UP Kibo-X size S

UP Kibo - X  size S 

The Kibo-X is the new UP mid B glider, with a 2.5 line configuration. https://www.up-paragliders.com/en/products/paragliders/kibo-x

The Construction and details seem very similar to the Trango-X, Kangri-X, and Summit-X which seem very good.

Launching the Kibo-X while holding the inner A risers even in little wind, have a steady and homogenous rise with no hard point with a fluid normal canopy rise.

I flew the Kino-X size S ( 70-90) at 85 all up. The Kibo-X could be flown easily at mid-weight. I think it is best flown from 80 to 86 in all conditions. 

I flew the Kibo-X with the NK Arrow. 

Handling and agility: I had to length the brake lines by 5 cm to get the 10 cm gap before trailing edge contact. In that configuration, I would need around + 15 to 20 cm to steer the glider in thermals.

The brake pressure is moderate to slightly hard when lowering them. The turning abilities are quite nice with direct and immediate response from the glider. It can core tight thermals. 

Comfort: UP gliders have their own signature in terms of feedback. If you are a UP pilot, you know that feeling of feedback. The Trango-X and Kangri-X deliver a different flavor flying them with some roll movements that some pilots would look for. The Kibo-X inherits those same roll feel but for a B-class glider, they are less pronounced than the Kangri-X. Those movements on the KIbo-X are restricted to move in a small angle and the Kibo-X stays within those small angles above the pilot's head. Overall for a mid B, some pilots would cherish the roll, which is similar to a Tequila 4, and some would prefer a softer feel like on the Buzz Z7.   

Performance: The Kibo X plays in the same field as the mid-B’s regarding overall performance efficiency. The plus is the information coming from the glider and the handling that enhances your performance to core thermals. 

Ears are easy to make, stable, and quite efficient!  

Conclusion: The Kibo X will please many pilots looking for a mid-B with nice feedback with direct brake control while having a good level of performance for the intended class.   

 

FLOW Mystic S

And here's the new 2 liner in the C class from Flow. The Mystic is their new 2-liner C glider.
Semi-light construction with Dyneema risers. The manufacturer's website was not yet online when I published this review.
Launching the Mystic in no wind is straightforward. In 20 km/h wind, it is also very easy without any hard points.
In the air, the brake authority is nice for the pilot with moderate to light pressure and also moderate to short travel. The pressure is slightly more than the Fusion, and the travel is also shorter. There’s a big difference In brake authority over the Fusion which gives the Mystic very nice and direct turning abilities. In thermals, I found that I could place that glider inside any core easily, and the Mystic gave me a pleasurable feel in handling.

Flying the Mystic:

I flew the Mystic at 93 all up.
The Mystic delivers more roll than the Fusion with the same pitch stability. In roll, it resembles the Trango X feedback. The structure moves slightly in itself. It doesn’t feel like a monobloc like the Camino 2, Codex, or Mint. More like the Trango-X in feedback. A Fusion pilot will find that a little more active control is needed on the Mystic.

I remember that Flow mentioned, the first Mystic prototypes were difficult to induce collapses for the certification bodies.
I think in order to pass the C certification for a specific 'collapse angle', Flow decided to re-tuned the Mystic in that matter. The other side of a certification class is to insert a glider inside a limited box.
The certified version has soft tips and in turbulent conditions, they tend to collapse without any consequences. They open without any course change.
Probably after some hours a pilot would get used to them by understanding their excitement by clapping 

Climbing and gliding:
Climbing next to my reference gliders, I think the Mystic will share the 5 top places in that matter. It has a very good climb in the weak, and in the strong. The handling helps a lot by putting the Mystic inside the most lift.
The Fusion had long brake and late reactions. The Mystic handling is highly enhanced.

Gliding next to my reference gliders showed me that the Mystic has good gliding properties.
Example: Camino 2 XS and Mystic S share the same glide at half the speed bar. My 2 liner C comparison is updated.

Ears are easily doable in the B3 lines, and they reopen fast. Wing-overs build up quickly.
Top speed is around +15 km/h over trim.

