Hi,
The Iota is a new B class from ADVANCE that sits between the Sigma 9 and the Epsilon 7 .
It has all unsheathed lines and all the latest innovations. The
construction and the purely of the lines, is IMHO ,one of the best
you'll ever see...
Launching in moderate conditions the Iota is easy and smooth. I flew the
size 26 (75-100) from 92 to 96 and once airborne, the IOTA gave me a
solid and confidence inspiring feeling. The comfort is exactly between
the Epsilon 7 and the Sigma 9 and slightly toward the Sigma 9 . The
brakes authority are slightly less than the Sigma 9 which but still
direct and prompt at my loadings . The agility is slightly less than the
Sigma 9 but still very satisfying.
The trim speed is fast around 40 km/h.
The IOTA moves as a whole .The structure is very coherent and the turns
are initiated from the brakes rather than weight shift.
What impressed me is the gliding power of that superb machine ! I don't
want to say anything more than to let you see the videos (more to come)
I think this weapon has the ability to take you wherever your mind is set to go...
The climbing and the ability to surge upward is very good and still the
glider behaves very gently for the performance it delivers.
Induced collapses are soft in recovery.At least on my loadings. Big ears
are stable and reopen smoothly. The speed bar takes you + 13 km/h over
trim taken at 400 ASL.
Conclusion:
The IOTA will be the B glider to look at closely this season for it's 'complete ' package of climb - glide - comfort .
More to come on the IOTA
This video below shows the potential of the 2015 high-end B gliders. It
is NOT a comparison with high end D classes ,as the D class will always
have the upper hand...But on a B you can fly very far...Grab a beer and
enjoy this 27 mn Full HD video ! Smile
Cheers,
Ziad. UPDATE ! A few more words concerning the Iota.
I have been flying the Iota with lots of B gliders recently, and now i have a more clear idea about that glider. The IOTA from ADVANCE is best flown at 95 all up on the 26. I could fly it less about 92 easily. And i did try to fly it at 98 which also didn’t affect at all the climb !
The turning behavior is as i said before not as agile as the Sigma 9 but the IOTA doesn’t dive in turns and has that stationary turn with this biting ability into thermals giving the pilot a very efficient climb rate !
Big ears are very stable and it’s efficient ! Very useful …Reopen smoothly…
Today my flying was in difficult conditions with a north wind that reduced our trim speed to 12 km/h facing the wind.
I was really surprised that after some hours flying with the best B’s of the moment at exactly same loadings for both (96.5) that the IOTA is a very interesting and efficient glider in difficult conditions whenever in climb or glide ! All that with a very relaxed behavior for the high end B category. I’m convinced to the point that i’m not selling the IOTA for now, and keeping it as a reference B glider for future testing.
After all …what do B pilots really need more than a comfortable, high performance B glider that can deliver when nicely asked? :-)
Earlier i test flew the Elan 26 normal version, and was very impressed by the comfort and the performance of that C glider. Now here's the Elan light in size 24 flown at 88 all up with a lightness 2 harness.
The risers are very thin and connected directly to the lines as the Mac Yucon light glider .
Take off is smooth and easy¦ First turn and i was already having an ear to ear smile ! The brake pressure is light and the brake fan is super precise, super direct, and a real pleasure to fly that glider as ±15 cm are needed to turn that glider in thermals.
The comfort is there ! The Elan light is also inherited the comfort of the Eden 5 . It moves smoothly as a whole, without excessive movements as if the pilot is on a mid B glider.
Of course in strong conditions it needs a C pilot, but it surely is a mild C and pilots coming from the B category will find a real pleasure in thermal flying.
The climb ability of the Elan light is among the best in the C category. It climb quickly with the first thermal breathe.
The glide angle is similar to the normal Elan which is very good for the 2015 middle C category.
Conclusion: Test flying many gliders, makes it sometimes very difficult to be impressed, but the Elan light 24 has one of the best handling (turning ability) , with exquisite flying pleasure and feel a pilot can experience !
Upon NOVA statement that the Mentor 4 is a step forward in performance
compared to the Mentor 3, here’s the M4 in S size flown from 94 to 98
all up.
Launching is straight forward for the B category.
Once in the air the Mentor 4 feels more alive than the ‘3” and less than the ‘2’ version.
The brake response is direct and precise and puts the Mentor 4 in the
middle of the M2, and M3 version in terms of responsive character .
It is not like the M2 which was short and super direct, but also not like the M3 which lacked a bit of linear response.
NOVA nailed it with a direct and nicer handling and more performance oriented than the M 3.
Climbing in weak thermals ( 0.5m/s) at 94 all up on the M4 is average… I
cannot say that it has the best climb in the B category, but it could
be very close to the M3.
In punchier thermals and facing the valley breeze, the Mentor 4 shows
it’s potential to wipe out the M2, and M3 off the bench ! The M4 cuts
through and climb going forward like a high end performance glider !
This cutting and going through the airmass is the strongest point of the
M4 when loaded near the top weight ! Climbing in strong thermals
facing the valley breeze is enhanced on board the M4 and could be very
competitive with the class above.
