What's the difference between Acro/Freestyle/Normal wings?

Hi Guys,

I hope some of you take time to answer some questions regarding beginner acro wings.

What makes them so different/diffecult to handle in comparison to say a normal or freestyle wing, outside of increased wing loading which creates more dynamic & speed. Has it to do with the longer line lengths, making an Acro wing much more sensitive to all inputs?

Then some say, I progressed quicker on an acro wing where others say I nearly killed myself or often I read acro wings slow progression.

Brake pressure.
I have heard the brakes get much heavier, so more strength is needed. What is the reason there heavier? It increasing the chance of the brakes getting snatched away in say dynamic stall. I don't get it, if a wing is smaller I would think they would be lighter.

Pully or no pully?
What difference does it make when not having brakes run though the pully? The only thing I read was - it had more twist tendency. So what are the benifits? How much different does it make things, - is it more diffecult? Not recommended until a certain point in training?

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Jai's picture

That is all so true frenchy. Nice to hear about emilie & blackout cause I'm about to get a Blackout+ :-) It always takes me time on any wing to really feel at home.

frenchy's picture

Hey Jai,
good questions. I believe that line length, canopy shape, angle of attack and aspect ratio will all have a role on the dynamic nature of a wing, and I am sure there is someone out there that can explain exactly how. It is easy to see that acro wings have longer line lengths than freestyle wings.
I would however like to comment on the old freestyle vs acro wing to start acrobatics discussion.
It seems to be a big discussion with lots of people having differing advice. You have to remember that there is a huge amount of difference from Acro wing to Acro wing and throughout freestyle wings also. its the same as any wing category ENA-CCC not all ENC wings will behave the same just like not all Acro wings behave the same. I think finding the best wing to learn on is about truthfully assessing your abilities and then finding a wing based off that. some acro wings can be less aggressive than some freestyle wings. The biggest killer is trying to learn on a wing you are not comfortable with. Try wings out and see what suits you. People defiantly find the blackout and emilie peace to be the more forgiving acro wings.