OZONE Alpina 5 S & MS

Ozone Alpina 5 S and MS 

Launching the Alpina 5 on the MS at 94 and on the S at 85 is straightforward. The light glider inflates rapidly, and there's no hesitation at all. Just a balanced, easy-to-launch two liner EN-C.

IN the air, the difference between the D5 and the A5 is a slightly softer brake pressure and a little more agility in turns. The light cloth gives it a nimble feel. 

The Alpina 5 can respond to any thermal core promptly, even in turbulent air, thanks to its short, very responsive brake controls. The Alpina 5 has a more direct handling than a linear one. For example, the Artik 7 P is also direct, but each cm has a feel in the glider response. The A5 just promptly turns. 

The brake travel is similar in length to the Artik 7 P, but shorter than the Volt 5 and Vortex.

Comfort in turbulence:

The Alpina 5 is more comfortable than the Photon, of course, and also more relaxed than the Artik 7 P, Vortex, and Volt 5. I will update my C comparison asap. The Alpina 5 has moderate roll movement in the air for a 6:1 aspect-ratio C glider. The pitch is nearly absent in mild air. The overall movements are very balanced, especially for a two-liner. So, it’s a comfortable glider to fly and could be considered one of the easiest to fly if you are new to the C 2 liner category. As the Codex, Vortex, but with a more taught structure than the Vortex. Similar to the Codex, which is slightly more tame than the Vortex. 

Performance in glide and climb:

The Alpina 5 has an efficient airfoil that enables it to enter the airmass and move forward more easily than the Vortex, Codex, and Artik 7. The leading edge doesn’t stop in front of a thermal or valley breeze, but continues to move forward slowly.  The glide performance is slightly less than the Photon, but the efficiency of not getting ‘pinned’ is available on that design.

Ears are doable with outer A’s and reopen without pilot intervention, and also by the outer B’s, and the reopening is fast. It’s more efficient to use the outer B’s. Pushing the speed bar before pulling them off course. 

Conclusion:

After flying the Delta 5 and now the Alpina 5, I felt that we finally have a solid, balanced, interesting performance, an easy-to-fly two liner for the C category glider. The Alpina 5 is a light glider for hiking and flying, traveling, XC, and even some local comps. 

A 2026 hybrid 4X4  ;-). If you know what I mean! :-) 

Cheers,

Ziad