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/

ADVANCE IMPRESS 3 M

ADVANCE IMPRESS 3

My main harness for the past 2 years was the Impress 2+, which was very comfortable for my taste. Then came the Impress 3 M .

1.81 m and 73 kg inside the M size.

The construction of the harness and details are ‘impeccable”. It is very rare to find between harnesses such a jewel in terms of “finessing”  ;-) !

The harness impresses you to the level of handling it with respect. Swiss precision! ;-)

In the air:

In order to feel better the harness, I did make a flight in the Impress 2 + and the Sigma 8 25 @ 93,and then landed at the take off in the same conditions and switched to the Impress 3 M @ 90 all up.

Immediately after take I felt more roll movements than the Imp 2+ has. May be I am a bit skinny inside the M size.

Conditions of the day were like small 3m/s bullet thermals with 10 m “radius”. “Frequent on our sites”.

It was an exceptional day for trying to put the glider in its path using the harness.

My flying was long adapted to a seat board, and used to have a support point inside the Imp 2 when weight shifting, and that, wasn’t available in the Impress 3 as it doesn’t have one.

I think that time is needed to adapt to that feeling that I didn’t get used to it yet after 5 hours. It could be my stubborn head to adapt …

But I felt that “it rolls a bit quicker than I could weight shift to counter steer”.

Nothing out of the ordinary for that level of race harnesses, but just a bit more roll than the Impress 2 +.

The strong points of this harness are its superb comfort in the air by supporting the back and the hips + the light feel of carrying it on the take off.

The pluses:

A comfortable feeling, with nice back and hips support.

Lighter than Impress 2 by -3 kg.

A superb product with excellence in details and construction.

The minuses:

Has more roll in the thermals than the Impress 2. (I am 1.81m and 73 kg) May be a bit skinny inside the M that does explain the roll.

Doesn't have a "support point" when you weight shift (no seat board edge) like the Impress 2, but it needs time to adapt to its weight shift characteristics.

https://picasaweb.google.com/110040226962521480605/ADVANCEIMPRESS3M

More feedback:

Flying inside the harness i thought I'd make a small modification for skinny people, to limit the "slack" roll i was feeling.
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.



...

Interview with OZONE R&D Mr Luc Armant ( 12/12/2019 )

Hi,

I asked OZONE R&D, Mr. Luc Armant, a few questions concerning some interesting future designs.

Please find below his kind answers.

Ziad: 1- Will the new Delta 4 be certified this spring?

LUC ARMANT: Delta4. We aim to certify it this spring. However, we only release a glider once we are fully happy with it, so we can never be sure of the date. Remember that it's evolving research work, weather conditions, humans, politics. So there is a lot of uncertainty in the equation. The only thing sure is that an Ozone paraglider model is only released once it's superior to the previous model.

Z: 2- Will it have a moderate aspect ratio? Like its predecessor?

LUC A: Delta4, moderate aspect ratio. Yes. I believe it's still possible to have the best performing glider in the C category while maintaining relatively low aspect ratio, which helps for safety and manageability.

Z: 3- Will the use of the collapse line be used in the new C class? And on the D4?

LUC A: Collapse lines. There is an amendment to the current norm that needs to go through a formal vote. If I understood correctly and if it's accepted, it will only be in an application for certification around June 2020. 

Z: 4- Can you please comment on the strong points of Zeno 2 you are focusing on? Will it have sharper Handling?

LUC A: Zeno2. of course nice and sharp handling is important. Zeno1 does not have bad handling, but it is very sensitive to trimming, so the pilot needs to trim his Zeno1 regularly to make sure it's at his best. I personally love the Zeno handling when the trimming is set to slightly positive (per group, from 1 to 3 around 4-10-5mm)

Z: 5- Will the Zeno 2 get the same sizes as the Delta Rush series? Example 75-95…etc. Or will it follow the Zeno 1 pattern? 70-90…85-100…etc.

LUC A: For the moment, I'm making research prototypes in the same ML size than the Zeno1, for comparison sake, but we can adjust the size once we're happy with the final result. We'll see. 

