Coupe Icare interviews

Triple Seven interview

Dustoftheuniverse: What was the most challenging part in finishing the Queen 2?

Aljaz & Urban: For sure we spent a lot of time on it with some prototypes, not a lot because we analyse each proto a lot which helps us and its good, especially at the end when we stuck with the certification on one maneuver which was a stable spiral.And we learned quite a lot of things about this, and the behavior of the mechanics of flight, and we saw that there was a big influence coming from the harness also, but it was a hard summer :-) But now we are happy with the resultant for sure the performance and the potential of the wing, and i think it will bring the C category a bit higher.

DOTU: Did you manage to keep the same biting and feel through the air?

A&U: All our projects are finished when we are happy.It’s not important if its summer or winter, or even the year after, so we don’t focus on time rather than the result we are aiming for. As for the Queen , we are very satisfied with the last proto.

DOTU: When the Queen 2 will be released?

A&U: The SM size passed the tests on the top (99 kg) and the bottom weight, and we are waiting for load test, and we are also preparing production, and we are working now on the other sizes.

DOTU: Is the top speed limited by the certification?

A&U: We were only focusing on the spiral, and the top speed were nice and ok.

DOTU: What would be the optimum weight of the Queen 2?

A&U: 75 % is superb for the MS , and surely it depends on the other sizes and models. But as a basic knowledge its 75%. 

DOTU: Does 777 have other new releases for 2018?

A&U: The first glider is the Queen 2, which is coming at first and in 2018 the light version of the Knight which is called K-Light which is also certified and finished, but launching it in 2018, and also some other little projects. And for sure the Queen 2 light which would be released immediately after finishing the normal Queen 2 sizes and actually will be named (Q-Light) 

Rook 2 and King stays in production, and we are working on a single skin, and very promising, and this wing flies really nice ! 

DOTU: Any comments on Q-light construction ? lines, cloth..?

A&U: Lighter construction, and reinforcement inside the glider, risers, soft links.

DOTU: Any last word regarding the Queen 2 ?

A&U : As we said, we think that the Queen 2 will bring one step forward in real air performance regarding the C class, and getting near the D class of today’s 3 liner wings. Also with the speed.

We compared the glide with the King, and we think it’s a step further…especially in climb with a very competitive glide…  

PHI Interview (Hannes Papesh) 

DOTU: Dear Hannes, Do you consider PHI gliders a performance oriented company?

Hannes Papesh: Since many years, since the beginning i was always ‘performance oriented’ in my young designs, i think performances had always a big importance and i was always trying to build very reduced designs, i mean getting out anything that isn’t necessary.Very clear and straight forward designs to reach the goals.And we are also classical maneuver testers with our team, who are hard classical test pilots. And they were doing great attention to the hard maneuver testing, and may be that’s the reason maybe i never had safety problems with my designs.  

Our handling may be slightly bad in the first days but the gliders were very well performing, but we learned, and with the Synphonia we also tried in different line lengths and reducing line lengths. We have now an elegant, agile glider and feels elegant in flight.

DOTU: What are the lines used on the Synphonia?

HP: There are quite conservative. So we have all the top and middle lines are uncovered 8000, and on the bottom there are 2 lines per side, with PPSL lines like the Rookie, Syntaxx…Ion 1 and 2.

DTOU: What about the structure inside the glide?

HP: At first it’s quite light, so the 22 has 4,5 kg and it’s using the 32 grammes cloth from Porcher all over which is quite expensive but this is one aspect of safety, so we didn’t want to reach the safety level of trimming it slow or doing some compromise, in performance and handling. We did a great work on the internal structure and we reduced the usage of the sticks (red nylon fibers)

and we were very lucky with the choice of the factory which is aerodynamics in Srilanka, because they have very nice kind sewing, as they can do very smooth seams, and the finish is really good.

And this is obviously one of the keys for performance gain.

DOTU: Will you make B + gliders soon?

HP: You know that my specialty is the high B gliders. With the Synphonia, i made a high performance A glider, now i’ll surely focus on this special class that i like. I have been unbeaten for 10 years, on the high B gliders, but i had no chance to compete for 5 years as i have been working with Advance, and i couldn’t do what i wanted to do, the Iota was not my wing, but now i have the chance to do what i wanted to built. But this time i’ll take my time to do a very special ’special’ B+ wing !  But i cannot promise when it will be available…may be in spring, may be next year, in Autumn.

