FUTURE OF PARAGLIDING?? 🪂 Ozone Photon EN C 2-Liner 1st Review & Comparison Artik R Bonanza 3 Volt 4
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- čas přidán 9. 04. 2023
- First impressions review of Ozone's new EN C 2-liner, the Photon. In today's video, Flybubble Carlo shares his thoughts after test-flying the Ozone Photon, and comparing it to the other EN C 2-liners he's tested so far, the AirDesign Volt 4, Gin Bonanza 3 and Niviuk Artik R. Are 2-liners the future of paragliding in all classes?!
The reason Carlo test flew the Photon ML and Artik R 25 with his Lightness 3, and the Bonanza 3 M with his Impress 4 is because of the differences in the weight ranges between these wings. The Photon ML and Artik R 25 have a max load of 105 kg, whereas the Bonanza 3 M has max load of 110 kg, so he needed to fly with a heavier harness. As he's very used to changing gear for testing, and knows these harnesses very well, Carlo is able to filter out the differences in feeling these different harnesses make. So far he's also flown the Artik R 25 with the Supair Delight 4 and Niviuk Arrow. More reviews to follow.
Ozone: "The Photon brings near-competition class performance to experienced sport class pilots. All of Ozone’s 2-liner know-how has gone into designing this wing. A long development period with extensive prototyping and hundreds of hours of flying and safety testing has gone into this project, and we are very satisfied with the Photon's "True Performance" in real XC conditions. The Photon represents the missing link between conventional 3-liners and high-performance wings such as the Zeno2 and Enzo3.
Certified EN C and available in six sizes, it [the Photon] is suitable for experienced pilots who have prior time flying EN C category wings and possess a high level of glider control skills with recent SIV experience."
Find more info of Ozone Photon: flybubble.com/ozone-photon
Find other EN C 2 liners here: flybubble.com/wings/sports-pa...
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This is what I love about fly bubble.. honest and matter of fact reviews regardless of distributor and retail obligations. Another excellent review and thanks for dropping that AI voice over Carlos lol. 👍👍
Oh Yesss!!!! Thanks for the honest review Carlo, brilliant work!
Woho 🥳 Glad that you enjoyed! A lot more to come. Thank you 🙏
Top review as always ! That is exactly what we need to know gliders' behavior. Thank you.
Happy to hear that! Thank you for your support 😍🚀🙏
Was waiting for this video! great job thank you
Excellent write up. I just got 90mins on my ML Photon 2 days ago and agree completely with your assessment. I was 103kg all up and this is my first 2-liner. I’ve already shared this video since I couldn’t describe mine better!
Thanks Paul, great to hear. Coincidentally, I was testing a size ML Photon for this video, mostly at around 102-103 kg all-up. Great wing, with excellent performance in the sports class! 😁
Thanks for the review. I'm not in the market for EN-C 2-liner (just a B class pilot), but I'm very interested in the technological development of these gliders. It's great to see what the manufacturers can do with the new regulations.
Thanks for watching! 🥳 We agree, it is absolutely amazing to follow up the development of our "flying machines"!
Very helpful how you classify the new C-Gliders. Thanks a lot! 😀
Happy to help! 🙏
For info, the reason I test flew the Photon ML and Artik R 25* with my Lightness 3, and the Bonanza 3 M with my Impress 4 is because of the differences in the weight ranges between these wings. The Photon ML and Artik R 25 have a max load of 105 kg, whereas the Bonanza 3 M has a max load of 110 kg, so to fly with similar wing loadings I had to fly the Bonanza 3 M with a heavier harness. * I have so far also flown the Artik R 25 with the Supair Delight 4 and Niviuk Arrow - Flybubble reviews of these to follow.
Could you not have carried ballast?
