Gliders for sale

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🛑  UP Kangri-X. S 85-100. -2 hours lime/Orange    2650 EU   NEW !!---------------------------------------------

🛑   UP Kibo-X.  XS. 70-90.  2 hours AS NEW ! 2650 EU! 

ziad.bassil@gmail.com

UP Kangri-X

UP Kangri -X 

The Kangri X is the light version of the UP Summit X I already reviewed earlier. 

Take off with the Kangri X is easy with that light cloth without any hard points. 

I flew the Kangri X with the Impress 4 harness at 95 all up. 

In the air, the brakes travel and response reminded me of its bigger sister the Trango X. As if the Kangri X has the same feel but a different aspect ratio. 

I enjoyed every thermal with those handling characteristics. The brakes have moderate pressure, with a linear feel, and are quite direct to steer the glider inside a thermal. For the educated pilot, the feedback comes slightly from the brakes and also from the risers. The Kangri X handling has the needed spices to make its pilot happy under it while coring.

The glide and climb seem similar to the Summit X. The comfort underneath the Kangri X is moderate for the high B category. It resembles the Maestro 2 feedback and is very close in agility. 

The C steering on that 2.5 liner B is as efficient as most 2.5 liners. While on the speed bar I could adjust most glider movements in moderate air. 

The speed over trim is around 15 km/h, and very usable.

Ears are easy to induce and stable.

Conclusion:

Coming from the classes above, the Kangri X is a pleasurable to-fly glider and especially not dull for the high B category.

Those spices in the brake feel are really nice to feel the air better and core every bubble swiftly. 

This glider is aimed at a large group from the high B category pilots to the C class pilots who want a glider with the same pleasurable information, with more comfort in turbulence as their C’s but still informs about what the air is doing, with a very nice guided handling in thermals.  

UP Kibo-X size S

UP Kibo - X  size S 

The Kibo-X is the new UP mid B glider, with a 2.5 line configuration. https://www.up-paragliders.com/en/products/paragliders/kibo-x

The Construction and details seem very similar to the Trango-X, Kangri-X, and Summit-X which seem very good.

Launching the Kibo-X while holding the inner A risers even in little wind, have a steady and homogenous rise with no hard point with a fluid normal canopy rise.

I flew the Kino-X size S ( 70-90) at 85 all up. The Kibo-X could be flown easily at mid-weight. I think it is best flown from 80 to 86 in all conditions. 

I flew the Kibo-X with the NK Arrow. 

Handling and agility: I had to length the brake lines by 5 cm to get the 10 cm gap before trailing edge contact. In that configuration, I would need around + 15 to 20 cm to steer the glider in thermals.

The brake pressure is moderate to slightly hard when lowering them. The turning abilities are quite nice with direct and immediate response from the glider. It can core tight thermals. 

Comfort: UP gliders have their own signature in terms of feedback. If you are a UP pilot, you know that feeling of feedback. The Trango-X and Kangri-X deliver a different flavor flying them with some roll movements that some pilots would look for. The Kibo-X inherits those same roll feel but for a B-class glider, they are less pronounced than the Kangri-X. Those movements on the KIbo-X are restricted to move in a small angle and the Kibo-X stays within those small angles above the pilot's head. Overall for a mid B, some pilots would cherish the roll, which is similar to a Tequila 4, and some would prefer a softer feel like on the Buzz Z7.   

Performance: The Kibo X plays in the same field as the mid-B’s regarding overall performance efficiency. The plus is the information coming from the glider and the handling that enhances your performance to core thermals. 

Ears are easy to make, stable, and quite efficient!  

Conclusion: The Kibo X will please many pilots looking for a mid-B with nice feedback with direct brake control while having a good level of performance for the intended class.   

 

DaVinci Funky 2 S

Davinci Funky 2

The Funky 2 is Davinci high performance EN-B. It is constructed with a 3-line concept and unsheathed lines everywhere. The Funky 2 has lots of features with a special leading-edge look, including the smart Nose Plus. I’ll let you see all the Funky 2 specs here:    https://flydavinci.com/products/paragliders/funky-2/ 

Launching the Funky2 even without wind is straightforward without any hard points. A smooth take-off with no wind. In strong windy takeoff, the Funky 2 with the right input felt very smooth and gentle.

Turning the Funky 2 is a real pleasure! The turning radius can be made very tight coring the tiniest of thermals. 

For a high-B, the Funky 2 brake travel can be described as short to moderate in length and pressure, with a nice linear feel through the turn. 

A kind of hydraulic smooth turn I can say!  Very satisfying and pleasurable to fly.  

On one day, at the soaring site, the wind blew around 30…32 km/h, and after flying the Mullet 18 a bit, I tried to play with the Funky 2 at mid-weight with a seated harness, launching from the beach exactly at 0 sea level, just to see how it will cope with such winds. 

To my surprise I could easily lift off from the beach getting higher, with efficient forward flying for a B glider, touch the sand, and go high again, playing for more than an hour was satisfying and rewarding with that nice authority on the brakes.  I had a blast under the Funky 2 playful character. 

Now in XC mode.

