 90 all up
has a low full speed of 53 km/h at sea level .If you are loaded at max
and you fly at + 2000 m altitude then it is a bit better....
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