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This wing is
quite different than the regular Apco Thrust which I have not yet reviewed.
The
Apco representative called it their answer to the rising reflex market.
I didn't note whether it was significantly reflexed but it did have a wide
trim range that is typical of such wings. The model I flew had no
certification sticker but their website claims AFNOR/CEN standard
certification. I didn't get to do a full test and will hopefully revisit
this wing when I get another chance.
It was tested near sea level at 230 pounds
in-flight weight using a Blackhawk Rhino 172. The published weight range
is 220 lbs to 364 lbs so I'm quite light on it. Size is 27.5 m² flat,
23.5 m² projected. My wing loading was 230 / 23.5 m² = 9.78.
Handling (4): Handling was decent,
especially if it's indeed got any significant reflex to it. Solid and
predictable, requiring about the same pressures as the 2004 reflex
gliders. Handling would have been better, crisper, on the small. I was
near the bottom of the Medium's weight range.
Inflation (4): Seemed easy enough even
with simulating light wind. I did not get to really compare inflation of
the three reflex gliders on this day. Since this is being billed as Apco's
response to the Reflex's, that would be telling. A side-by-side test in
the same conditions would be ideal and, if I get the opportunity, I'll do
that. Another test that would be telling was to see how easy if front
tucks when made to come too far overhead while kiting. Reflex wings are very
resistant.
Efficiency (4): This seemed pretty
efficient overall for a motoring wing.
Speed (7): Being light made my speeds
be slower than for most pilots. Trim speed (hands up, no
speedbar) averaged 21.4 mph, trimmers out=24.3 mph. It was not tested with
a speed system since the borrowed motor didn't have one.
Construction (5): I absolutely love
the brake holders on this wing. They're magnetic but enclosed in the riser
so iron laced sand, like what's common on the west coast, doesn't fill
them in. It also comes with two loops on each riser so as to accommodate
either high hook-ins or low.
Certification & Safety (6): This
one had no sticker on it so it's probably not certified through the entire
trim range. With trim in, it's AFNOR/CEN Standard (about the same as DHV1)
so it should be quite predictable during upsets.
Overall (5): It's a good solid wing
that pilots who want to go fast with good safety will enjoy. It should be
pretty good for new pilots, too. If you're into the higher speed wings
this seems to be a good choice but make sure to get the small size or
you'll be disappointed by the speed.
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About Reflex Gliders
There are some basic differences between reflex
and "regular" paragliders that revolve around their shape as shown
above. Mostly it's due to the fact that the A's and B's are extremely loaded in
reflex mode (trimmers fast) and so pulling down one A riser does very little.
The center of pressure is farther forward and they are difficult to collapse. In
fact, one reason why they had difficulty certifying the wings is that the test
pilots couldn't collapse them in certain configurations. Other issues came up
during testing, too, although I don't know what they were.
One telling experience I had was while kiting.
Being skeptical about the stability claims I took one out to kite on a brisk
spring morning with the factory test pilot present. Kiting with the trims in was
fairly standard and the glider indeed had little tendency to overfly me, less
than a regular wing. Then he had me leave the brakes alone. The glider would
come forward and go beyond where I thought it would have tucked (frontal) but it
didn't. It just stayed there. Bizarre. Same with the trims out, it was
incredibly resistant to collapsing. Kiting was quite easy using just the tip
steering lines.
A darker side emerged when I went to kite with
the trimmers out using brakes. The wing collapsed almost immediately and was
very difficult to kite. I was told it wasn't designed to be used that way: with
trimmers out and on speedbar it's extremely stable but NOT with the brakes being
pulled.
Apparently the Reaction wing (one of numerous
reflex-type gliders) warns against using speedbar with trimmers set slow just
because of this behavior.
These wings serve their mission well but command
respect and understanding.
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