SUPAIR Step X size 80-100

Disclaimer:

Please note again… that tests will always differ with other sizes. At first, if flown with seatless harnesses, or must I say a completely different harness. Also if the same sizes are flown at different loads, lighter loads will get the weakest climb but will be penalized in control in heavy air or pushing through a heavy airmass. Bigger sizes have more gliding performance and also better climb in weak conditions.  In my small tests, I always state the size, the total flying weight, and afterward IMHO, the optimum weight I found in that particular glider.

SUPAIR Step X  size M flown from 93 to 97 all up. 

The Step X is the new 2023 high EN-B from Supair. I will let you visit their website for the construction details and materials. https://supair.com/en/produit/aile-parapente-supair-en-b-step-cross/

The Step X has an aspect ratio of 5.65 made with Dominico, has 3 rows of lines, and the overall weight of the M size is around 4.3 kg with very nice construction details! 

It is a relatively light EN-B and launches easily without any wind without any hard point. A straightforward glider to launch. In the stronger breeze, I didn’t find any nervousness or dynamic surges, but a smooth and easy-to-launch glider.

I flew the Step X at 97 all up in one turbulent very strong day, in our Cedars range (Explained down below) 

Comfort and accessibility.

I found that the Step-X managed well all the harsh conditions without any tip fluttering, and still delivered a very prompt brake authority for the pilot to stay in control. Alternating flights and test flying the Mentor 7, I think that the Step-X is also a highly comfortable glider for that category! I was really surprised by the educated feedback and balanced movements of the Step-X in overall conditions. The Step X has slightly more feel than the Mentor 7 while remaining very comfortable to fly.  To place it even further, I think it resembles the Swift 6 accessibility for the same size. 

Handling and agility:

The brake length on the Step X is slightly longer than the Mentor 7 and slightly less than the Swift 6, which place it in the sweet spot. You need just around 15 to 20 cm to steer the glider after the first 10 cm gap. 

The Step X is quite an agile glider and coring tight thermals are easily doable. The pressure is on the moderate side with its effective brake range to control the surges in active air, and flying it for hours is not tiring for the arms. 

While the Maestro 2 could deliver more dynamic handling, the Step X is close in agility while being more user-friendly for the new high B pilot in that class, and calmer in thermals while coring every bit of lift.

Climb rate:

I flew next to higher-rated 2-liner C class gliders in thermals, and the climb rate in weak thermals was very good on Step X around 95 all up. It floats well! For real, this glider climbs very well comparing it with the B class.

It is for sure slower to enter the airmass as the 2 liners but for a high B with 3 lines, it climbs extremely well! 

Gliding through the moving airmass and comparing it to other high B’s the Step X showed me also that it matches the best ones out there! Usually, when a glider has fewer lines like 2.5 ..etc..they should glide more, but flying the Step X near, I didn’t notice any disadvantages… What can I say…when a new creation seems really good and competitive!  I was impressed! 

I will update my B comparison for the little details in climb and glide, but I confirm that the Step X has a very efficient glide through the airmass for the high B category. 

The speed bar has a moderate pressure, and the C steering has acceptable efficiency while on the bar for the 3 liners glider. Perhaps the Maestro 2 and the Rush 6, have swifter C controls, but nevertheless, the Step C controls are manageable and easy to use to control the overall movements. 

The top speed is around 12 km/h over trim. 

Ears are stable and reopen without pilot intervention. 

Conclusion: 

The Step X can be flown easily at 93 all up but it would be slow to enter the airmass. I found out at 95 to be nice overall, and to be even more efficient and more compact with good penetration fly it at 97,98. 

When a product is nice, readers are expecting the testers to find the negative points, when they are difficult to find… My B comparison will shortly be updated. 

Easily placed among the high B’s in terms of good overall performance, the Step X is an enjoyable glider to fly while being well-balanced and quite comfortable during long XCs. The passive safety seems quite high for that category delivering a solid and light-to-carry companion for your adventures. Supair never stopped to amaze me… It would be quite an interesting high B to test fly! 

