Davinci Gliders at the Icarus Cup 2023: New Two-Liners and a Canopy Built Only for Accuracy
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 (Coupe Icare) in Saint-Hilaire, France, Korean manufacturer Davinci introduced the gliders it plans to release for 2024. Jiun Lee, the company's glider designer, did most of the talking. A second team member said their main job is making harnesses, though they described themselves as doing "everything" at the company. The interview covers three things: what Davinci has in development, how the company thinks about safety and accessibility in its designs, and a glider built only for accuracy competition, which the team presents as the first of its kind.
What Is Coming for 2024
Lee said Davinci already offers a full range of gliders and harnesses, from EN A up to the CCC-class Opera. For about two years the company has been developing several new models at once. Three are close to release:
- Tango Pro, a two-liner EN C glider.
- Funky 2, a high EN B (described as "high B+") glider.
- Opera 2, a two-liner EN D glider for competition and cross-country pilots, which the team says it has been testing extensively.
Why Keep a Three-Line Tango
Lee explained why the Tango Pro is a separate model rather than a replacement for the current Tango. Some pilots in the EN C class want to stay on a three-liner, and some don't need a two-liner at all. Because the three-line Tango is "so stable," Davinci decided to keep it in the lineup and add the Tango Pro as a separate two-line EN C option.
Design Philosophy: Safety and Easy Flying
Lee said his focus as a designer is on offering something new compared with the current market. He pointed to technologies Davinci builds into its gliders:
- The Smart Nose Plus, which Lee says is included in all of Davinci's gliders.
- The Smart Balance System.
- The Smart Snake System, planned for the next model.
In Lee's view, these features bring "many big advantages," especially for safety. He said pilots find them efficient and beneficial for flying characteristics, and that feedback has been very positive. By his account, pilots who try a Davinci glider once are "so satisfied."
The second team member added examples of this approach. One is the low-B Rhythm 2, which they described as very easy to fly and to certify. Another is the Funky 2: although certified high B, they said it feels like a low B. They summarized the design concept as safety and easy flying, which they believe is what pilots want now.
Lee said the most important things are a safe flight and a safe landing. He applies that priority even to the high-end Opera and Opera 2. Performance matters in that class, but he said safety matters just as much, and the team is testing heavily to meet pilots' requirements.
Points: A Glider Designed Only for Accuracy
The final part of the interview was about Points, a Davinci glider for accuracy (precision landing) competition. The team calls it "the really first glider" designed only for that discipline.
The second team member explained that the key feature is a trim system on the lines:
- Trim closed: the pilot can reduce speed. This helps when the wind shifts just before landing and the pilot needs to turn or fly slower. They said slow flight and deep approaches become easier.
- Trim released (by about 3 cm): the angle rises slightly and the glider flies a little faster. This is useful on windy competition days, such as at seaside venues.
They also said Points is easy to pump on final glide. If a pilot misjudges the landing, releasing the trim lets the glider glide a little further to recover.
The team said Points is already widely used, and many professional accuracy competitors like it. They mentioned that Japanese pilots were among the first to adopt it. They also named the Rhythm 2 as a very successful glider in accuracy competition, used by competitors worldwide. According to the team, national teams have chosen Davinci gliders.
The interview ended with an invitation rather than a firm conclusion: the team said Points has many advantages for accuracy flying, and pilots who try it "may fall in love" with it.
Hello, hello, Para World subscribers. We are Davinci. I am Jiun Lee, designer of Davinci Gliders.
He is... I'm... yeah, everybody knows. Yeah, yeah, I'm working at Davinci, and my main job is also making harnesses and AAR, and I do everything. Yeah, yeah, I'm so happy to meet Para World at the Icarus Cup in France, so it's very pleasing to introduce ourselves and our new products in 2024.
You know, already we have a full range of gliders and harnesses, EN-A to CCC Opera. But this time, for two years, we have been developing so many kinds of gliders, like a new EN-C two-liner glider and a high-B Funky 2 glider. Also, we have been testing a lot for the Opera 2 as well.
Shortly we're going to release the new EN-C two-liner glider; its name is Tango Pro, two-liner, and the new Funky 2 high-B+ glider, and Papa, a two-liner EN-D glider for competition and cross-country pilots. Oh yeah, so it's our new products for next year.
Yes, yes, exactly. It's because after EN-C, you know, some people want to just stay in the C glider, but the three-liner EN-C Tango is so stable, and also some people don't need a two-liner in C. So we decided to keep the three-liner EN-C Tango and decided to make another Tango Pro for the two-liner EN-C glider.
As I'm the designer of Davinci gliders, I focus on something new compared to the current market, like the Smart Nose Plus and the Smart Balance System. The next model will come up with the Smart Snake System. So this kind of very special technology we involved in the gliders, so it's very specific, and sometimes actually for safety issues it is very efficient and has many big advantages. So in all of our gliders we inserted the Smart Nose Plus and many kinds of special technology.
Many pilots think this is really efficient, and they also think that it's a very good benefit for the flying characteristics. So we are getting really, really nice, good feedback from them, and they are so satisfied when they tried our glider. Once they tried our glider, they were really satisfied.
Jiun made the design of the last low-B class, Classic 2; this one also got a very easy certification, A. And also the Funky 2 is high-B; also this glider is a very easy high-B class, feels like low-B class. And yeah, now the design concept is always we fly and glide, like, feeling is safety and easy fly. Focus: this is very important in Davinci now, and people really love this easy and safe one.
Yeah, the most important is safe flight and safe landing, right? So yeah, when I design the glider, I always focus on the safety issues. And so for the Opera and Opera 2 and EN-D gliders also, not only for the performance but also safety is so important. We try to meet their requirements, and we are testing a lot for the...
Also, we have one more: the competition wing for accuracy competition. We have Point. This is, we have a class... and the line system, we have the trim line, and we are supposed to close the angle, make slow speed. Sometimes the wind direction... landing before the wind direction changes, we want to turn or need slow speed; we can make the trim close and the glider makes slow, and pumping is more easy, deep.
And also on a windy day, like the ocean competition, windy, and we just make the trim release around 3 cm, a little bit more high angle or a little bit faster. And yeah, this is used also a lot in competition.
The glider name is Point. It's really the first glider only designed for accuracy competition. Many competitors, professional accuracy competitors, like that glider. Also Rhythm 2 is a very successful glider for us; a lot of competitors in the world like it, and all of the national teams choose our gliders.
Yes, starting with the Japanese pilots, competition pilots, they start by the little... yeah, because it's easy to pump on final glide. Sometimes when I make a mistake landing, I need to release, glide a little bit, but this is pumping also one more time. The Point has a lot of advantages for the accuracy characteristics, so when you try it, you may fall in love.
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