@@turkeyphant Yes, and I sometimes do fly with ballast (in various forms), but a) I really hate carrying ballast, b) it also affects the way the harness (and so wing) feels and c) I'm very used to changing harnesses, so quite used to filtering out the differences they make. I just mentioned that I flew with different harnesses for info in the review. I talk in a more detail about this aspect in my coming wing and harness reviews (Artik R, Bonanza 3, Arrow... ) but we'll have to see if what I said makes the final cut! 🎞✂🎞🤓
Thanks, top notch review, very informative!
Glad it was helpful! Thank you for your support! 🙏🥳
Very informative! Thank you! 👍
Glad you enjoyed it! 🙏 Thank you!
See the new and used Sports Paragliders we currently have in stock and on offer on our website:
flybubble.com/wings/sports-paragliders
flybubble.com/used/used-wings
We are main dealers for the nearly forty freeflight brands listed on our website, and can supply pretty much any gear from any freeflight brand if we wish to. Just as when we advise our customers on which gear is right and best for them, our reviews are simply our 100% honest opinion about them. Not everyone may agree with our opinion but our advice and reviews are always 100% honest. It's just how we are as people, and have always been. If some cannot understand that, and can only see a cynical point of view, this says only about them and nothing about us.
Another Nice and complète review.
Glad you liked it! More to come 🙏 Thanks for support!
Great honest review, nice one.
Thanks! 😊 🙏
Ozone Photon currently in stock at Flybubble in sizes MS and ML: flybubble.com/ozone-photon
Hey Greg, thanks for the review!
Hey, glad you enjoyed the review! 😁 Fyi, Greg left Flybubble in early 2020, during the first UK Covid-19 lockdown, to set up his own YT channel, Fly With Greg. So now the freeflight community can enjoy two channels, with different voices and opinions. Win, win! 😃
@@flybubblecarlo oh thanks Carlo, I didn't knew about that. So I will join both channels 🙂
Great review...........thanks!
Glad it was helpful! Thank you for your support 🚀
Gorgeous wing ❤
Related new video: Are EN C 2-Liners For You? - THE FUTURE OF PARAGLIDING or JUST HYPE? czcams.com/video/krmgwDk95xY/video.html
fantastic colouration
Thank you so much! 😊
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Thank you for the very good remarks and analysis wings feeling and pilot skill, of this incredible new generation En C glider, I have actually a bonanza 2 and I will test an Ozone photon and Bonanza 3 for comparaison. Thank you
Great, thanks! I highly recommend you test the Artik R for comparison too. Review of this and the Bonanza 3 to follow.
Bonanza 3 review very soon... 🪂
czcams.com/video/4vdG2PATCL8/video.html
Beautiful wing 👍
Are 2-Liners the future of paragliding in all classes? 😏 What do you think?
Someone must be trying to get collapse lines allowed for En B tests.
In 10 years we say; “remember how we used to fly 3 liners?“
I don't think so, as the two liner concept makes only a significant difference in performance in a higher speed range (fe. drag squared speed...).
There for, at least in the A class it does not make sense and it is questionable for the B class...
Higher speed also means higher dynamic, which is as well a savety factor the pilot must be able to control... 😊
@@MarkvanEs Just like they flew 4 liners, 10 years ago! Coming up: 1 liner in 10 years... ^^
@@mcbrite 🤣nice one-liner
Since my first impressions review video of the Photon was published a month ago - in which I shared some comparisons with the Bonanza 3 and Artik R - I've flown all three of these wings quite a bit more, in a good variety of conditions, and often in close proximity to very good pilots flying these and similar wings. So I've gotten to know these wings quite well, and had good opportunity to compare them with others.
