ADVANCE Interview ( Valery Chapuis) 
1-Ziad: Can you tell us please about ADVANCE new products for 2017 ? 

- Valery Chapuis: BIBETA 6, SUCCESS 4, SIGMA 10, Companion SQR 220. Other products are not decided yet. 
Please have a look at our homepage. http://www.advance.ch/en/home/news-pages/success-4-safe-and-comfortable-no-compromise/ , we’ll publish soon a complete information. 



2- What can you tell the pilots about the new Sigma? What do they have to expect? 
- Valery Chapuis: middle C wing with a very high level of performance (more than our OMEGA 9 photos from the beginning of this year) with a vey predictable behavior. With all the existing technology. 

Any D glider for the future ? … 
- Valery Chapuis : Maybe a OMEGA 9 end of next year. We are making new 3 and 2 liners photos. 


3-Ziad: The Iota is a high B with a very high ratio of : top performance / comfortable behavior with a moderate aspect ratio ! Now it seems the Sigma 9 follow that same path . A concept for the middle C pilots as you mentioned. Could you please elaborate on this ? With an approximate idea for the aspect ratio ?  

-Valery Chapuis: The Sigma 10 will be a middle C wing, I mean a real C wing, not a low D, not a high B. A normal sport wing pilot can easily fly a Sigma 10, the wing is very intuitive and predictable. 

4-Ziad: What about handling versus the Sigma 9 ? 

Valery Chapuis: Still very responsive but a little bit less direct than the 9, we were not far from a freestyle behavior, depending on the pilot weight of course. 

5-Ziad: Will it have unsheathed lines like the Iota ? 
- Yes, like the Iota and like the Sigma 9 as it is a wing aimed for performance and cross country flights. 

6- Ziad: Also its nice to see 5 sizes ! Very interesting ! Can you please elaborate on that decision ?  
- Valery Chapuis: 5 sizes will give more choice to the pilots and more possibilities to find the right size. 

6-Ziad: What's a 3D panel shaping ? and what does it do ? 
Valery Chapuis: The 3D shapping helps the leading edge to be more resistant as it reduces the elasticity of the fabric, that gives a better behaviour to the wing. 

7- Ziad: Who are the people behind this design ? In R&D and testing? 

Valery Chapuis: It is as usual our complete R&D Team. Silas Bosco and Hannes Papesh remain the computer designers and the test pilots with Kare Eisenhut as responsible make the wing as we decided in the design manifest. 



8- Ziad:Will it be there an impress 3 replacement in the near future ? 

Valery Chapuis: Yes we discussed already about a Impress 4 but we dont have yet a timing. 

9- Ziad: What's the difference between the Beta 5 and 6 ? 

Valery Chapuis: The 6 benefits of all the technology and knowledge we could acquire during the past 4 years after we made the Beta 5. A complet product presentation will be published next week in our homepage, please have a look it is really interesting. 

10-Ziad: Anything you want to add? 

Valery Chapuis: I’d like to add a big hello to all the pilots and don’t forget that you are not alone in your life, your family is expecting that you go back home tonight, then fly safely and always land happy. 


Ziad: Thank you very much ! 

SKYWALK Poison X-Alps XS !

SKYWALK Poison X-Alps XS (65-90)
The Poison X-Alps is SKYWALK light EN-D wing. This glider is the fruit of the wing used in the last X-alps race, trimmed and tuned to meet the requirements of the D pilots.
The Poison X-alps is a 7 aspect ratio glider with three risers and a shark nose. A small piece of wood attached on the C riser, is connected to act also on the B riser for a possibility to control the glider pitch when accelerated. All lines are unsheathed.

Launching the 7 aspect ratio Poison is an easy task with the light cloth. Quickly overhead, a slight damp on the brakes to keep it overhead and the take off is immediate.
I must state that different sizes behaves very differently. For instance when the Ozone LM6 size S has a slight pitch forward, The LM6 size SM has a neutral pitch, The normal M6 size SM has a slight pitch back ! I was flying the Poison X-Alps size XS from 84 to 90 all up. The M size could have other feel under it ... i just have the XS size.

I found after some hours flying the XS size, that 5 kilos below top is optimum as the balance of climb and speed is great ! I didn’t notice an increase or decrease in trim speed flying it from 85 to 90...But the climb at 85 all up is superb !
Also flying it 5 kg below top, decreases slightly its dynamism and smoothen up the movements in active air. Much like the Cayenne 5. No need to fly it at top weight.
I flew that glider in some turbulent air alternating flights with the LM6 SM. The Poison X-alps has a more dynamic feel under it. The roll movements are more pronounced over the LM6 with a lovely slight pitch forward that pulls you into the thermal.

All that is coupled with a precise, linear, short, direct brake response which i adore on board this beautiful machine !
The Poison X-Alps feels more taught in the air than the LM6 ( it feels like a solid, dynamic, compact piece) The information given by the Poison X-alps XS is spectacular ! A good pilot will feel everything in the brakes and also in the harness with the possibility to place it exactly
where he wants inside any turbulent thermal ! It needs more piloting than the LM6 in turbulent air and feels slightly more dynamic.