When we are sure that the Synphonia will be a wave…

DOTU: What about high aspect ratio for a B+ ? Are you for that?

HP: We have to be careful with the B class…Finally we have to tell was a mistake to limit the open class competition with a serial class guide…looking back we have etc say it was a mistake because we didn’t think it was possible to certify competition wing in the D class the whole D class destabilized then the C class destabilized, and it’s now slowly happening that the B class is destabilising because it got too wide…We have really safe and class matching wings and we have gliders that were a C gliders before, and now inside the B, so i think we have to be careful and not pushing too much, it was also an argument how to know it’s a low level or a high level, and sometimes you find a low level glider that is not a low level glider…the difference is huge. So with our B we have to be careful. We already have the first prototypes, and it’s too early to tell. We will make attention to the handling especially and we will take our time developing it.

DOTU: Are u considering 5 sizes? 

HP: Yes sure…Our Synphonia has 5 sizes now.

DOTU: What about the optimal weight for PHI gliders?

HP: The PHI gliders can be flown at mid and low sometimes on the range. It depends on the wind, turbulence, but i have illustrated the weight ranges in the website in colors, so the deep green is the optimal weight for overall usage.

Remarks: I asked Hannes about the complex inner construction of the Phantom with it’s 99 cells, as when testing i felt it has that same feedback feel from the inner structure to the pilot like the Sigma 10 i have tested lately and commented that elasticity and coherence in turbulent thermals. Hannes answered that their inner structure is the same ! Advance and Nova are using his software which both gliders have this trumpet fingers designs. They are very light and the importance to use the materials where it is the most efficient. (Lots of technical details… :-)   ) Nova named it ‘needle eye’ construction. 

Well i think that this software is surely producing fine gliders…And for sure the R&D teams, and pilots behind that software are exploring it very professionally. 

SKYWALK X-Alps 3 size S

Skywalk X-Alps 3 size S (80-95) 

My last flight on a Skywalk D glider was on the Poison X-alps size S (70-90). 
The New Xalps 3 is the wing that have won the 2017 X-alps with Christian Maurer, and third place with Paul Guschlbauer. 
This new version was especially made for the X-alps with very light cloth and Dyneema risers. It’s the Hike and fly Skywalk latest competition wing. 
Taking off in light wind is easy on this 7 aspect ratio glider.  
I have the LM 6 in size MS (80-95) in order to compare the differences in behaviours and feeling under those gliders. 
With same loadings, (92 all up), the Xalps is +2 km/h faster at trim speed. At full bar it’s also 3 km/h faster.  
In turbulent and strong conditions, the Xalps 3 needs active piloting much like the Poison X-alps in size XS i had earlier. 
I found out that the Poison Xalps XS handling was slightly sharper, and i was more connected to the glider by the brakes. This may be because of the smaller size.  

In light thermals (-0.2m/s) i found out that the LM6 has slightly more float ability , and can stay longer in those tiny lifts. 
In stronger thermals, and difficult conditions, the Xalps 3 is much more efficient. Adding a wind factor, the Xalps 3 moves forward efficiently. It has slightly more efficient performance than the Poison Xalps. 

Now things were getting more serious when i activated half bar on the Xalps 3. It is fast and efficient wing for racing ! The LM6 is also a very nice glider, but racing near the Xalps 3 is a difficult task for the LM6. The Alps 3 keeps going forward in a fast glide efficiency. 

I turbulent air, the overall comfort under the LM6 is quite high compared to the Xalps 3. In the same turbulent air, i needed more energy to control the Xalps 3. 

In turbulent air, pushing the bar on the Xalps 3 is lighter than the LM6, but need more active piloting also. The C risers are very efficient, and can control the pitch movements quite fast. In fact at first bar the Xalps stiffens in pitch surging…but some slight roll movements are present depending on the conditions… 

Ears with outer A’s have moderate stability. On bar they flap a bit. Ears with outer B’s is doable, stable. 

Conclusion:   
A light competition race eficient wing for sure. Needs active piloting. The Dyneema risers are very small and the attachment points to the carabiners are 0.5 cm in width surely for weight reduction ! The brake handles are also very thin (0.4 cm) and better use with glove for comfortable hours in the air. This riser configuration is extreme, for the ultimate hike and fly competition pilot.  
Racing in windy and strong conditions is the Xalps 3 strong point. 
X-alps athletes has already flown that glider multiple hours and i hope they can comment much better on it's overall behavior. 
This is just a small idea for pilots who don't have the chance to test fly one. 

