GIN Leopard S

GIN Leopard size XS  75-88


The Gin Leopard is the 2019 new 2 liner from GIN with 7.12 aspect ratio.
I have the XS size (70-88) and I flew it at 88 all up.
Launching the Leopard in nil wind needs a steady pull to reach overhead. In a strong wind, it launches perfectly. 


In the air, I immediately felt at home under the Leopard. The pitch movements are very dampened and the leading edge tends to get slightly back upon entering the lift on this XS size. It has a very neutral pitch behavior apart form this very little or may I say “slight delay” to pull you inside the core.  Some pilots will find this feature amazing but some would prefer a slight pitch forward. It depends on pilots taste.
For instance, the Zeno S (70-90) size at max weight also tends to have a neutral pitch with a very slight pull forward sometimes, when the thermals are a bit sudden and strong. The Leopard felt more tamed in pitch feel.
In roll, I also felt that the Leopard is a comfortable glider to fly despite the Aspect ratio! The roll also feels more dampened and could be similar to the Zeno S.
In strong air it needs a good D pilot.


There are no yaw movements, and the Leopard feels like a whole very solid structure flying above your head.
The brake authority on this Leopard S size is truly nice! It has a short brake response with very good authority that enabled me to core practically a wide range of different thermals, especially very small ones. For an aspect ratio of 7, the Leopard can be considered as a very direct and agile glider. For sure the overall handling and brake authority is a step over the Zeno S and I really was very pleased to fly the Leopard in thermals. I can describe the handling as linear, direct, precise.

 

The climbing ability of the Leopard is nice for the category. But I felt that this exceeds of comfort in pitch sometimes get you a slightly delayed entering into those mellow 1 m/s thermals. I must insist that the overall climb is very good! and even in a strong and sudden lift, the Leopard S will pop up very quickly. It’s just in those small thermals that you feel that you need that extra forward pull from the leading edge…
Comparing it with a Zeno S, I felt that the Zeno could have a slight edge in float ability in those very weak thermals.


Doing some glides with an M7 S, just to get an idea, showed me that the Leopard has a very slight edge at trim, but especially better in headwind glides and of course at the bar. If we match the top speed of the M7, the Leopard has a very slight edge.
I found a 20 km/h over trim took at 900 ASL with overlapping pulleys.  There’s a medium pressure while pushing the bar. A slightly more than the Zeno, but quite ok. 

 

The B controls are slightly harder than the Zeno ones. I was able to keep the glider easily overhead while at bar in moderate air. In fact, it felt that at bar the Leopard gives a more taught and comfortable feel.
Ears with outer A’s are small but stable. Funnily, if you pull them quickly and release, they will be stuck in nicely, exactly like on the M7!  They can get you around -2 m/s with bar…The ears with outer B’s are is also doable and efficient with -2 m/s coupled with half bar.
The leading edge is very solid. There’s a lot of pressure!


Conclusion for the XS size 75-88 :
The S size might react differently as smaller glider are sometimes trimmed a bit different.
It’s amazing how technology is getting us more accessible high aspect ratio gliders.
The good authority on the brakes enables the pilots to control better the Leopard, and it could be considered a comfortable 2 liner for the intended category of pilots. 
Good overall performance, a bit close to Zeno, nice top speed, very homogenous and taught feel.  


 

Axis Venus SC size S 72-92

Axis Venus SC size S 72-92

My favorite Venus at the time was a Venus 2 RX, size Small. It was indeed a superb glider. Then I tried once the Venus 3 and didn’t blend in.

This is the new Venus  SC for 2019. 

The launching behavior is quite easy with an easy pull and the Venus comes up without any hard point. The takeoff is immediate.

I flew the Venus SC from 90 to 92 to discover that it's really nice at that weight. 

The climb in weak thermals is super nice and is similar to the Best C’s.  Going on glide with a Q-Light S showed me a little faster trim speed for the Venus SC with an impressive glide angle that also puts the Venus SC on top of the C category.

Despite the aspect ratio of 6.6, the turning behavior in thermals is exquisite. Good authority on the brakes and good agility.  Could be similar in agility as the Artik 5 for example, with lighter brakes and also precise travel. But the piloting level under it needs a slightly more pilot workload than an Artik 5. It moves a bit in turbulence and work by itself a bit in a small yaw and roll movement. 

The C steering control must be handled with care. The C is not attached to the B riser but offers a fair authority to stop small surges. 

Ears are stable and need a slight pump to reopen. 

Conclusion: Axis has made their masterpiece in creating the Venus SC! Glide and climb are among the best ones in the Category. In turbulent and active air it needs a good C pilot. 

But that pilot would make long and efficient XC flights. 

