visionteacher

Hehe thanks Morgy! Hopefully it'll prove useful to someone in the future. ~Mickey

I wanted to add this "review" to this thread for the future pilot like me, that might come along looking for info. This was the information I really wanted to find prior to purchase but wasn't really able. Sorry for the length. So yesterday I went to Panama City to pick up my new wing from John Black. I've been flying a large power atlas for the past year. I now have a Dudek Nucleon 25. Since in this sport the weather rarely does what you ask, the winds would not switch onshore. Stupid winds, so here I was in a beach town, where you can "fly all day" and I couldn't fly until evening, just like in Tallahassee We did get to do some great kiting though in the big park that the competition was held in at Beach Blast. So, initial impressions on kiting. Oh my god. We started with some reverses, this unflyable wing loves flying. I got a weird one I think It popped up so quick, the first couple times I was just in awe. Keep in mind, I've only flown the power atlas, so I don't have much to compare it to. I've kited other wings, but never flown anything else. So anyway, grab the A's after sorting out the risers, they are complicated at first glance, wing pulls up and it just sits there waiting for instruction, it was like this willing soldier ready to work. So, I just turned around and started going with it. This wing did anything I asked of it, and did it with some snap. It didn't try to over react either, it just did what I asked. So much so that I kited right to a 4x4 post sitting in the ground, like one you'd hook a hose up to if there were water on it, and jumped onto it and off for my first 24 inch flight. I then switched to forwards, the wind was really light and forwards are what I do pretty much exclusively in Tallahassee anyway. Let me just say, in Tallahassee with the light wind I had yesterday, I would not kite because it would be too exhausting having to move that fast to keep the wing flying. Not so with the Nucleon. Forwards were a snap, it pops up so quick and WILL NOT frontal or over fly. John Black and I even tried to get it to over shoot us on purpose at this point because frankly, kiting started to get boring, it was too easy. I'm not kidding here, when you lay on the A's, or even get good speed and just stop, the wing just waits overhead, and then will move to the right, or the left, or back, then fall if you don't get back on your speed, but we could not get it to frontal, we really tried, this was on full slow, so no reflex loading on the leading edge. I then wanted to try the tip steering balls in full slow. John told me that this wouldn't work most likely, as that is not its intention. The balls are made to be used once the wing is in reflex mode. Well, they work fine for kiting in full slow too I'll probably try launching with them sometime just for giggles. You do have to pull more ball than you would brake, but they definitely do the job. Since the wing won't overfly you don't need the brake to check it like you do normally. So, as we wait on the wind we just kept playing and decided to ball up the unlaunchable Nucleon into a ball and see what happened. I will say I made sure the A's were clear in that wad first, but other than that it was just balled up. Forward launch, bam, popped right up and off we went. Then we put some duct tape over my eyes, John balled it up again, and I launched and kited it again. This was easy since the way John teaches, you rarely look at the wing anyway, you feel it instead. We have video of most of this. This wing just likes flying. So, first flight. I have to say I didn't blow a single launch when I was kiting, but my first launch with the motor, I blew it. The reason I blew it was that I had a stupid moment when it popped up so quickly. My old habits with the power atlas came into play and I was just expecting to really lay on it, so I did, it SLAMMED up above me, totally flyable, and I was seriously expecting it to overshoot me before I could check it in time, and that's when I killed the launch, by over reacting on the brakes to check it, and killing it, total pilot error, that wing was ready to go. Second launch and we went flying. My first impressions of flight were two things. First that this wing climbed like crazy. I didn't notice really any difference in speed needed for launch, but as soon as my feet were off the ground it felt like I had a bigger motor, I fly a Fresh Breeze 122, the wing jumped up in the air and kind of surprised me at the lift. *keep in mind only Power Atlas experience, these may be not as impressive to someone flying a newer glider already* When I pulled some brake, the wing turned great. From talking to people about "sportier wings" I was expecting to pull some brake and get dumped toward the ground, that was not my experience. It just responded like I wanted it to, and did it with a will. I will admit, there is a LOT going on with the risers. When you come off a pretty simply designed Power Atlas, and now you have tip steering balls, speed bar hook ups (though we opted to leave speed bar off for first flights), all that trim room, and a torque adjustment system, it is a lot going on up there. But, I just took it one toy at a time. I started to play with reflex, I put it half on, and got some speed, then full and got lots of speed, though like most flying, you don't realize how fast you are traveling until you get lower which was not my intention on my first flight, though it happened... We kind of made the joke yesterday that you put reflex on, drop the brake and then grab your balls. That's per the manual for the Nucleon Jokes aside, for the new pilot that might read this later, the balls are the tip steering system. They seem high up in the risers, and I'm going to see if I can adjust them down a little, as they're a little tough to grab at first. Using just the balls in reflex, the glider was just as sporty as using brake out of reflex, no difference that I could tell on first flight, though you are going much faster. So, those confusing risers? Yeah, I decided to try her low in the field, and came in, I looked up saw all the trim hanging out and said, "great, we're slow", but all the trim hanging out will happen if its full slow, or full fast... so I'm coming into the field and holy man this thing drops altitude fast, and I'm not sure I want to land it going this fast. I'm using brake input, no balls, and the whole nine flying it like a typical glider with "active piloting" which you aren't supposed to be able to do in reflex mode, for those that don't know. I honestly didn't notice much difference, maybe again from coming off the power atlas, but I noticed some bumps here in there, like a little texture to the air. This was probably me killing the reflex profile by pulling the brake and the wing fighting that a bit, though I didn't really notice it, it was quite simply a non event. I played in the field, thinking about how in the hell I'd land this thing at that speed, so then shot up high again to get my nerve, also fast. That's when I noticed I was in full reflex this whole time. Idiot. So I fixed that problem and then went down again, that's more like it! Did some slalom around light poles, some light foot dragging, though I don't have the altitude control on this wing yet to do anything impressive, it reacts so quick, I'll have to keep working on that. When I did land it definitely comes in a bit faster than the Power Atlas, but I stood it up fine. I think I might adjust my brakes, as I didn't have the flare authority I really wanted, so I think I'll tighten them up a bit. I've never tried taking a wrap on lines before, but maybe I'll try that first... I had so much fun on this flight, I laid out to take off again, though like an idiot I launched right toward Adam's wing, another local pilot laid out from his landing. I was looking to launch before I hit his wing, but that didn't happen, so I killed the motor, popped the brakes and leapt over Adam's wing. A risky move for sure, luckily it came out looking swank, though it could have been a lawn mowed wing if I screwed up. Luckily Adam took it in good humor, Adam by the way, is that pilot that took a swim in the gulf this year in Panama City after getting dumped into it by a storm. He's a REALLY cool guy, and has a great story about that flight. We had wings together with John later. So, I laid out again, launched and played, giggling like an idiot the whole time until dark. I'm back in Tallahassee now, and can't wait till this evening to play again. When John sends me the video and such I'll post it here. I know this post is lengthy, but as a newer pilot shopping for a new wing, this is the post I wanted to see about the wings I was considering. I couldn't really find that post, so hopefully, if someone like me comes along sometime they'll have this to look at. I'm pretty certain that my launching "issues" are done at this point. I'm sure I'll have a blown launch here and there, as we all do, but I'm thinking that all my Power Atlas training set me up to launch just about anything else just fine. The next step is learning how to work with speed bar, though I don't think I'll use it/need it much, it annoys me to have something that is still not being used, so any recs you all have on hooking speed bar up and working with it on a paramotor, I'm all ears. Really a tutorial on getting it adjusted properly would be awesome, or tips you have to keep it from tripping you on launch.