Cedars range: 

 Cedars range divides the country in half horizontally from north to South. The peaks are facing east and west. They reside above the very hot Bekaa Valley, situated inland of the country. If the thermal breeze is from the west, you will get nice conditions, but if it comes from the east, which it always does afternoon, then the challenge arises especially at noon, and preferable to fly only hang gliders as the very strong breeze literally limit your forward speed with sudden powerful thermals, and since taking off from the east side, a mix of strong valley east breeze and southwesterly wind coming from the sea side toward inland makes the word turbulence a bit undermined …   

When I fly gliders there, I often feel many times I’m just a puppet underneath even on the easiest glider!  Not a good feeling as sometimes, the workloads are extreme and need lots of endurance over the time spent and quite tiring.  At 11 am +6 m/s thermals are common, with a high cloud base over 4500 m, but since there’s a commercial flight line passing over from 4000 m and up, so controlling your height is also very crucial!  

Flying 2 hours from sunset to dark is the best experience a pilot would have. Smooth lift everywhere with a high cloud base. 

BGD Lynx 2 M

BGD Lynx 2 M

The new light EN-C glider from BGD is now released to replace the first Lynx which had a 6.75 aspect ratio.  Now BGD reduced that aspect ratio to 6.2 on their new Lynx 2 with a moderately light construction for durability, and the M size weights around 4 kg with a 2.5 line configuration setup.

BGD  stated that a pure 2-line configuration set up needs more supporting rods in the sail, leading to a larger pack volume as the LYNX 2 is easy to pack down and super small for hiking and racing.

The Lynx 2 is made from a mix of the excellent Porcher Skytex, Classic II 27g/m², and 32g/m².  I’ll let you see all the multiple glider details following that link:  https://www.flybgd.com/en/paragliders/lynx-2--paraglider-2021-1953-0.html

Launching: I flew the Lynx 2 from 91 to 95. It flies very well at 90, but if you need more cutting through and faster glider response related to the surrounding airmass, then 94 could be great! 

In nil wind, the light glider rises smoothly and evenly without any hard point whatsoever. In the stronger breeze, it’s is a delight to launch it, as it felt very easy in that matter.  

Once airborne, brake travel offers a high authority for the pilot. It means that I could core the smallest thermal easily. The brake pressure is on the moderate side and resembles in length, and pressure the BGD Tala but with more agility and authority!  If you compare it to the Cure 2 M, The brake travel is close but the Lynx 2 M is more prompt to get a 360 in thermals.  

Comparing it to an Alpina 4 MS, the brakes have similar overall pressure feel, but higher agility on the Lynx 2. 

In weak thermals, flat turns could be made and the Lynx has a very efficient climb. I flew with the Skywalk Mint in multiple conditions and saw that the Lynx 2 was always near in weak and stronger thermals. Of course, my C comparison is updated for the tiny and sometimes ‘useless’ details for many…But at least that’s my personal opinion written on that chart. 

Gliding next to the latest 2-liners C class gliders, we were really surprised by the very good glide of the 2.5-line Lynx 2! You will not miss anything on performance with that setup flying next to an AD VOLT 4, a SOL LT2, and even next to the Mint! If there’s a difference, it is negligible and a good-faired harness will make up for it on long runs.

 

In turbulent conditions, the Lynx 2 has a moderate roll movement but I felt that it stays always above your head, as if it is saying: ‘I’ve got you covered’  That’s the feeling I got under it. A high passive safety feels for the C class. It moves on narrow angles and it isn’t a very dampened or boring glider to fly. You feel every thermal, but at the same time, it gives you that high safety impression by staying above your head all the time without high excessive movements.

The C riser controls the angle of attack while on the bar quite well, for gliders in the 2.5-line setup. Much like the TrangoX. Stepping on the speed bar has a moderate pressure, and gave me around 16 km/h over trim. 

