SWING Mistral 7 S (75-95)
It has been a long time I have flown a SWING glider. The M7
S is now available and I flew it from 88 to 92 all up.
Today the test flight is being made at 88 all up.
The Mistral 7 has 7 lines /side, a nose shark profile,
unsheathed lines at the top, with very minimalistic layout.
Launching: In calm air the M7 S rises smoothly and evenly
without any hard points. In windy conditions it rises fast and needs a swift
control to keep it overhead.
In the air: Once airborne, the pilot will immediately feel
the high trim speed for a B glider even if flown at mid weight. It has a trim
speed of 39.5 km/h at 88 all up.
I can describe the maneuverability and the brake authority
as short, very responsive, but must adapt a certain technique to keep it agile
and on course. Hitting a thermal if the brakes on the outside are pulled a bit,
the M7 S strangely will be reluctant to turn nicely inside the core.
The pilot must let the M7 S with its energy, slip though,
then control the pitch and let go of the outside break completely or just a
‘though’ of a pressure J
and then weight shift and pull the inside brake for ±10 cm, finding himself in
a perfect thermal swirl.
I flew this glider from very weak conditions to average
thermals and in high wind soaring.
I always felt that the M7 S is on the attack. I cannot say
that it’s a floating glider rather than an interesting racing glider.
In ‘windy conditions’ I felt that the M7 S profile cut
through the wind with efficiency than any recent B I have tested.
In turbulent conditions the M7 S moves above the pilots
head, and it’s a bit alive. It does have some pitch movements and fast
reactions in turbulence, putting it in the high-end B category, but the
authority on the brakes will keep the M7 always in control without the feeling
of an empty paraglider, much better than some high-end B’s.
Climb rate:
In weak conditions at 88 all up, little and light brake
controls are required to keep the M7 S from diving into the turn. A pilot could
not make the M7 S at a slow stationary turn. It’s a racing B glider that likes
to fly fast, so it could suffer a bit in very weak thermals (-0.2 m/s) .
In strong cores the energy inside the M7 S will enable its
pilots to have some excellent climbing characteristics! As if it’s a loaded
spring. The climbs in steady strong cores could match the class above, because
of its constant biting ability.
Performance: Everyone is waiting for that chapter? Ok.
The M7 S is on top of the B category in terms of gliding
performance. In a 4 km glide with a recent top C bigger size glider (85-105)
loaded at 101, the results are: Same trim speed all the way and just a very few
meters of difference for the ‘C’ at the end .(Videos on the way)
Don’t need to make measurements …The M7 S has definitely a
superb glide angle but without the ability to float in lift lines like the
higher rated ones.
The accelerator is relatively light and the increase in
speed over trim is immediate and fast with some ± 15 km at my loadings. It is
very usable and the leading edge deforms a bit at max speed but pulling a bit
the A’s still felt pressurized.
Big ears are stable, very efficient and even better if
coupled with the speed system. They reopen by themselves.
The stall point for the M7 S at my loadings is still very forgiving,
with a stable parachute descent, before the full stall.
For which pilot is the M7 targeted: The M7 S is a high-end B
glider that an educated intermediate pilot will feel at home, without being
dull and empty of character. It needs the right amount of control.
Conclusion: SWING has introduced to the market a small flat
area glider with plenty of performance. It needs an educated pilot to fly it happily.
Pilots flying in those windy places would welcome the M7, or pilots who wants
to go fast in a cross country flight .I can describe that glider like a small
energetic race car.
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