No IP7, IP 8, Artik 4 .... etc....   :-)

The truth, the plain truth, and nothing but the truth … ?

After my personal and honest Niviuk Peak 3 test in May 2013, i was received in Saint Hilaire festival on the Niviuk stand by an angry and hysterical Niviuk owner…
All i could say angrily, is that i am still convinced by what i wrote and everything went smoothly afterward.

In June 2013 i ordered an IP 7 and followed it up ,but never received to this day…!
In early September i ordered an Artik 4 25 but didn’t get a answer. In Saint Hilaire 2014, i confirmed again with the export manager at the time that didn’t show me the Artik 4 25 …Two minutes later, It was claimed by a pilot who got it while i was still on the stand !!!  ;-)   

Later after many exchanged emails. I understood that Niviuk won’t send me any glider to test fly …May be after one year of sales …  ;-) 
Olivier Nef is the coolest, kindest and among the most “gentleman designers” you will ever meet !  I respect him, and he has nothing to do with this whole mess.
Companies has structures…
I fully understand Niviuk policy as an act of respect and recognition, which reminded me of this funny ,true story.  :-)

My aunt Rose is a natural born cookie baker. She can bake different kinds of delicious cookies.
On special occasions, the whole family gather around to taste her cookies.

Some cookies are really good, some are a bit less. She’s rushes sometimes a bit to be ready for the event… ! and forget an ingredient, but they are still nice to most.

When gathered around she always ask about the taste…We don’t want to make aunt Rose angry if she rarely forgot the sugar or else …so we always say  “Delicious as always !  thanks” !  ;-)
But my other ‘always smiling’ aunt Mary who’s seven years younger than aunt Rose is very picky and direct and she always like to tease her.
All the family awaits silently aunt Mary’s comments…Some people gets angry of her criticism and always question her intentions by saying :
“Why do she always wants to say anything? lets eat, celebrate, try to digest ;-) and go on…after all this is just an event ! ”  ;-)
But she always keep telling her personal, true taste …We all laugh afterward…  :-)

Despite some direct criticism, Ant Rose respect and love her sister immensely as she said :
‘She keeps me on my toes when i’m cooking’,
But I noticed that she always gave her the first cookies only when she’s sure that they are flawless…  ;-)   Of course family cookies are free …  And that’s a different story…

NOVA Triton 2 S

Triton 2 S  

Finally and after a loooog wait the TRITON 2 S has arrived … 
As usual the quality of construction of NOVA wings is beyond a doubt a class of its own. Excellent workmanship and robust feel … 

This test concern ONLY the S size ! It will not reflect any other sizes as the M and L size could be slightly different in some ways… 

My first flight with the Triton 2 S at 98 all up was made in turbulent, punchy conditions… enabling me to open my senses, understand, and feel the glider . 


Flying my usual harness the X-rated 6 with some ballast to reach 98 all up, i launched the Triton 2 S. The launching is easy for that glider and immediate.  

First turn in a small bullet thermal , the Triton 2 S has a moderate to pronounced roll movement .The pitch behavior is average to dynamic especially in those sharp edges where the Triton 2 S would like to cut and surge ahead in the strong thermal. Catching it quickly with the brakes is no problem for a good pilot.  
In turbulent and strong conditions the Triton 2 S is indeed a lively glider.  
It moves in the air with sharp surges and quick responses to the airmass and the pilot could feel it’s energy, but luckily the brake fan is optimized to dominate this overall energy with an active pilot underneath. 

A good pilot and after some hours to acclimatize, has the power and the advantage to control every movement of the glider which at the end gives surprisingly a certain feeling of passive safety for the high C class as the whole structure seems coherent and supple sometimes . 

Describing the handling and maneuverability of the TRITON 2 S is like driving a Ferrari in turns. 
Cornering is sharp and easy with precise and direct input . 
This very good handling is the key to control the TRITON 2 S movements in order to keep it in this particular box of the targeted group of pilots it is designed for ! 

