At last, a real EN-C wing!’ Alpine guide Kelly Farina said on the Elan’s release. Mac Para say it’s, “The new relaxing way to enjoy paragliding.” Marcus King finds out for himself
I reviewed the EN-B Eden 5 last winter and enjoyed its dynamic direct handling and secure, forgiving nature.
After the review I chatted to designer Petr Recek, who told me, “If you liked the Eden’s handling you’re going to love the new EN C we’re working on.”
At that point there were just some early protos but no wings for test flights but my interest was piqued and I couldn’t wait to try it out when I got the chance.
I was chomping at the bit then to get in the air when the Elan arrived, so took it out on a less than perfect day at Gréolières, my local mountain launch in the south of France. The day was rather overcast but with a good breeze on take-off.
The Elan has a swept-back planform with a nearly straight trailing edge. Aspect ratio is a fairly conservative 6.18 with 62 cells. You’ll find mini-ribs on the trailing edge, which improve the shaping of this important part of the profile, and 38g/m2 Skytex material is used throughout.
Clipped in and ready to go, a light pull on the three A-lines sees the Elan rise steadily overhead taking very little piloting on the ground. In fact in all wind conditions, I noted the same easy behaviour: calm and steady. Even a light and fickle wind on the mat above Monaco gave the Elan no problems…
The full review is in Cross Country issue 159 (May 2015).
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