Air Design Rise 3 S

Air-design Rise 3 

I flew both the Rise 1 and 2. Here’s the Rise 3 from Air design. A high -end B with 5.95 AR and lots of design technologies from a Lightweight construction, to the Stabilo Winglets which are an interesting funny looking new feature, a Shark-Nose 

and  Vortex Holes on the extremities , Mini-Ribs, Race unsheathed lines but it looks not that skinny, and tough enough, Thin performance Risers with a C-Control System ! 

Everything is there to show that AD are aiming for performance at first…Lets see…

Launching the Rise 3 is very easy without any hang back or surge. The light material has its benefits in the launch characteristic.

I flew the glider from 85 to 92 all up, to discover that flying it near the top weight is really efficient.(90-92) on the S size. 

At 90 all up, the Rise 3 S has a short, precise brake travel and could be described as fairly agile. 

The pressure on the brakes are moderate for the 10-15 cm of brake travel that actually are needed to steer the glider in all thermals. After 15 cm the pressure are slightly on the heavy side.

While flying through mild turbulent air, there’s some wobbles and small yaw movements coming from the glider. I flew in the same air the Chili 4 XS size at 94 all up, to conclude finally that the Chili 4 XS move as a block compared to the Rise 3 S. After some flying hours, alternating the two gliders, the overall comfort is similar with a slight ‘shock absorbent’ feel to the rise 3 S that Air design i famous for. The chilli 4 XS has slightly more sharper reaction to strong thermal punches.

After some hours, i got used to those tiny wobbles that doesn’t amplify their energy when conditions got stronger. They are just here.

The overall piloting level is above the Rise 2 and is similar to the Chili 4 XS or the Mentor 5 XS.

Flying next to my reference B glider, the Chili 4 XS, i found out that the Rise 3 have an impressive climb rate ! After many attempts on the Rise 3 S (72-92) @ 90 with the Chili 4 XS (75-95) @ 93, i was convinced that this Rise S size climb has a slight edge ! I was really surprised about that, knowing that the Chili 4 XS is one of the most efficient climber on the B category. 

At 90 all up, the Rise 3 S doesn’t have some annoying pitch behaviors, but rather an efficient nose to surf those thermals and climb, like any good high-B glider.

I noticed that every thermal is quickly converted into climb very efficiently. And the brake authority helps a lot by putting the Rise 3 S inside narrow cores, without any reluctant behavior of the leading edge to dig in.  Sometimes i need to insist slightly to turn it inside the thermals, as it flattens out sometimes. It shows also the ability for a flat efficient turning behavior. 

I must say that the Rise 3 S is a nice floater in the high B category ! Racing facing the Valley breeze is as efficient as on the Chili 4 XS !

At those weight load above, my friend and i made a few glide comparisons on an exceptional August day with high cloud bases! 

Trim speed is similar and the glide at trim seems also identical ! 

At 5 km/h over trim, both glider are also inseparable in glide ! 

Pushing the full bar on the Rise 3 S at 90 all up, gave me a +14 km/h taken at 1300 ASL ! which is around 2-3 km/h over the Chili 4 XS. 

Big ears are stable without using the speed bar, they slightly shake using the speed bar.

Conclusion: 

The overall piloting level is not far from the mid aspect ratio B gliders, despite it’s 5.95 AR and i could say it’s an accessible high end B glider with a fairly good handling.

I think the lines used on the Rise 3 S, will not move that easy…They all are unsheathed, and slightly thicker than the contenders .   

The Rise 3 in size S has those small wobbling movements, but they are very easy to get used to, and could be an advantage for the pilots who don’t like the ‘block feel’ above their heads. 

Finally i can say that the Rise 3 has joined the circle of the top contenders in the high B category for it’s overall efficiency in climb and glide, and it’s certain that any pilot flying the Rise 3 won’t miss any performance whatsoever racing against the new 2017 Mentors and Chili’s ! 

It seems that Air design has worked very hard on the Rise 3! And it surely paid off !