Playing around doing wingovers is fun on the Lynx 2. Ears are stable, they reopen quickly. 

Conclusion:

With its 6.2 aspect ratio, the Lynx 2 is a light, agile, easy to launch, small to pack, pleasurable to fly glider with plenty of performance. IMHO, for that specific wide group of pilots wanting a balanced glider for all-terrain use, it is definitely a good companion for a hike and fly or XC.    

SKYWALK Mint 75-95

SKYWALK Mint 75-95 

The Mint is Skywalk’s new 2-liner C-class glider with an aspect ratio of 6.4. The Mint looks very simple with nice and sturdy risers. There are no complications in the setup, just simple and clear. Skywalk uses the Dominico TX light which has a unique feel, is slippery on the touch, and less noisy when packed.

The Mint launches even in nil wind with easy rise. After 75,  it accelerates a bit as the leading edge takes charge, and the pilot must hold it with the brakes and initiate the takeoff. 

The brakes have a 10 cm gap, before there’s an action on the trailing edge, which is the normal gap for paragliders to be able to reach the top speed without braking, then only 5 cm are needed to steer that glider in moderate conditions! But the brake pressure is a bit hard comparing it to the Photon, Artik-R, and Volt. The authority on the brakes is imminent!  The turn is quickly induced by the brakes. I would say there’s no linear feel, but a direct one for sure. The pressure after the first neutral 10 cm becomes a bit hard or firm for some pilots who require that feel of solidity on the brakes. The feel is steady for the first 5 cm. The feel is direct rather than linear, but the brake authority is quite high.

Flying the Mint, I could put it in very narrow cores with imminent brake input, and there’s no way you could miss a thermal with that brake authority and glider obedience. The good thing is that there’s no pitch back at all, and also not any pitch forward. I think for moderate conditions, the Mint has a very neutral pitch behavior, but it felt quite efficient going into the valley breeze or into wind conditions. It felt that it goes forward quite nicely.  In difficult conditions when you need to get through the airmass, I think there’s a nice efficiency for the Mint to get through without bumping into it. But I think if flown at 95 all up at its max weight range, you will feel its good slipping through when you are low facing a valley breeze. You can fly it at 90 all up, but it wouldn’t be as efficient to slip through the heavy airmass as loaded at the top in those specific conditions. At max load, the mint still does climb very well even in weak. 

The first speed bar enhances even that glide into the wind, as it felt more solid, and also has better float ability. The controls on the B’s are really efficient and nice, much like the ones on the Artik-R.  The pressure is moderate, and it felt while on the bar, in turbulence when pulling on the B risers, the glider supports it well still very homogenous, and without too much loss of internal pressure. Overall a nice complete setup.

In turbulence, I think the Mint is very close to the Bonanza 3 overall comfort. +5 % more than B3. The Artik-R moves a bit more in turbulence and needs around 10 % more pilot control than the Mint. I think I gave you a good idea about its accessibility, but for sure, my (regularly updated) C comparison will give you a wider idea for pilots looking



for tiny details.  

It doesn’t have a pronounced roll feel but a moderate one.  

Climbing in weak thermals, showed me a very nice efficiency for the Mint even at 94 all up, and could be very close to the best climbing ones in the C category. The turning radius could be very tight, and to prevent the dive it is best to control the turn with the outside brake and keep the inside one locked. 

In climbing mode, it is difficult to miss a thermal. if the pilot learns well to keep it from diving into turns, by applying a balance of less brake pressure and weight shift, as much as possible to get quick but flat turns.  

Doing some glides next to a Volt 4, Artik-R, and Photon, at trim and at top speed, showed me that the overall gliding performance is very good for that category, and will update my C comparison for smaller details if needed…

The top speed of the mint is also similar to the Volt 4 top speed which is really good, and fast and still with a solid leading edge. 

