Swing at Coupe Icare 2023: The High-Aspect Libra RS, the Versatile Verso RS, and What Comes Next
パラワールド【超多面的パラグライダー情報チャンネル】PARAWORLD
At the 2023 Coupe Icare in Saint-Hilaire, France, a representative from the German brand Swing, who introduced themselves as responsible for sales and marketing, talked through the company's newest wings. They covered the Libra RS, Swing's entry into the new two-line EN-C class. They also described the Verso RS, a light and versatile wing that sits close to a mini wing, and gave a cautious preview of projects planned for 2024.
The Libra RS: A Different Route into Two-Line EN-C
The Libra RS is a performance glider: a two-liner with an EN-C rating, aimed at pilots who want maximum performance within the C class. The speaker explained that two-liners could not previously get an EN-C rating. Once that changed, every manufacturer tried to enter the new market with an EN-C wing.
According to the speaker, Swing chose "a little bit of a different way" in two respects. First, the Libra RS has a higher aspect ratio. Second, it uses what they described as a lightweight, or "semi-lightweight," construction for a two-liner.
Why RAST on a Two-Liner
The speaker said Swing has worked with its RAST system for about six years. They described it as well proven on the company's other gliders, but the Libra RS is the first time Swing has brought it into the performance class.
The lesson Swing drew, as the speaker put it, is that a two-liner with only two line levels benefits from a stabilizing system between them. Apart from safety considerations, RAST gives the glider stability. Because of that, Swing does not need many rods to keep the wing stable. The speaker said this makes ground handling easier, and they gave the example of picking the glider up, since that part is "just nylon cloth, nothing else."
Is a High Aspect Ratio Hard to Fly?
On whether the high aspect ratio makes the Libra RS demanding, the speaker said there has been "not a single incident" with the Libra, qualifying that with "as far as I know." They argued that pilots can handle the glider even though its aspect ratio is "really high," higher than competing designs, and that they consider it safe to fly.
In their view, a pilot able to fly a high-end EN-B could step up to the Libra RS. The condition is that the pilot is willing to think about how a two-liner differs from a three-liner, because the flying characteristics are different.
The Verso RS: One Wing, Many Uses
The latest product is the Verso RS, which targets "a totally different group of pilots." The speaker suggested it could be especially interesting for Japan and the Asian market because pilots there tend to weigh less, and the Verso RS is a small wing.
Its versatility comes from where the pilot flies within the weight range. The speaker said it can be used for training and for hike-and-fly. Its lightweight construction starts at under 3 kg. The wing has a large weight range of roughly 40 kg:
- Lower end: the speaker mentioned the EN-A rating in connection with flying at the lower end of the range.
- Middle range: suited to hike-and-fly and thermaling.
- Upper end: the wing takes on "a touch of a mini wing," so pilots who can handle it can "carve the sky and have fun."
Between these regions there is a transition from normal paraglider to mini wing.
The speaker stressed one point about training use. Most pilots choose a glider so they fly in the middle of its weight range. For training on the Verso RS, however, the pilot really has to fly at the lower end of the range.
Who the Verso RS Is (and Isn't) For
The speaker was explicit that the Verso RS is not about performance. It is not for pilots looking for a wing for X-Alps-style cross-country flying. It is meant for pilots who fly around an area they know well and then go down to the landing field where the car is. Cross-country flights are possible, they said, but that was not the focus.
The design goal was a simple, light glider that lets pilots combine different sports. It is light enough that "you don't feel it" on your back. The speaker pictured social outings in which some people hike without flying. At the top of the mountain, the pilot checks the conditions and flies down if they are good. If they aren't, it doesn't matter, because carrying the wing is no burden.
Coming in 2024: Twin 3 RS Tandem
Asked about upcoming products, the speaker said Swing has projects in the pipeline but does not yet know exactly if or when they will launch. The one they sounded most confident about is a new tandem, the Twin 3 RS. Swing was running a field test in Turkey with professional tandem pilots, and the feedback had been good. On that basis the speaker said they were "pretty sure" the glider could be available from spring 2024.
A High-End EN-B 2.5-Liner in the Works
Swing's second project grew out of what the speaker called positive experiences with its two-line projects, the Spyra and the Libra RS. The company intends to make a high-end EN-B glider with a 2.5-line design. It would sit between the Nyos and the Libra RS in the lineup.