Doing some long glides with one of the best C’s of the moment, the Triton 2 S showed first a slightly higher speed than most C’s equally loaded, and a slight better glide at trim putting it in the higher top performance by a very small edge. This performance is increased when the conditions are more difficult and especially in the presence of a head wind or strong valley or sea breeze. In those conditions the TRITON 2 S has a clear advantage over the current C’s . 

Reference glide : 
Doing some long glides with an Aspen 5 26 loaded at 99 all up showed that the Triton 2 S has a faster trim speed of +0.5 km/h and a better glide angle. 
Pushing the bar for both with pulleys touching showed exactly same top end speed over a run of 5 km 

The climb rate of the Triton 2 S loaded at 96 is average to good in very weak lift . 
In more steady thermals over 1.5 m/s and choppy conditions, the Triton 2 S has the advantage to dig and climb much quicker and more efficient than C gliders .Like it’s another class … 

The top speed for the Triton 2 S with the pulleys touching, loaded at 98 and at 1000 ASL showed a ± 13 km/h over trim. I have tried it many times and i couldn’t read more on my GPS. May be i have to change it    
I felt that the Triton 2 S into wind glides are it’s strongest point where i could feel it’s ability to surf the air and move higher and forward like no other C could do… 

I am convinced now that it has the performance that could easily tickle the D class.   

Big ears are stable without pushing the bar. The pilot must pump them to open. Ears with bar are unstable.  

Then, i flew the Triton 2 S alone in another spot and then landed and flew another new C glider…and so on…all day… Alternating gliders help me to see the differences in the air.  

Flying the Elan 26, Delta 2, SM  Alpina 2 SM , Sigma 9, Queen M ,Aspen 5, etc..  in the past year gave me an idea about their behavior in turbulent conditions. The Triton 2 S stands more demanding in terms of piloting . 

Conclusion: 
For sure the Triton 2 S is (Two step) higher than a Mentor 3 in terms of piloting ! It stands strangely between a high C and a D !  
The Triton 2 S IMHO is aimed for experienced pilots with multiple hours in different conditions in order to feel at home and surely needs some respect and understanding in order to extract every bit of the outstanding performance it delivers. 
NOVA has built a C with today’s D performance, but the TRITON 2 in S size IMHO could be welcomed and cherished for a D pilot profile. 



Cheers, 
Ziad. 

Air Design RISE 2

Air Design RISE 2 M ( The surprise ! )

My last AD gliders VOLT as a C and the Rise 1 as a B. The RISE 2 is the new replacement for the B pilots.

The AD RISE 2 has a very beautiful and clean construction . The sewings on the glider and the way it is built is very neat.

Launching the RISE 2 is no more demanding as a school glider. The glider inflates and wait for the pilot to act.

In the air and first thermal the RISE 2 brake pressure is medium to heavy if you pull more than 40 cm . But the glider is steered with only 15 cm as an efficient brake travel ! It is a relatively moderate to agile glider.
The brake fan is designed to give you complete accuracy in order to carve it into thermals. I have flown this glider from weak to strong conditions, and i can easily recommend that glider as first entry to the high B class for its easiness and coolness in flight. For sure the RISE 2 is designed for big air ! The comfort is amazing …

To talk about the climb rate, i had to fly next to a Mentor 3 at the same loadings . After many weak and strong thermals, i can confirm that the climb is excellent and very similar in all kind of thermals including the difficult ones when stuck in the sea breeze !

Doing several glides more than 7 km each ! next to a Mentor 3 S (videos soon) ,showed also a similar glide angle for both , which is impressive for the RISE 2 !

Big ears are difficult to hold, especially at bar. The speed system is fairly medium to light and can get the RISE 2 M at 100 all up and 1000 ASL at 10 km/h over trim speed.

Conclusion :
The AD RISE 2 M is truly a remarkable glider for the overall performances it delivers and the huge amount of comfort it carries ! This is an impressive successful package ! For sure the top speed is a bit low and the brakes are slightly heavy…But no pilot on the RISE 2 will ever blame the wing on its into wind performance efficiency for the B class and especially on it's comfort caracteristic . Hat’s off to Air Design for that particular creation. 