Conclusion:

If you are a Cayenne 4 pilot, you will feel much better sail cohesion and much shorter brake travel under the Mint. If you are a Cayenne 5 pilot, you will get a more comfortable glider with very good agility in turns. If you have a Cayenne 6…Hurry and get the Mint, as it is a completely different glider in all aspects! It turns sharper, quicker, better overall gliding performance, and better climb in weak and strong. 

Compared to the already flown 2-liner C gliders, I found that it has a strong package for C pilots flying in strong conditions where you need a fast, agile, but comfortable glider to fly XC without getting tired under turbulence. 

2-liner Mix video (episode two)

This is the second 2 liner Mix video. It is a long video, from many days of flying, with multiple EN-C 2-liner gliders. Mainly it's a video for fun with some little footage to see them in the air and won't show much of their efficiency. when the conditions throw at you some kind of punishment for all those new 2 liners, with wind-tricky thermals, and heavy air, the most 'efficient' one will show its potential. And from my personal view, this is the most important feature to look for in a glider if you want o compete. You can see it in my 2 liner C comparison table. (Regulary updated) Happy flights.

https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/ziad.bassil/viz/2LinerCgliderscomparison/Dashboard1

UP Summit X S/M 75-100

UP Summit X   size S/M  75-100

The Summit X is the new high EN-B from UP.   A mix of Skytex and Dominico is used on this glider, with edelrid lines. 

The overall construction looks excellent.  

The shape of the nose is similar to its bigger sister the Trango-X as are the openings, risers, etc. It looks exactly like the Trango-X but with a lower aspect ratio.

Launching the Summit -X even in nil wind is easy, without any hard points.  In windy take-offs, The Summit X behaves quite calmly, no surging forward, and without any issues for the high B pilot.  Overall smooth to inflate.

I flew the Summit X with different loadings, to find that at 94..95 is optimum for that size. It flies well also at 92. No need to fly it near the max. The same goes for the Trango-X. 

Both are best flown 5-6 kg less than the top weight for overall performance and feel. 

At 94 all up, I felt that the Summit X was well loaded with a very high compact and homogenous feel! Despite the Aspect ratio of 5.87, the Summit X felt comfortable to fly!

 In the air the overall movements are moderate and quite nice under that Summit X. It felt just slightly more comfortable than the Maestro 2 in turbulence and needed slightly more pilot control than a Swift 6 for example. 

The brake pressure is moderate on the first 10-15 cm after the 10 cm gap, and I could steer the glider immediately in any thermal with a very nice linear feel, and excellent agility! 

The feedback comes from both risers and brakes in a dream blend! I think UP found the perfect handling recipe. The Summit X shares the very nice brake authority of its bigger sister the Trango-X. 

When encountering thermals, the Summit X gently pulls you inside a thermal! What a precious feel especially under a high B glider.  Flying through a moving airmass is a delight as the Summit X feels like wanting to catch the surrounding lifts!  The brakes give you a high authority of control with a glider that responds well to every pulled centimeter. A real delight to fly! 

I flew the Summit X next a totally brand new and loaded Swift 6 in thermals, transitions, and glide at speed, and for sure will update my B comparison for the needed details. Climbing in very weak air next to the reference  Swift 6 in that matter showed us that the Summit X will stay very competitive all the time. When thermals are slightly more powerful, the Summit X climbs impressively well matching the best ones in that category.  This climbing efficiency coupled with that beautiful behaving character of sliding through thermals enables the Summit X to be very competitive. 

Later we did lots of glides at trim and top speed.  The Summit X hands up, at 94 all up, has around 2 km faster trim speed than the loaded Swift 6!  The top speed is also 2 km/h over the Swift 6.   

I’m convinced that the glide at trim and at full speed resembles the new 3-liner C-class gliders!  It has indeed a very efficient glide at trim and at max speed. 

The C riser bar controls well the angle of the glider while on the bar with moderate pressure. 

Ears are stable, efficient, and a good way to lose altitude.  They reopen quickly. 

