GIN Atlas S

GIN Atlas S

On the 23^rd I was on our flying site ‘Mezyara’ flying a Mentor 3 with superb XC conditions…

Our driver and friend came directly from the airport to the take off and I knew that I have to turn back to the take off after some nice XC flying because the Atlas S is waiting!

I landed switched glider and harness to be at 91 all up at the Atlas S and here I am airborne.

Launching is a piece of cake, and immediately generous conditions and first thermal made my smile wide enough to reach my ears ! 

I have test flew 2 years ago the Sprint Evo,and the Atlas was something very different in a much more positive way…

I am a ‘handling’ freak! and turning this jewel is an experience of a life time!

It has been ages since I found that crispy, direct ,linear handling on a B glider!

I think the two recent tested gliders were a blessing, a EN-C just before and now the Atlas S for its ‘unlimited pleasure feel’ overwhelmed me.

I was flying next to my friend on the Chili 3 S at 98 all up, and we did some long XC flights next to each other, and that was a much more realistic test.

I have to write more about handling…The Atlas can make turns inside any new B glider I have already tested! It can turn on itself J Really impressive!

In the air the feeling under the Atlas is joyful. It does give its pilot the exact amount of feedback without too many parasitic movements. It has some pitch and roll movements but still in a very small angles letting the pilot feels that he is on a very precise glider without being pushed around. A inspire confidence feeling .I can describe it as very well balanced, and surely it rests in the middle of the B category.

The Atlas has the tendency to slide into the thermals without being pushed away. It feels like pulling you ‘gently’ inside those cores with a positive vario.

The climb rate versus the best in the B category puts the Atlas really close in efficiency and I could confirm its excellent climb!

Gliding next to a ‘Top’ B glider in Xc conditions, with head wind, and down wind, the Atlas is never left behind as if they are stuck! At first bar the Atlas glide is also in par with the best. My friend and I were inseparable the whole flight.

The accelerator is soft and smooth, and can be pushed all along. The rear risers offer an efficient control in turbulent conditions and by pulling them gently the pilot can keep the Atlas on track.

Big ears are stable and effective. With the bar, a

-      4m/s can be achieved.

Conclusion:

After the appearance of the impressive Boomerang 9, I was curious to see if that will affect the lower rated gliders.

There is surely a leap in technology somewhere and the Atlas has surely inherited it!

The pleasure and performance ratio is very high!

With its high-end performance, its sublime climb rate, its dream handling and its easiness of flight, the Atlas S sits on the middle of the B category, a complete B glider that will mark its path and will be often talked about!

https://plus.google.com/photos/110040226962521480605/albums/5871179181475711457?banner=pwa

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SKYWALK Chili 3 S

SKYWALK Chili 3 S

I never flew a Chili before. My last testing on a SKYWALK was with a Cayenne 4,and now the Chili 3 S arrived . I added some ballast to reach 99 all up on the S (80-100) .

Launching:

I didn’t find any particular behavior rather than easy to launch it in nil wind or in high wind .I have tried to kite it in high winds on a soaring slope by pulling the rear C risers. It works fine knowing that the C attachment point is far away from the brakes attachments. They do break a bit the profile but still manageable.

In The air:

Like the C4 was having long brake travel, the Chili3 has even a longer one!

In homogenous conditions with calm thermals the Chili 3 can be steered with the first 30 cm of length and the wing can be called as agile!

In turbulent conditions and when entering turbulent strong cores, the Chili 3 have a pronounced roll movement and the first 30 cm of travel won’t do any help for controlling the glider. In those turbulent conditions I found that to stop the surges or to replace the Chili 3 above my head, 60 cm of brake travel are needed sometimes! That’s fine as long as the pilot is acquainted with long brake travel.

I think the profile has lots of energy and the placement of the C attachment is far from the leading edge, putting the brakes at a ‘long,forgiving,linear but huge brake travel, that I am not used to yet!

Climb rate:

At 99 all up on a Chili 3 I was finding myself in a  ‘SKYGOD shape’ as I was able to out climb any mosquito! Yes I can confirm largely that the Chili 3 has an outstanding climb rate putting it on the very top of the B category!

Giving the Chili 3 to a gifted friend @ 100 all up that has only 3 years of experience, was a big mistake as he out climbed me on a M3@ 98 all up!... And that was a hard fact!!

So the Sky god thing didn’t happen to me only….

Glide:

The glide at trim speed in calm air showed a same glide angle as the M3 with a slightly less speed at trim. The glide in head wind glides and difficult conditions could favor slightly the M3 if the headwind surpasses 20km/h and in some surges. Less than that, they are almost identical! (Did several 6 km glides in moving conditions and the glider tips were sealed sometimes ;-)   )

The speed system is relatively light and it can be easily used in most conditions.

Big ears are efficient and can have nice descent rates (-4 m/s) when coupled also with the accelerator. They didn’t seem to flap and open by themselves or sometimes a little dab on the brakes.