Conclusion: The Mystic is an enhancement over the Fusion regarding the gliding through a difficult airmass. This profile gets easily through and surfs forward much better. The handling also is a high enhancement and more pleasurable to fly.
The softer tips could be a bit annoying for some, others will get used to them, or there’s a possibility that they could go away after +20 hours hours… No one will know under those new 2 liners how they will change after some hours.
That’s why flying them +20 to 40 hours will fine-tune them 

Happy flights,
Ziad

Words of nothingness

Very sad and frustrated…

One very big slap was taken… And we wake up with wide eyes for that special brief moment in time.

The slap and the awakening:

Paragliding …What’s about that sport? What is the essence of that sport? Why do we do it?  the endless quest for an answer…

We humans always need more and more... If there’s only ONE happiness feel, what will ‘more and more searching’ would give you further?

I never liked paragliding competitions even in my youth as it contradicts what ‘free flight’ stands for, IMHO.  

My free-flight definition: 

Standing on the top of the mountain, with a good breeze coming from the valley below. The sky is clear with beautiful clouds, birds are already circling up to cloud base, and you passionately long to join them for that weightless feel of floating freely far away from your daily survival combat… 

Up there, there’s only you, living that exact precious moment of your life. You look far, letting your eyes swim in the vastness of that space. You don’t rush it as the time stopped because you are there. Your mind works differently up there, configuring your XC route. It is the time to enjoy that freedom. 

When you land, you cannot speak, as words won’t be enough to describe that 'magical place' you were in.

-That is my personal understanding of paragliding. 

The brief awakening: 

Are we not creative enough to produce a different format of competition?  

What’s the purpose of being fast on such a slow (engine-less) device? Are we not missing the essence of flying?

Why not complete the largest possible triangle on that specific day smoothly? No rush…Just brain strategy.

Why not compete on a more predictable glider?  Example: Olympics formats!

Why in the certification bodies, (DHV,para-test…etc…) do the tests only in calm air? and only load tests for some? I thought humans were highly valuable beings! 

Why there’s not ONE expert-certified pilot that flies the B,C,D, CCC gliders in real thermic air and rate it on a (safety/recovery) scale 1 to 10.  And a scale of 5 could be enough for the new formats comps.

Didn’t the responsible wake up yet? Even the Formula 1 car race now in a 6-cylinder engine! with lots of safety measures..and only 12 drivers are allowed to drive them. Hello ???

Sports competition is created to push the human limit and materials for 'different purposes’…. At least not for the human peace of mind and internal happiness for sure!  

We arrived at the peak of our paragliding performance achievement. Now it is the time to invest more in our safety. More work on gliders' internal structures is crucially needed.  

I hope that a creative mind will finally take a leap of faith into another competition format. 

A simple recipe for happy flying: If you are stressed after you land. You have a clear answer. Listen to it carefully. It could be the conditions you flew in or the glider you chose to fly. 

If you are smiling, then you achieved your OWN goal without any format! 

Happy and safe landings my fellow friends,

Ziad.

ADVANCE Theta ULS 25 (The Lotus)

ADVANCE Theta ULS 25  (The Lotus) 

The Theta is an ADVANCE Mid B glider with a light construction. The size 25 goes from 78-99 and the recommended weight by ADVANCE is from 82 -95.

I flew the Theta 25 ULS at 90 and 95 all up, in multiple conditions, from smooth to very turbulent and strong air, sometimes flying on a lee side with washing machine turbulence.

Here are my impressions :

Construction: 

Skytex 27 and 32 are used on the Theta. A very neat construction and is well-built.  Unsheathed color-coded Pro Dry lines are used on the Theta. ( 60% more water-repellent than previous-generation lines)

Here are the details:  https://www.advance.swiss/en/products/paragliders/theta-uls

At first sight, and from the look, I had a strange feeling that there could be something different…

Launching:

The Theta is very easy to launch even in no wind or a slight backwind. No hard point, or anything to report. Just a super easy glider to inflate. In 30 km/h wind, the Theta inflates fast and evenly without any other complicated behavior. Overall, an easy-to-launch glider.

Brake pressure and feel:

At 95 and even at 90 all up, the brake pressure is on the moderate to light side for the first 25 cm. Lower than 25 cm it is on the moderate side. To stall the Theta requires a long pull under the seat with more than 2 seconds, then a stable stall is initiated before the full stall. So, it felt super safe without any sudden or quick stalls. The Theta informs well the pilot every centimeter of the brakes about the things that could happen. A forgiving glider in that matter. 