Z: IMHO, and personal feel, I think seat board harnesses got lost over time, and there’s a big gap in pilot feel that was lost with them.

Seatless harnesses have great back support but lack precision versus the seat harness ones.

6- Will Ozone invest in a 3 kg, or 5 kg state board harness series with a back fairing?

LUC A: light seat board harness with back fairing. That's the Forza2 project. work on progress. 

Z: 7- What’s your personal philosophy toward the future of 2 liner gliders? Will the internal structure evolve in such a way, that even lower aspect ratio gliders could have fewer attachment points and still be very solid and homogenous in rough air? Is my thinking far a bit? From your perspective?

LUC A: 2 liner gliders future. I think that there are many things possible in the future. It's been only 10 years of developments by only a few companies until now. But I think interest and developments will grow up for this sort of design. 

Z: 8- As the products, being lighter, (harness and glider), Even a 70 kilos pilot will find himself on an XS or S glider…. With 80 or 85 all up weight. Will art be possible for a manufacturer to produce special sizes with special line diameters for this class in order to maintain the gap of performance with the bigger sizes? Or will it be too costly?

LUC A: Yes, it's possible for a manufacturer to produce a special size with a smaller line diameter on smaller sizes. To do so, it's basically costing the manufacturer a complete load test certification (one or two prototypes wasted + certification cost), so it's a question of how much the manufacturer expects to sell off one particular size and how much it may increase the performance. 

However, please note that even after adapting line diameter to match at best the lighter weight, most of the gap performance will still be there. Several scale effect phenomena are responsible for that. I see so many small pilots unhappy about that, but unaware of the real reasons that it's always good to remind the physics behind. 

a- line strength is related to line section, while line drag is related to line diameter. So when you multiply a line diameter by 2, the strength is multiplied by 4, while the drag is only multiplied by 2. That's an advantage for bigger sizes. 

b- stitching size, and stitching surface imperfection size are constant. The smaller the size, the bigger the relative drag. 

c- Reynolds number. also, a scale effect that affects flight performance down for smaller sizes, especially for the thick profiles used in paragliders. 

d- pilot+harness drag (a very big part of the total drag). Pilot+harness drag does not increase as much as the weight when you increase the pilot's weight. Another scale effect that can be simplified as Pilot+harness being a sphere. When you increase the diameter of a sphere by 2, its volume, mass or weight increase by 8, while it's frontal area and drag only increase by 4. 

Thank you very much for your kind answers!

Best regards,

Ziad

Interview SKYWALK . Mr Arne Wehrlin .

Dear Arne, 

I hope you are doing well in those difficult times! 

As all pilots in the world are staying home, I thought that I could ask designers a few questions about their products in order to keep the pilots home give them hope and to inform them about Skywalk product expectations. 

1- Ziad:  How’s Skywalk managing this crisis? Is the team working from home? Will this situation affect the production of the development and construction of the new gliders? 

Arne: Hi as nearly the world market is shut down, it is clear that it is a very difficult situation for all in our market. We have a lot of people working from home and we have normal daily work with a few people. We offered pilots to check their wings now during the shutdown and we are receiving quite a lot. So our workshop has plenty of work. Still, some markets sell as they reopened like china or have some have no shutdown. Therefore we consequently started direct shipments from our Thailand production.

Customer service and warehouse are running with a lower capacity due to less turn over but we are able to react fast if the situation will change to better sales.

From the R&D, for sure the most difficult situation is that our designers and test-pilots are blocked in Austria Tirol, but we hope that they are allowed to fly in the near future.

2- Ziad: One of my favorite gliders was the CAYENNE5 XS. Many pilots around the world loved the nimble, direct, precise brake and overall feel of that glider. Actually, the TEQUILA4, CAYENNE5, CHILI4, and the X-ALPS, all had this little SPICE that gives you the exact thermal feel, even the excellent low B TEQUILA 4. With the T5, this SPICE feel was substituted for overall comfort and more accessibility. My question comes to the new crop of gliders. Will the CAYENNE 6 inherit that magical feel and brake control of the CAYENNE5? 

