How hot is hot? High-end EN Bs on test

Wednesday 18 February, 2015

There are plenty of good wing reviews being written right now, from Ziad Bassil’s to peer reviews on forums. At Cross Country we don’t kid ourselves that we’re producing definitive reviews, but we do try and offer something unique and different to add to the picture.

In January, we took two high end EN-Bs – the Advance Iota and Summit XC3 – to Monaco. We wanted to learn more about the EN test system, and what these high-end B wings are like in really dynamic situations. We were lucky enough to have expert guidance and a safety boat ready to scoop us up if it all went wrong. It was a fascinating experience. Both wings were very different in character, and need different piloting in certain situations.

Hugh Miller full stalls the Advance Iota over Monaco. Photo: Ant Green

Usually when we review wings we fly them for at least 20 hours and aim to log several 50+ km XCs on them to get a really good understanding of how they fly. We like to get under their skin, rather than work off first impressions, which can be misleading. This was a different, more ‘out there’ review experience, so we have asked our friends at Thermik magazine to contribute their thoughts on the wings’ more general flying characteristics and personalities. That’s all coming up in Issue 158, out in March.

Above all, our reviews aim to convey the character of the wings we’re lucky enough to fly. Of course, we’re a magazine that relies on advertising, but manufacturers generally respect our need to give credible, independent reviews – otherwise, there’s no point publishing them. As just two examples, we went out on a limb stating we thought the Air Design Volt was a more accessible ‘C’ wing than the Ozone Delta 2, and while we loved Niviuk’s Artik 4, we felt we lacked the experience to comfortably enjoy the Peak 3 in all situations.

Of course, our views are subjective, but we hope we can help round out the picture when you’re choosing you next wings to test fly.