Little Cloud introduction sentence: (It all started in 2008… with Tom’s vision of being able to enjoy flying as much as possible, all year long, and with maximum pleasure, LittleCloud was born).
If you look in the Little Cloud range, you will see four mini wings and five regular gliders including a tandem!
The Urubu King I am test flying is targeted for the C class pilots and it is not bonded by a certification label that sometimes restricts the feel and homogeneity and especially the soul of a glider. It means that Tom Bourdeau (Owner/designer) tuned it to satisfy his personal philosophy while delivering a safe Little Cloud product for the C-class pilots.
The Urubu King is a 6.45 Aspect ratio 3 liner with unsheathed lines all over. Dominico 10 D is used on the glider's top and bottom. It is a light glider that can be packed very small. The size when packed is ‘around’ half the size of an Alpina 4 for example.
I let you see all the details of the glider here: https://www.littlecloud.fr/en/urubu-king-en/
The take-off in nil wind is super easy, as the glider inflates well. I tried to fly also in winds over 30km’h, and to my surprise, the inflation is quite easy while moving toward the glider to smoothen the rise. (Tom’s suggestion in winds over 35 km)
Actually, it flies very well in windy conditions and moves forward without the feeling of being pinned by the wind! This feature on the Little Cloud Urubu King is quite impressive.
I was able to fly in some really strong guts of wind! while pushing forward.
I flew the size M 75-95 at 88 all up and later at 92 all up. Even at 88 all up, the glider felt quite fast and homogenous in the air.
First turn and ….I think this is the fastest glider to get in quickly in a flat corkscrew turn! This is quite an agile and playful glider! The brake pressure is moderate to slightly hard after 20 cm. The linear feel and progressive agility are really good! The roll movements are present on the Urubu King, as a good pilot for that category will feel the air movements. Some C pilots commented that flying an Alpina or an Eden 5 is really smooth and filtered, and they wanted a glider with more character. So The Urubu is guaranteed to satisfy their needs.
The pitch movements are very moderate and balanced for an agile glider. There’s no bumping through the airmass, but a good surfing capability.
In weak thermals, the Urubu loaded at mid-weight, will float nicely and will catch even the tiniest thermal. The agility while having flat turns is very good even in weak thermals.
I did some glides with some very good 3-liner C’s and the glide is very close. While the trim speed of the Urubu is slightly faster, I felt that the Urubu excelled when conditions are raw. It means that the efficiency of surfing a turbulent airmass is good.
In strong thermals, the Urubu needs good pilot control for the C class but will deliver nicely homogenous turns and great climbing capabilities.
Pushing on the speed bar gives you around 12 km/h over the already fast trim speed.
Ears are stable and very efficient.
Conclusion:
This was a nice experience for me under the Urubu King! It has a different feel compared to other C-class gliders but in a good way!
The speed while efficiently surfing the air, the pleasure of every turn, the movements of the airmass around you.
I will describe that glider as driving a genuine priceless muscle car…Type (Eleanor) from Gone in the 60-second movie :-)
If you are that hard-line, uncompromising pilot looking for a light, highly pleasurable feel, very performance glider, then you ‘MUST’ try the Urubu King!