The speaker explained the reasoning. The Nyos 2 is very comfortable to fly and many people like it, but Swing has no suitable glider for EN-B pilots looking for maximum performance. They stressed that it was "a little bit too early" to say the glider will definitely come. Swing hopes to present it at the Stubai Cup. If it misses that date, the speaker said, the company would likely be too late and would have to wait a bit longer, possibly until the following year.
Hello to Japan. I'm L from Swing, and I'm responsible for sales and marketing.
At the moment, the most current products are the Libra RS. It's a performance glider, a two-liner EN C wing, EN C rated, and the Libra is targeting pilots who are looking for maximum performance within the C class. When the new possibilities within the C class came up, so before it was not possible to get the EN C rating for two-liners, everybody was trying to enter the new market with an EN C wing, and we decided to choose a little bit of a different way by going for more aspect ratio and by designing a lightweight construction, or semi-lightweight to say it like this, for a two-liner.
We have been working for, I think, six years with the RAST system right now and made good experiences, and it's a well-proven system for other gliders, but so far we didn't enter the performance class with RAST. But we've learned that especially for the two-liners, if you have just two line levels, it's not so bad to have a stabilizing system between the two line levels, because apart from safety issues or things like that, it's giving the glider stability, and we don't need lots of rods to make the glider stable. So it makes the handling easy on the ground, for example, and for picking up the glider, because it's just nylon cloth, nothing else.
What I can tell you is that there has not been a single incident with the Libra. As far as I know, nothing happened. So the people can handle the glider even though we have a really high aspect ratio, more than the others. I think the glider is safe to fly, and a pilot who is able to fly a high B could step up to the Libra if he's willing to think about what is the difference between a three-liner and a two-liner, because the flying characteristics are different, of course.
Yeah, the latest product is the Verso. This is targeting a totally different group of pilots, and the Verso is maybe a really interesting glider for Japan or for the market in Asia, because the pilots are not as heavy as the pilots in... they weigh not so much like others. It's a small wing, and depending on the wing load, it's a versatile product. You can use it for training, you can use it for hike and fly, because it's a lightweight construction starting from less than 3 kilos. There is a range for hike and fly and thermaling, and then there is a range if you are going up, because it has a huge weight range of 40 kg more or less, and if you are going up to the top end, you have really a touch of a mini wing. It's very close; the characteristic is like this, and you can carve the sky and have fun if you are able to handle this.
Interesting. Yeah, I can show you, maybe. I don't know if you can see it, but we're trying to show it to the pilots. It's EN A rated if you fly at the lower end of the weight range, and if you go to the upper end of the weight range, then it's very, very close; then there is a transition between mini wing and normal paraglider. If you want to do the training with the wing, you really have to fly the glider in a way that usually nobody does. Everybody is looking for the glider to fly in the middle of the weight range, more or less, but if you want to do the training, then you have to fly the glider really at the lower end of the weight range.
So the glider is for many, many pilots, but the focus is not performance. So it's not for people looking for a performance wing for X-Alps style cross-country flying, but it's for pilots who want to fly around a little bit in the area they know very well, going down to the landing field where the car is, and so on. Of course you can do cross-country flights, but it was not the focus. The focus was to offer a simple glider, a light glider, to combine different kinds of sports. You have it on your back, you don't feel it because it's light. I think it's for people who like to do social flying with other people, some of them just hiking without flying, and at the top of the mountain you check the conditions and you say, okay, it's good for flying, I will go down with the paraglider. If not, it doesn't matter, because it's not there to disturb.
Yes, we have some projects in the pipeline for next year, but we don't know exactly if and when we will be able to do the product launch. So I can only tell you that it's very likely that we will come up with a new tandem, the Twin 3 RS, because at the moment we are running a field test in Turkey with the professional tandem pilots, and the feedback was good. So I am pretty sure that we can manage to have the glider available from spring 2024. Very soon, very soon.
And we have another project. Our intention is, because of our positive experiences with the two-liner projects Stellar and Libra RS, we want to do another EN B high-end glider, a two-and-a-half-liner, which will be on top, between the Nyos and the Libra, because there's one glider missing. The Nyos 2 is very comfortable to fly and lots of people like it, but for EN B pilots looking for maximum performance, we don't have the right glider to offer, and this is something we are working on. But it's a little bit too early to say, okay, it will come for sure. We are working hard to make it real, and hopefully we will be able to present it at the Stubai Cup, because if we miss that date, then I think we are too late, and then we have to wait a little bit longer, maybe next year.
Thank you so much. You're welcome, thank you. Okay, bye-bye.
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