positioning the rear fairing higher to reach that ultimate position, your sitting will be slightly reclined. On the Arrow L, the max layback position is still 3-4 cm forward than on the Drifter 2 perfectly streamlined position.
Thursday, March 7, 2024
Niviuk Drifter 2 size M
positioning the rear fairing higher to reach that ultimate position, your sitting will be slightly reclined. On the Arrow L, the max layback position is still 3-4 cm forward than on the Drifter 2 perfectly streamlined position.
Friday, November 25, 2022
SUPAIR Delight 4 Sport Size M.
I already reviewed the Delight 2 and 3. Here’s the fourth version with …finally a nicer aerodynamic look with a fairing.
When I flew the old Delight3 and as I always fiddle with my equipment after the test has been made, I made lots of adjustments, like inserting a foam from the upper part to reach the lower back and that made more support to my lower back with a comfortable sitting position and also rewired the line settings of the pod to reach a nearly no pressure on the tight and natural leg support while maintaining a correct pod alignment into the airflow. But the Delight 3 was targeted as a first pod harness with a good stability of its ABS system and also of its reclined position.
The Delight 4 has a seat board.
Now here’s the Delight 4 in the same M size I can confirm that they didn’t change the recommended size for the pilots. So the old D3 M size and the Delight 4 M size are targeted to the same pilot size.
The weight of Delight 4 is around 4 kg and similar to the D3 weight. The ABS system is exactly the same, but ….! to my surprise, SUPAIR has made the exact modifications I did on the Delight 3 to have much less pressure on the thighs and more comfort on the lower back, and nearly natural leg support in the pod, but also made lots of other things much more interesting that we will talk about.
At first, there’s a left attachment point to prevent slipping through the harness if by mistake the pilot didn’t buckle properly. This buckle SUPAIR said that it holds around 120 kg.
There’s a relief hole on each side of the pod. The instrument holder is now attached with a buckle that keeps it above the chest strap, if it contains heavy materials, and will prevent it to flip blocking your view. Now it will stay fit in place.
The zip that opens the instrument holder is in front which helps much more reaching into it. The zipper of the instrument holder of the Genie light 3 is on the back and I found it best to have it on the front side for accessibility.
The openings of the air inlets that inflates the fairing are smaller and softer than the ones on my X-rated 6. Those inlets have some plastic inserts that keep them in shape. On my X-rated 6, they broke a lot of times, and I couldn’t change them easily without a sewing machine… But on the Delight 4, they can be changed easily and the insert is made from a softer plastic material.
The harness has lots of adjustments comparing it to the D3, and they added a more efficient one for the hip position and comfort. The pod straps have 3 adjustments on each side to make a more refined tuning.
Of course, there’s also a place for the camelback with a pocket to insert it in the back. The main back storage seems really large. Larger a bit than the Genie 3 light, and larger than the Woody Valley GTO.
The back protection as you will see on their website is made from two parts in order to open the two parts for more compact packing.
With my 1.81m and 72 kg, I felt completely ok on the Delight 4, which is my size.
As I always mention, it is a super difficult job to describe or define comfort (for the back, hip…etc) for a certain harness, just because many pilots with the same height and weight have different leg or shoulder measurements.
Let's talk about the harness sizes first :
So for me personally I felt that the Delight 4 in M size has the same measurements as the ADVANCE Impress 4 M, Supair Delight 3 M, Ozone Forza M, GIN Genie race 4 M,
The Genie light 3 M felt very slightly smaller but I’m also just ok with it.
About back comfort and body pressure,
The Delight 4 has much better comfort for the body than the Delight 3. On the Genie 3 light, the legs are slightly more supported, and I think the ABS system on the Delight 4 cannot give you less pressure on the thighs and be efficient in roll movements. On the Impress 4 which is the most relaxing to sit in, the roll control for the little movements and feedback is not as precise as on the Delight 4 or Genie light 3 for example. For the 4 to 5 kg category harnesses, the Delight 4 is more comfortable to sit in than the WV GTO, M size for example.
Roll feedback and comfort in the air: From 1 as max roll and less comfort to 4 as max comfort and less roll.