The LM6 is for sure a superb machine. But if i’m going to explain the difference between them and especially in ‘feel’ without talking about performance yet, i would say that, If the LM6 SM loaded at top feels like a Porsche. The Poison X-Alps XS at 85, feel like a Porsche GT2. Everything is fine tuned for slightly more precision, slightly more dynamism, slightly more race feel, slightly more steering pleasure !

Going on some glide on the Poison X-Alps XS at 85 all up with an LM6 S at top weight and an LM6 SM also at top weight showed me that the Poison X-Alps XS has a +1 km/h faster trim speed. At top speed, the Poison X-Alps XS has +16 km/h over it’s trim taken at 800m ASL.
As for the glide angle at trim and accelerated i would say that they pretty close. My 'personal' feel is a slight efficiency in head wind glides for the Poison X-Alps especially above trim,+ 47 km/h.

The Poison X-Alps XS at 85 all up is a very good climber in weak conditions. And for sure when the thermal streghten, it will shoot upward without any delay ! Overall it’s an efficient climber.
The speed system has a moderate pressure .The glide is superb ! Bumps are felt when accelerating in turbulent air and the pitch is controlled by pulling on the C riser which is slightly on the heavy side and could control quite some moderate turbulence. But not as much as a 2 liner does. For example, the Peak 4 'B steering' is much softer and more efficient. But of course its a 2 liner ! I felt that controlling the pitch with the C riser on the Poison X-Alps has to be firm and at the same time sensitive and precise in order to keep the glider levelled above.
360’s are super easy and feels quite nice with a very clean exit. Big ears are stable and doable with at the external B riser kit.

Conclusion: Test flying the Poison X-alps XS for "my personal taste” was an exceptional experience for a D glider yet ! The handling and the way it turns, feels and cut through the air, is superb !
It’s a slightly dynamic and talkative wing for sure in turbulence, but very well pressurised and has a homogenous feel for a 7 AR, top performer D glider ! The brake authority and responsiveness is among it’s
strongest points !
I loved the way it pulls into the thermal ! It sniffs and go through with a positive vario.
The authority on the brakes, usability and feel are exceptional on this XS size ! I’m sure that many keen pilots wouldn’t be indifferent after a test flight !  :-)

U-Turn Blacklight 2 S

U-Turn Blacklight 2 S

4 years ago, i test flew the Blacklight 1. The strong point was the excellent climb rate even in super weak conditions. Glide was very good, into wind glide was moderate, and the Blacklight 1 kept its pilot quite busy in very strong conditions having an aspect ratio of 5.8 flat at the time !

U-turn offers the Blacklight 2 in late 2016, with a moderate aspect ratio of 5.6 flat.
The 11 lines per side are a bit thick and sheathed . The upper ones directly to the canopy are unsheathed .
3 lines per side with 3 thin up to date risers and 3.5 line configuration.

A nice shark nose construction with semi circular openings. A very nicely and tough looking construction on that glider !

I flew the S from 87 to 90 all up. The launch behavior is easy without any surges or hang back. The take off is immediate.

The brake travel and pressure are moderate to slightly firm resembling the Eden 6 one.
The maneuverability in coring thermals is really nice.The Blacklight 2 can be turned very narrow into the core. It doesn’t really dive into the turn if applied smoothly. The Blacklight 2 has a very well balanced and pleasurable handling. The same size on the Blacklight one has a lighter feel on the brakes, and slightly more dynamic in terms of turning ability and surely in turbulent conditions, where the Blacklight 2 is much more comfortable than its predecessor.
I felt that the shark nose on the Blacklight 2 is much more efficient than the BL 1 in biting forward the thermals. The Blacklight 2 in size S however, (Other sizes could have different feel) have a slight pitch back upon entry but at my loadings it quickly goes forward again and through the airmass.

I flew the Blacklight 2 in turbulent conditions, and i could sense a middle B in terms of dynamic reactions. It doesn’t feel like a high B nor as a soft low B.  I think it sits in the middle of this huge category in terms of piloting.

Doing some glide comparison with high and low B’s puts the Blacklight 2 size S at 90 all up in the first middle* of this large category. The second part holds the high B’s with Mentor 4, Iota..etc..

The climb rate however even loaded at top, is excellent on the Blacklight 2 ! This glider could be inserted in the second part of the B category for it’s superb climbing ability. I was always climbing very quickly among other nice climbing gliders.

The top speed on the S at 90 all up is 9 ~ 10 km/h over trim speed which i forgot to mention that it’s quite nice around +39 km/h ! taken at 1000 ASL .
Big ears are super easy efficient and reopen immediately on release.

Conclusion:
It is clear to the eye that U-Turn decided to deliver a new Blacklight with a different philosophy. The Blacklight 2 is more comfortable to fly than the first version .The gene of the bL1 in climb rate is present on the second version. The thick lines seems to be installed for durability rather than thinner more delicate or unsheathed thin ones…The efficiency for the Blacklight 2 into wind is slightly enhanced over the Blacklight 1.
Lets hope U-Turn will consider a race version with thinner unsheathed lines for some B enthusiasts…