Mac Para Eden 7 24 (70-90)

Mac Para Eden 7  24  (70-90)   

I asked MacPara to purchase that glider like usual. Then I got an email that a demo glider was already sent, and I have to return it afterward! 

After lots of delays at our customs office…like usual, the Eden 7 was released. Mac Para wanted the glider back for the Kossen exhibition, but I only flew it once and felt something different and I emailed Macpara that I must purchase that glider as I need more time on it, there was something very interesting! but they replied that they are sorry… and they prefer to get the glider back!  I kept the glider for another 3 flying days and…(to be continued…**) 

The test: 

The Eden 7 is MacPara 2019 high B glider. With an aspect ratio of 6, good mix of thin sheathed unsheathed lines, nice risers with C steering ability, the Eden 7 is a beautiful looking glider with a racy look.

Launching the Eden 7 is super easy for a high B glider. The take off is immediate. 

I flew the Eden 7 24 from 85 to 91 all up to discover the best spot at 87 all up.  The Eden 7 was flown with a Delight 3 harness and compared with other B or C gliders flying the same harness. 

I flew that glider in mixed conditions from weak to turbulent. Despite the aspect ratio of 6, I never felt it was more demanding to fly than any 5.4 aspect ratio B gliders. In fact, I can say that it seems quite easier to fly than most High B gliders with a lower aspect ratio. The movements of the Eden 7 in turbulent air are not really dynamic for the 6 aspect ratio glider.

 I’m not saying that it resembles the low B category. It needs a high B pilot, but the Eden 7 felt like a very well balanced high B glider that works well in itself.

 There weren’t any unnecessary movements coming from the glider. Just good, well-balanced feedback, that was exactly needed for the high B category. The Eden 7 feels like an educational high B with the exact amount of “relaxed” feedback for the XC pilot. 

The authority on the brakes at 87 all up is simply ”amazing”. It is not the most agile high B glider but still very satisfying agility with a short brake travel, precise to place it inside any core, direct to swiftly engage a turn without delay, moderate pressure that kept my hands quite comfortable all the flight. 

Those characteristics of handling and brake authority on the Eden 7 quickly won my heart! 

I never regretted test flying that EN-B in those good and rare flyable days this year.  

I would describe the overall feedback as “polite”. Exactly what should be felt under an XC machine for long flights. 

Loading the Eden 7 at 87 all up is very efficient even in weak thermals.  This high B is definitely a floater within its category.

In strong cores it also climbs ‘super’ well as the Eden 7 surfs the air forward like a very good high B, and it’s even very competitive with the class above in climb and glide.

Surfing a difficult airmass for a high B is a blessing, as some will bump and pitch back. Not on the Eden 7, as it never kept from surprising me in that matter. It does surf forward and climb like “higher rated gliders”. 

The Eden 7 glide at bar similar to the best B’s in that big category with an edge!  The edge was found on top speed!  It is quite fast for the category, and very usable. 

On my Eden 7 size 24 similarly loaded as a Mentor 6 same size (70-90), I was around +1 km/h faster at top speed! 

Its also faster than an Alpina 3 S and the glide at trim and at bar was over my expectations, to say the least! 

 While pushing the bar, the C steering is hard to pull, with a fair efficiency in turbulence.  

The trim speed is similar to the Mentor 6, and the Eden 7 has around 15..16 km/h over trim taken at 1000 ASL. 

I also flew next to higher rated gliders, just to see the potential of the Eden 7, and I can totally confirm my earlier comments that put the Eden 7 on the highest level! 

The ears are stable to a certain pull and reopen fast. Induced asymmetries and holding the A risers down are easy to counter steer with no big loss of altitude. 

Frontals make a slight horseshoe but reopen quickly.  Wing overs are nice, without any excess of dynamic and energy! 

I already updated my B category.   

Conclusion: 

In this large EN-B category, many manufacturers are really making huge progress to deliver us quite interesting gliders, and it's becoming silly to always write positive reviews, but i surely recommend test flying that one! No dull feel under it, rather than an educational one.  It’s like flying a calm higher rated glider with an impressive performance package.  

The Eden 7 in size 24 is a high B glider but an easy one to fly for the experienced B pilots, with superb handling and brake authority. 

It has a relatively calm and balanced behavior. The overall package of performance is efficient and very usable! 

For a high B pilot looking for an excellent creation, the Eden 7 fulfills every need and check every box. It would be very interesting to test flying one at its optimum load.  

**- Now to continue my story with Mac Para…I insisted to keep that glider. And I paid for it just because I couldn’t return back such a beautiful piece of a flying machine! and I also needed to keep it as a testing reference for this summer!