NMERider wrote: ↑Mon May 21, 2018 6:17 pm
pazorin wrote: ↑Mon May 21, 2018 3:12 pm
Is there any side to side comparison of the WW Sport 3 vs the Moyes Gecko available?
Have any of you had a chance to fly both wings to provide us with a comparision between these intermediate wings?
Thanks!
I've flown both gliders and for making a buying decision it would be a toss-up for many pilots depending on price, local support and availability. Since I love near both the Wills Wing factory and the Moyes importer, none of that is an issue to me. I personally prefer the Sport 3 155 over the Gecko 155 for a significant number of reasons. If I were to perform a side-by-side task race comparison with a similar pilot it may go either way based upon my 12 hours of S3 and 1/1/2 hours of Gecko time. But overall for me the S3 is the clear winner due to it's lighter weight, quicker handling and significantly higher useful glide speed which is due in part to flutter in the Gecko I tested along with other Gecko owned by pilots I know. Other factors include the more comfortable way the S3 control bar is rigged and the shape of the control bar itself. Have you read my review of the S3? https://issuu.com/us_hang_gliding_parag ... 1804_issuu page 36
Pagen's review of the Gecko https://issuu.com/us_hang_gliding_parag ... 1602_issuu Page 26
You figure out who the independent review really is.
Cheers, JD
I think NMERider hit the nail on the head with his review and evaluation, and an unbiased opinion. The comment about local support is the biggest for me. I just purchased the S3 reviewed HG 6 weeks ago, and can honestly say I have 0 complaints. None. Could I have said that about the Gecko? Probably, but I actually think when Wills Wing gets the 170 S3 model going, they will have a wider based selection that accommodates a broader optimum weight range than Moyes. I fly with some Gecko's around Lookout, and I believe 90% of a comparison is the pilot. The glider can only do so much. Where I fly, quick handling is king. Am I biased towards Wills Wing? Yes. But if I honestly thought there was something the Gecko could do so much better, and would make me a much better pilot, loyalty would go out the window.
I read Pagen's review, and some good stuff. I would submit that the S3 (at least the "tuned" model I have), is a better overall selection. I have "heard" the flutter comments from locals before about the Gecko, but have never personally witnessed it, so I take that with a grain of salt. However, I have never heard the "flutter" comment about a Sport. To each his own on that.
I will say the S3R is an absolute joy to fly, and I have had some amazing flights so far on it. If I were the "writer" that NMERider is, I would do a review, but I am not in his league, nor would anyone give a flip about what I thought!
Last comments, and again, my old humble opinion, but a comment Pagen made in the review was on par with what I have experienced since returning to HG the past year after a 30 year layoff. He commented something about "why would anyone want a different glider... and keep the topless wings for the competitions... etc.".. My thought exactly. I have seen too many "locals" jump up to a topless, thinking the glider is going to make them king of the hill, make them better, etc., when all it does is scare the crap out of them because they 1. are not proficient enough to handle the glider 2. they don't fly enough to maintain that proficiency or 3. both!. Ego gets in the way, and they are too "proud" to step back down to a lesser performing glider, then they basically quit. Not good for the sport at all. You must question why you get in the sport anyway. To have fun? To be safe? Then compete? I personally compete with myself first, not others. This is an individual sport. Again, just an ole man's option and thoughts.