The feedback comes from the glider but also a slight feel is transmitted through the brakes. 

Handling and brake feel are my favorite points when testing gliders. 

After 10 cm of gap, the first 15-20 cm are necessary to steer the glider. Those 15-20 cm reacts very linearly in every centimeter while having smooth and moderate pressure. The Theta reacts impeccably, promptly, and especially ’smoothly' to the pilot's command, enabling him to put the Theta wherever, whenever he wishes in thermals regarding the current turbulence!  

In conventional weak or strong thermals, the Theta can be turned very narrow even in the tiniest core. The authority on the brakes is very high giving the pilot full control to adjust the radius of the turn as he pleases. The Theta obeys the order promptly without any delay. A super sweet glider to fly! 

Comfort ( roll and pitch):

I flew the Theta ULS one strong turbulent day in our Cedars range at mid-day. The north face of the range is known to be turbulent but that day the wind was also coming from the North, so flying there in the lee side is like being in a hellish washing machine. After soaring that ridge for 5 km, usually, the arm muscles get tired regardless of any B glider crazy dance moves. 

I was extremely happy to be on the Theta ULS that day.  All the crazy moves were logically there, but there was always a ‘moment’ before each crazy move. That precious ‘moment' offers the pilot the needed extra comfort and more time to keep controlling the glider without being tired.  

The Theta ULS delivers smooth educated feedback. The movements are not too tamed like on the Mentor 7. It felt as comfortable in turbulence, with very slight useful feedback. The pitch is absent but it feels that it goes smoothly into the airmass. Lovely to feel under the Theta ULS. Overall comfort is very high and gives the pilot a high passive safety feel.  My new B comparison (spider chart) will be updated for the details.   

Climbing:

I flew next to my friends on the upper-class gliders ( Photon EN-C and Klimber 3p EN-D ) for 2 hours in climb and gliding mode. 

I never felt that the Theta ULS was one second behind in the climb. On the contrary, I felt that the Theta ULS floats very well, and climbs efficiently next to the higher-rated gliders. When hitting thermals, the Theta ULS doesn’t pitch back at all, neither stops. It surprised me by its wonderful ability as a mid-B to get through very smoothly into that thermal like the upper-class gliders. Of course, it is slightly slower to enter but still efficient to climb. 

Gliding: 

I did again some gliding with my friends. Afterward, we were all certain that this Theta ULS 25 at 95 all up, glides like any top high B glider out there at trim and at half the speed bar. We were really surprised by its capacity to float in a moving air mass. I am sure that the Theta ULS has the best characteristics to glide efficiently. 

The speed over trim is around 12-13 km/h still with a competitive glide angle.

Ears on the Theta with outer A’s are stable and efficient with a 3 m/s sink rate at 2500 ASL and with the speed bar, they increase a bit more. They reopen slowly without pilot intervention.

Wingovers are playful and could be very high, as when the Theta is banked it restores lots of energy. 

Landing:

The Theta ULS 25 at 95 could be slowed quite low for a precision top landing. On a tricky slope landing, when you encounter a strong breeze, releasing the brakes enables the Theta ULS to move efficiently forward and up, without bumping into the airmass, but surprisingly when you apply +40 cm of the brakes, it stops in the air, and it seems or it felt, that the polar changes!  It is strange…Usually, flat polar gliders get through the airmass and it is difficult to slow them. 

The Theta gets through efficiently, but you can reduce the forward speed for a vertical precise landing in windy places. 

The Theta ULS could be packed very small for traveling and discovering new flying areas. 

Conclusion: 

I had a wonderful time test-flying the Theta ULS. The feeling I was getting after landing is of pure joy.  

I think ADVANCE has made a unique product creating the Theta ULS. That profile feels like a winner. ADVANCE felt it, and I think the use of the thin lines was intended to boost performance, I can humbly say that if an Omega ULS the same size stays within the Theta ULS speed at half bar they ‘could’ possibly play in the same playground.  

For that impressive complete package of light, agile, smooth feel, super easy and enjoyable to fly, with impressive performance for the B class, the Theta ULS could be IMHO, among the best low/mid-EN-B gliders I have ever test flown.