4 years ago
In my exposure, it seems like the most popular wings for good acro pilots are the Peace 2 and the Blackout+. But Theo, generally accepted as the hottest pilot of the past few years, is on the agility.
I'm curious, why aren't more pilots on that wing?
Latest Comments
Man, Gradient has just been shut down. It's been over for a few months now... So the Agility will never be produced anymore. Hopefully, mine will last long!
I know Gradient was bought by SupAir but does that mean they are going away?
Hi, I own an Agility 17 and love it! It might be a little less forgiving than Emilie-like glider for infinit, but as a tradeoff it is lovely for helicos and has low brake pressure, which is essential for me as I have tendon issues in my arms.
So why not more pilots on Agility, well I don't know but it's not going to change since Gradient does not exist anymore :-D
What is your weigth in the BalckOut+ 21? I am 98 and thinking 21 or 24... would ideally see an 22...
Right, I follow. You listed them for that comp. I was wondering which wings it has been done on ever. For example, I'm pretty sure I saw a guy do it on an Ozone session on youtube.
Well I listed them next to the names of the pilots, but here they are again:
Agility 14m2
Joker 16m2
I believe that the trick was first attempted on exactly those two wings. First successful being on the Agility.
w1g12, yeah that move is beyond even my goals, let alone my abilities. I wonder which wings it has been done on?
Think about the Superstall to Infinity for a second. Only a handful of pilots are doing it, because let’s face it – falling into your canopy/lines is not fun. It is only possible on extremely dynamic glider.
On ACRO GAMES 2019 three pilots did it:
Théo de Blic (Agility 14m2)
Egor Posokhin (Joker 16m2)
César Arevalo (Joker 16m2)
Maybe something away from wing caracteristics/performance/preference and more about "dealer proximity"? I don't know. It's the way it works for me and for those who I know. As it is a high value product, and you (at least in Brazil) can't by those wings directly from manufactures, its better (safe/pré and post-order and price/comission) to choose your dealer, not your manufaturer. My example is extreme: it's not black or white, but its a weigh that most people put in their choice... I think. But I dont know if this is a problem in Europe, and if it affects those top pilots in your exemple... Interesting question.
Thanks for the reply. I was looking for contest results that included both the wing and most of the kings of the sport. I found this: https://justacro.com/news/181103/theo-de-blics-crowns-end-season
1 Theo De Blic FRA Gradient Agility
2 Francois Ragolski FRA AIRG Emilie Peace 2
3 Eliot Nochez FRA Advance Omnikron
3 Andres Villamizar COL U-Turn Blackout Plus
5 Tim Alongi FRA Sup'air 153.75 Win Win Lose Lose
6 Cesar Arevalo Urrego COL U-turn Blackout Plus
7 Gaêtan Doligez FRA Advance Omnikron
8 Mael Jimenez FRA U-turn Joker
9 Axel Fornasier FRA AirG Emilie Peace 2
10 Nicola Donini ITA Ozone Session
- Hugues Orlianges FRA AIRG Emilie Peace 2
- Roland Brunnbauer AUT Advance Omikron
There are more Omikrons than I expected but only one joker or agility. Do those wings take more pilot skill? Isn't everybody on this list super skilled?
It was just interesting to me that there aren't more Agility pilots out there. I wonder what it's like?
Peace2 and BlackOut+ are popular among acro pilots, no doubt. However, top pilots tend to fly on acro beasts like the Agility or the Joker. Gliders that are full-on acro machines created for competition flying.
Theo has a sponsorship deal with Gradient and took part in the design process. So it kinda makes sense to be using it, right?
Not saying that the BO+ or the Peace2 are bad – nothing of a sort. I own BlackOut+ 21 and I absolutely love it!