Hook
3 ( The Wise Buddha)
Flew
the HOOK 3 25 today at 97 all up. Conditions were windy and a bit turbulent.
NIVIUK
has only one category EN-B.And i was curious to see where could they insert the
HOOK 3 ?
Launching
in light wind requires a steady pull until it settles above your head.
Immediately
after launch,i noticed the following .
If
i found the Eden 5 to be comfortable then i have to say that the HOOK 3 is even
'more' comfortable. Amazing what can they do with those new gliders.
The
handling is similar to the Eden 5 .Linear but little more precise .This
interesting leading edge is quite amazing ! I couldn't feel the active air and
the movements of the glider above my head were very limited,as if i was on a
low EN-B wing !
Among
all the latest B's the HOOK 3 is now the most comfortable ! ...What can i say
?? Each glider seems to have more
positive character and i must write it as it is !
The
climbing in weak conditions is average,the glider needs a bit of time to climb
at my loading, but in tricky and shaky conditions it is good .
The
HOOK 3 can be turned into a dime in the most trickiest conditions and it will
obey your every input.
The
accelerator is fairly light and it can be pushed easily through the rough
stuff ! No worries ...I mean it is
very usable !
Now
the best part is 'its performance' .
It
seems that every glider i test fly delivers some surprise...
After
5 long glides with a Mentor 3,(Video coming soon) ,in calm air,and in head wind
glides ,i was always very,very near as if they have the same glide angle !
The
M3 could have the edge in 'efficiency' in head wind of difficult conditions,to
cut and climb dynamically better, but the easiness of this beautiful machine is
outstanding !
Twice
easier than the most performant B glider !
Further
test will be carried for sure,in order to update my 'B' comparison. but i was surprised by the amount of
comfort coupled with a glide of excellence !
Low
EN-B pilots will surely have no problem upgrading into this 'zen' glider !
Many
high end-B's will deliver nice amount of performances but with the Hook 3 those
performances are reached with a Zen attitude :-)
Cheers,
Ziad.
The sail looks super clean!
ReplyDeleteIt is nice !
DeleteThanks for your report. I am ready for an EN B and my local dealer sells Niviuk. I am also looking at the Gin Sprint Evo which is also available to me. Please keep the comparisons coming! Conditions are often light here but mixed with strong days. Good climb in those light conditions is important but needs to be stable enough for the stronger days. Thanks for your input.
DeleteI have flown it a couple of times now. Yesterday was a strong wind UK day. I managed to outperform the others around; a Cayenne 3, Nevada, Golden 2 and a Delta!!
ReplyDeleteSecurity is solid and glide is great. I too fly at 97kg and would wish it was a little more 'floaty' - but with the solid feeling in rough air, it makes me happy.
Thanx to your test report I decided to buy a Hook 3. I had my first, 35k xc without any stress. Super low sink rate. 10:1 glide. The sail is rock solid like the my previous Arcus 6 but the performance is superb, incredibly precise.
ReplyDeleteThanx again Ziad!
Hi Ziad,
ReplyDeleteWould you prefer the Hook 3 over the Hook 2? What are the main differences between the two? I'm about the same weight as you; would you perhaps recommend the 27 over the 25 according the weight?
Thanks a lot and keep up the good work. I just love to read your reports!
Lars