Conclusion:

With the Chili 3 SKYWALK has created a top B glider in the category.

But it’s a relatively talkative EN-B, if I was to compare it with the others, and it shows its strong character only in turbulent strong cores! It needs a good ‘B’ pilots to fly it happily.

I wished the brake travel were 50% shorter! As I believe that such excellent performances coupled with that energy needs some more direct brake travel to place it immediately with a short travel.

No excuses for any B pilot flying the CHILI 3 for bombing out! Unless all the flying creature are asleep ;-)

OZONE Delta 2

 

OZONE Delta 2  (La Classe!)

Back in 2010, the first Delta 1 emerged. Test flying the Delta 1 M size showed a very comfortable ride, combined with superb performance. It was happily used all over the world in some of the nastiest air…The only thing I wasn’t comfortable with was its long and a bit delayed handling and the inconvenient pitch back when entering a thermal.

Now I have a Delta 2 ML and SM for a test flight.

Nowadays there’s a lot of nice C gliders out there, and to describe better the Delta 2, I am being a bit specific and explanative on this report.

Today I flew the Delta 2 SM at 91 all up!

Launching: With its highly present shark nose the Delta 2 cannot be easier to launch!  It’s like a B glider with no overshooting tendencies for the intermediate pilot…

In the air: Once in the air the Delta 2 gives an immediate comfortable feeling.

Its feels like on rails, but with some very polite feedback, just the necessary amount for the pilot in the C category letting him feels the air.

The brakes have an average to light pressure with very linear response! The Delta 2 can be steered inside the thermals with just 15 cm of travel, making the Delta 2 a superb thermal weapon for precision and agility!

In homogenous thermal conditions, a pilot cannot be indifferent by that excellent turning radius! 

In very disorganized turbulent thermals, I found that the best way to sustain that nice turning radius is to weight shift with the turn .The energy of the Delta 2 will let the educated pilot putting it where he wants even in choppy air!

In the opposite of the Delta 1 the pitch ability in sniffing the thermals of the Delta 2 is the best feeling a C glider has until now!

It has an excellent light pitch forward when entering a thermal, and that is outstanding, reminding me of the class above!

It has the ability to pull you gently inside the thermals and nicely inside those cores.

For that special characteristic I cannot but cherish the Delta 2 ability to search forward!

In very light conditions, I found the Delta 2 to be very efficient! Encountering a light thermal, the leading edge slide smoothly inside the lift letting the vario beep positively in a light constant rate…High-end D pilots will understand what I mean…

In some strong cores the Delta 2 reacts like a loaded spring, lifting immediately upward and reminding me some high aspect ratio gliders!

Inside those strong homogenous cores the handling of the Delta 2 can be described as very agile!

When flying the Delta 2 in turbulent conditions, it seems to give its pilots some comfortable and shake resistance ability!

Big ears with the outside lines are stable, efficient especially coupled with the accelerator. Not like on the M4, but still fine.

They do not open completely by themselves, and need a pull on the brakes.

The speed system is light and if the lines on the accelerator are precisely installed, a single push with one bar can access 90 % of the speed travel, which gives the impression of an immediate boost in speed!

At full bar the Delta 2 increases its speed over trim by 12-13 km/h, and yet the leading edge is very stable and very usable.

Big and high wingovers are doable with the Delta2 and quickly built.

Getting into a debate for the performance numbers or in calm air glides of the Delta 2 is the least that any pilot should have to look at, because its superb performance is efficiently ‘usable’ in every condition.

Who’s the glider for?

I cannot say that the glider is super comfortable like a B glider…It is a C, exactly in the middle of the category. Educated pilots who have flown 2 seasons on a high end B will be welcomed onboard the Delta 2.

You cannot give a refined bottle of wine to taste other than a ‘connaisseur’ ;-)

Pluses: Handling,performace,climb rate, Into wind performance,Comfort,efficiency, usability…

Minuses: Not found!

Just one detail. The brake pulleys tend to jam a bit the brake lines, if those are pulled close to the risers.

If the brakes are pulled far from the risers there’s no problem of getting jammed. After my friend on the ML size landed he complained about that also!

I hope OZONE will immediately change those pulleys or solve that small problem.

Conclusion: (Please excuse my fairytale, and poetic conclusion)

With the Delta 2 OZONE has produced an excellent product, rare in the C category for its ‘fine characteristics’ and which fits exactly in its middle.

As if:

Once upon a time there was an Elf that sneaks every night to the OZONE factory, and fine tune those Delta 2’s.The next day the gliders are sent away and open the doors to long XC flights to the land of never ‘never land’ ;-) and at the end of each day when gravity calls and at the landing time, it was told to look into a mirror as all will surprisingly look ‘enchanted’ as if they were submerged by the ‘Magic ‘of flying.
Did I say I liked it? ;-)