If I have time and things work out, I will publish another, more detailed review of the Photon. Having flown it some more, in a wider variety of conditions and with different harnesses, my first impressions haven't changed much, as touched upon in my recent review of the Artik R. To be clear, as a few seem to somehow be getting the wrong end of the stick, I think the Photon is an excellent wing, with excellent performance in the class. The pilots demands that are fine for the class (High C) but overall a bit higher than the others I've tested, now including the Skywalk Mint. In terms of feeling, the Photon is the wing that moves around most; the least cohesive / solid feeling of the five EN=C 2-liners I've tested so far (AirDesign Volt 4, Gin Bonanza 3, Niviuk Artik R, Ozone Photon and Skywalk Mint). in terms of handling, the Photon and Volt 4 are the least responsive and nimble (for me personally, this also means the least pleasurable). However these 'could be better' points for the Photon are more of a compliment to the other four EN-C 2 liners I've tested than they are a criticism of the Photon. It seems to me that Ozone have prioritised performance over pilot demands, feeling and handling. This isn't all that surprising considering where the Photon fits in Ozone's range. Also it's likely what some pilots looking to buy a new EN C 2-liner will be looking for, especially more competition and results oriented pilots.
In a few years everyone will be flying 2 liners.
Currently on a HighB and I plan to finish of this season with it. But I'll be damned if I don't take a sniff of the 2 liner Cs this season as well. I wanna see what this 2 liner "revolution" is all about.
Skywalk Mint and Swing Libra RS missing from comparison. Those exciting. Hopefully Nova comes out with something similar in EN C two liner group or 2,5 hybrid version . Thanx Carlo for this video!
Thanks airgabor para. 🙂 I already have a Skywalk Mint on order and will certainly test that (although after this UK winter we have a big backlog of gear to test and review). If time, weather, filming etc work out, I plan to publish a review (my opinion) of the Mint also. I'll probably not have time or opportunity to test the Swing Libra RS, which I suppose others will. Cheers.
@@flybubblecarlo Great news Carlo!! We love your superb, honest reviews!!! Have a great pg season!
@@airgaborpara3824 You too! 👋😀
Thank you for your test. One question though, I am not a competitor but have flown a Mantra 6 for 4 years now. How would you compare the Photon in terms of handling in tricky conditions. My friends used to say that the two tips of the M6 were moving forwards and backwards but have never noticed it! I am aiming at a more stable wing in tricky thermals (not necessarily strong, but at least bumpy). Thank you!
Thanks a lot again for a great review and comparison 😍 I am eagerly waiting for the Skywalk Mint review as well though 🙃 some say it is easier to fly than the Cayenne and might be the easiest amongst the en-c 2 liners. Would love to hear your thoughts on that 🙂
We have a Skywalk Mint on order for me to test. 🪂🧪 I hope it handles more like the CAYENNE5, which I liked a lot, rather than the CAYENNE6. 🤞
I had some really nice flights on the CAYENNE5: xcleague.com/xc/leagues/2015-1.html
I'm also excited about Mint.. 😊 it will be difficult to decide which one is better..
@@leilajanaina2605 I've now also tested the Mint a good amount, in good testing conditions, including flying closely with very good pilots on Volt 4s, Artik Rs, Photons and Zeno 2s, amongst many others (busy skies over small sites). More testing and filming to be done, and other reviews ahead in the editing pipeline (can't do everything at once), before we publish our review of it. In brief, pilot demands are more mid C - both on the ground and in the air - with apparently excellent all-round performance (more testing to be done to be m ore sure) and the feeling, I'm happy to report, is, surprisingly, more akin to the Chili5 than the Cayenne6.
@Flybubble Carlo great! Good to know and actually what strikes me about when you said that Mint is similar to Chilli than C6... I have a C6 and I really like it... more than Chilli which was my last wings or my GIN Carrera, the previous one. Well, that's interesting!! 😎 but I must confess that I like the skywalk DNA.. let's wait a little bit more. Thanks again for all your attention and for the videos, it really helps a lot! Have a good flight 😉
Carlo, im currently flying a Rush 6, feeling very confident on it and making + 80 kms flight. Its a great wing!