C Comparison "Notice update"

Important notice:
This comparison has been made with lots of accuracy and details, but please consider that other sizes, other weight load for the same tested glider can have a different impact on the result below. Some small sizes usually have a different feel, and different data. Also the bigger sizes will give you different feel in (brake tension, brake response, brake length,) not to mention the performance gain in 95 % of the cases.  
For instance an important factor in 2017/18 creations, is that manufacturers are working on the internal structures ,that may have a better cohesion and efficiency in turbulent air, BUT with the exact weight load ! Those gliders will have a large weight window to be flown, BUT they are mostly efficient in a smaller one ;-)  ... Example : The Zeno SM goes from 80-100. The most accurate result will be to fly it from 96 till 98. 
The Sigma 10 size 23 weight range (80-100) but the best result is around 96-97. 
Of course it flyable at 90 but you will get pushed by strong thermals ! As you will if you fly a Zeno at 90 ! 
The Cayenne 5 XS is best flown at 92-93 for all conditions. If flown at 89, the internal structure will be unstable in strong air. 
Some probably think that ± 2-3 kg won't matter...But i say it surely does ! :-)
S size 2 kg will matter, M size 3kg, L size 4-5 kg...
Cheers,
Ziad
(PS:  Many pilots cares for performance...But IMHO, my best gliders are the ones that gives me that magical handling feel like an extension to my arms ... in better words  "Wings"   :-)    

Gradient Aspen 6 size 24

Gradient Aspen 6 24 

The Aspen 6 is the 2017-18 C glider from Gradient. I have flown all the Aspens, and after the 5th version which has a slight yaw movement but very good glide ratio especially on top speed, here’s the Aspen 6 test in size 24. (70-90) 

The take off for a 6.4 aspect ratio C glider at 90 all up, is moderate to easy. In the air, the Aspen 6 feels like you are flying a higher rated glider. At 90 all up it feels quite good.Not really overweight…I mean it’s exactly the weight it supposed to be .88 till 90…and could be nice at 92 also. 

In turbulent air the Aspen 6 needs good active piloting for a C glider. It needs slightly more pilot control than a Cayenne 5. 

The brake travel is moderate and on the light side. Much lighter than the Delta 3 and Sigma 10 i had for testing. The ability to turn the Aspen 6 is not as fast as turning the S10, Delta 3 or the Cayenne 5. The Aspen 6 needs a little input and more finesse to get a similar turn. But it could be described as ‘fairly agile’ 

The climb rate compared to a Delta 3 MS is very good ! I think after some flying side by side and swapping gliders, (Delta 3 MS at 94 and Aspen 6 24 at 90) The Aspen 6 showed a ‘slight’ better climb ! 

especially in weak conditions, where i could sense a float ability for the Aspen 6.Even in strong air, the climb rate of the Aspen 6 was very nice ! 

Getting both gliders for some gliding lines showed me after a while that the Aspen 6 24 is really keeping up…very close ! even at 5-7 km/h over trim. 

Underneath the Aspen 6 the feeling is like you have a fine tuned 7 aspect ratio glider in a 6.4 aspect ratio glider…Well that’s the feeling… In turbulent air, there’s no annoying pitch movements. But some efficient ones. The Aspen 6 likes to dance a bit in turbulent air 

 … But much more comfortable than a Poison 3 XS for example. Similar to an LM6 S in feel, but with longer and lighter brakes …I’m trying to place it in order to give you an idea. 

Big ears are stable and reopen on pilot action. 

Conclusion: The Aspen legendary swift handling is unfortunately not available anymore as it was on the Aspen 1-2-3 ...That's the plain fact. But it seems Gradient is aiming for performance efficiency as main target with fair handling. 

Indeed, the Aspen 6 like the Aspen 5, showed me a very efficient C glider in that category. It requires active piloting over the easy Sigma 10 or even the Delta 3. But a good pilot could…have a slight edge for efficiency. I didn’t tried the Aspen 6- 26 (i think it must be loaded at top +105 ) and could feel differently …Hope many pilots out-there will test fly it and report back. 

Cheers, 

Ziad

ADVANCE Sigma 10 (Authenticity at it's best )

ADVANCE Sigma 10  25  (Authenticity at it’s best) 

Here’s the new Sigma…How times go fast…I still remember my flights on the Sigma 4, 19 years ago !!!! high above ‘Cheval blanc’ in Saint Andre…Conditions were rough!  was a bit lost… heavy turbulence…Great memories  ;-) 

But that glider turned on a dime ! It was a dhv 2-3 at the time, and was pretty dynamic in frontals, but what a dream handling it had!

