The Allegro is the new 2020 EN-C glider from PHI.
The Allegro is a semi-light glider, and launching even in nil wind is very easy. In stronger breeze Its as easy for a C glider.I flew the Allegro in two sites, one at 800 ASL in moderate conditions, and on another site at 2600 m in strong conditions. I flew the WV, X-rated 6 at 92 all up.
I also flew it at 87 and found also that it flies quite nice at that weight! while keeping the homogenous structure.
The Allegro doesn’t seem to dive in turns when applying brakes in thermals. The turn inside the thermals can be described as an efficient, flat turn with excellent coring ability! It can be turned really tight inside the core!
The Allegro has the ability to let you make a stationary turn! So it's an agile C glider!
The brakes are relatively light in the first usable part while being precise with a linear feel. I just shortened them by 2 cm while keeping the 11 cm gap before the trailing edge reacts.
The Allegro enters in moderate thermals smoothly, without any pitch back. In stronger cores, the Allegro surges up really quickly! There are no useless movements that come from the glider even in strong air. I felt a certain high degree of safety under the Allegro while being not too dampened as my latest tested C glider. For example, the Delta 4 delivers more comfort and sometimes too much comfort! Everyone has his own taste for feedback. I personally would choose the Allegro for that feedback and felt! Simply excellent! Many of you readers know that I did church the Q-Light S for its handling. Now I’m an Allegro addict!
On the Allegro, I was getting the right feel of feedback for an enjoyable flight even in turbulent and strong air. The Allegro moves in the air and let you understand every little detail, but with no excessive and useless movements. All those nice movements are coupled with a very efficient brake authority.
In the Cedars spot, I pass many times on the lee side with a dominant upper wind, just because it is sometimes the only way to get through those sections. With the Allegro informing me of all that’s going on, I was accurately placing it in the airmass with the brakes. Superb authority! I will say also that at all times, the Allegro stayed well inflated, and never a single cell collapsed. Only when I really was in some spaghetti stuff, a little tip finally whispered in my ear ”you’re deeply in the wrong place!”
I have to add also that the inside structure seems flawlessly homogenous. I didn’t feel any distortion or any snake movements in strong air.
The allegro is a dynamic C glider if you throw it around on wingovers..etc…but in XC flying it stays well above the pilot's head while informing about the air.
I flew the Allegro next to the Cure 2, and the Delta 4.
The climb rate in weak conditions is good, as I was always able to float and wait to catch the next stronger thermal. That feedback I was writing about, will save many pilots in weak air. The leading edge enters any lift without a back pitch. It feels like you are being slightly pulled upward and to the front.
In stronger thermals, it climbs really well! The allegro surges upward very efficiently in rising air.
In XC flight, the Allegro seems to surf the air quite well. When facing the valley breeze, it seems to cut through with the same character as the Maestro 21, but with more gliding into the wind.
Doing some glides at trim speed, I saw that the 6.0 Aspect ratio Allegro glides as good as the Cure 2, and super close to the Delta 4. At the full bar, the Allegro, and Delta 4 seem to have the edge in a similar glide angle!
The allegro M has a 15 km/h speed over trim, and at top speed the glide is amazing! The structure of the Allegro at full bar doesn’t seem to be affected. It just stays as solid with no visual fluttering of the cells.
My C comparison is updated for the little details if needed,
https://public.tableau.com/profile/ziad.bassil#!/vizhome/C(shrinked URL)rComparison/CGliderComparison
but I have to say that any pilot on the Allegro, and all the above-mentioned gliders, will surely make some nice and serious XC flights.
A pilot upgrading from the Maestro will find the Allegro a super easy C.
Ears are stable, efficient, and reopen quickly. They do not stick.
Conclusion: The Allegro with only 6 aspect ratio, delivers nice agility, a very good authority on the brakes, excellent gliding performance, especially at bar! Good in climbing, while having a large passive safety for a C.
I think a good pilot upgrading from a full season on the Maestro will experience a good evolution on the Allegro if he needs to upgrade.
I needed to find some minuses as many pilots commented that lately I only write good reviews…!
I searched to find any minuses…but I didn’t…sorry
Please do find something on the M size and pointed out!Now Hannes must change his famous sentence (my specialty is the B category)! With the Allegro EN-C coming out, I think many of you will back me up after test flying that beautiful machine!
Two videos soon
Cheers,
Ziad
No comments:
Post a Comment