Well, I LOVE the Nucleon. I'm only on 3 flights with it now, but its great so far. Took it up, not deliberately, into what was a bit of bumpy air this morning, and it felt great. This wing is much more confidence inspiring than the Atlas was. I plan to get the speed bar sorted out this week so I can play with that as well, but its been very fun. Boy does it enter a sharp turn with a quickness. I'm coming off a Power Atlas, and there's no comparison, peels my lips back if I'm not careful ~Mickey

Ok then, so its set up correctly When I tried to use it last night it was just dangling when I was all strapped in, and I was like, "that just looks like a trip and fall waiting to happen" now I need to figure out this "elasticated loop" idea is this something you release in flight, or do you keep the elastic thing on it the whole time?

Can you explain the bungie on the leg thing? Thanks!

Can someone give me a tutorial on how to properly set up a speedbar on my Fresh Breeze 122? I'm not doing something right and its hanging and dangling when I stand up in the harness. I tried setting it up while on the ground, but perhaps I need to be wearing the motor and set it up that way? Seems like it won't hang right until the wing is over head and flying, but then how do I keep from tripping on it during launch?

Aww Simon!! That's what I wasn't wanting to read as the first response, hehe, well now that that's out of the way haha! Are you a Fusion guy?

Waiting patiently here in Florida for my Nucleon to arrive. I'd love for you all to just go on and on about it so I can get that much more super stoked about its awesomeness I fly with with two Fusion pilots, and am coming off the Power Atlas. They can't understand why not a Fusion. So fuel for them, so that I have something to say back would be great ~Mickey

What do you mean about flying in anger??

Anyone play with this wing yet and have some thoughts? Thanks!

So I've not seen anything on the Gin Airflex, does anyone own this wing?? Thanks! ~Mickey

I did, I talked to Mike Campbell Jones about it at Beach Blast here in Florida this year. They were really pushing it pretty hard, but Mike went all over the map from the Revo 2 to the Fusion, to the Action GT. So I left kind of confused, but I got the impression *maybe wrongly* that the Revo 2 is more a beginner wing and that I would perhaps grow out of it. What do you think?? ~Mickey

Hey friends, I'm new around here. I have a power atlas as my first wing. I'm ready for something more sporty, have about 60 hours or so in the air. The two guys I fly with have Fusions, they LOVE them. The guy that I trained with suggested that I might like the Gin Airflex, and that he liked it better. What do you all think? I'd love pros and cons on both wings, they all have them. Also, the K2, I've heard a lot about it, more than a few people that think its the "bees knees" are these gliders in a different class, or would the K2 meet the "need" too. Admittedly most of these people are Dell Kool-aid drinkers, but he's a good pilot, regardless of his attitude, so I figure its worth and objective look. I'd like a glider that's "safe" handles rough air well, is agile without being too dangerous and something that I'm not going to grow out of for awhile. I'd like to do some cross country stuff, but realistically 99% of my flying is going to be "local". I want this to be the glider I wear out. Oh and easy launch in no wind/humid conditions as that's what we have for good flying here in Florida. So pretty much the perfect glider please Thanks!! ps. I'm between 170-180lbs so 77-81 kilos for the rest of the world that sensibly switched to metric. Some sizing recommendations would be really great. ~Mickey