The trim speed of the M4 is higher than the one on the M3 similarly loaded.
In turbulent conditions the M4 needs more active piloting than an M3 ,
and could be slightly less than the M2 or same in terms of pilot control
.
Now comes the interesting performance part….
To give you an exact answer about the Mentor 4 glide performance, I did
several long glides with some recent B ,C and last an ‘out of the box’
7.0 ar , 2014 ,very well known ,3 line, D glider !, in calm and in
moving conditions.
Of course the climb rate and the floating ability of a 7.0 AR D glider
is un-matchable…but it was a very interesting information for me to know
how the Mentor 4 glides among today’s B,C and D gliders. And the
surprise came…
I can easily confirm now, that the glide angle of the Mentor 4 S loaded
at 98 is very ….very…competitive especially facing the valley breeze and
surprisingly superb at second bar !, and that would be a big surprise
for many after the test movies will be released …
Conclusion:
NOVA has built a super ‘performance’ B glider. The climb in weak is
average to good for the category but the Mentor 4 will take you on dream
glides at trim…”or should i say” especially at full speed !!
Like it’s predecessors, the hard part is trying to beat this glider in glide !
UPDATE : 6/9/2015 Hi,
First i do have to apologize for my test of the Mentor 4 S test
concerning the climb rate.I think it's slightly better than i said and
expected...
Even for an everyday flyer surprises can happen...But they are hopefully updated if felt otherwise...
Flying the Mentor 4 S at 95 all up does in fact need some 'different'
approach and reaction from the pilot to get it in a good climb inside weak thermals unlike all the B gliders i have tested in the past years...
Explanation: When entering a weak thermal it's better to let the Mentor 4
without any brakes at all, then when the pilot must turn inside the
little lift, weight shift (Distance between hang points ±47 cm for the S
) and apply ONLY a very slight pressure on the inside brake ( may be 5
cm of travel and less than 1 kg of brake pressure) with no pulling in
the outside brakes. (Let the glider float and surf the air ... )
When it's turbulent, block it and release...
Other B gliders can be slowed inside a small very "narrow" and weak
thermal, but the M4 doesn't like at all to be slowed for an efficient
climb ,(even in the narrow and weak ! ) as it won't be able to embrace
this 0.5 m/s weak thermal.
In this method i could get the Mentor 4 S to experience better climb even in weak thermals !
I learned that the Mentor 4 S liked to be left alone to surf the
air-mass even in weak lifts... So no braking is required to surf up-ward
After all those years I'm still learning, feeling the gliders and discovering new possibilities everyday !
Sorry for any mishaps...
Cheers,
Ziad.
Bali is the new 2015 Windtech EN-B glider . The size S (80-100) is the
glider I test flew from 93 to 97 all up with different harnesses.
The Bali has a few lines, with 2 thick lines on the A’s per side, with 7 lines /side and it’s a pure 3 line glider.
The construction that appears in transparency above me is well built with lots of work to support the fewer lines.
The brake lines passes through a very small ceramic ring, with very close diameter to the brake line !
Take off is fine, but I can feel the few supported lines by the reaction of the glider when kiting.
First flight at 93 all up with a Woody Valley X-Rated 6 harness
(slightly agile) worked fine for me. The turning radius was nice with a
moderate to slightly long brake travel, but in this configuration the
Bali was slightly more agile than an Iota I was testing at the same
time.
The climb rate in weak conditions less than 0.3 m/s was average to good
at 93 all up as I was matching the climb of the Iota. The trim speed is
around 38 km/h and the top speed is only 8 km/h over trim.
In strong thermals the Bali pitches back a little for a second and climb
quickly in the core. It is efficient in the climb as the pilot could
slow it a bit and make a stationary turn inside the core.
Gliding next to the latest B’s showed a moderate to good glide to the
Bali that needs constant push on the bar to match the trim speed of the
latest B concurrence especially at that load.
Getting on a heavier Exoceat harness with 97 all up wasn’t really a good
idea in weak conditions, as the Bali doesn’t really like to be heavily
loaded. And the very stable Exoceat harness for higher aspect ratio
glider, was limiting the roll movements and swift weight shifts . I
wasn’t able to turn the Bali as it was on the agile WV harness. Some
gliders needs good weight shift and more alive harnesses.
The top speed, I got flying it at 97 was +9 km/h over trim.
Big ears with the outer A lines are big, stable and are efficient with the bar .They reopen smoothly.
Only in punchy and strong conditions, the Bali moves a bit and needs a
good B pilot to control it, much like some other high-end B gliders with
fewer attachment points.
Conclusion: Today’s B class is the fiercest class of all! It's the main
artery on which manufacturers feed ! Competition here is really strong !
In that particular period, i was test flying four new B’s. So every time
i swapped gliders, the feeling under was immediately noticeable.
The Bali has a fairly good overall performance to fit inside the high B
category. It’s better to fly it at 60% of the weight range and with a
good weight shift harness to get the pleasure pack with it.
Bigger brake rings would be slightly better for lesser friction, and more top speed would be welcomed.
But gliding at full speed is still very good ,and many pilots may be won’t need to use more.
A few more words concerning the Iota.
