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#400112
Who has flown these gliders and are able to give a comparison in terms of handling, glide etc.? I enjoy my coastal flying and sometimes inland flying... I am looking at getting one of these. I have plenty/countless hours on coastal/dune gooning conditions with my SS surface gliders. I love the fact that Single Surface gliders are so nice and light because the older the more I start considering the weight of hangggliders.
Basically, I'm looking for a bit more performance/glide:)
#400119
WW U2, especially the carbon version. They are sweet and easy wings to fly -with performance included. YMMV but I would be considering this wing as well.

8)
#400134
Bateleur wrote: Thu Aug 24, 2017 11:55 pm I enjoy my coastal flying and sometimes inland flying... I am looking at getting one of these.
I would add the Northwing Pulse into consideration. It does not have the glide performance of the other gliders, but other than the Gecko I don't think they are as well suited to the dunes as a Pulse.
#400236
TomGalvin wrote: Sat Aug 26, 2017 11:58 am
Bateleur wrote: Thu Aug 24, 2017 11:55 pm I enjoy my coastal flying and sometimes inland flying... I am looking at getting one of these.
I would add the Northwing Pulse into consideration. It does not have the glide performance of the other gliders, but other than the Gecko I don't think they are as well suited to the dunes as a Pulse.
Thanks for the recommendation. I don't think the Moyes Gecko or WW Sport 2 would be suited for dune gooning. It would either be the Falcon 4 or Moyes malibu or the Pulse.. Would you say the Northwing Pulse is better suited for dune gooning or coastal flying in general than the Falcon 4, Moyes Malibu or Sport 2C? What is the weight of the Northwing Pulse?
#400364
I've flown a Rio 2 but none of the others. I think the Rio 2 is very similar to the Sting - about 60% double surface or so, light, has a VG which improves the sink rate a bit but not as dramatically as on a higher-performance glider like at U2. Nice easy handling and landing, and very easy to set up (no tip wands - I hate tip wands!)

If you're into dune gooning though I'd have a look at the Avian Fly - it uses the same airframe as the Rio 2 but has a single surface sail, so it's close on performance but is lighter and more nimble. It has a higher aspect ratio than most other SS gliders and I think rather better performance, although I've never done a side-by-side test. It has nice light pitch which makes it more fun to whip around for an experienced pilot, and you can get it with a VG. It's possibly similar in performance to a Northwing Freedom, but I've never flown one.

I used to work at Avian's factory in 2012-2013 and almost sold my U2 for a Fly - I used to love flying that thing, I always had a blast on it. There are some photos of me flying it on Avian's Facebook page here - I took one of the factory models fitted with a Supine control frame to Ager which was great fun!

https://www.facebook.com/pg/AvianHangGl ... tab=albums

https://www.facebook.com/AvianHangGlide ... 623995356/

Hope this helps