Hannes Papesch on PHI's 2023 Lineup, the Two-Line C-Class Trend, and the New Brand ZOOM
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 Icarus Cup in Saint-Hilaire, France, glider designer Hannes Papesch talked about what his company had released in 2023, what he thinks about the current wave of two-line C-class gliders, and why a second brand, ZOOM, is being launched under the same roof. His position is somewhat unusual for a manufacturer presenting a high-performance wing: he is proud of it, but he spends much of the interview urging pilots not to move up classes too quickly.
A year of many new gliders at PHI
Papesch described 2023 as "a year of lots of new products" for PHI. Starting from the lower end of the range, he listed the Solar GT, the Viola 2, the Sonata 2, the Symphonia 2 Light, and the Tenor 2 and Tenor 2 Light. The newest additions were in the higher range: first the Scala 2 Light, and then the standard version of the Scala 2, which was just reaching the market at the time of the interview.
The Scala 2 is certified in sizes 18, 19, 20, 21 and 23 and was just beginning delivery, so PHI was only starting to receive feedback from pilots around the world. Papesch described it as a high-level two-liner in the C class with an aspect ratio of 6.8.
A wing meant to be a D that certified as a C
According to Papesch, the Scala was originally planned as a D-class wing, but it proved safe enough in certification that it ended up classified as a C, and the same happened with the Scala 2. The result, in his words, is a higher-aspect-ratio C-class two-liner that he believes is "absolutely on the top of the C class" in performance.
He also reported that the feedback so far says it is still easy to fly. He had just flown the size 20 himself and noted that he is normally a B-class pilot; he said he was surprised by how easy the handling was and how it felt. He closed this point with what he called PHI's usual message: don't trust the marketing, try it yourself.
Caution about two-liners and moving up too fast
Asked about the popularity of two-line C-class gliders, Papesch immediately added a warning. With two-liners, he said, safety training is more difficult, so he asks pilots to make the effort to mount folding lines and do safety training to learn both the limits of the glider and their own limits.
He sees a particular problem in the C class: some pilots believe they are better than they actually are, so good self-evaluation is essential. He said PHI normally tries to encourage pilots toward lower classes, because the performance there is good enough anyway. He described the kind of question they are currently hearing — pilots in mid-B asking whether they can step up to a C two-liner next — and said he would rather they gain experience and get coaching step by step, going slowly rather than too fast.
He also pointed to a specific risk in how two-liners feel. The two-liner technique is very stable, he said, and that stability can make pilots lose respect: they race faster and fly closer to the terrain. But the wing is "not absolutely rigid," so a collapse may still come, just later. His advice was to respect nature, turbulence, dynamics and physics, to stay a bit higher and farther from the mountains so the reserve remains usable, and to choose a lower class rather than a higher one.
Why A-class wings are enough for most pilots
Papesch said PHI has many A-class wings and that for most pilots the A class is enough, noting the range from the Fantasia to the Symphonia. In his view, some pilots — perhaps out of ego — feel they need higher classes and keep stepping up, until at some level they become increasingly frightened and leave the sport, which he called a pity. He would rather pilots be satisfied with the performance available in lower-class wings, have more fun, and enjoy flying on the safe side.
He returned to the Scala 2 to square this with the product itself: PHI did not set out to make a C-class wing; it was meant to be a D and landed in C because of its safety. Because of its aspect ratio, he expects pilots to recognize it as a high-level glider, and he described it as a good offer for a specific group of pilots rather than a general recommendation.
PHI as a development company
When the conversation turned to ZOOM, Papesch first framed PHI's identity: he distinguished between "marketing companies," whose main priority is marketing, and PHI as a development company whose main priority is development.
ZOOM: a second brand for a different designer
The new brand comes out of Papesch's history with a designer named Alex. Alex was once a PHI test pilot, and Papesch trained him to become a designer. He later left (Papesch mentioned this in connection with his time with the Nova team) and went to another large manufacturer. Now, since Alex is from the same area and the two like working together within a shared tradition, it was time for him to come back.
The reason for a separate brand, Papesch explained, is clarity. Alex has a different style and taste, and if his gliders sat inside the PHI range, pilots might be confused because his wings would behave one way and Papesch's another. With a separate brand, Alex's gliders carry different names and he can do whatever he wants and bring in his own approach, while Papesch keeps his own. Both brands, PHI and ZOOM, are under the same company.
ZOOM's first wing: the X2 C
ZOOM's first glider is also a two-line C wing — "obviously it's fashion," Papesch remarked. It is called the X2 (Alex will name his wings with letters and numbers). Three sizes were in certification at the time, and Papesch expected the first gliders to appear in maybe four to six weeks.
Compared with the Scala 2, he said, it has a somewhat lower aspect ratio and is less of a racing machine, sitting more in the middle of the class.
