Mentor 2 S & Sprint Evo S, & Rush 3 M

Mentor 2 S & Sprint Evo S, & Rush 3 M

Most easy to fly:
1-Sprint EVO
2-Rush 3
3-Mentor 2

Climb rate in weak conditions .NO head wind (<0.2m/s)

1-Sprint EVO
2-Mentor 2 =Rush 3 if equally loaded



Climb rate in weak conditions with 15 km/h head wind and thermals (<0.2m/s)

1-Mentor 2 S (Efficiency showed)
2-Rush 3 M (have to be loaded)
3-Sprint Evo S ....


Climb rate in strong conditions:( With strong valley breeze)

The Rush 3 (loaded) and the Mentor 2 S have a good climb ,but i sensed an efficient forward thermal bite for the Mentor 2 as it can fit itself inside the core better .The Sprint evo will struggle a bit in strong valley breeze.

Climb in strong thermal (No drift) .. I wish all thermals are like that Wink

All are equal in climb with the tendency of the Sprint Evo to stay inside the stronger part of the thermal,and could have the edge in those particular conditions.

Glide in calm air :
1-All very close


Glide in turbulence and head wind (Equally loaded)
This was done after many flights (now I am more convinced)
1- Mentor 2
2- Rush 3 (Should be 90% loaded to achieve good results)
3- Sprint evo


Overall efficiency in racing upwind:

1- Mentor 2 S
2- Rush 3 M
3- Sprint Evo


Glide at second bar in turbulence and head wind:

The Rush 3 and Mentor 2 are equal if there 's a little head wind ,with a stable profile for the Rush 3 at bar. The Mentor 2 seems more efficient when the head wind is blowing.It can cut through with ease.


Conclusion:

I have spent 3 whole days taking off and landing and swapping gliders, to determine what glider is the most suitable for all conditions. It is the best way to find what glider can get through those same conditions better.
The 3 are excellent gliders, The Evo has a very nice handling, the Rush 3 has a soft feeling underneath it. Pilots looking for performance and handling in a mild way will love those two. The Rush 3 M has to be loaded to cut through head wind. The Evo has a big profile that doesn’t penetrate the strong head wind like the 2 others.
The Mentor 2 S still has the most sharp and precise handling, with “usable” performance in all conditions, no matter if you have a head wind, strong thermals, the Mentor 2 S @ 95 will cut through nicely and powerfully. It does have more roll response than the two others, and feels exactly like a high end EN-B glider, but for a good EN-C or D pilot, it is the cherry on the cake. Efficiency at its best in the EN-B cat.

UP SUMMIT XC 2 M

My ever first school glider 20 year ago was a UP Flash. I still remember the red cloth with multicolor design on the edge, that feeling and that smell of the tissue with this arrow logo going UP in the sky. Uli Weismeyer legend pilot ,Richard Gallon were on UP gliders at the time and the brand was very strong in the competition scene with their Katana ‘s and later on with the Gambit, escape with Oli Russell, Steiglar ,Brinkeby...

I flew quite all the UP range, from Stellar, Vision, vison classic, Soul. All the Summit range ,nearly all the Kantega range,and trango’s and targa’s and all the tandems…

The firm feeling under an UP is very familiar to my mind.
Now here’s the Summit XC2 ,and I’m just waiting to pull on the A risers.
Ballasted up to 100 ±102 on the M size with an Impress 2 harness, the launching is natural and easy, the glider comes up as a whole piece.
At first the factory settings on the brakes was long, I landed and shortened them a bit.

From the moment I was airborne, a sensation of confidence inspiring is clearly showed. I was impressed by the easiness in flight of the XC2. Very tamed with neat behavior, well-tensioned and balanced glider. Just the necessary feedback to show the thermal direction.

First turn showed a medium brake pressure, with fair agility, but doesn’t dive in turns.
Opening the chest strap a bit will make this glider very nimble and more agile. Turns are flat and the climb is its strong point. This glider is a killer in weak conditions. It can core every bubble without loosing the center of the thermal.
In strong conditions, the glider remains as a whole, and climb without any strange movements or oscillations. It is difficult to miss any thermal with this glider, unless you have some convincing excuse ;-) .

I gave the XC 2 to my friend Moni, and when he landed he told me that the XC2 is “much more” mellower and easier to fly than the Mentor 2 EN-B glider. I agree.

Big ears are easy to hold, stable and reopen by themselves. The glide ratio of the XC2 is well enough among the EN-C category.

The accelerator has medium pressure, much like the Trango 3, and the speed really increases by more than 5 km at first bar! Very usable and efficient.

Actually the overall feeling under it reminded me strongly of the UP range designs I have flown before…

Conclusion: This glider is aimed for all EN-B pilots who want to step into the EN-C category, but still having a large amount of safety and I think it could be also much easier to fly than some!!
EN-D pilots stepping down will find in the XC2 a quiet sanctuary to fly long xc’s wondering if they are on a sofa or in the air. :-)


https://picasaweb.google.com/Ziad.bassil/UPSUMMITXC2M#

VIDEO:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddCbYnZWamI



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