Currently im expecting to level up my wing to an EN-C glider for Christmas, I will like a recomendation if I should buy a Delta 4 (which I thing its a really similar wing in terms of handling and performance with the Rush 6) ornif I should go straight for a Photon.
Thanks by the way!! Great video!
czcams.com/video/4vdG2PATCL8/video.html
Thanks sooo much for doing these! There are Invaluable!
My experience with my Gin Explorer as well as EVERYTHING I heard, read and saw so far point me strongly toward Bonanza 3! - To me it sounds basically like they made it for the C-Pilot-Masses and fun flying, rather than 100% pure best performance possible in the class. And they said as much! - I lost 20kg since christmas/new year, so I'm basically forced to get a new wing if I want to fly without 10kg Ballast (not great for hike and fly...) - I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempted!
Bonanza 3 review very soon... 🪂
czcams.com/video/4vdG2PATCL8/video.html
Thanks for the video, I´m waiting for the Photon ML, usually Gin make "spicy" gliders than Ozone and the other brands, it looks like in this model Gin left that mindset instead ozone?, I´ll let you know how it goes in the PH. Tks for sharing.
What? Last spicy Gin I remember is from like 10 years ago? Carrera I think it was called?
I found the Mint very easy to handle on the ground, from the looks much easier. But I've not tried other en C 2 liners
Thank for sharing your experience with us! 🙏
Haha, yes. You're so right, I never thought I'd meet you here. How have you been doing?😊
czcams.com/video/4vdG2PATCL8/video.html
In our comps this year, Photos dominated (all top 3 places were Photons), so all this musing about the different 2-liners is again rendered largely irrelevant. I don't see a noticeable difference in pilot demand from Delta 3, but the gain in performance is amazing. Our Bonanzas and Artiks could not keep up with Photon's climb in weak conditions and its endless glide. Best 2-liner for long XCs so far based on stats. The rest is... subjective fluff ))
My experience flying the photon has been quite deferent. The B3 must be an amazing glider based on your review of the Photo.
how has your experience flying the photon deferent. I am in the process of getting a photon having flown the delta series for 300 hours.
For one I did not feel the movement made me “uncomfortable”. I think with your experience on the Delta you will most probably be very comfortable on the Photon. I am a very happy owner and cannot wait to fly the photon more, the performance was clearly noticeable in xc flying. It is clearly very different to the B3 and soon we will understand what that means for comp and xc flying…
Na sua opinião, qual delas tem o melhor equilíbrio entre desempenho, segurança e durabilidade, photon , artik r ou Bonanza 3 ?
Have you made any experience with Trango X?
Will you be testing it using an Impress 4 in your follow up testing? Is it a glider that you can settle into, 2 hours may not be enough to get the the glider dialled-in and needs time to adjust too.
Hey Iain. Yes, I do plan to also test the Photon with the Impress 4. The reason I flew the Photon ML (and Artik R 25) with my Lightness 3 and the Bonanza 3 M with my Impress 4 is because of the differences in the weight ranges. The Photon ML and Artik R 25 are max 105 kg, the Bonanza 3 M max 110 kg. Please don't read too much into my saying the the Photon moves around more than the other EN-C 2 liners I've tested; this is more of a compliment to the other 3 than it is a criticism of the Photon. I think you're going to like the Photon more than you do your Mantra M7 (which I know you're not that happy with) but the Photon is of course not as easy to launch or fly as your Delta 4. I hope you'll find it easier to launch and nicer to fly that your Mantra M7 - but I think it's wise you don't do your first flights on the Photon in Macedonia, if only to give you time to get used to it in easier UK conditions. Hope this helps! See you on the hill again soon! 🙂
@@flybubblecarlo After flying my Photon with the impress 4, I found it to be Brilliant. The comment about flying two wings I did find flying into thermals. It rocks about a bit on entry but calms down once it is in the thermal doing a banking turn. I got use to this behaviour quite quickly. The other thing I found was it drops into the turn initially if you are hard on the brakes on the initially part of the turn. I found it almost as agile is the delta 4 and much better than the LM7. Then comes the glide and speed. These are fantastic. These give you so much more reach in the air. This a a truly fantastic XC machine. I almost went XC with two guys after the first 15 mins of flying but decided that getting use to the wing would be better, so flew round Mount Caburn for 4 hours . fantastic day out. I am now very temped to take it to Macedonia.
