I have watched the ever growing M4 Thread on PG forum ( like many others probably) with avid interest. And have flown along side the first few M4's in the Uk. My immediate impression was ozone have created a nice wing which is certainly an improvement upon its predecessor (which of course is how it should be).
It is my observation the obvious benefit to the M4 pilot is its into wind performance - As said somewhere amongst the many reams within that thread, it is like climbing stairs- forward and up. However this benefit in my view, is only realised when wing loading is fully optimised. This is certainly becoming more critical across this particular class as designers are developing their designs and apply more refinement to their models so is the need to find that precise sweet-spot in the weight range to fully maximise the benefit, and is now something I am taking a more critical eye, so that I match my weight to my intended flight plan for the day and anticipated conditions.
I have been flying the XC3 since it first came out and I certainly felt I had the edge on the M3 though not always in weak thermic conditions (I don't think size was the advantage as this pilot was on a 28 but he was also very current have just completed a PWC season).
Since then the M4 has been released where I am flying at 115kg on my size 30 ( very lightly weighted) I have lost out a bit on the into wind performance to a mid weight loaded M4, but am still better than a comparatively similarly loaded M4.
The trim speed of the XC3 is slightly faster and it seems to turn tighter but that maybe because the M4 pilot I generally do a lot of my flying with is very proficient at thermaling flat and wide.
Is the M4 a class beater? In my view it is not on the same parallel as the R10 was in the open class. But volume of sales will muddy this picture a bit.
Interestingly in 'lumpy' pre-frontal air where the air can feel a bit like a holey Swiss cheese ( generally solid but with occasional bits missing). I felt at home, reassured by the solidity and feedback, without the need to overly control or contain the wing. This has been the immediate impression I got from the very first flight, where I was keen to see what the wing was like in what others felt were not ideal conditions to fly let alone go xc on. The wing behaved impeccably and I realised after years of flying open and prototype gliders how now unnecessarily busy my flying style had become. Now I could fully enjoy hands free flying (not that I do much with my free hands) but I am able to free up my concentration efforts which were given over to wing control to more strategic decisions of say route choice. I cannot say this is the same for the the M4 as I have not flown one, but I have had other well respected pilots comment to me saying that they seem to be going OK when conditions become more demanding. Back to the lumpy pre-frontal day neither wing collapsed but only one of us decided to stay in the air. This is not to say I am a pilot with more balls or that I was being more reckless (in fact I believe we have a very similarly matched outlook to our flying, albeit he is often more strategic to my intuitive nature ).
So what am I getting at - well there are a number of good wings on the market just be sure you are choosing the right wing for your needs and style of flying - it is all too easy to simply follow the herd, and if there is one piece of ozone advice I would take, it is... sometimes being the Black sheep can reap its rewards. Follow the herd and you will remain just another number.
The successor to the famous Aspen2-Freestyle is now here. After a year of prototyping and development in collaboration with top Austrian acro team(Freestyle) during international competitions and extensive tests, the new FREESTYLE2 is born .