Conclusion:

UP was cooking a secret recipe underground without no one noticing their intentions!  :-) 

Their new creations have been released! The Trango X and now the Summit X. Both are born with the same genes, and targeted for the intended group of pilots.

I think, the overall feel and educational feedback for a high B,  are such a delight under Summit X. 

This overall package of performance, the pleasure of handling, climbing, and glide is impressive! 

So, in my personal view, I think Summit X joins the elite club of super high B’s!  

A must to test fly if you are looking into that class, and best flown at their optimum weight range. 

Update

2 liners C comparison updated.

https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/ziad.bassil/viz/2LinerCgliderscomparison/Dashboard1

It will be updated constantly over this year flying in summer conditions.

..

OZONE PHOTON ML

OZONE PHOTON ML 

Writing plain reviews, empty of small details, will not satisfy any more aware pilots out there, especially for those 2 liner C classes. That’s why, I will take time to explain every detail to the advanced pilots. It could be boring sometimes, but I really cannot write reviews as I’m doing a low B glider test… 

The new EN-C 2 liner from OZONE is already since 20 days in ML size. I am still waiting for the MS size to arrive hopefully next week. 

I have flown the ML size for some hours, from 100 all up to 104 all up, which is the maximum of ballast I wanted to carry.   

To begin with the construction, the PHOTON has exactly the same construction and details as the Zeno 2. In fact, if you see both gliders next to each other(pic attached) you cannot see the differences apart from the slightly wider shape of the Photon as its aspect ratio is 6.5 compared to 7.0 for the Zeno 2. 

The shape of the leading edge with the position openings is exactly the same as well the risers. For sure some internal structures and width or other things could differ, but the plain eyes cannot see those differences apart from the wider cord. 

Flying the Photon ML / X-Rated 6 at 100 and later at 104 all up, gave me a large idea and feel that I will share with you. 

The launching of the Photon in nil wind doesn’t need any for the C pilot. I usually don’t comment a lot about the launch of its normal, unless I see a hard point or something that requires a lot of effort in stronger air, but the Photon with its semi-light construction is easy to launch close enough to the Alpina 4. 

In strong breeze over 25 km/h, the PHOTON ML behaved quite gently for a C pilot and I didn’t find any dynamic reactions. Overall, easy to launch in all conditions.

 I had at the same time as the PHOTON testing, I had over here, the NK Artik-R, SOL LT2, GIN Bonanza 3, and UP Trango-X. (All one size smaller) 75-95—100.  This was for me a great way to give you more precise feedback especially since all were flown on the same harness but added some ballast for the Photon ML. Later I will mention the differences between the PHOTON MS and ML in handling, reactivity, and feel. Now I only have the ML. 

  One day it was windy, turbulent, and quite generous in thermals. So It was a good informative day to get a bigger idea of what to expect from the PHOTON  ML. I was flying it at 102 all up. 

First thermal the Photon ML didn’t have any pitch back or front at all. Felt like it was a calm glider in that matter and enters the lift with ease without any complicated pitch movements. 

The roll movements are also very comfortable similar like the Delta in MS size to be precise. Not really far from the Alpina 4, MS feedback If I remember correctly. Please consider that smaller sizes feedback is slightly more sensitive than larger ones.  So I think the PHOTON ML has probably 10 % more feedback than the Alpina 4 MS, which is really comfortable to fly! 

In all turbulence, the PHOTON ML felt quite tamed.

Now to give you a clearer explanation of what I felt, I will let you imagine flying an 18 sqm acro glider for a while, not smaller  ;-) and then switch to your regular C glider…Or perhaps…smoking a certain weed ;-) Everything looks slow around you. That is the slow-motion feel I got when I flew the PHOTON ML at 102 in relation to the airmass. 

It will fly OK at 100, but you will miss the point. 

Please consider that OZONE made the Photon for a purpose. And that purpose is not limited to a small local flight. It will surely perform very well…But IMHO, the PHOTON is a very well-engineered design carefully made for glide efficiency and you the pilot must ‘help’ extract those performances by loading it at 104-105 so that this special structure will show you its hidden magical efficiency to cut through and move forward like a top end 2 liner C !   You cannot perform on a race car with a semi deflated wheel!  :-)   That's the best way to describe it. 