Did you test the EN C 2 liners from SOL Paragliders, the LT 2, I would like to know your impressions of this gliders.
I'm a brasilian pilot and I'm flyng the Sycross, an EN B hot from SOL Paragliders.
Hi Lucio. No, haven't - and in reality I probably won't have either spare time or opportunity to do so. After this UK winter, we already have a big backlog of new gear to test - and lots more to come! 🪂🪂🪂🪂
Haha, yes. You're so right, I never thought I'd meet you here. How have you been doing?😊
As long as you don't have to be Uber wealthy to enjoy the best equipment...🤔🤔. Dwight. Glendale, Arizona USA... Thanks for posting
Thank you for watching Dwight! 🙏🙏🙏
@@flybubbleparagliding NOW go get an 8m Ozone Rapidos and make some real videos LOL thank you.
excellent
Thank you for your good review.
If you want to race, and top speed and glide are important to you, what is your choice?
Photon or Artik R
@@amirflyer At almost 80 years old I don't want to be up in the air for very long... So believe it or not a quick ride from A to B on Speed Wing is all I need LOL. Thanks for taking the time to get back to me... Can't hike like I used to though...😆 Haven't bought a new wing in years... Don't have any want to do soaring anymore...
@@dwightbernheimer331 😜🪂💨
What about assimetryc colapse? Has it got "similar" behaibiour as Delta in NOT getting in to autorotation?
Delta 4 will go into autorotation leaning into a held in asymmetric collapse (see my channel - Alpina 4). It will go in quicker with a slight roll to the opposite side before pulling the collapse. So it will autorotate from collapsing in turbulent air. The only wing I've heard of that is almost impossible to autorotate with a held in collapse in calm air (even with opposite roll) is the Epsilon 8 (and 9 and probably DLS). In turbulent air, and with certain cravats, all bets are off on any wing.
You can't really test collapse behaviour of the 2-liners without folding lines (it's either too little collapse or too much if you yank on the As).
All pilots, regardless of wing, should be able to stop any rotation within 90 degrees.
Happy flying whatever you fly!! 😃
@@7up-weee Ok. I will do the question in different way. What about the autorotation behaibiour is comparing to other EN C 2liner gliders?
I'm not saying Delta 3 is imposible to autorotate but I can confirm that after flying it in really hard conditions, all the colapses I had where easily solved. I also did a SIV and was not "easy" to autorotate this glide.
Finally I decided to buy the photon. After trying some glides like Artik R, Zeno1 and Bonanza3, the Photon was the one I most enjoyed. Lets see how this season goes on and if Im able to mantain 200h of air time.
Photon looks amazing! I doubt you’ll be disappointed.
I don’t think it would be any more likely than any other of theCs to auto from a normal collapse - there really isn’t all that much drag to pull us in when the fabric is not cravatted and is just flapping like a streamer. Obviously if the collapse is 80%er on bar it’s going to shoot hard and start to turn - all of them are. Main concern is that 6.5 AR has higher chance to cravat than the 6 of the delta. But it’s about the same AR for the other Cs. That’s my main concern with higher AR wings. I’ve done lots of practice clearing cravats and stopping rotations but near the terrain I like a stubbier wing 😂. I am tempted though.
What AUW were you flying at and on what size Carlo?
