“It has been suggested that the Ikuma doesn’t have very good climbing ability. I couldn’t disagree more. After flying the wing for over ten hours in the thermals of the south of France I found it a delight. “Flying the wing smack bang in the middle of the weight range I had no problem keeping […] …read more
Author: winguu
A is for Accessible: The new EN A class
Smaller inlets, three riser technology, 3D panel shaping, plastic rods and mini-ribs… yes we’re talking EN A technology. Pat Dower researches how trickle-down technology has revolutionised the school glider class. See what’s in Issue 169 …read more
The Journey Inside: By Kinga Masztalerz
“A minute later I’m turning in consistent 3m/s lift up to cloudbase, and I know that I’m coming back from a deep and dark journey. “I take my time to enjoy it, slowly drifting north and then crossing toward End Peak. I look at the lake and the mountains. I’m high, happy, calm. “I feel […] …read more
Hidden Kingdom: Exploring Mustang by air
“We woke at 5.30am. About 30 minutes later our group set off: four flying Swiss, two flying Nepalis and six porters. Our hike took us through the barren, treeless, bizarrely eroded landscape up to a ridge at 3,520 metres. “Here we laid out our gliders, watching for sharp stones that were a danger to the […] …read more
Honza’s Weather: Windflow around big mountains
“The upwind stagnation zone is due to a ram-air effect. There is a localised area of high pressure that slows the wind on the upwind side…” In Cross Country 169, May 2016, Honza Rejmanek explains the micro-met you need to know to make accurate wind assessment. See what’s in Issue 169 …read more
Allen Weynberg: Weekend Warrior
“Sam couldn’t play today. He had a Skype meeting with the IT department and a latte with one sugar to enjoy”, writes Allen Weynberg in northern Australia. “So it’s just me, alone with my insecurities, poor phone reception and a continent the size of Europe with a population density only slightly higher than the moon….” […] …read more
Icaristics: Measuring aspect ratio – ‘It’s hard!’
“Paragliders are not flat, and have a significant arc, which leads to two values: flat aspect ratio, when the wing is laid on the ground, and projected aspect ratio, when it is flying. “How do you measure A/R in practise? You can’t use the numbers published by manufacturers as they quote numbers that come from […] …read more
The Skipper: Gavin McClurg’s Top 10 Flying do’s-and-don’ts
“Always sample a lot of air. Nick Greece is one of the best climbers I know. Efficient fast gliding is no doubt the hardest aspect of flying far, but we can’t glide without climbs and Nick says his way to the top is by sampling a lot of air on the way up. Explore to […] …read more
Go Further: How much does a pod harness help?
“Wind tunnel tests show that at trim speed, a faired pod harness has roughly half the drag coefficient of a seated harness.” Looking at the maths, this translates to a huge improvement in glide performance even for pilots flying EN B pilots. Skywalk’s research finds that the fairing at the rear of the pod is […] …read more
Naked Pilot: Randi Eriksen
“Pilots are going to have to get used to reading the report and not just looking at the letter”, says Randi Eriksen from test house Air Turquoise. “Now, if a glider uses folding lines to make a collapse then it automatically gets a D. But the results in the manouvres may be B or C. […] …read more