ADVANCE Iota

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?  :-)