I flew the Funky 2 in different aerology and took my time test flying it. I can confirm the easy and forgiving behavior of that Funky 2. It felt much easier to fly than the Kangri-X I am also currently test-flying

It is more comfortable to fly than the Rush 6 /also.  Maybe it is slightly more alive than the Mentor 7 with a ‘gentleman’ feedback :-)! 

The Funky 2 is a smooth glider to fly and lets you concentrate on your flying instead of looking at the glider.  

Climb rate: 

Inside the High B category, I found the Funky 2 to have quite a very good and competitive climb rate in all conditions. In weak air, the Funky 2 is quite competitive as it can be slowed inside any weak lift and could easily stay in that lift with a positive vario.  The Funky 2 can easily grab thermals without losing the climb and can compete efficiently with good High B climbers.

In punchy and stronger cores, the Funky 2 like most B-class gliders slows slightly before entry, then it goes in, quite nicely and efficiently inside the core. Flying The S at 95 would make it even better in those strong conditions, without losing its float ability in weak air.  

The overall movements in roll are quite in the middle of the B class. The pitch is nearly absent, for the high B category as the Funky 2 can be described as a comfortable glider to fly.

The R&D added a light touch of smooth spices giving the pilot a nice turn and pleasurable handling.  

Gliding:

Gliding with the Funky 2 in moderate boiling air seems to give the pilot a nice glide through that moving airmass.  We flew against a brand new Rush 6 size MS loaded at 92 all up. I think, despite having a 3 line concept, the glide is amazingly good for the Funky 2. We tried four glides, in a headwind, backwind, and tricky air, and the result was very good placing it among the 5 best gliding high B machines. I also added a new B chart (spider type) for the picky pilots :-). 

The C riser system has a moderate and smooth feel and lets you control the pitch or the glider movements while on bar. Similar to other good 2.5 or 3-line high B gliders.  The speed over trim is +13 km/h over trim taken at 800 ASL. 

Ears with outside A’s are stable, very easy to induce, and efficient for descent. 

 

Conclusion: 

The DaVinci Funky 2 surprised me with its complete and highly usable package of performance and pleasurable handling. A must to try near the max weight, to give you that taste of surfing the air. 

 

UP Kangri size M 75-100

The Kangri is UP’s high-end B with an aspect ratio of 6.3. A mix of light materials is used. 32g and 27g Porcher Skytex. UP says it’s light but also durable. The M size weighs around 4.0 kg. 

The lines used are a mix of Aramid- and Dynema-lines. They are exactly like the ones used on the Trango X-race. 

I flew the glider at 95 all up with an X-rated 6 harness. Launching the Kangri is straightforward without any delays.  The test is written after some series of flights in mixed conditions from light to some turbulent ones, and one flight with the company of a Swift 5 size SM 75-95, and another one with a Bonanza 2 EN-C size  (75-95). Those reference gliders in the B and C category were flown by very good pilots and gave me a complete idea about the performance ability of the UP Kangri M. 

At first, I can describe the handling as fairly agile for a 6.3 AR B glider. The brakes travel is medium to short with a linear and precise response. It’s not a Trango X-race handling, which remains ‘the’ one and favorite C glider regarding handling. But the Kangri reminded me a little bit of that handling with a more forgiving feel. Not as sharp as the Trango, and well placed in the B category in that matter.  I could describe the agility as a bit close to the Bonanza or the Artik 5.  The feel under it is slightly better understood than on a Delta 3 SM for example. But still, the Kangri is more tamed than any of those C’s described above.  Nevertheless, I could feel the aspect ratio, and I cannot put it in terms of feel next to a Mentor 6, or a Swift 5 for example. Those B’s are very tamed to compare. The Kangri feels like in between of those 2 categories, and that’s the best way I can describe it in terms of accessibility. The Sigma 10 and the Artik 5 are more demanding to fly. So I think I have placed it well for you to know  :-)

In terms of climbing ability, the pilot on the Swift 5 flew it at 90 all up ad he was climbing I think better than any CCC glider!  :-)  But in glide against the wind, he was penalized and a bit slow. The Swift 5 must be flown exactly at top weight or even 2 kilos more. (Just to be clear).  In terms of glide angle, the Kangri showed me a super nice gliding power that places it among the top 3 B’s in that matter.  But I needed to get a solid confirmation and flew it against a Bonanza 2 (EN-C) in some tricky and turbulent glides against the wind. After many attempts, the Kangri nearly matched the Bonanza 2 glide, but the C glider still had the edge. 

In weak climbs against the Bonanza 2, the Kangri did very well and climbed next to it. Probably the B2 has a slight edge in float ability and climbing in very weak thermals.  

The trim speed is similar to the B2 and the Kangri has around 13 km/h over trim taken at 800 ASL.  The glide at the top speed is also similar to the top B’s. 

Ears are stable, efficient, and reopen quickly.

Conclusion: The Kangri is an interesting glider for XC with a very efficient package. Its definitely not a detuned C. The feel under it is never boring for those B pilots that need that extra C feel, but also less demanding in turbulent air than many C’s including 6 AR ones. 

Good handling and authority on the brakes, good speed, nice overall package.  Any pilot wishing to step to the C level in feel with plenty of performance, but needs a B rating, the Kangri is the way to go.  

This is only my opinion. Make your own !