Sharing thoughts.



Dear Fellow pilots, 


I need to share some thoughts about my tests on this blog. 


I have been flying for a long time, and my country offers some frequent flying conditions. With more than 5000 hours, I stopped logging years ago ...


I have flown more than 260 different glider till now...


I’m 54now. But i still don’t believe it, though i used the calculator many times, but i think its a conspiracy…My eyes still see 30  :-) 


This is a completely FREE blog. No ads. Its a self sponsored blog.  Free service . 


I own a large business, that keeps my family and I, well supported, and my head full of problems to be solved on a daily basis. 


This blog is just to ‘escape’ for a glimpse. To enter my own “Boy’s box” 


Birds cannot change wings, but we are privileged to do so ! 


My dream is to exchange wings, and now I’m living this dream.


I purchase every glider from my own money. Every glider is held at customs and it’s really a tough time releasing one…


I test fly the glider with joy like a boy reaching for an ice cream or a chocolate bar. I still love chocolate  ;-)  A lot…


Then i sell the gliders on this blog, and buy new ones and so on. Sometimes i get some Euros, sometimes i loose some Euros, especially from those “reference” gliders which i keep for a time in order to compare with the newcomers. 


So it means if a glider is so good, i’ll lose money to keep it, but I’ll gain pleasure in flying it which is the MOST important  !


When a glider meets medium criteria, it has to be written exactly as i felt, in my personal humble opinion.  


To be crystal clear: My balance for this operation is purchasing 8-13 new releases by year.   


I don’t have any relation or business whatsoever with any manufacturer but a deep respect for all their R&D team who tries their best to deliver outstanding flying machines ! 


The tests are made with the most precise way, i know how. They represent “humbly” my own PERSONAL FEEL. And I’ll try as much as i can to deliver the closest feel in written words. 


Please bear in mind that: “Different sizes, and different load could lead in a different feel “


If any pilot or manufacturer, would feel offended or misguided from reading those tests, i sincerely apologize.  


If any of you feels happy reading them and watching the videos, then let us fly together on Aladdin’s magic carpets :-)  !!!  





Don’t take them too seriously also…Every pilot has a different feel for his own flying machine :-)


Don’t buy any glider before a test flight if you can ! 


The purpose is to have fun !  


Fly safe !











































Ziad


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Niviuk Arrow M

Image
Niviuk Arrow M   During those 30 years, and of all the harnesses I test flew, this is my first Niviuk harness!   There’s always a first time :-)   I have here for test flying the Niviuk Arrow in size M which has 95 % the same specification as their new Hawk but with a nice elongated fairing.   The size M goes to 178cm pilot height.   I’m 1.81 tall, but when I sat in an M size when I was at the Coupe Icare, it felt ok.   So I ordered two sizes. One M just arrived and one L should arrive in a month or two hopefully.   As you will see in a close-up in the video attached, the finish details and the work done, the sewing, on this Arrow harness is indeed superb and put the NK Arrow among the top-end harnesses for a clean finish detail in the market.   The Arrow pod can be replaced easily if damaged by mistake with side zippers.   There’s a seat plate on the harness.   Under the seat is a pocket that fits a 4 kg water ballast. On the right side...
Read more

OZONE Zeolite GT MS

Image
OZONE Zeolite GT   MS The original Zeolite was used in the latest X-Alps. Ozone released a little sturdier version, but still quite light as it weighs 3.5 kilos, the Zeolite GT. The Zeolite GT is a 2 liner, with a little wooden handle on the B’s. Launching the Zeolite GT at 93 all up, in nil wind is very intuitive. The glider inflates well, and fast. I think it reacts like any C glider in terms of launching. In strong air, the brake authority is present to stop the surge.   The brake pressure is on the moderate side. Firm brake pressure, linear handling, and very good authority for a 6.7 AR glider with very few lines! Turning in thermals is quite nice on the Zeolite GT. A very good authority on the brakes that enables its pilot to have a direct response and feel. The turning behavior is surprisingly nicer than the M7 for example, in homogenous conditions. In turbulent conditions, the authority is still present but the Zeolite movements are quite pronounced, and the work on the...
Read more

UP Summit XC 4

Image
UP Summit XC 4 SM  After my beloved Trango X-Race :-), here’s UP new B glider the Summit XC 4 in SM size. I took a bit of time to write this test, but finally here it is. The XC4 has a aspect ratio of 6.3 with an EN-B rating ! Honestly i wasn’t a fan of the XC3 SM when i test flew it…The overall performance and usability didn’t convince me at the time. Today with the Summit XC 4 i took my time to explore it a little bit and finally managed to get a Carrera plus SM to complete my comparison. Launching the Summit XC 4 is like any mild 6.3 aspect ratio glider. It’s easy to launch…Not like the 5.4 aspect ratio gliders…But it has a homogenous and straight launch. Once airborne, the Summit XC 4 gave me the same brake feel as its bigger sister the X-race ! with a slight more forgiving and filtered feel. But the Summit XC4 strangely has the ‘same’ DNA !  With a medium brake pressure, the XC 4 has a moderate to good agility, A very nice coordinated feel, performance oriented turning ra...
Read more