1- Lightness 2, Impress 3
2-WV GTO, Forza, Genie 3 light, X-rated 6, Lightness 3
3- Impress 4, Genie race 4,
4- Delight 3, Delight 4
The Delight 4 has an ABS system that blocks higher roll movements. Some pilots would prefer it, others would prefer a much more roll-inducing harness like the Genie 3 light, or even more like the Lightness 2, etc… Each pilot has his own preferences.
I felt that pilots could add a small ball with an elastic band attached to the inside of the front pod foot holder, and that ball could be inserted on the shoe laces, in order to make it simple to enter the pod after take off.
Conclusion: Light, robust, practical, easy to pack good harness for traveling, good comfortable harness in strong air, looks nice in the air…and is nicely comfortable for the sitting position. That’s the Delight 4.
And surely, a test flight could be the best way for each individual to see if it fits his requirements.
https://supair.com/en/produit/sellette-supair-delight4-sport/
Monday, October 17, 2011
ADVANCE IMPRESS 3 M
After receiving some e-mails of pilots that found a similar feeling in roll movement,here's a photo of the modification that i don't recommend to make before contacting the pros at ADVANCE to be on the safe side. But it worked fine for me.
A small strap on each side about ± 16 cm (see pic) would suffice but i did install the trims to see at what point it will erase the roll excess.
I found that just a bit of pressure would be enough. No need to pull them hard. Just a slight pressure.
https://picasaweb.google.com/110040226962521480605/ADVANCEIMPRESS3M#5664862914670979250
https://picasaweb.google.com/110040226962521480605/ADVANCEIMPRESS3M#5664867032364545746
And i did install the neoprene cover on the chest strap to prevent the inside hard webbing's to hurt the chest on take offs when leaning forward.
...
Friday, December 13, 2019
Interview with OZONE R&D Mr Luc Armant ( 12/12/2019 )
Thursday, April 9, 2020
Interview SKYWALK . Mr Arne Wehrlin .
Monday, November 9, 2015
OZONE Forza
The Forza is OZONE new XC harness.
Some of this harness features is an anti-G front pocket, one pocket for talkie walkie, a nice double and large cockpit, one place for a rescue, openings in the pod for urinating tubes, a certified 17 cm back protection, an adjustable speed bar, a small red ball to tie on the shoe laces for a pod recovery after take off, no seat board, etc…
There are lots of adjustments for a comfortable sitting position.Flying the the Forza showed me a very comfortable sitting position that is similar or quite close to the Impress 3.
The legs rests naturally like sitting on a sofa and there’s no need to put any effort to keep them straight inside the pod.
However the strong point of the Forza is the precise transmission that is received from the glider above.
The Forza doesn’t have the unnecessary roll movements found earlier on the Impress 3 but does inform the pilot in a soft and precise manner.
After some hours flying under C and D gliders, i can confirm the overall comfort, stability and usability to be really interesting !
The M size with the M pod suits my height of 1.81 and 74 kg very well. In fact i think that even 1.83 pilots would fit nicely.
Despite not having a seat board, the weight shift is still fine with this harness. Of course seat board harnesses will always have this lock feel in a turn, but with the Forza it’s getting a bit closer.
The construction on the Forza looks very good ! It’s a step forward from the light Ozium, and resembles the Exoceat harness in it’s robust construction weighting around 5 kg for the M !
Conclusion: The Forza is a complete harness with great comfort, accessibility, and a certified protection with lots of features.
If the price suits you, then it’s a must to try that one !
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Windtech BALI, S EN-B
Bali is the new 2015 Windtech EN-B glider . The size S (80-100) is the glider I test flew from 93 to 97 all up with different harnesses.
The Bali has a few lines, with 2 thick lines on the A’s per side, with 7 lines /side and it’s a pure 3 line glider.
The construction that appears in transparency above me is well built with lots of work to support the fewer lines.
The brake lines passes through a very small ceramic ring, with very close diameter to the brake line !
Take off is fine, but I can feel the few supported lines by the reaction of the glider when kiting.
First flight at 93 all up with a Woody Valley X-Rated 6 harness (slightly agile) worked fine for me. The turning radius was nice with a moderate to slightly long brake travel, but in this configuration the Bali was slightly more agile than an Iota I was testing at the same time.