 

 :-)

41th Coupe Icare Interviews

Excellent Coupe Icare this year, I met lots of nice people and i was impressed with the humility of big designers, with their very positive approach.

Lots of pilots and professionals looked very puzzled by my free tests, and asked me if I'm going to keep on doing them ...And why i am still doing this free service...

I never thought about it.

It is true that passion can outcome the hard reality and i can only reply: Because it happens that i am here, at this moment  :-)

Axis Comet 2 S

Axis Comet 2 S Opening the Axis bag and the glider showed a very good quality construction .The Comet 2 has a shark nose, thin lines on the upper layers, very sporty risers look. Performance is written just by looking on the Comet 2 . Launching the glider is uneventful for the B class. I am flying the S size 70-90 at 88 all up. First turn showed a moderate and light feel on the brakes with precise response enabling an agile turn. The Comet 2 S can be very nicely placed inside the thermals by applying the exact amount on the brakes. It has some moderate roll movements found in the B class. The pitching behavior is nearly absent ,enabling the pilot to concentrate on the flight. Loading the S size at max didn’t really affect the glider capability to climb in weak cores. In fact with it’s linear and precise handling , the weakest thermals can be easily exploited. The strongest point of the Comet 2 is it’s glide angle at trim speed . After many glides with top B gliders, the Comet 2 is outstanding ! It stands right by side and not far from the best in this category . At second bar there's more to work on as the glide deteriorate a bit. The speed system is moderate to light and easy to use ,with a top speed around 54 km/h . Big ears are very stable and a superb way to descend quickly. Wing overs are fun, and the S size is playful. Conclusion: Each glider gives a certain feeling after landing. Some are special, some are exquisite, others are less… The Comet 2 gave me the feeling of getting it airborne again ,like after a successful first date…  I think the Comet 2 is a balanced and fun glider to fly. It has everything to get it’s pilot on the longest XC’s with the pleasure of flying it. If this glider meets your budget, i recommend a test flight as soon as possible with the satisfaction that will come along !

Gradient Aspen 5

Soon,

Gradient Aspen 5 26

The size 26 is ready for take off at 99 all up. It looks like a big glider on the ground. The construction details are superb !  The rods on the leading edge of the Aspen 5 are not very long.  The A attachment points on the glider are slightly back . 

Risers are skinny and sporty, and the Aspen 5 has all unsheathed lines.

Launching the Aspen 5 in nil wind is easy just a steady pull … In stronger wind above 25 km/h be ready to control it as other C gliders…

Flying the Aspen 5 26 at 99 all up, in some turbulent cores showed a moderate roll response ,slightly more than Aspen 4 with some movements on the yaw axis.   However at that load, entering some thermals the Aspen 5 pitch back a bit then stabilize above the pilots head. It is very different in behavior from the Aspen 4 .

The brake travel is similar to the 4 with light pressure , and the turning radius is flatter. It is surely more efficient in climb than the Aspen 4 ,but with less agility for the same loadings.

The Aspen 5 gives this feeling of performance efficiency where the Aspen 4 was more oriented for fun. Surely Gradient wanted to get maximum performance out of a C.

Talking about performance lets begin with the climbing ability. After many flights and comparison with my reference glider in the C category, and with the same loadings,i can see that the Aspen 5 is very competitive with the top ones. 

The efficiency in the weak coupled with a flat turn is very good !   In punchier thermals the Aspen 5 will surely climb very well also, but will need just a second to settle after the back pitch.

In gliding power, at trim speed the Aspen 5 also showed similar performance as the top ones, but at top speed which is ±15 km/h over trim at 800 ASL, the Aspen 5 has a very interesting glide angle that could place it on top.

Big ears flap a bit, and it is better to sit in the middle or use the speed system symmetrically with this maneuver to avoid turning left or right.

It is clear that the Aspen 5 was built for efficient flying rather than a freestyle wing to throw around. But still flying it heavy can improve that feeling. 

Conclusion: With the Aspen 5 ,Gradient has successfully built an efficient XC machine to compete with this category.  

Choosing a glider comes always to a personal choice of multiple feelings and sensations that comes after a test flight .