Air Design RISE 2

Air Design RISE 2 M ( The surprise ! )

My last AD gliders VOLT as a C and the Rise 1 as a B. The RISE 2 is the new replacement for the B pilots.

The AD RISE 2 has a very beautiful and clean construction . The sewings on the glider and the way it is built is very neat.

Launching the RISE 2 is no more demanding as a school glider. The glider inflates and wait for the pilot to act.

In the air and first thermal the RISE 2 brake pressure is medium to heavy if you pull more than 40 cm . But the glider is steered with only 15 cm as an efficient brake travel ! It is a relatively moderate to agile glider.
The brake fan is designed to give you complete accuracy in order to carve it into thermals. I have flown this glider from weak to strong conditions, and i can easily recommend that glider as first entry to the high B class for its easiness and coolness in flight. For sure the RISE 2 is designed for big air ! The comfort is amazing …

To talk about the climb rate, i had to fly next to a Mentor 3 at the same loadings . After many weak and strong thermals, i can confirm that the climb is excellent and very similar in all kind of thermals including the difficult ones when stuck in the sea breeze !

Doing several glides more than 7 km each ! next to a Mentor 3 S (videos soon) ,showed also a similar glide angle for both , which is impressive for the RISE 2 !

Big ears are difficult to hold, especially at bar. The speed system is fairly medium to light and can get the RISE 2 M at 100 all up and 1000 ASL at 10 km/h over trim speed.

Conclusion :
The AD RISE 2 M is truly a remarkable glider for the overall performances it delivers and the huge amount of comfort it carries ! This is an impressive successful package ! For sure the top speed is a bit low and the brakes are slightly heavy…But no pilot on the RISE 2 will ever blame the wing on its into wind performance efficiency for the B class and especially on it's comfort caracteristic . Hat’s off to Air Design for that particular creation. 

 

 :-)

41th Coupe Icare Interviews

Excellent Coupe Icare this year, I met lots of nice people and i was impressed with the humility of big designers, with their very positive approach.

Lots of pilots and professionals looked very puzzled by my free tests, and asked me if I'm going to keep on doing them ...And why i am still doing this free service...

I never thought about it.

It is true that passion can outcome the hard reality and i can only reply: Because it happens that i am here, at this moment  :-)

Axis Comet 2 S

Axis Comet 2 S Opening the Axis bag and the glider showed a very good quality construction .The Comet 2 has a shark nose, thin lines on the upper layers, very sporty risers look. Performance is written just by looking on the Comet 2 . Launching the glider is uneventful for the B class. I am flying the S size 70-90 at 88 all up. First turn showed a moderate and light feel on the brakes with precise response enabling an agile turn. The Comet 2 S can be very nicely placed inside the thermals by applying the exact amount on the brakes. It has some moderate roll movements found in the B class. The pitching behavior is nearly absent ,enabling the pilot to concentrate on the flight. Loading the S size at max didn’t really affect the glider capability to climb in weak cores. In fact with it’s linear and precise handling , the weakest thermals can be easily exploited. The strongest point of the Comet 2 is it’s glide angle at trim speed . After many glides with top B gliders, the Comet 2 is outstanding ! It stands right by side and not far from the best in this category . At second bar there's more to work on as the glide deteriorate a bit. The speed system is moderate to light and easy to use ,with a top speed around 54 km/h . Big ears are very stable and a superb way to descend quickly. Wing overs are fun, and the S size is playful. Conclusion: Each glider gives a certain feeling after landing. Some are special, some are exquisite, others are less… The Comet 2 gave me the feeling of getting it airborne again ,like after a successful first date…  I think the Comet 2 is a balanced and fun glider to fly. It has everything to get it’s pilot on the longest XC’s with the pleasure of flying it. If this glider meets your budget, i recommend a test flight as soon as possible with the satisfaction that will come along !

Gradient Aspen 5

Soon,

Gradient Aspen 5 26

The size 26 is ready for take off at 99 all up. It looks like a big glider on the ground. The construction details are superb !  The rods on the leading edge of the Aspen 5 are not very long.  The A attachment points on the glider are slightly back . 

Risers are skinny and sporty, and the Aspen 5 has all unsheathed lines.

Launching the Aspen 5 in nil wind is easy just a steady pull … In stronger wind above 25 km/h be ready to control it as other C gliders…

Flying the Aspen 5 26 at 99 all up, in some turbulent cores showed a moderate roll response ,slightly more than Aspen 4 with some movements on the yaw axis.   However at that load, entering some thermals the Aspen 5 pitch back a bit then stabilize above the pilots head. It is very different in behavior from the Aspen 4 .

The brake travel is similar to the 4 with light pressure , and the turning radius is flatter. It is surely more efficient in climb than the Aspen 4 ,but with less agility for the same loadings.

The Aspen 5 gives this feeling of performance efficiency where the Aspen 4 was more oriented for fun. Surely Gradient wanted to get maximum performance out of a C.

Talking about performance lets begin with the climbing ability. After many flights and comparison with my reference glider in the C category, and with the same loadings,i can see that the Aspen 5 is very competitive with the top ones. 

The efficiency in the weak coupled with a flat turn is very good !   In punchier thermals the Aspen 5 will surely climb very well also, but will need just a second to settle after the back pitch.

In gliding power, at trim speed the Aspen 5 also showed similar performance as the top ones, but at top speed which is ±15 km/h over trim at 800 ASL, the Aspen 5 has a very interesting glide angle that could place it on top.

Big ears flap a bit, and it is better to sit in the middle or use the speed system symmetrically with this maneuver to avoid turning left or right.

It is clear that the Aspen 5 was built for efficient flying rather than a freestyle wing to throw around. But still flying it heavy can improve that feeling. 

Conclusion: With the Aspen 5 ,Gradient has successfully built an efficient XC machine to compete with this category.  

Choosing a glider comes always to a personal choice of multiple feelings and sensations that comes after a test flight .