Back to the future now, with the Sigma 10 in size 25 ready to take off finally. As usual, the construction, the sewings, the finishing details of the Sigma 10 is similar to a Ferrari. Don’t expect less.

Launching the 6.1 aspect ratio Sigma 10 is smooth, easy, and without surprises. The take off is immediate.

First turn and my eyebrows are already lifted! The brake travel is very responsive, accurate, precise, direct, and linear. Much better progressive feel over the S9. I flew the Sigma 10 in different conditions, from the sea spots to the higher Cedars range, and i never felt anytime that it was reluctant to turn in any kind of thermic conditions. The Sigma 10 responded to my commands whenever i wanted regardless of what conditions is around. A super obedient glider and a pleasurable one to fly.  It can be placed exactly where the pilots wants.

This excellent brake authority is coupled with a very well structured glider. Whatever it is…optimized Sliced Diagonals, 3D Diamond Shaping, C-Wires…I really don’t know, but i’m very sure that the internal structure of this Sigma 10 is super solid, super coherent, and very efficient in turbulent air. I didn’t noticed any wrinkles on that surface…It seems flawless…Or i could be getting old and needs glasses  ;-)   

i flew the Sigma 10 ,25 from 93 to 97 and it was the optimum weight for any kind of conditions. This coherent solid feel was always present like a guardian. 

I also flew next to my reference glider in the C category, the Cayenne 5 XS at 92 all up. Doing many glides in active air together showed at first a similar glide at trim speed with a very slight edge in trim speed for the S10. The difference was more visual at 40 % of the Sigma 10, red marker. At that speed, with the Cayenne 5 XS matching it also, the Sigma 10 showed me a better glide by a small margin in calm air. In active turbulent air this margin was bigger. For me it was a first. Not one C glider before yet out-glided the cayenne 5. 

Full speed on the Cayenne 5 with the Sigma 10 matching that speed, they showed same glide again. Now the Sigma 10 similarly loaded has +3km/h more top speed. Pushing that speed in front of the Cayenne 5 for a while and releasing it. When the Cayenne 5 reached the Sigma 10, they were again at the same level. 

The best glide for the Sigma 10, size 25  is around 40 % over trim ! 

Climb rate in weak condition less than 0.5 m/s were slightly on the Cayenne 5 which seems slightly a bit floatier. As the thermal are more punchy and powerful, the Sigma 10 shoots quickly upward!  It’s a 6.1 AR, but it does really go up very fast reaching the top of gaggles.    

I noticed that each time the conditions were more turbulent, the Sigma 10, showed more it’s potential by cutting through and moving forward like no Sigma has done before. That’s why, i can confirm swiftly that this Sigma 10 is the best Sigma ever made when it comes to true performance!

Wait…That’s not all ..  :-)   

The Sigma 10 delivers a high comfort in active air ! This swift handling, the solid structure, will let the C pilot control it swiftly and accurately in active air. I can say any Good B pilot could easily upgrade on the Sigma 10 after two seasons on his glider. At it’s optimum weight load, this profile doesn’t pitch back in turbulence, neither forward. It just goes trough turbulence and move forward, letting it’s pilot comfortably relaxed. It’s an efficient glider in headwind or valley breeze, especially for 6.1 AR C glider. I’ll update my C comparison soon, but be prepared to see the Sigma 10 among the most comfortable ones.

There’s one more :-)

The Sigma 10 has one of the most efficient C controls a glider can have. It doesn’t react as a 2 liner, but really close :-) .  

I mean this glider is much more stable than higher rated ones, therefore, when on bar, this efficient C control, will help a lot by reducing any surge movement in active air. So stepping on the pedal is very easy and accessible.

Big ears with outer A’s move slightly but i can say they are stable enough and reopen by a small dab on the brakes or sometimes calmly by themselves. Big ears pulling the B3 and the stabile line works well also, but it’s better for this method to push the bar before pulling them. They reopen swiftly!

Conclusion: Advance has done a marvelous job on this Sigma 10!  They didn’t stretch the aspect ratio, keeping it simple and authentic as it should be. They worked hard on the inner structure and other details and they succeeded to deliver accessible ‘TOP’ performance in the C category. 1- 90% Comfortable, 2- 95% agile, 3- 90% efficient and usable top performance, plus fast enough for a C !  

Happiness emerges from the most simple things in life. The Sigma 10 approaches that philosophy with excellence. 

Fly safe,

Ziad