Sky Paragliders Zorro review?

[Ivan]

Gentlemen,

Can't get much info on this wing. Will be grateful for any feedbacks. Especially how it performs under heavy turbulence.

Thanks in advance. 

[TONYPARAMOTOR]

h,  i  have just checked on u-tube there is some flights with the Zorro wing and in a foreign language. but you can translate or send the pilots a pm message.                                       

   

Edited February 10, 2018 by TONYPARAMOTOR

[Ivan]

Thanks, I am aware that there are other places to search the info (doing this), jiust think it is a right place to ask

[TONYPARAMOTOR]

HENCE MY HELP TO ANSWER

Edited February 10, 2018 by TONYPARAMOTOR

[flyingfergus]

I fly a  Fly Zorro 28m.  

I have flown for 9 years & had several wings & tried several others. I have no affiliation to any wing manufacture or supplier.  I fly what suits my flying. 

Better than my Viper 3 24m I had. Viper very efficient on fuel but trying to crop skim due to its oscillations and "lifteeness"  was impossible especially compared to the Speedster I had previously owned.  

I also have a Dudek Hadron xx 20. I fly this with my trike (Moster engine) as it needs all the thrust from the Moster.  The Hadron is faster by some way but has several disadvantages which I wont discuss here.

The Fly Zorro is very good on launch, very stable, doesn't oscillate, as quick / marginally quicker than those in a similar category and has great response to tip steering. My one  wish for is slightly better economy. The fact I need a 28m for similar lift compared to 24m Viper will tell you that. However I do fly a V5 4 stroke trike which is at the lower thrust of modern engines but is ridiculously efficient and reliable for 2-3hrs XC.  The Zorro is a great XC wing & stable as you could wish for when foot (wheel) dragging. Very easy to land. Not done a great deal of rough air yet as I got it in the Autumn last year but it feels very stable to date.

Like everyone else will say, TRY BEFORE YOU BUY.   I got mine from NIgel Davies at UKPPG. He has one for test flying along with some other wings. Google his website, its a bit old fashioned but don't be put off by that. 

[Ivan]

Thank you very much for your feedback. It is helpful indeed.

In regards of economy.... I reckon that every stable wing should not be really good in it. As it is a price we pay for stability. 

My choice is between new Apco Lift EZ and Zorro. I am flying Lift now, done over 200 hours on it and the time comes to replace it. Lift has never been good in economy in comparison to top wings with high aspect ratio and high cells quantity but when it comes stability, it is second to none. In heavy turbulence zones it behaves perfectly. We fly cross country, some time under not the very best weather conditions (here are a few photos from the latest flight) and I would not go for Hadron flying under these conditions. I have just a few small assymetrics throughout the years and every single time the wing gets inflated back faster then you are able to respond, with no altitude loss or direction change.

Basically, what I am looking for is the same stability but a bit more speed / agility, especially with speedbar applied. So either going for new Lift (which will be EZ now) or Zorro. Zorro has 10+ more cells in it and 0.5 higher aspect ratio which makes it more agile indeed and probably more efficient. However I am being very cautious about the security if the modern wings. Having seen the video with Synthesis 2 at “Safety matters” and having info on accidents I reckon that some manufacturers do care too much on effectivity of the wings at the expense of security… Hence the question on heavy turbulence performance…

By the way, may I ask you, what is your speed with open trimmers/speed bar pressed out?

 

 

 

PS Tony, thanks for your input, I have contacted the pilots outside the forum as well. 

 

[flyingfergus]

Hi Ivan,

I generally work on average speed over several XC as I tend to do out & return. I always fly trimmers out as soon as I get clear of take off. I use speedbar occasionally, either to hit a really high groundspeed or if I need to get to a turning point a bit quicker.  The speedbar adds 5-6mph onto trimmers out for the Zorro. Worth noting on the Zorro any combination of trimmers / speedbar / brakes can be used, unlike many wings.  Tried a few Apco Wings when with Paul Haxby in Wales over the years but never ticked my box.

 Speedster 28.....average 28.3

Viper 3 24....average 28.58

Hadron xx 20...average 33,5 (proportionally less trimmers out than my other wings)

Zorro 28.......... average to date  30.92

 I am 135kg all up (trike set up including fuel), so about 2/3rds up the weight range.

 

 

 

Edited February 11, 2018 by flyingfergus

[Ivan]

Thanks a lot. 

It seems that Zorro is faster then Lift with trimmers off and suprisingly slower with the speedbar applied 

My Lift 28m flies 28mph with trimmers off (Zorro 31mph) and with the speedbar pressed out around 37 - 38mph (adding 5 - 6mph to Zorro trimmers off speed gives us around 36 - 37 mph).

[flyingfergus]

Often the case Ivan, more speed on trimmers out then the less gain on the speedbar. Top speed I suspect very similar but I prefer more speed with no speedbar for XC flying.