Hey Seth. For this review, I flew a Photon ML at weights between 100-104 kg.
ps. Initial impressions are the Photon ML prefers to be flown well loaded, in the top third of the weight range, but I'll try flying it lower in the weight range to be sure. As with other wings we offer, I plan to fly the Photon more, in more sizes, at different weights, with different harnesses, so I can best advise pilots choosing to buy their wing through us, as part of our Flybubble MATCH service.
🤤
Why didn't you mention Swing Libra RS?
It's an enc 2 liner with the highest aspect ratio.
Why didn't you mention all of the other things I didn't mention?😉 I can't remember where now but I already answered someone else somewhere about the Swing Libra RS, and other new EN-C 2 liners. 🤓 Short answer: a) try as I might, I can't remember everything and b) In these short free videos it's not possible to cover everything. ⌚ For everything, there's the rest of the internet. 🕸 We're just sharing our thoughts and opinions, based on over 30 years of freeflight, for free, with the basic aim to help freeflight pilots all around the world. 🌐
Can you make a Flare Moustache review? Pretty pleeeeeease :)
Thanks for the request Tech Max. Actually I'm personally quite interested in testing the Flare Moustache, but we have many other higher priorities well ahead of that. From watching others fly them, my impression is that it is a very niche wing - much more so than many seem to think it is - requiring a much higher degree of skill to fly - and much less forgiving - than normal paragliders or mini wings. Having said this, it looks like something I would personally enjoy flying, so I definitely will if the opportunity arises (and I don't have other higher priority gear to test at the same time).
@@flybubblecarlo Don't judge it, before you flew it ;)
I have one and I'm flying it since a while.
You think it's more demanding.
From my experience, it's only demanding in terms of flightspeed. Other than that, it has many advantages compared to paragliders that are less demanding, not more demanding such as: Lift on demand at start (easiest start you'll ever do on the larger moustaches ofc), sink without high G forces, basically uncollapsable front, making dangerous 3/4 asymetric collapses unlikely, and full frontals equally so, which are the most dangerous of collapses, always having tensions on your lines, as reflex wants to fly away from you, which makes it feel extremely comfortable in turbulent air, no immediate/uncontrollable lift up at steep terrain with some upwind, higher fly speed when wind is unexpectedly freshing up....
The list is long.
The single onyl disadvantage I see so far is that when you want to hang in the air for 8-12 hours, your arms will get tired xD. Other than that, I really only see advantages. Side collapses are harmless, as can be seen on one of their introductory videos.
I hope I teased you a bit. :P
I flew Advance PI, and then the Advance Eps, and I'm now moving towards flying moustache only, because it just feels so much better.
I love your reviews by the way, which is why I'm so interested in your opinion ;)
Depower and reflex profile was the innovation in kite. Don't miss out on this one, sooner or later revolutionizing flying. The danger of reflex wings, of the wing collapsing when accelerating and breaking at the same time is by design impossible with the moustache. And with that, the reflex is just superior, as it flys away, always keeping tension on lines, which give an unbelievable feeling of safety in bumpy air ;D Air is a 3D dynamic medium. It only makes sense to build "airplanes" that can move in 3 Dimensions. 2D steering options are just unsatisfying.
@@P4n0r4mA Thanks for sharing, Tech Mex. As I wrote, the Moustache looks like something I would personally enjoy flying, so if the opportunity arises I will try it. I'm well aware of the stated advantages / USPs of the Moustache, which sound very interesting. However I have also heard that there have been a relatively high number of serious accidents with the Moustache, despite more experienced an able pilots tending to fly them. From watching others fly the Moustache - and Flare's own videos - it seems clear that the Moustache is more complex and sensitive to control than most standard paragliders. Great for those who have the skill, spatial awareness and reflexes to handle this, not so great for those who don't. But that's just my impression from watching others, not yet having tested it myself.
* Hi Carlo,
thanks for your review of the PHOTON. As always... ask three pilots of their wing opinion and you get five answers... :-)
After having flown the PHOTON ML all up at 100kg with my Skywalk RXA2 for six hours in variing spring conditions in BASSANO.