The climb rate in weak conditions less than 0.3 m/s was average to good at 93 all up as I was matching the climb of the Iota. The trim speed is around 38 km/h and the top speed is only 8 km/h over trim.
In strong thermals the Bali pitches back a little for a second and climb quickly in the core. It is efficient in the climb as the pilot could slow it a bit and make a stationary turn inside the core.
Gliding next to the latest B’s showed a moderate to good glide to the Bali that needs constant push on the bar to match the trim speed of the latest B concurrence especially at that load.
Getting on a heavier Exoceat harness with 97 all up wasn’t really a good idea in weak conditions, as the Bali doesn’t really like to be heavily loaded. And the very stable Exoceat harness for higher aspect ratio glider, was limiting the roll movements and swift weight shifts . I wasn’t able to turn the Bali as it was on the agile WV harness. Some gliders needs good weight shift and more alive harnesses.
The top speed, I got flying it at 97 was +9 km/h over trim.
Big ears with the outer A lines are big, stable and are efficient with the bar .They reopen smoothly.
Only in punchy and strong conditions, the Bali moves a bit and needs a good B pilot to control it, much like some other high-end B gliders with fewer attachment points.
Conclusion: Today’s B class is the fiercest class of all! It's the main artery on which manufacturers feed ! Competition here is really strong !
In that particular period, i was test flying four new B’s. So every time i swapped gliders, the feeling under was immediately noticeable.
The Bali has a fairly good overall performance to fit inside the high B category. It’s better to fly it at 60% of the weight range and with a good weight shift harness to get the pleasure pack with it.
Bigger brake rings would be slightly better for lesser friction, and more top speed would be welcomed.
But gliding at full speed is still very good ,and many pilots may be won’t need to use more.
Tuesday, January 24, 2023
Niviuk Arrow M
During those 30 years, and of all the harnesses I test flew, this is my first Niviuk harness! There’s always a first time :-)
I have here for test flying the Niviuk Arrow in size M which has 95 % the same specification as their new Hawk but with a nice elongated fairing.
The size M goes to 178cm pilot height.
I’m 1.81 tall, but when I sat in an M size when I was at the Coupe Icare, it felt ok.
So I ordered two sizes. One M just arrived and one L should arrive in a month or two hopefully.
As you will see in a close-up in the video attached, the finish details and the work done, the sewing, on this Arrow harness is indeed superb and put the NK Arrow among the top-end harnesses for a clean finish detail in the market.
The Arrow pod can be replaced easily if damaged by mistake with side zippers. There’s a seat plate on the harness. Under the seat is a pocket that fits a 4 kg water ballast. On the right side, the rescue pocket is wide enough can fit a Rogallo rescue. The rescue handle and pin can be installed without any additional cord if by chance you find yourself on the take-off and needed to change or replace the rescue. Very easy to install.
In the back, there’s a big pocket for the glider bag, a place for the water camel, and a small pocket with a zipper. There are also two plastic inserts if by chance you damage the air inlets, which is difficult because they are made of a soft plastic material. But just in case, they can be replaced quickly.
There’s a lower side hole for a pee tube pass. Two brand new black aluminum carabiners are included and with a three-step speed bar.
The most interesting part for me personally is the cockpit! Just because as you will see in the video, it can open from a top with a slight pull on the blue ribbon. and it opens the inner container plainly and clearly while you fly.
The cockpit container holds three compartments. Each compartment can hold whatever you choose to put. A chocolate bar, an extra instrument, An extra battery, a hat, a lucky charm…and they all are easily accessible. On my woody valley, it opens from the top but with a zipper and is sometimes difficult to open and maintain open as it needs effort to reach the zipper with warm gloves.
On the Arrow it is a clever innovation and a delight for me!
Weight shifts are also efficient on the Arrow with a nice turning radius. (Information taken from the same glider that was used on the Genie light 3 and the Delight 4).
Overall a perfect blend of feedback and smoothness. And that’s at 50 cm opened chest strap. Pilots can also tighten the chest strap as much as they prefer for an even more stable harness to their preference.
Conclusion:
Let's keep it short:
The smoothness and features of a Mercedes with the look of a Ferrari. Plain and simple. Try it!!