DAVINCI Mambo 2 liner EN-C S size

DAVINCI Mambo EN-C 2 liner size S (70-95)

The Mambo is the first EN-C with a two-line design from DAVINCI.
On the ground: The look of the aggressive and big shark nose with the SN+ feature looks like nothing else in the market. Laying down close a Photon, they both seem from different worlds in shape, size, line attachment points…To delete the rumors that presume a copy from any other two-liner. It is not, at least from what I see in front of me.

Construction: The Mambo construction looks very neat, from the risers to the sewing of the glider. Nitinol rods are used in that glider. A new feature inside that glider with four double smart snake systems inserted in the profile ( see pic) Jihun Lee says that it resits collapse and should make a faster recovery. I didn’t have any collapse during my tests, and I cannot comment on the recovery. But I can confirm a very different feel under it ( more info down)

I have flown the Mambo from 90, 93, to 95. It's best to fly it in strong air at 94…95.

Launching:
Pulling on the A’s in nil wind requires a steady pull, and the mambo rises slowly and evenly, keeping your pressure on the A’s. It feels slightly heavier to launch than a Photon, for example. But still, the inflation in nil wind is easy. Just slightly slower. In 10-15 to 25 km/h, the pull on the A’s also needs a steady pull, but overall it is an easy-to-launch EN-C glider.

In the air:
The Mambo has moderate to short brake travel with very nice agility. The authority on the brakes is good for the pilot. Every pull I got is a linear feel and in reaction from the glider. The agility is similar to a GIN Camino 2 and slightly less than a Volt 5. It's on the moderate side but still quite direct and very satisfying!


Climb rate:
One day, I flew the Mambo with my Impress 4 harness at 93 all up, next to a Photon M size (90-105) at 105 all up.
In weak thermals, less than 0.5 m/s, both gliders float nicely. When there’s a slight increase in climb, I felt on many occasions that the Mambo had the upper hand in float ability! … Actually, we were both surprised, and later, we tried again and again with the same results. The Mambo has a nice climb rate, and I enjoyed teasing my friend with his head right and left 
In strong surges, the Mambo doesn’t have a neutral pitch and climbs very quickly upward. It felt like it slowed down inside the lift, and with the direct brakes, any small radius is doable.


Gliding:
Of course, we also made many glides despite the Photon being a larger size.
At trim speed at 93 on the Mambo, I was around +1 km/h slower than my friend on his Photon M size at 105. To compensate for this, I pushed the speed bar to keep it side by side. After some kilometers, We both didn’t see any difference in glide with a 5 km/h headwind. We also tried again and again with the same results at that speed.
At half bar, the result is also the same next to the Photon! There’s no doubt about the glide efficiency of that machine.


Comfort and pilot control:
In moderate air, the Mambo is a comfortable glider to fly with smooth roll and pitch movements.
In strong air, things get more interesting… As the glider holds many stiff parts, high energy stored inside is feelable when hitting turbulence. There are some yaw movements translated to the harness that push you slightly sideways. Of course, the brakes give you a large authority and will help control that glider in heavy turbulence. A narrow chest strap will also help, but it is a thing that you don’t feel under any 2-liner C, and most probably, you will get used to it…
The B controls, while stepping on the bar, have moderate to hard pressure. Control by the B’s in turbulence is efficient in keeping the glider overhead in mild turbulence.
The top speed is around 16 km/h over trim.

Conclusion:
I never thought The Mambo would climb and glide that way! If heavily loaded, this glider has lots of potential in XC and competitions. I’m curious about pilot feedback after test-flying it.
With good handling and good brake authority, the Mambo is a special glider for good C pilots in the 2-liner C category.

ADVANCE Sigma 12 DLS

ADVANCE Sigma 12 DLS  size 24 ( UPDATED) 

The Sigma 12 DLS new 3-liner C class glider for ADVANCE in 2024/25. It is a semi-light glider with around 4.5 kg.

Construction and details are typically ADVANCE. Very neat and well-built. 

Launching the S12 DLS is straightforward, easy, and simple to take off without any hard points. Even in no wind, the take-off is easy.

I flew the Sigma 12 DLS at 92 all up. Next to me, my friends were on one Photon S, One Photon MS, and one ML. There was also a Rush 6 MS and a Rook 3 MS.  

The brake travel is on the moderate side, quite direct, smooth, and linear response. 10 to 15 cm are needed to turn the glider inside a thermal. The Sigma 12 DLS resembles the S11 agility. 

Coring thermals is a pleasure under the Sigma 12 DLS. A fun glider to play in thermals, with good authority. I didn’t feel it had a dynamic turn inside the core rather than an agile, smooth turn. 

Comfort:

I flew in weak air and later in strong air and turbulent conditions. The S12 DLS felt solid and comfortable for the C category in all those conditions. The structure is very homogenous, and the pilot could feel that extra passive safety as if he were on a comfortable high B-class glider!  The Sigma 12 DLS as a C glider, is very accessible for the 3 liner C class pilots, much like the S11, possibly even more comfortable… Close enough to the Alpina 4 in comfort. 

The difference between flying a Sigma 12 DLS and any 2-liner C is very different. The feel inside a moving airmass under a 3-liner like the Sigma 12 DLS, resembles the high B+ category delivering a genuine three-liner feel. Smooth pitch in the air, with high passive safety for the C class compared to a 2-liner C. 