Paragliders are like shoes
Papesch ended with a comparison he says he often makes: paragliders are like shoes. Every pilot has different demands, tastes and priorities, so it is good to offer many different choices. He said he was excited to see the variety in the market and in the sky, which in his words "has to be colorful with lots of differences."
Yeah, hello, hello to Japan. I'm Hannes Papesch. We're here in Saint-Hilaire in France, a very nice day, very good visibility, and already the first paragliders are soaring up on the ridge. And we're here to talk about what's new: new products coming up, or even new brands coming up from our side.
Yeah, this year 2023 was anyway a year of lots of new products. So we had, from the bottom of the range, we're coming up with the Solar GT, then the Viola 2, the Sonata 2, the Symphonia 2 Light, and then the Tenor 2, Tenor 2 Light. And what is now quite new, we had to start for X-Alps the Scala 2 Light, and now the normal version of the Scala, which is just coming now to the market.
So Scala 2 in several sizes, so we have 18, 19, 20, 21, 23 now certified, and it's just now in delivery, so we just get the first feedback from all over the world. And it's a high-level two-liner in class C. So the Scala was originally planned to be a D wing, but it was that safe that it finally became a C glider, and Scala 2 the same. So we have now a higher aspect C-class two-liner with 6.8 aspect ratio, but I think really, really good performance. I think it's absolutely on the top of the C class, and the feedback is that it's still easy to fly.
So I was myself flying the 20 just now. Even though I'm normally a B-class pilot, I was surprised by the easiness of the handling and the feeling. And you just give it a try. So our base message, as always: don't trust the marketing, try it yourself.
Yes, it is, but I still say be careful. As we know, with two-liners it's more difficult to make safety training with. So I have to tell the pilots: please just take the effort, mount the folding lines, make a safety training to check out the limits of the gliders and check out your own limits. So this makes everything a little bit complicated, because especially in the C class we have pilots who sometimes think that they are better than they finally are. So we need a very good self-evaluation.
So I try normally to motivate pilots to have lower classes, because anyway the performance is good enough. And at the moment we get pilots asking us, "Yeah, I'm now flying mid-B, may I fly a C two-liner as the next step?" And so I rather try to... but you need some experience, you need to have coaching step by step. So we rather go slowly, not too fast.
And the two-liner technique is very, very stable, so you try, you're losing the respect, you're racing even faster, you're racing even closer to the relief, but it is not absolutely rigid, so you may have a collapse later. And so I rather tell the pilots: respect nature, respect the turbulence, respect the dynamics, the physics, but better stay away from the mountains a little bit higher so you could use the reserve, and rather use a lower class than this higher one.
Yeah, so we have lots of A-class wings, and we think for most of the pilots the A class is enough. So from the Fantasia to this car to the Symphonia, it's a big range. But some pilots think, maybe because of the ego, they need the higher classes, and so they step up, step up, step up. But at some level maybe they are getting frightened and frightened and they leave the sport, and this is a pity. So we should rather be satisfied with the performance that's anyway made there also with A-class wings, and have more fun with it, and enjoy the safety, and just be on the safe side.
Yeah, but we didn't make the Scala to be a C-class glider. It should have been a D-class glider, but it was that safe that it is finally in the C. And because of the aspect ratio, the pilots rather know that it's high level. So for this special group of pilots I think it's a very good wing, and we should try it. So I think it's a good offer for a special group of pilots.
Yeah, it's an interesting thing. So we are a development company. I think there are the marketing companies, which have the main priority in marketing, and we have our main priority in developing. And Alex Höllwarth was once a test pilot of ours, and then I was educating him to become a designer, and then he was leaving me, as I've been with the Nova team, and went to another big manufacturer. And now it was time to come back, because he's from our area, and we like to work together because we have our tradition, and it works perfectly.
But when he would design gliders inside my brand, of course he has a different style and different taste. It would be a little bit confusing for the clients, for the pilots, because the gliders he's doing are flying that way, and the gliders I'm doing a little bit another way. And so we thought it's more clear for communication to make another brand. So his gliders are called differently, and so he can do whatever he wants and bring in his taste and his way to do it, and I can stay with my kind and my way.
And so we have the new brand, it's called ZOOM. So everything is under the same company, we just have two brands, PHI and ZOOM. And we're coming up now with the first wing. It's also a two-liner C wing, so it's just obviously the fashion, and it will be called X2C. So he will call his wings just with letters and numbers. And we have the first three sizes in the certification, so we can expect the first gliders being around in maybe four to six weeks.
Yeah, in contrast to the Scala, it's a little bit less aspect ratio and not that racing machine as the Scala. It's more in the middle of the class. And yeah, I always say paragliders are like shoes, so it needs lots of different ones. Everyone has different demands, different taste, different priorities. So I think it's good to have lots of different choices for the pilots.
Very exciting to see in the market, in the sky. Yeah, yeah, the sky has to be colorful with lots of differences. Yeah, thank you so much. Yeah, thank you.
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