I disagree, that the PHOTON is more demanding than the fe. VOLT4 (I tryed out the same time and setting).
For me the Volt4 is more demanding all over, and quit tyering on the hard and none progressive brakes and back risers too.
For me, the Photon feels all over (ground-handling, start behavior, handling, agility, stall behaviour and thermal coring)- very much like the ALPINA 4.
Brake travel of the Photon is long(er) and the glide - especially accelerated, a game changer !
Will I get it ?
I will try the Bonanza 3, Mint and ARTIK R as well, but it will be hard to top the Photon... will see.
I hope that OZONE will release a "light" Version of the Photon as well.
By the way, the only advantage of the Volt4 to the Photon is for me, that it weights ~1kg. less... 😂
Thanks for sharing your opinion Andreas - all constructive input to the conversation is welcome and appreciated, even if you don't agree with what others have said. However it seems from what you've written that you've somehow misunderstood what I've said, and so are inadvertently misrepresenting my opinion on the Photon. It seems that most others have understood my feedback better, so worth reading what others have written also to get a better idea.
When I talk about the pilots demands of a wing, I'm talking about how forgiving or demanding I feel the wing is in tricky conditions e.g. how easy the wing is to launch in marginal conditions, how much pilot input is required to keep the wing stable overhead in active conditions. I'm not talking aspects like how heavy or progressive the brakes or rear risers are, or about the handling, agility, thermal coring or anything like that.
About the Volt 4, see my detailed review of this from last year. You mentioned "the only advantage of the Volt4 to the Photon is for me, that it weights ~1kg. less" First, for many pilots that's a pretty big advantage - the Photon is ~ 20% heavier, size for size - enough to make some go for the Volt 4. Second, sticking to the facts, due to having Nitinol rods, rather than plastic ones, the Volt 4 doesn't require packing pillows or special packing techniques, and packs much more compact (around 20-30%) than the Photon. The V4 also costs a lot less than the Photon (at the time of writing ~ 600 GBP less) despite having the more expensive Nitinol rods. However, from my testing I found that the Photon performs better overall than the Volt 4, especially accelerated, even though it moves around more (which, being honest, I don't personally particularly like, but it's not a problem as such and you get used to it).
I also hope that Ozone will release a light version of the Photon. 🫰 I expect they will, if all factors allow. If they do, I'd personally prefer this to be with Nitinol rods - mainly because it makes packing, transport and care much easier. 😏 However, I realise that there are pros and cons to both plastic and Nitinol rods - if there wasn't then all of the top wing designers and manufacturers would be using only one of them! 🤓
I must admit I'm quite surprised that for you "the Photon feels all over.... very much like the ALPINA 4." Other than having a similar Ozone kind of feeling, as to be expected, they feel quite different in many aspects to me. Specifically I find the ground handling, launch behaviour, stall behaviour and thermal coring quite different. I kind of agree that the handling and agility are similar, in that they have a feeling that I think Ozone pilots will find familiar. However, from my testing so far, I feel that the overall behaviour and pilot demands of the Photon are quite different to the Delta 4 and Alpina 4. I will be testing the Photon more in the weeks and months ahead (and comparing it to the Artik R, Bonanza 3, Mint and Scala 2, amongst others).
All ozone wings move around alot. They don't have a center brace in the middle of the wing.
i dont agree with that. The delta 4 is quite stable.
@@szabbbolcs I agree with you, Delta 4 is quite stable (for a sports wing). The Delta 3 even more so (actually I found to the point of it being a bit dull for a sports wing). The Delta 2 was a lot nicer, I think. However, from my testing I have found that Ozone's higher aspect ratio wings do tend to move around more than most others. I personally don't really like this much, but you do just get used to it after a while. Still, I personally prefer wings that don't 'snake around' so much.