Even in climbing mode, the Photon needs to move forward faster in the rising airmass. The climb rate of the PHOTON ML at 104 is still very good. In a weak climb, if it is flown at 100, it needs more time to get through but has no problem getting efficiently high. It’s just time and patience that are needed. 

For example, next to a Zeno 2 MS at 95, for one hour in thermals, I was always slower to dig through and the Zeno 2 was always two steps ahead higher, and in front. We tried again and again with the same results. For sure the Zeno 2 is another category, but just to tell you how it will behave at 100.  At 104 things got a lot better, I was able to ‘have’ a little more chance to keep up, especially in those long glides with lifts in between as the loaded Photon was moving forward better, especially at half or even at the full bar! And that is the strong point of that glider when you are using the speed system.  It moves forward through the lift and guts! While other gliders could get pinned or slowed. 

I also did lots of glides with all the new 2 liner C’s and saw that the ML size has a slight upper hand, in transitions, at full bar, but this gap was larger in difficult conditions, as the PHOTON ML was gliding on rails with a solid one-piece homogenous structure. I will hopefully try with a loaded Photon MS size as soon as it is available.  

The B steering has a moderate feel, very efficiently usable. While on bar, I was completely at ease and quite efficient to keep the glider stable with the B controls. I will update my C comparison for all the details after I fly the MS size.

Handling:

The PHOTON ML even at 104 could be considered as having moderate agility. The trailing edge reacts after 10 cm of gap. The brake travel is a bit long, But that glider flies at best, hands up and doing that, it could be steered with less and less brake input. So getting used to it, I could steer it with only 15 cm with weight shift after the gap without braking the outer side.  It turns flat and narrow sometimes.  

To get the first wing over you must insist on a weight shift. 

Ears with outer A’s are stable on the ML size at 102 and reopen with little pilot assistance. Ears with outer B’s are stable and reopen quickly. A good way to get down. 

Conclusion:

I will try the MS size, which I am used to flying from 90 to 95 which could be more dynamic a bit. But for now, these are my humble thoughts on the PHOTON ML.

The PHOTON ML is a very calm, easy, stable, and homogenous 2-liner C. The overall performance in glide is very good for that category. Much better than the Mantra 7especially at the speed bar and also racing upwind. That ML size was way easier to fly than my Light Mantra 7 MS, and closer to the Alpina 4 with probably around  +10 % max more pilot control. 

Will write my impressions on the MS when it will arrive.  

Felipe Resende (FLOW) Interview

Dustoftheuniverse:  Felipe, Can you please tell us about FLOW's new releases? 

Felipe Flow Para: 1- This year alone we have released 5 new gliders. Cosmos 2, Panorama 2, XCRacer2, Cosmos Power2, and RPM2 - we are just about to release the 6th, on the Mullet. 

It's the biggest glider release we have done since our conception.

We finally have a factory we can work with and not hold us back. We had many problems in the past with the manufacturing facility in Thailand. The owner was really making our life hard.

Now we can do everything we want with the proper support, so we will be keen to release exciting products in the future.

Dustoftheuniverse:

Can you please elaborate on each glider?

Felipe Flow Para: 2 - The cosmos 2 is based on the Cosmos 1 but we improved a lot of things.it is a low and basic B for new pilots and cools to use. We already improved the handling, so the handling is more direct,.version 1 had long brakes, but the Cosmos 2 is very responsive and more fun to fun, more direct, and requires less brake travel to thermal.

We used the same risers as the Freedom 2 ones, so pilots can practice rear riser steering, and it's more solid on the bar, so the new airfoils are a bit more collapse resistant.Cosmos 2 is a big improvement to Cosmos 1

The Cosmos Power2 is a completely different glider from the Cosmos 2 while having the same name, but the power is a dedicated PPG wing that has a dedicated airfoil and a different Arc, and a different line plan.