Arne: Generally I think besides the T5 where the target was to have a LOW B with fewer movements, I think you know that the ARAK has the SPICE and the comfort together. So we made a great step into comfort and spicy taste in the new wings. And this was also the goal that we reached for CAYENNE 6. We are very satisfied with the direct and intuitive handling of this wing.

3- Ziad: Did SKYWALK try to see the difference between the CAYENNE 5 and CAYENNE 6 in moving flying side by side? If yes what are the differences that pilots will expect? 

Arne: The CAYENNE 6 will have good comfort for the pilot to get easily all the performance together with spicy handling. It is easier to fly fast with this wing, as it is stable and has a great pitch control with very light and efficient C Steering. It is again a very good climber and pitch stability give an extraordinary performance during turbulence. Steering pressure allows comfortable long flights. Besides these things, we will use a new material which is extremely strong and extremely robust. The TX-Light material. It was developed exclusively for our kite brand FLYSURFER and it is kind of bulletproof. It has an innovative triple Rip-Stop which makes it very strong against wear and tear even though it is only 33g.

When you glide with a C5 besides a C6 you will see the performance difference and if you turn flat or steep you will climb very good. But the efficiency you can reach flying with a C6 is the main difference to CAYENNE5.

You know: the X-ALPS4 wing was recognized as the best glider during the last X-ALPS. Even pilots flying competitor wings stated this and the C6 is based on this X-ALPS4 knowledge..…. So we love the C6, and we expect pilots will feel the same :-). They can be curious.

4-Ziad: When pilots will expect a light version of the C6? SPICE2? 

Arne: At the moment, our goal is to finish in these difficult times the homologation of C6, as DHV is not able to fly these days. Even though our designers cannot fly. So it's not easy to predict now when a SPICE 2 is coming. The CAYENNE 6 is quite light but when we have it finished, then its easier to tell when the new SPICE is coming. These days, it's not possible to predict seriously.

5- Ziad: IMHO, the CHILI4 still has super close overall performance as the best B’s of the moment, but with a pleasurable handling and nimble brake feel. Where could you place the CHILI 5 in that matter? And will it possible to add more gliding power and climbing ability? Can you please comment on the CHILI5 expectations?  Will it be a Cumeo2 also? 

Arne: You are right the same as CAYENNE 5 is still a great performing wing the CHILI 4 is still also at the top of the performance. So thanks to our R&D Team, they are really making such high-performance wings. If I would have some wishes then it is an optimized movement of the wing during turbulent conditions. This should be a little less, even though in our philosophy we like some movements of the wings. We like that the air starts to be visible with our wings. Our wings are not hiding too much of the conditions the pilot is flying in. So the pilot knows whats going on. We want that the pilot can read the air with our wings in a comfortable save way. No surprises about what is happening. But also comfort to fly relaxed on long flights. So this is the goal and all this is resulting in our new wings like ARAK, X-ALPS 4, CAYENNE6 and then CHILI5.  So our goal to reach is clear and we see with ARAK and X-ALPS 4 that this is the right way to go for Skywalk. Besides the feeling the pitch stability and connected with this the performance in turbulent conditions will still be the part to improve step by step. And our wings will climb very efficiently, this is part of our DNA.  

  

6- Ziad: Will Skywalk release a D glider for regular use? 3 liner or 2 liners in the future? We discussed in the past about those super tiny risers on the X-alp glider, and you replied that this is the only version available. Any option for more robust material in the future? 

Arne: This still stays a tricky question. At the moment it is not even clear what X-ALPS Athletes prefer in the Competition.

3-Liner and used to fly with better performance or 2 liners with less performance. So the rumor is that the 2 liners have a better gliding then 3 liners, but if you make a 2 liner very light for X-ALPS you lose a lot of performance so the X-ALPS 3 liners have sometimes even more performance then the 2 liners.