Bonanza 3 review very soon... 🪂
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Well, it might move a lot more because of lightness 3. You compare apples with pears if you don’t use the same harness for comparison…
I know what you mean however as I've mentioned elsewhere I've been testing paragliding gear for over thirty years and am very used to changing harnesses and filtering out the differences they make to the feeling and handling of the wing. I mentioned that I flew with different harnesses for info, however I see that this has caused confusion for some. I talk in more detail about testing different wings with different harnesses in my following wing and harness reviews.
Since I filmed this first review several months ago I've flown the Photon plenty more (sizes MS and ML) with several different harnesses (mainly to compare the harnesses). I've certainly gotten to know the Photon better and I can report that overall my first impressions have held well, despite trying to disprove them to myself (a method I use to question my views, trying to eliminate confirmation bias). Of all the EN C 2 liners I've tested (so far 7 models, most in 2-3 sizes) I find the Photon (in both sizes I tested) has the most tendency to move and snake about. It does so in a way which I think some may find unnerving in active air, which I why I mention it (the aim of our reviews is to help pilots choose the right wing for them). I expect this won't bother others much or at all - especially those used to flying EN D 2 liners, and even more so pilots used to flying Ozone EN D 2 liners, which I've found have more a tendency to fly and feel this way. Asking many pilots who've flown the Photon for their opinion, the general consensus was much the same. I know of some pilots who've found this characteristic of the Photon unnerving, whilst others have said it doesn't bother them. As always, there's no one perfect wing for everyone.
One aspect of the Photon I've had opportunity to test plenty more since this first review is wingovers and asymmetric spirals. I'm happy to report that, despite the lacklustre handling (as reported by others, and reportedly fixed by taking the wing out of certified trim), I managed to do some very pleasing and fun wingovers on it. So for me that goes some way towards improving the fun factor,. To be clear, as I said in my first review, my view is that overall the Photon is an excellent EN C 2-liner, with pilot demands and performance towards the high end of the class. I personally wish it had a more cohesive feeling in active air, and, most importantly, nicer handling (specifically: more agile and more responsive).
Hope this is of some interest and help to some out there - even if not everyone agrees, as to be expected! 🤓
@@flybubblecarlo thank you very much Carlo. My comment was not with bad intention. I worked in software testing for long time and for me it is important when I do comparisons to replicate the tests identical. I’m looking at photon and I’m happy it moves . Because you get a feeling of the air you are in. Some pilot who flies it told me he keeps lightness 3 because with other harness does not feel what the air is doing. I had lightness 3 and I can tell that compared with xr7 that I fly now, moves a lot and I felt that sigma 10 moved a lot and felt like I had 2 wings above my had. I appreciate your reviews a lot and I follow your channel. Keep doing a good job. Regars!
Sounds like u need a bump start..maybe the shark nose is not such a good idea..I don't like them..its all hype sell a new tech.. if it anit broke..u know your wings so just want to know if shark is better..?or..
Такие парапланы - это лишь мода. Как и беззеркальные камеры в фотографии. Пройдëт мода, и они канут в Лету. История всë расставит по своим местам.
Thanks for sharing your opinion on this Tojama Tokanawa: "Such paragliders are just a fashion. Just like mirrorless cameras in photography. Fashion will pass, and they will sink into oblivion. History will put everything in its place."
I must admit that I was quite sceptical when I first heard that EN would allow folding lines again for the EN C class, leading to the new breed of EN C 2-liners we're seeing now. However, having now actually tested four of them so far for myself, I don't agree with you that they are just a fashion. I think that, unless EN decide to not allow folding lines for EN C again, EN C 2-liners are here to stay.
I think EN C 2-liners will replace most if not all of the High C to Low D market, a good proportion of the Mid C and Mid D market too, and probably some of the High D market also, for those pilots flying High D wings and not finding them as easy or comfortable to launch and fly as they hoped they would be.
In the end, I agree with you, only time will tell for sure.
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