The Medium is an intermediate glider for the new pilots and the smaller sizes are for advanced pilots because we have 19 with higher wing loading for more experienced pilots this glider versus the older version, we improved the top speed with a new airfoil, even though you pull the A lines the glider doesn’t collapse and it is extremely collapse resistant, and extremely pitch stable,. It gives good efficiency at a low angle of attack. It's like a reflex airfoil but extremely efficient. The same applies to the RPM 2 but with a higher aspect ratio with further back attachment points in the full-speed configuration when you have trim open and full-speed engaged, basically, all the load is on the A lines,  and it is almost impossible to collapse it. 

.And lastly, we have one final glider we are about the releases and that’s the Mullet and that’s a glider that can change the angle of attack just by moving your hands up and down. It flies the same as you fly a hang glider. Here in Australia, we have lots of coastal sites, and traditionally the glider flies in the morning and hang-gliders fly in the afternoon as the wind increases, so the hang-gliders can do amazing dives, the paragliders are just watching, and everything changed with the mini wings, but now also everything changed with this new concept/technology. There are lots of manufacturers that have one in the market already, our is similar, so the difference is the feel, and we use the same airfoil that the PPG  has as described above. You can pull the A lines but you couldn’t collapse the glider. When hands up the glider dive, and you need an extremely collapse-resistant airfoil that can tolerate negative angles without a collapse. We understand that pilots would fly that glider inland on strong wind days, but we are confident that on this glider we can push in thermic components, and it flies the same as it flies on the coast. You can dive and convert energy back to height. It is an incredible experience to fly like that, and it is a game changer. Once you fly a glider like that in strong id, you can’t fly anything else again, cause it’s way more fun to fly gliders like that compared to mini wings or normal paraglide

Dustoftheuniverse:  What about the XC -Racer 2? 

Felipe Flow Para: 3 - The XCRacer2 is definitely easier to fly. Nice turning and handling into thermals, one can use more brake input and be more in control and feel more comfortable when conditions are turbulent. Somewhat the brake input is more precise and intuitive, one can definitely notice it offers more refined handling. Also at speed, the glider feels more solid. rear riser steering has similar pressure and feels to version one.

It obviously has better performance and glide at speed and higher top-end speed in comparison to the previous version.

During our competition season here our pilots noticed that for was easy to stay on top of the gaggle waiting for the start gate, so it is a good sign the glider climbs well and offers good "float-ability"

Dustoftheuniverse:  Did you name your next C, 2-liner? Any release dates?

 The EN-C 2 liner has two names and we still didn’t decide on what name we are going to go XC yet … The glider is basically finished and we just finishing all the paperwork. We have just released 6 new gliders this year, so we have lots of things to catch up on, including manuals, marketing photos, certification paperwork… there are a lot of things before...

We started the 2 liners EN-C in 2019. So we have quite a few prototypes and we just have the final version. It is good that we have some extra time because we fixed the airfoil for the XC racer2 and I’m using the same airfoil for the EN-C 2 liner which is an incredible airfoil with similarities to the PPG glider that doesn’t collapse on the tips as it shows a strong airfoil.

Dustoftheuniverse:  Anything to add for the panorama 2 characteristics versus the first version? Two sizes?

Felipe Flow Para:  The main feedback we had on the Panorama1 was that it had excellent launch inflation and landing, but it could be more dynamic and fun in the air.

We believe we kept good qualities of launching and landing but improved the handling in the air, it's now more fun and exciting for the pilot to fly... The feel is of a solo wing.

Also, we managed to certify with a weight range of 90-220kgs for the size 41. So now many professional tandem pilots only need one size to fly with kids and light passengers as it is now certified at 90kgs

We are now using more Skytex38 on top surface without compromising the overall weight of the glider which remains similar to the previous version, an incredibly light yet durable tandem at 6.8kgs