So it's still not easy to decide. We are discussing with our athletes like Paul, Simon, Tommy … what they need for X-ALPS 2021. So at the moment, I cannot tell you more about the 2/3 Liner development these days. We know that our X-ALPS 4 (3 Liner) is one of the best X-ALPS wings on the market. It's just also a kind of “fashion” flying a 2 liner. So in our eyes, 2 Liner make sense for competition but maybe not for all kind of competitions.   

7-Ziad: The X-ALPS harness with inflatable back protection is indeed a great harness. Many pilots wished for a slightly rugged version. Is it hard for Skywalk to just change the outside material for the same specs? 

Arne: I think actually the pilots who ask for a slightly rugged version do not mean exactly what you say. I think the Range X-ALPS 2 is very successful because it is light and very comfortable, safe and small packing volume and for this all it's still robust. The people who want a more robust version would also want a little bit more foam in the seat. They want to have space at the front container for a bigger rescue. They need a bigger place for some ballast, they want a tube hole for the toilet during xc flights. They want some more pockets, zippers…..So actually they expect all a bit more details. This would mean we need to work on the rescue container and so on….. So I think if we just change a bit material, then the pilots would say I expected a bit more of this or that. So in our eyes, the right strategy is to work on a Pod harness with all these features and still small packing volume and a safe PERMAIR-Protector. And this is what we are doing but this still needs time, but we are working on it. The Range X-ALPS 2 shall stay light that the pilots who want to get a light safe high-quality small packing harness, can get one from Skywalk. And these pilots would not like it heavier. So we want to keep the positioning of the products clear and do not mix all up, as, in the end, we would have nothing clear anymore.

8- Ziad: Is Skywalk considering a heavier pod harness or even a 5 kg pod harness? 

Arne: This is what we talk about but the goal is to be lighter than 5 kg for sure. I think in the question before you asked exactly for the harness which is needed in this question now. Otherwise, we would have a 1,8 kg a 2,4 kg and a 5 kg harness which makes less sense than having a 1,8kg and a 4kg harness. Because with our PERMAIR-protection the packing will still stay small. J

9- Ziad: Anything you would like to add concerning SKYWALK products? 

Arne: CAYENNE 6 is most important and we talked about it already but the Mescal 6 with the Agility System is an incredible step forward. This system allows you to change your handling when you grow from a student into an independent pilot. The wing grows with you. The system is law secured and its such a great development, that we are sure it will be a big step in the market for the future. In our flysurfer kite products, it is normal that the kiter can change the behavior of his kite, by some adjustment possibilities. So the result is the agility system in the Mescal 6.

It is a system where you can change the complete brake Geometry of the wing. You have two options, the comfort mode, and the sport mode. In the comfort mode, the brake is pulled more in the middle and in the sport mode the wing is pulled more at the outside. The wing is delivered in the comfort mode and when the pilot is more experienced he can change it by himself or the dealer can change it. He has in both modes the EN A class.

It will be interesting how this system will go on in the future.

Thanks a lot. Bye Arne

Ziad: Thank you, Arne, for taking the time to answer my questions ! Looking forward to the Cayenne 6! :-)  

OZONE Forza

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 !

Windtech BALI, S EN-B

Windtech BALI

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.



 

Niviuk Arrow M

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!

Sitting in the Arrow M size even with 1.81 cm and 75 kg is quite suitable. But I think the L size could be probably more adequate for my height. I will try and report back. Nevertheless, I felt having the legs naturally supported without any pressure point on my body. I flew the harness in some turbulent air, and later in smooth air. In all conditions, the Arrow offered the most balanced feedback with a high comfort side. The M-size chest strap opens to 50 cm max on the M, and even in strong air, I could easily be very comfortable on an S-size glider. The ABS system controls the movements without being too restrained. I mean all the movements are available smoothly for the pilot to understand the airmass without being too chatty or too dull. That’s why I said that the Arrow gives the most balanced feedback. Less movement than the Genie light 3, slightly similar to the Delight 4 but without the ABS restraining system of the D4. 

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!! 

ADVANCE Lightness 2

ADVANCE Lightness 2

The 2015 Lightness 2 is ADVANCE new light harness and the replacement of the old Lightness 1.