Climb rate:

Thermal flying and efficiency:  

As much as the Sigma 12 DLS is easy and comfortable with high passive safety, the glider doesn’t compete with the 2-liner C gliders in climb efficiency, as the Artik-R, Photon, etc...which is logical, of course as ADVANCE intended to deliver a friendly user glider.  

In weak conditions, the S12 DLS resembles the S11 in weak air. 

The glider is much more tamed.   

In 2 m/s thermals, it climbs quite nicely next to other C’s, even with the two-liners.  

Gliding:

I tried to glide with the two-liners in the sky next to me, and I was surprised that the Sigma 12 DLS gliding capabilities would surpass the S11 and be close enough to the good two-liners!  Even when pushing on the speed bar, which gave me 11..12 km/h max over trim taken at 900 ASL, the glide stays quite interesting for arriving at the next crossing. But it is better to stay 90% on the speed bar with moderate pressure while gliding if you want to stay close to the 2 liners if they only use 25% of their speed bar. 

Of course, I am not comparing the Sigma 12 DLS to the two-liners, as they are aimed at different pilot profiles, but it is just to give you an idea that the glide angle in smooth air is quite competitive only if the moving airmass is not quite challenging, with more headwind…difficult airmass… 

Ears are easy to do, stable, and reopen smoothly without pilot interference. 

Conclusion:

A plain and simple 3-line concept for the conventional C class pilot. The Sigma 12 DLS is very comfortable to fly, agile, and with very good gliding performance. 

After the Iota DLS and other high B’s, the Sigma 12 DLS will welcome you for its high accessibility as a three-liner C glider.  

UPDATE: 

Hi,

I flew the Sigma DLS size 24 at 93 on my Impress 4. The climb in weak felt much better, like the S11 in that matter.  The handling and brake authority is sweet and direct, with good agility with the Impress 4 and moderate pressure.

The overall comfort is very high, and the S 12 DLS feels somehow...like a B glider in the air. The pitch is absent, the roll is very tame, and the energy stored in the glider dissipates quickly after wingovers or induced collapses. The full speed which has moderate to slightly firm pressure on the feet, over trim, is around 11-12 km/h with a very good glide angle. I think ADVANCE wanted to deliver a very easy 3-liner C with very good glide performance at that speed. 

Everything I wrote in my earlier flying the 22 feels the same, with a better climb rate in weak, but flying the glider with a harness like the Lightness 4 enhances the overall feel and maneuverability. 

When I flew the size 22 overweight, the glider kept its easiness and high comfort, which is unusual most of the time and shows that the glider genes are created to deliver high easiness for a C-class glider.  

I think pilots after two seasons and moving from their high B's would not find any difference in glider control over their glider. For instance, some B's are more demanding to fly.

 This explains the high comfort I found on the size 24 at 93 all up. 

Ears are stable. They reopen smoothly without pilot intervention after 3-4 seconds. Wingovers are nice to make, but you feel the energy inside the glider is very well controlled and dissipates fast.

Induced collapses are very easy to maintain. 

Stall speed is forgiving. 

UPDATE on the Sigma 12 DLS size 22 :

Sigma DLS size 22 
Yesterday, I flew the Sigma DLS size 22 with my Lightness 4 harness at 83, all up in moderate air.
The handling and turning abilities at 83, in combination with the Lightness 4, deliver a very agile and playful glider. I could easily core any thermal in super tight turns. The climb rate is now more than acceptable at that load!
More to come soon for both sizes.

Axis Vega 6 M

AXIS Vega 6  size M (85-102)

Radek Simonik founded Axis Paragliders in 1990 as a hang-gliding school. Radek Simonik was developing the gliders together with Ing. Frantisek Pavlousek until 2010 when Franta left for UP.

Construction: The Vega 6 uses a mix of Skytex cloth with unsheathed 0.5 to 2.5 mm from Liros Dyneema and Cousin Vectralines.

The finish details of the glider are good. The risers used hold the same materials and construction as the Venus SC. 

https://axispara.cz/products/paragliders/vega-6/

Launching the  Vega 6 is straightforward, even in nil wind. In stronger wind, I found it also easy to control and launch. 

I flew the M size at 98 and later gave it to my friend who usually flies a Photon M at 102. 

Handling and turning abilities:

At 98, the brake pressure is on the moderate side, short, and precise to turn in a core for a two-liner. Pilots who like a direct-handling glider will like the Vega 6 authority and good agility.  Turns can be made quite narrow and pleasurable to fly. I enjoyed that handling.

At 102 my friend was also delighted to fly it and said later that he enjoyed it much more than his Photon (handling-wise). 

Comfort:

The Vega 6 flown at 102 can be considered as comfortable to fly for the 6.3 aspect ratio EN-C 2liner glider. 

The pitch movements in moderate conditions are neutral. The roll movement is quite dampened also for a 2-liner. 

Quite a balanced feel. It felt easy to fly, maybe just slightly above the Codex and Bonanza 3 and less than Artik-R, Mint. 

Climb rate:

At 98, the climb rate in weak air is good for the 2-liner C category.  

Glide:

We made lots of glide with the Vega 6. It is not a Photon, but still has some nice gliding performances. I will update my 2 liner C comparison for all the criteria.

Conclusion: 

Axis created the Vega 6 to give the pilots a good all-rounder 2-liner C with very good agility and pleasure to fly the glider. I think it is nicer to fly it above 100 to get a nicer agility, speed, and homogeneity in strong air