Going XC on the 3

Monday the 17th was to be my second flight on the new XC3 and hopefully a chance to get a comparison against the very sorted M3 from Ozone. Taking off ( simplicity itself) into a good cycle soon had me exploring the site ( a new one for me) and it was not long before I was making my move to the next suitable ridge 10km downwind. The glide was excellent though again I was unable to do a comparison as the wing had me floating downwind on a buoyant line without company.
The flight itself was technical and with the wing very much looking after itself I was free to make tactical decisions on where best to fly. Transitions crosswind to avoid spread-out seemed simple just point and go. The speed bar is easy to apply and feels very solid even on 3/4 bar it also did not seem to degrade my glide much. Doing 3 figure flights from the Lake District is still a very uncommon thing, However I think like our political scene, we are at a time of change. My second flight on this wing was only the 6th 100+km flight completed from the Lakes and the 3rd this year. This wing above anything else allows the pilot to spend more time on making the most from your decisions rather than spending valuable energy on flying the wing.
The XC3 is what flying PG should be all about.

Here is a link to the test results. http://www.para-test.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=category&sectionid=4&id=30&Itemid=37

Infinity and beyond!

Antoine Montant is captured performing the first infinity to ejection, on board his Gradient Seven, Totally sick, but ultimately wicked, enjoy the spectacle.

Infinity Drop - Première mondiale

XC3 First Flight

One of the first xc3's to arrive turned up on my doorstep on Thursday, though It wasn't until Saturday that I could get it out of the bag, and even then it was very much on the windy side and had reservations about whether to fly or not.
However, I have been eagerly waiting to get my hands on this wing ever since the first protos were being talked about.
What I can say, well this is a neatly constructed wing with great attention to the detail, this was immediately noticed by the two pilots with me, which also included a founding partner for another PG manufacturer.
Considering it was a top end day, this wing is a real pussycat at ground handling, it comes up with only a light pull and is very easily controlled. the next thing that struck was the lightness on the brakes and the responsiveness to my inputs is just superb.
There were reservations about taking to the air on such a top end day and on a site which can be unpleasant to say the least when its also a bit off, but playing with the wing on the ground gave me so much interest to see what its like in the air, I had to give it a go so cautiously I allowed myself to take to the air.

Immediate impression, Oh this is good! and certainly nothing like as demanding to fly as my other wings. - A real confidence boost that I was under a very sorted design. Now the day was difficult to gauge speed and to be honest there were times I was simply parked, but as height was gained it became clear that this is a very solid wing, even though I was on the lighter end of the weight range 114(I'm guessing) on the size 30. Speed bar is lighter to push than my Avax SR8 and its effect is immediate. In turns it is nimble needing less adjustments to the outside than what I have been used to, though this may have been more about the day. It certainly felt that I was able to hook the climbs a lot easier under this wing.

It short this wing gives confidence, I was definitely with a wing that was not on the edge of giving one more excitement than required.

I was unable to compare glides etc as the others were unable to take off due to the gusty and unpredictable wind. Now I know i was lucky in choosing my take off slot but once in the air this wing was giving everything I wanted to feel assured that I hadn't just made a big mistake.

Cannot wait till this front clears today and I can get back on it hopefully with others on Monday.
My overall impression was -Why oh why, have I been flying so long on wings where you really had to keep on top of them at times when here I could simply enjoy the great experience of xc.

If you are planning to change wings this year foro something with EN D performance this wing seriously needs to be on your short list.