As usual, ADVANCE products are a pleasure to un-box, for their superb quality and the excellent workmanship.
The materials, the sewing, and the design of the Lightness 2 couldn’t be compared to any recent light harness. It is a class of it’s own by the purity of a high-end, very well engineered piece of equipment.

Comfort in the air :
Having flown many pod harnesses, ADVANCE seat-less board Lightness 1 and, Impress 3 were the most comfortable ones for the flying position as they deliver un-matched body support in the air.
The Lightness 2 with it’s 3 kg, inherited this incredible comfort of a superb back support !

The roll movements of the Lightness 2 are slightly more than the ones on a WV GTO or a Genie light but less than the lightness 1 , as there’s an option of adjusting the chest strap.
It is also slightly more roll stable than an Impress 3 who had some un-necessary 2 cm ‘roll slack’ on each side.
The lightness 2 pilot will feel a more compact roll movement as if he is a part of the harness.

On the lightness 2, i could just let my feet rest on the front part of the pod without a single effort to keep my feet leveled ! With all the harnesses i flew, except the Impress 3, i had to sustain a slight effort to keep my feet horizontally inside the pod.
Inside the Lightness 2, the feet are supported in some ingenious way, that they just rest straight as if you were on a bed ! Very relaxing on long flights.

The weight shift on the seat-less Lightness 2 are more efficient than on the Impress 3 .
A seat-less harness doesn’t have a pressure point on your thighs ,like the edge of a seat board does provide for an efficient feeling in turns, but the lightness 2 new geometry is close to this efficient and precise turning feel !

The light materials used for a warm pod are excellent. I was flying for an hour in +3 C to +5 C inside this pod and i was perfectly warm and feeling great !

One small detail: The storage under the seat should bear a strap in order to support a +3 kg water ballast. Without this strap a small ball shape of the ballast is shown from the outside under the pilot. It’s very easy for anyone to sew or add one if needed…

I’m waiting curiously for the Impress 4 as a regular XC and comp harness with a more heavy duty use. Especially at this level of comfort !
But would also wish for even an adjustable roll movement control…

Conclusion:
From all the harnesses i flew especially among the light ones, the Lightness 2 stands as the most comfortable, for a superb back and hip support.
With a light glider, and the ADVANCE compact rucksack, All equipment will be under 10 kg.
The simplicity and magic of flying will keep you even more enchanted.

Cheers,
Ziad.

Supair Delight 3 size M

Supair Delight 3 size M

I already have flown the Delight 2, and still have one over here with a friend. So i can compare both harnesses. I will also compare in this test the Delight 3 M with the GTO, GTO Light, Lightness 2 M.

At first, it looks like all the materials used on the Delight 3 are an upgrade over the Delight 2. The overall construction seems also much better. The rear back storage compartment is slightly bigger. 

The rescue system operates in an innovative way and it looks very neat. 

What looks and feel the same is the chest strap system and sitting position. The chest strap lays flat on top of the buckle, and can be easily reached and adjusted, like the GTO Light ,Gin Race 4. 

Getting into the pod is easy without any ball attachment. 

I flew the Alpina 3 in S size at the same load both on the GTO Light and on the Delight 3 for 3 consecutive days…In our Cedars site which is know for it’s rough air at mid day in August.

 ”Finally the weather is improving … :-)”  

In turbulent air and sharp thermals, the GTO light and the Lightness 2 would shake my body at higher angles right or left, and needed a quick weight shift to counter steer in order to keep levels , the Delight 3 abs system would provide 60 % of that work, enabling the pilot to focus on the thermal quality and steering direction and precision.  

Under the same tested glider which is an easy C, i found out that the Delight 3 would largely compensate those dynamic drops from left to right in strong bumpy air.  

It’s a matter of personal feel if someone would like this feature or not.  

I personally like the feel under the GTO Light which let you feel like a swallow …But one thing for sure, is that in strong air i was able to turn faster and easier “on rails” those bullet thermals just because i wasn’t thrown around…and that’s a quite interesting feature to consider also when flying in strong air even when the chest strap is largely opened.  

