U-Turn (Ernst Strobl) Interview

Mr Ernst Strobl is the chief designer and founder of U-Turn and has been designing gliders and was a competition pilot since the first paragliders emerged !

Ziad: Hi Ernst, can i ask you a few questions regarding U-Turn new gliders for 2017 ?

[Ernst: ] Hello Ziad,
For 2017 we have:
Motor Glider:
- PYLO , competition motor race glider.
(Technical Data and video attached below )
- PROGRESS , intermediate motor glider, technical Data in the email. Very easy start and landing, good performance and efficiency with engine! Awesome handling :-) . The glider is make for right after the School…
- Close to finish is a small Tandem Hike and Fly, 120-175kg Start weight, EN/LTF-B, 4,85kg. We don’t have a name in the moment :-(
A good name for that wing… ? :-)  , yesterday we have past Shock & Load test with DHV.


Ziad: Sure ! I hope we will also get some pretty names from the guys on the forum !  :-)
What can you tell us please about the Blacklight 2 ?

[Ernst: ] Long story… a lot of prototypes, finally we decide to go for a middle EN-B with the flying characteristic.
We have done a parallel testing with an high B, aspect ratio 6.0 and the middle B with 5.65. Finally the performance of the high B was not that much more in comparison with the flying characteristic to the Mid. B … so we decide for the more easy flying!
But we have get a lot of knowledge with shark nose… so this was our base for the next step… :- ) …


Ziad: Any new gliders in the C category?
If so, can you please elaborate a bit on what to expect ? High aspect ratio C? or moderate C for B pilots upgrading?

[Ernst: ] Finally the final sample we plan to use for certification is in production.. In 3 weeks I can tell you more.
Passion 2 project, Certification High-C, aspect ratio 6.8, Performance Top of the C range and will go deeply in the D-Performance… the results of our tests so far
  ;-) …


Ziad: What’s your opinion about having lots of cells for a glider in the low B category. Ex: NOVA Phantom.

[Ernst: ] The glider have a good flying characteristic, easy to start, very good performance in this segment, for me the handling can be better… Personally I’m not sure if this is the way… this concept works only with the very light material, we know all how expensive the material is and how long it will stay stable… so what is when the glider is 2-3 years old, how much the pilots will pay for this used gliders… so it can be a big lost in 2-3 years, very hard to say how the market will act on those concepts.


Ziad: You have been designing wings for a very long time. Do you think there’s lots of potential for improving safety and performance? Are we waiting for better materials? Cloth?lines? or new concepts?

[Ernst: ] my competition glider from 1994 have the same performance as an Emotion 3, EN-A, So I think it will go continues forward with performance and safety, a part will be new materials, new concepts, the race is still not at the end… as you can see in the latest development in the competition scene… Impressive to see what Ozone is doing there.

Ziad: Thank you Ernst !!


Cheers,
Ziad 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9VHRttA9U4

NOVA Interview (Philippe Medicus) R&D department

A few questions for Philippe medicus head of NOVA R&D department .

1-Ziad: Do you consider the new concept of the Phantom an open gate for future glider designs?

Yes!

Philippe Medicus: I don't think, that the Phantom is going to stay the only wing of its kind.

2- Ziad: What are the benefits of this concept on higher aspect ratio gliders? + 6, 7, 8 AR?

Philippe Medicus: Current competition wings have a similar cell count already.
Adding the complex internal structure of the Phantom would decrease weight and increase dimensional stability.
But compared to the advantage of the concept in the "Low-B Class", the benefit would be a lot smaller.

3- Ziad: Does implementing this concept will increase the speed, the stability, or only the performance?

Philippe Medicus: The concept does not increase the collapse resistance, but the dimensional stability benefits a lot. So the wing stays closer to its intended shape, which increases performance.
A high performance glider tends to gain more speed when pushing the speed-bar with a certain travel, than a wing with less performance.
So it's no coincidence, that the Phantom is a faster than an Ion4 on bar.

4- Ziad: NOVA enthusiast will be able to see a new Mentor 5 with this concept? Any dates?

Philippe Medicus: Currently we are not developing an other wing with this concept. So the Mentor 5 won't be a "Phantom-type" wing.
Sorry - no dates yet, but certainly not this year.

5- Ziad: Will it have an impact on the handling ? Turning ability?

Philippe Medicus: It does have an impact on the handling: The Phantom handles more precisely than any other Low-B glider we have flown. And - to a certain extend - the performance of a wing directly affects the handling. When a glider converts speed into height well, pilots say that you can "feel the performance". That's what the Phantom does more than other low AR wings.

6- Ziad: Could they also see a new Triton “C” with lots of cells? 

Philippe Medicus: We haven't decided yet.

7- Ziad: What do you see in future glider design?

Philippe Medicus: Detailed predictions of the future turn out to be false most of the time. :)
So I won't bother you with any guesses.

8- Ziad: The Bion 1 was almost indestructible! Can you please describe the new Bion 2?

And what will motivate the professionals to fly the Bion 2?

Philippe Medicus: The Bion2 has a lighter bottom sail than the Bion1, which won’t affect the longevity unless landing on a tree... The Bion2 will be just as durable as the Bion1.
Easy take off, easy handling, and good flaring ability for landing, longevity.

Further more it's quite fast with open trimmers and has a lot more performance than Bion1.

9- Ziad: One more question please. Can you describe the new Bion 2? The Bion 1 was a very tough tandem wing, almost indestructible !
Why would the professionals be interested in buying the Bion 2 ?

Philippe Medicus: The Bion2 has a lighter bottom sail than the Bion1, which doesn't affect the longevity. (Except you damage the bottom sail, by landing in a tree)
But besides such an incident, the Bion2 will be just as durable as the Bion1.

> Why would the professionals be interested in buying the Bion 2 ?
Easy take off, easy handling, and good flaring ability for landing. And of course the longevity. Further more it's quite fast with open trimmers and has a lot more performance than Bion1.

Thank you Philippe !