Skywalk Cumeo XS

Skywalk Cumeo XS 
  
After the beautiful Chili 4 XS, here’s the light version called Cumeo. 
After test flying many wings I’m now more and more convinced that even with the same glider technical details, gliders with lighter materials, will have different feel with sometimes enhanced performance or sometimes much less ! 
I’m no engineer to debate on that, but i’m positively sure and the reality of things is well shown. 
In the following review, the Cumeo will show its true identity. 
  
Launching the Cumeo is as easy as a school wing… 
  
In the air: 
I flew the Cumeo from 90 to 95. In strong conditions, 93, 95 would be superb. At 90 all up if flies beautifully in moderate conditions. 
  
Handling: 
Compared to a Chili 4 XS, with similar load the brake pressure is lighter on the Cumeo with slightly longer travel. Nevertheless, the agility is very present. I could place the Cumeo inside the thermal very precisely. The Cumeo feels more tamed and very subtle to fly than the Chili 4 XS with same load ! The Cumeo XS also gave me a high degree of flying pleasure that i could describe as (a walk in the park eating my best ice-cream ;-) ) 
  
Climb rate:   
Flying the Cumeo at 95, I could strongly confirm that it’s still a floater! In very weak conditions, the Cumeo even loaded does real catch those tiny lifts. At 90, it’s a thermal beast!  Even in wider conditions, the Cumeo still pushes forward entering those cores with ease and a smoothness feel. 
  
Glide angle: 
I flew the Cumeo XS next to the Mentor 5 S, Chili 4 XS, Iota 2 25, to conclude after many glide comparisons “and it took me a while”… That the Cumeo is definitely among the best ones in that matter especially if I want to consider top end speed glide ! 
In fact IMHO, it sits right on ‘top’ next to the glide contenders if going in a speed chase. Doing some glides in turbulent air, the Cumeo seems also very efficient, and probably slightly more than a Chili 4 XS  (slight margin) May be because it doesn’t have the pitch behavior of it’s ‘regular cloth’ sister. 
  
Speed: 
The Cumeo has a slightly increased top speed above the Chili 4 XS if both are fully loaded. 
  
Big ears are very stable. Much better than the Chili 4 XS. They reopen quickly. 
Landing in narrow zones is one of the Cumeo strong points. It can be slowed quite well. 
  
Conclusion: 
Yep…It’s a positive test…The Cumeo XS deserved it very well…It is very obvious that if a glider is relatively easy for a high B, loaded with top end performance characteristics, light to carry, handles like a dream, soft in reactions, a highly balanced B glider, and can get you efficiently on any XC would not be highly recommended. It is ! 
In today’s market, there are very nice high B gliders from different manufacturers. The top 3-4 holds a very close and sometimes insignificant difference in overall performance. But what differs is the feeling, satisfaction, and the sensations you get when you are flying a special one. I’m sure, the Cumeo will be among those ! 
Now it seems that I wrote too much…i know…Sometimes i get carried away  :-) So please forget what I just wrote ! But I will be very intrigued if you, the interested pilots, looking for a high B ‘light’ glider, would test fly the Cumeo XS from 90 to 95, and comment back… 
That would be quite interesting :-) 

  
Ps: I always mention that other sizes could be similar and sometimes could be different. Please respect the loads under any glider. A glider flown at mid weight or less will (surely) have other feeling and results. 
IMHO, I think that loading a glider beyond 75 % of its weight range will make you a pilot rather than a passenger. 
Happy flights :-)

BGD Lynx M

I tested the BGD Cure 2 years ago, and as i recall, it gave me a very nice feeling of handling and performance. I tested the BGD Cure, 2 years ago, and as i recall, it gave me a very nice feeling of handling and performance. It had a nice glide, close enough to the best C's of the moment. May be the trim speed and top speed were a bit low.

I received some emails about test flying the light version of the Cure ! But unfortunately BGD didn't want to sell me the Lynx or any other glider… ! They seem deeply affected by earlier criticism ! ;-) Again, no soup for me :-)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svSGKJFSl-8

That Lynx in M size was sent by the effort of a ‘great’ friend, who bought it 3 weeks earlier ! And was so kind to bring it over for a test !

Here’s the test of the light version of the Cure named ‘Lynx’. Actually it seems that BGD worked a bit differently on the Lynx, changing the lines for thinner and more racy ones, and possibly some fine tuning.

Launching the Lynx is totally easy ! i mean, there’s no 6.7 aspect ratio glider launches that easy ! In nil wind, or moderate wind conditions, the Lynx doesn’t need any special technique.

I flew the Lynx M (75-95) from 90 to 94 all up.  In the air, first turn and i’m already enchanted by that beautiful turning behavior ! The Lynx has a moderate to short reaction on the brakes, with very smooth pressure, and linear response ! The authority on the brakes are perfect on that glider ! There’s no hard point in the brake travel and response ! Before the second flight, i readjusted the brakes with less 2 cm, keeping a gap of 10 cm between the pulleys and the brake handles at trim speed. Now it’s more than perfect on my X-rated 6.

Compared to the Cure, the Lynx felt easier and smoother to fly. There’s no awkward pitch back or forward, just the necessary movements upon entering thermals. The roll is also quite dampened and well balanced. If i’m going to compare the Lynx to the Cayenne 5 which was my ‘reference’ for a C for the last 2 years, and with the new Sigma 10, and Delta 3 MS, i can begin to say that the Lynx with its aspect ratio, is as easy to fly as the Sigma 10 ! I was really impressed ! The handling and the way to turn the glider feel very intuitive and could be described as an extension to the pilots arms and feels way more connective and subtle than the D3 handling. It ressembles the C5 precise handling, but with a lighter response and ‘slightly’ longer travel.

