BGD Riot S

BGD Riot S

Taking off is super easy with the light cloth. First turn showed a very agile glider, with swift, direct handling.  If i want to compare it with my new reference, the Swift 5 S, i can say it has a slightly more agile feel in turns. 

Overall, very agile and pleasure to steer.

The brake pressure are similar to the Swift 5. 

The climbing properties, in weak or strong, with a Swift 5 S fully loaded for both, i can sense that the Swift 5 climbs are a step higher. 

 Doing some glides with my reference glider, showed a higher trim speed for the Riot by nearly 2km/h ! So the Riot is faster at trim. At full bar, they have similar top speed. 

The glide angle is nice for the Riot, and its loosing slightly to the Swift 5, which remain at the top of the B category.  At full bar also after many glides of 4 to 5 km run, the Riot S comes slightly around 10 meter lower. 

Not really important, and still good gliding properties. Overall the Riot has a nice glide angle in the B category.

Conclusion: Light, fast at trim, agile, pleasurable to fly, good glide performance. That’s what describes best the BGD Riot S.

This is only my opinion. Make your own !

ADVANCE Lightness 3 M

ADVANCE Lightness 3 M

I already flew the Lightness2 in M size. My size is 1.81 and my weight  is 73 kg.

Both the Lightness 2 and 3 suit my size perfectly.  The Lightness 3 offers a superb back comfort, as much as the Lightness 2 did. 

It’s a very comfortable harness for supporting the back and the legs are naturally supported. The Lightness 3 is indeed one of the most comfortable seatless harnesses for back and hip comfort. 

The finishing details of this harness is second to none.  

I have other ADVANCE harnesses, the Progress 3, success 4, easiness 2 and the Bi pro. They all share that exceptional finish ! As if they were all made in a very independent (Apple factory)  ;-) 

The very good quality finish is very clear to one’s eye. 

I also sensed that for my shape, the harness has a snug fit and feels also quite robust if you look at the attachment points versus a GTO Light for example. The straps looks slightly wider and feels quite close to a normal harness in that matter.  

The Lightness3 has a left channel for a relief tube. A camel back pocket on the rear. The pocket under the seat would fit a 5 L ballast. The back compartment is a bit small. I found out that only a glider bag can fit inside. 

All the strap adjustment can be reached very easily and swiftly modified while flying, unlike the GTO light or the Forza for example.

The speed system has a two step design with small stepping insert acting like pedals…Now goes my explanations in english :-)   

The rescue compartment feels a bit small also. I think for the M size, a light (±1kg) rescue for 100 KG max would fit perfectly. I tried to open the rescue 2 times while hanging the harness in my room, and when pulling the handle horizontally (sideways) it needs a slight pressure, more than the GTO light one. The rescue compartment doesn’t seem very big. But in both cases, the rescue was out immediately with a snap feel.  

Comparison with the Lightness 2 in the air:

I flew the Lightness 3 with a Q-light S size at max weight. I also flew a Supair Delight 3 M with a seat board on the same glider. The most comfortable one in turbulent air was the Delight3 and followed very closely by the Lightness 3, and +50 % more feedback was delivered by the Lightness 2.

when it comes to being thrown around in turbulent air, the difference between the Lightness 2 and 3 are very clear. 

When the chest strap of the Lightness 3 is a bit more open, then the information about the air is superb! The Lightness 3 delivers just the necessary amount of feedback, without any useless movements that were found earlier on the Impress 3.  

I also found an interesting efficient option on Lightness 3 regarding the chest strap.  In turbulent and strong air, when closing the chest strap, the Lightness 3 locks you in a firm position and becomes a roll stable seatless harness. Of course, all harnesses will be more stable when chest straps are closed, but the difference between open and closed is sometimes huge in one specific harness. 

The stability was felt more than any seatless harness I have tested!   So the Lightness 3 has a sensible chest strap adjustment efficiency for a wide choice and pilot taste.

In the air while the pod was already closed, a little wind was entering between the layers, that could probably need more tuning (later)  

Now for the picky pilots (like me ) and performance-oriented ones, I could say that the Delight 3 (seat harness) with a (chest open) can deliver quite a precise input for placing gliders with any pressure on any muscle of your lower body! That option of putting yourself on a seat board and sensing every bit of air and efficiently reacting is only available on a seat board. For instance, The GTO light, Forza, Lightness2, Lightness3 can deliver the best back comfort versus a seat harness, and glider feedback, but will never let you react as fast and efficient as a seat board will, IMHO. 

