Paraglider Review: 2007 Paratoys Speed Demon 27

The Speed Demon is a reflex glider intended for speed with collapse resistance. It's similar to the Dudek Reaction (they now have a new one, the Reaction GST) but I did not compare line, cells or other dimensions. The Speed Demon retails for $2500.

Tested in-flight weight was 230 lbs with a riser spread of 18.6" using a Blackhawk Rhino 172. This machine did not have a speedbar so I was unable to test the full speed range. There is no weight range yet published but I have been told that I'm near the bottom which will make for significantly slower speeds and less crisp handling. 

Using numbers from a reaction 27 wing (27.8 m² flat, 24.6 m² projected), the projected wing loading was 230 / 24.6 = 9.35 lbs / m².

Handling (3): It feels solid and smooth. The correct and smaller size would have likely been much better but all reflex gliders (that I've flown) sacrifice some handling for their speed and solidness. This one has good responsiveness but took more pressure to achieve the turns. It can handle the increased pressure, though, with little risk of spinning.

Handling gets noticeably stiffer with the trimmers out, as with most reflex wings, but I didn't do much trim-out maneuvering. If I get another chance to fly one then I'll add comment here. Tip steering works by making the tip line (stabilo) readily accessible for turning. If you're flying it accelerated, you'll appreciate this feature since the brakes are heavier at the fastest speeds. You pull the left tip line to turn left and right tip line to turn right. With the trimmers out, it's easier to turn it with tip steering plus weight shift is also effective.

It's recommended not to use the speedbar in the slow trim configuration, especially while using brakes for steering or speed control.

Inflation (4): For a reflex glider, inflation may be a bit better than average. It was quite easy to reverse launch in a 6 mph breeze. It only gets a 4 because all reflex gliders tend to require more effort. The original Reflex was a 1 on inflation. However, once the technique is learned, especially that you have to stay on the A's longer, then it's not an issue. It tends to come up straight and is easily controllable with the brakes alone although not as much as lower aspect ratio wings.

Efficiency (4): This is a mixed bag. The glider seemed quite efficient with the trimmers in. That was most apparent on landing where I could fly along the ground, power off, for 15 feet or so while bleeding off speed. Expect your fuel burn per hour to be high but, since you're going faster, the fuel burn per mile will be average. Not surprisingly, the faster you go, the more fuel burn increases and, since reflex gliders go faster than others, their fuel burn is commensurately higher. A paraglider is an exceedingly draggy craft—going fast means gulping fuel.

Speed (8): Trim speed (hands up, no speedbar) averaged 23.6 mph, trimmers out=25.6.4 mph, speedbar full=not tested. These speeds will be much better for pilots at the recommended higher weights. This is part of the reason why its almost not fair to the wing to test below the weight range.

Construction (5): According to Elisabeth Guerin, a now-experienced wing inspector, the glider is not as stout as some other reflex gliders but is plenty strong for it's mission. The lighter construction is probably what improves inflation characteristics.

Certification & Safety (6): To my knowledge, none of the reflex gliders are certified thru their entire speed range, that is, with trimmers out and full speedbar. This one has not been through any certification process but, depending on how close it is to the Reaction, it would be expected to be a CEN Performance which is about like a DHV 2. With the trimmers full out or with speedbar used in the slow configuration, all bets are off.

It would not be ideal for a first wing since it's more challenging to inflate and it has some dark corners that new pilots should not have to worry about. 

Overall: I'm not into going fast and that is what this wing is about: speed with stability. If speed is part of your mission than this glider is as good as the other reflex models I've flown.