In weak stuff, the GTO Light weight shift authority is remarkably easier to induce, and also the feel in light air. But i was happy to open the chest strap on the Delight 3 to feel those tiny movements when the thermals are weak at the end of the day. The roll feel are still there, but much less. 

The size of the Delight 3 M size for my 181 and 73 kg are perfect. I feel I’m in the middle of it’s weight/ height range.

The back support and sitting position on the Delight 3 are fairly comfortable.  In this matter i cannot compare seatless harnesses with seat board harnesses in terms of comfort as the seatless like the GTO Light or the Lightness 2 would offer that homogenous hammock feel, but i can clearly confirm a very good back comfort on the Delight 3. 

The front instrument holder is in the right angle, and it’s front pocket is large enough for storage. 

Under the seat a 5 kg ballast can be easily fitted. 

The accelerator has two steps and the pulleys deliver a smooth push.

The one thing i was expecting, is a rear inflatable cone, on that seat board harness !  and that light harness would be a very interesting one…But i’m being picky… 

Conclusion: The Delight 3 offers an excellent comfortable ride and will deliver a smooth and well balanced feel about the air. 

What i would say that i think the Delight 3 would be quite an interesting harness to fly under some dynamic handling gliders.  

For sure ,it’s a matter of adaptation and getting use to any harness, but IMHO, flying in strong places for hours, some pilots will save also the extra energy in compensating glider movements and will be more efficient at the task at hand.  

Nice materials used, light, can be stored with an average compact size, comfortable for a seat-board harness. If you know the feel under the Delight 2, then you have a large idea, otherwise demoing one could be an interesting ride.

Triple seven R-Light Size S

Ok…Let’s begin with:   I’m very happy and content to have flown that glider. Bye 

For the readers who want a swift and direct-to-point conclusion!  😆

Details:

The R-Light S is the light version of the Rook 3. The same everything besides the light fabric used. Now it can be folded smaller and for sure, lighter to carry. 

Launching: 

The small openings on the leading edge require a slight wind to fill the R-Light properly. With the light fabric, it feels lighter when pulling the A’s but still needs a steady and patient pull to fill it. It is slightly better to fill than the Rook 3, but little patience is needed in nil wind.  In 10 km/h wind, it is easier to fill it. Some B’s like the Base 2 for example fill faster, but this is definitely not an issue for any high B pilot. Just to be precise about it. In nil wind, I was able to launch in a 10-meter take-off, before the cliff. Others B’s in 5-7 m. 

I flew the R-Light S at 84, 85 all up, and that was just the optimum weight in all conditions in order to feel it and to dig through any conditions from super weak to strong air.  At my side of testing was a Base 2 M at 93 and a Swift 5 S at 84 also.  I tried the R-Light 3 S with two harnesses ( Delight 3 M and Genie light 3 M ( which both are different).

When flying next to the Swift 5 S I used my Delight 3 harness as the Swift pilot did also. When flying next to the Base 2 M I used the Genie light 3.

Now I can write about both harnesses and the difference under the R-Light S at 84 all up.

Let's talk about the Genie light 3 / R-Light S.  The Genie light 3 harness gives a nice weight shift authority with any used glider. With the R-Light S, it was indeed a pleasure to fly! In strong air, the R-Light S with both harnesses showed me a relatively comfortable ride for a High B. Some will prefer more dampening like the Swift 5 or the Base 2, but for me the R-Light S was perfect. Not too boring nor alive. Perfect feedback for a keen pilot. If you used to fly a low aspect ratio very comfortable C, you will be comfy on the R-Light S with the added large passive safety. The feedback on both harnesses is what a keen pilot would require from a high B without erasing the pleasure of feeling the airmass and getting the bits and pieces from it!

The difference between the Delight 3 and the Genie Light 3 under the R-Light S is that only in very strong conditions, the roll movements are more dampened under the Delight3, but the important thing to know is that under both harnesses, the R-light S had a swift and direct authority on the brakes that enabled it to put it exactly where you want inside the turbulent air mass. So no need for a specific harness to be very precise of turns. 

