Gin Zulu, Advance Epsilon 5, Airwave Sport 3, Nova Mamboo, Gradient Golden, Niviuk Hook

After flying my original Swing Arcus for 5 years (1999-2003) I was ready to start shopping for my next wing.  I flew the Advance Epsilon 4 a lot, but for me it didn't seem to weight-shift well - it might have been since I was a little light on it unless I carried quite a bit of extra water.  I tried the Gin Oasis, but I didn't really like anything about it (I've blocked it out of my memory :-). I was figuring out what else to try, but flying was getting more and more painful.

I realized that a chronic shoulder injury was getting worse and worse, and I needed to stop flying completely to let it heal properly.  In Spring of 2004 I stopped shopping, stopping flying solo, and started my career as a tandem co-pilot.  I put new wings out of my mind - I knew there would be new models available by the time I was ready to buy.

Spring of 2006 I started flying solo again in earnest.  Still not completely recovered, but ready to test my shoulders, I started out on the old demos - the Epsilon 4, the Oasis - and I was reminded that neither one really felt like "the one for me".  By now Advance had the new Epsilon 5, Gin had the new Zulu, I still hadn't tried the Gradient Golden and now there was also the Airwave Sport 3, Nova Mamboo, and Niviuk Hook. And I wanted to try them all!

Unfortunately my shoulders still weren't super-strong, so there were a lot of short flights.  My impressions were sometimes formed based on subtle differences in different phases of flight.  But ultimately I think that's what wing selection is about - getting the one that "feels right".  The performance specifications are all very similar, it's rare to have extended flights in all manner of conditions on every wing you try, so rather than waiting another year I went with my instincts.

My context:  beside wanting to benefit from the improved performance of wings 7 years newer than mine, my wing loading was always light on the Arcus and I wanted to fit into the weight range near the top without carrying a lot of ballast (particularly since my shoulders needed a break from the 55 pound bag I'd been carrying).  And I have just one wing for ridge soaring at the coast and thermal flying in the mountains.

Gin Zulu M:  I had some really great flights on the Zulu.  I liked how it turned in thermals, it was easy to kite, responsive to my weight shift and had moderate brake pressure.  I launched it reverse in light winds, reverse in moderate winds, and forward - always easy to control.  I had sled rides, thermal flights and ridge soaring. However I was carrying water ballast to get good wing loading and into the upper end of the weight range.  I liked how it flew when it was weighted the way I wanted, but my shoulders wouldn't last carrying around all that weight.

Advance Epsilon 5 28:  I found the Epsilon 5 much more responsive to my weight-shift than the Epsilon 4.  It felt "boaty" on my sled rides and I would have considered it more seriously, but my experience on the Zulu (trying to carry ballast to get where I wanted in the weight-range) convinced me that I really wanted a wing with a lower weight range.

Airwave Sport 3 M:  I was hopeful trying the Sport 3, since the weight range is exactly what I was looking for.  It launched quite nicely, was easy to kite, and I liked the way it turned when ridge soaring. But on a sled ride it didn't feel "lifty" but felt very fast (zooming to the LZ).  And even though the thermals weren't strong the tips felt soft and twitchy - more "sporty" than I expected for the conditions. Just not my style.

Nova Mamboo S: I really wanted to love the Mamboo - the right weight range, running out of options, friends with Novas have always loved them.  My first flight was a sled ride off the 600 at Ed Levin - not much time to evaluate it.  It was easy to launch in a light cycle, had a nice feel in the air, but I barely made a turn before it was time to land.  Next I took it to the coast.  Conditions were pretty typical - strong enough to easily stay up, but not too much so.  However the Mamboo felt slow and lifty - but what I want when it's a bit strong at the coast is to feel fast!   And the Mamboo seemed to really dive into the turn, then swing through it.  I just didn't like how it felt in the air at all.

Gradient Golden S:  Although it's an older model (as confirmed by the recent release of the Golden 2), since it was my preferred weight range and a wing that I knew many people liked, I decided it was worth trying. Nothing wrong with a slightly older model if I like it!  But I didn't.  There was nothing dramatically wrong with it, but it was also not particularly memorable.  I felt it was difficult to take advantage of weak thermal lift and not particularly "lifty" at the coast.  It just didn't feel in the same class as the other wings I'd tried.

Niviuk Hook S:  Suddenly everyone was talking about the new manufacturer - Niviuk.  Although the weight range was a little lower than I wanted, I'm continually looking at ways to reduce the weight of my gear so decided it was worth a look.  Maybe because I had no other major contender I was pre-disposed to liking the Hook, but my first flight felt good.  I easily got over launch in light conditions and also made a long LZ that others landed short of.  It's like it was telling me "I'm the one!"  The brake pressure was comfortable for me (I like some feedback, but not too heavy since it tires my shoulders).  It felt lifty but also with enough speed. I liked how it started the turn when I asked, but didn't dive into it like the Mamboo.  It was fun and comfortable - what more could I ask for?

Having tried so many wings over the summer I felt like I really knew what I was looking for, so after only a few flights (2 in the mountains and 2 at the coast) I ordered my Hook. You'll know it's me since I got custom colors (almost identical to my old Arcus :-):  red wing, gold horns with blue shadows.

Epilogue:  Now that I have my own Hook I still like it, although the brake pressure feels stronger than I remembered from the demo.  I haven't found much flying since it arrived at the end of October, though.  I look forward to spending a lot more time in the air on it!