The Cayenne 5 XS needs more active piloting, in turbulent stuff and the feel under it is sharper in reactions compared to the Lynx! That’s totally insane, and you probably think i drank a bottle of wine before writing the review ! :-)  Nooo, I didn’t…yet…Not even a soup  ;-) 

You have to fly the Lynx to feel and experience what i just wrote.
Now every pilot who reads my tests knows how much i appreciate a good handling glider. The Lynx is one of them. It’s a wonderful toy to play around !  The Trango X-race, the Cayenne 5 XS, The Sigma10, and now the Lynx has joined this group of excellence when it comes to handling, with a new Lynx ingredient ’smoothness’ .

Glide performance:

I made a few long glides with three different gliders. The Delta 3 MS, the cayenne 5 XS, the Sigma 10 25. It seems that the Lynx similarly loaded to a Cayenne 5 XS (94) showed a slight faster trim for the Lynx, and 3 km/h faster at top speed compared to the C5. The TAS (true air speed) read 40 km/h at trim and 55 km/h at full bar. Taken at 1700 m ASL . As for the glide angle at trim speed, and after a 7 km glide in moving conditions, all gliders arrived more or less at the same height…Knowing that the air was moving, i couldn’t comment if any glider had a visual advantage at trim speed !  If i want to be super precise, i would make a comment about the Delta 3 and Sigma 10 being slightly efficient on bar on head wind glides over the C5 and Lynx. On the Lynx, i was more than happy to see that it was quite competitive that day with the company of the top C gliders of the moment. I don’t think i needed more, flying the Lynx !  Applying bar, the glide ratio is similar to the C5 at +7 km/h over trim for both.

In some turbulent air, the Lynx gave me a quite comfortable ride, as the structure seems quite homogenous and filters any un-healthy movements! On the same air, more pilot energy is needed on the C5 XS. Flying the Lynx at 90-92 all up seems the optimum weight for the M size. At that weight, the Lynx still had that beautiful authority on the brakes with very good maneuverability.

Climb rate: I flew the Lynx in really weak conditions. Its definitely a floater! and very efficient in weak stuff. At 90 all up, it sniffs the thermals and won’t loose any climb. In stronger thermal conditions the Lynx climbs really well keeping that smooth homogenous feel. Even in punchy thermals, the Lynx can be steered very precisely, and the structure feels very coherent.

Big ears are stable, and efficient. 360’s are easy to get out without any disorder from the glider. Induced asymmetries are easy to maintain and to counter-steer. Landing in very narrow LZ is achieved by the linear brakes and glider efficiency.

Conclusion:  I enjoyed every moment flying the Lynx, and I really wish i could fly it again and again ! A must to test fly at its optimum weight ! I really don't know why BGD was so afraid to sell me that glider...It's a fairly nice glider ;-) ...

The overall package of performance and comfort puts the Lynx among the most interesting middle C’s on the market today. But above all, it’s the nice and subtle feel you get flying the Lynx that keeps those flying memories in a flying site or after a good XC, recalled happily after landing.

C comparison updated.

ADVANCE Omega X-Alps 2 size 23

ADVANCE Omega X-Alps 2 size 23 

After the excellent Sigma 10, which is as i said a complete C glider with 6.1 aspect ratio, here’s the Omega X-alps 2 in size 23 test flight.

Harness: X-rated 6 (my usual harness)  Total weight of 95 on the OXA 2 size 23 (80-97) 

Launching is easy for an aspect ratio of 7. Homogenous and steady rise, in 15 km/h with no overshooting if the pilot slightly control it by the brakes.

The days conditions were a bit shaky, and i must say that the X-Alps 2 is a relatively easy to control glider. Could be slightly more demanding to fly than an LM6 size SM loaded at 94 and less demanding than the Skywalk X-Alps 3 size XS at 96 all up.  

The Omega X-alps 2 slows a bit before entering the thermals even hands up. It only pitches back slightly on strong thermals.  But even when it slows down before entering, it slips through the thermal quite slowly. In the same air the Skywalk X-alps 3 surges forward with faster reactions. 

The handling and the way to steer the Omega X-alps 2 could be described as fairly agile. The OXA2 responds to pilots commands quite nicely, and it’s the feature that can give it’s pilot the authority in strong air staying in the core and being more controllable. 

In weak lift under 0.5 m/s ,both the Skywalk and the OXA 2 have similar climb. Between the three gliders, the LM6 seems floatier in very weak lifts. 

It doesn’t mean that the OXA 2 and X-alps 3 doesn’t climb…like many could misinterpret, and it’s not a question of better pilot also like some will comment later…It’s just that at the same weight loads, and same pilot skills, the LM6 hover slightly more in those very weak lifts, giving a slight floaty edge to reconnect to a slightly steadier thermal. 

It’s just the same case with the Delta 3 and Sigma10 in weak lift at the same loadings and pilot skills. The S10 will have that super slight ‘floatable edge’ hovering a bit for a better window to a slightly stronger thermal. But that’s too precise to hang on to…

The OXA2, climb very well in steady +1 m/s and over…thermals, and in fact the OXA 2 and the X-alps 3 will have the edge over the LM6 in quick climbs and surges. 

Gliding at trim speed, the OXA 2 has a slight faster trim than the LM6 but with a slight better glide angle especially gliding through a head wind. At bar, they seems similar. 

The C handles are a nice option to control the glider in turbulent air, and they are quite efficient in some moderate cases.