I have to add that the R-Light S has a short, precise, linear feel (each cm pulled react the glider), medium pressure( Harder than the Swift 5, less than the Artik 6, or the same as the Rush 5, to give you an example…and crispy feel (The little more centimeters you pull, the more you feel the brakes in your hand)  To finish my description, I have to say that the movements coming for the glider are felt 70% from the risers and probably 30% from the brakes. Just because it happened that when entering a core the R-Light S leading edge pulls slightly forward, and surprisingly one hand is being slightly pulled where the most powerful lift is!  (left or right)  But a very gentle pull, that you need to listen to it informing where the core is. I really liked that!. That feel was present in a much more pronounced way on the UP Trango Race! which had an amazing brake feel! 

Climb rate:

Flying the R-Light S at 84, 85 all up was the best to surf through the airmass. Flying at that load never altered my efficiency to climb in weak air. Some pilots feel that flying at mid-weight will give them a better lift. Of course, but they will miss every steady core of the thermal, just because you need to enter the air mass and find the best and stronger lift in every thermal, and for that, you need to be in the best part of the total weight in your aircraft. 

For me, I was very efficient at that loading feeling the light lift, and moving forward to get the better and stronger lift. Next to one of the best B’s in terms of climb rate which is the (Swift 5) I found out that the R-Light S at that load is inseparable in climb! So with my reference, the Swift 5, I felt that the R-Light S is matching it in weak, strong, and all conditions. The difference between the two is that the Swift 5 has a longer brake travel and slightly less responsive in turns than the R-Light S if both flown at 85. The Swift 5 S needs to be flown at 87 to be equally efficient in surfing the airmass, while the R-Light S was cool at 84 all up.  

Flying next to the Base 2 M at 93, I didn’t feel also any advantage for any glider. The Base 2 had a little better trim speed, but we were inseparable in the climb.  The Base 2 M was a bit more comfortable to fly. I think I will get a Base 2 S size to see the difference in comfort also. (Later) 

Gliding:

Again gliding many times, next to the Base 2 M and the Swift 5 S, there was not really a noticeable difference in glide. I can strongly confirm the R-Light S glides really well and doesn’t lose its gliding efficiency in diving when encountering moving and sinking air. The glide at half-bar is very usable and offers also the best glide in the B category.  The top speed is around 15 km/h over trim. The difference of the glide at top speed with a Delta 4 MS is very very little!   The difference that can be seen in moving air is that the Rook 3 and the R-Light 3 are slightly slower to enter the airmass than a C glider. That’s it. So there will be always a little advantage for the C’s.

I felt that going on the half bar in all the crossings will reduce slightly that effect if the c’s are not pushing on the bar often. 

Pleasure:

I added that just because it is so important.  Who does benefit the most from flying the R-Light S?  Pilots are very different in character. With the same B performance, some would like a free of movement and very dampened glider. They couldn’t care less about brake fans and would prefer pure performance over anything else, which I do respect and understand. 

The R-Light 3 S, moves less in turbulent air than the PHI Maestro 21 for example but needs a good B pilot that favors the exact spices of feedback it delivers, a sensible pilot for the responsive brake fan, who appreciates the authority given to him by the glider to place it accurately in the airmass, and finally, the pilot who needs that cocktail of a ‘light’, agile, high-performance B glider. If you are that pilot, then definitely there will be a guaranteed smile on your face.  

Conclusion:  

Like the normal version, the R-Light S packs small and offers the best performance in climb and glide for the B category. The top speed is very good for the category. Ears are stable on this light S size and reopen smoothly without pilot control.  It needs a sensible pilot to appreciate its thermal behavior.  I found that flying it at max load is the optimum load to get it efficiently into the airmass. My test describes accurately only the ’S’ size flown at 85 all up. I really had a very nice time test flying it!  Try it if you can, or other sizes, at max load, and your comments will be highly appreciated!  Happy flights :-)