Conclusion: Seat or no seat, is a matter of taste. The seatless harnesses like the Lightness3 offers exceptional back comfort for long flights, light with superb quality equipment! 

The seat harness delivers imminent body reaction, precise feedback and control you can induce to a high aspect ratio glider.

For my personal feel, the Lightness 3 is indeed a superb piece of equipment which also holds all the required options for the pilots of today. 

Construction quality at its best, very high degree of back comfort, comfortable enough in turbulence, light to carry after long XC’s, and I think it looks quite robust for a light harness.

https://www.advance.ch/en/products/harnesses/lightness-3/

https://www.advance.ch/fileadmin/user_upload/Gurtzeuge/LIGHTNESS/PDF/LIGHTNESS_3/181213_HB_LIGHTNESS3_EN_2.pdf

This is only my opinion. Make your own !

Ozone Swift 5, S size

Notes: In 2018-19, lots of manufacturers are delivering very nice gliders. In the B category, it’s difficult sometimes to say which glider has a better glide or better climb as they are very close. At least among the top 5 of the category .

The tests are becoming sometimes awkward to write, when new gliders still open my eyes for their better overall behavior…But we are lucky to have them, and i’m also super pleased to fly them :-) 

Ozone Swift 5  size S 

I already test flew the Rush 5 in size S. The Swift 5 is the light version. 

The cloth used on the Swift 5 is really light ! The glider weights 3680 grams on my scale !

The Swift 5 launches without any effort even in nil wind. The Rush 5 heavy cloth needed a steady pull, but the swift 5 launches effortlessly.

There are also many differences with the Rush 5 concerning agility, brake pressure and feel. 

The Swift 5 has a softer feel through the brakes, more precise, and linear. It is also more agile than the Rush 5 size S similarly loaded. Coring thermals is direct and a real pleasure. The turning radius could be done very tight. Flew the Swift 5 with the GTO light and then with the Delight 3.

The GTO light delivers a super agile feel and great handling. The Delight 3 is more stable in roll, but the Swift 5 still feel quite agile in turns on it also ! 

As i already mentioned in my earlier writings, that the Rush 5 doesn’t have that super agility, but still very efficient in thermals. The Swift 5 is now an agile glider while it retains the excellent climb rate of the Rush 5. 

The efficiency in thermals are second to none ! In very weak stuff on the loaded S size at 84 all up, i could benefit from every little scrappy thermal. In strong thermals, the Swift 5 compensate the turbulent air, by a stable, well balanced glider behavior. All that leads to a quick climb, without any bad reactions of pitch, or dive and loosing height. Probably, the light fabric smoothen the reactions.  That’s why, IMHO, the Swift 5 has a high efficiency in the air. 

I flew and glided next to my reference 6.3 high-end ‘C’ gliders, and I was impressed by the excellent glide ratio of the Swift 5 even comparing them at half the speed range ! A marvel indeed ! 

Like the Rush 5, the Swift 5 efficient glide in moving air seems extraordinary ! The Swift 5 floats and advances through the airmass with flawless efficiency. 

To put it into simple words, the Swift 5 self-automated movements through moving air, seems to glide very close to the class above ! 

For sure the top C class gliders will have that slight edge to dig through and move forward faster, like the Q-Light or the Delta 3.  Comparing the Swift 5 to a top C is not fair, but i just want to make a point that those high B’s are super close and quite efficient in the hand of good pilots. and the decision for week end pilots to change for a C glider just to have ‘more performance’ is not always a good choice unless the pilots can extract those performances and wants more feel that a C can deliver.    

The trim speed though is not as fast, and could be slightly around 38 km/h. The top speed is 12 km/h over trim on the S size taken at 1000 ASL.

The Swift 5 gives informations about what’s the air is doing more than the Rush 5. The Rush 5 feels more as a block and sometimes well dampened. The Swift feels more as a butterfly and needs slightly more active piloting in rough air. For a high B pilot, it’s easy to fly. 

Ears are stable, and reopen without input. 

Conclusion: This review was written after talking with three of my friends who also  flew the Swift 5 ! Not because i wasn’t sure what to write, but in order to see their faces after landing and to listen to their interesting  comments :-). They were all fascinated by what that glider was doing in the air. 

Some gliders deliver a complete package of handling, comfort, glide and climbing efficiency. The Swift 5 holds that package but in ‘premium’ !

As i always say, the above written letters remains just letters on a screen. My humble small suggestion, is to get a demo Swift 5, load it near the top, then please write your opinion !  :-) 

I’m really curious ;-) 

This is only my opinion. Make your own !