2nd Flight with the NEW BGD Cure 3 EN-C 2-liner

Описание: My very 1st flight on the all new BGD Cure 3 was on a late afternoon, at around 6:16PM with inverted conditions and weak lift, where it performed really well. I was eager to fly it again in stronger lift to see how it handles in more turbulent conditions and whether I’d scare myself back to the Lynx 2 on such days. The Cure 3 is a pure 2 liner and made for racing, so I wondered if I had bitten off more than I can chew. 😅 I’m on a medium size that goes up to 95kg and with everything, I was at about 94kg.

For my 2nd flight, I decided to go a little earlier on a stronger day to see how I feel about it. Stephen launched at around 3:38PM and I saw that even with all his years of experience (and on his EN-D Ozone Mantra 6) he was pitching back and forth, something we don’t usually see, because he makes most days look easy!

We fly a desert mountain site, we’re in hot summer months with dry, punchy thermals, and that’s not to be taken lightly. I watched a couple more pilots go first, waited until about 4:35PM in hopes that it would mellow out a bit and launched.

The launch was easy this time, 1st try, with wind gusting to about 12mph. It didn’t seem to overshoot me, but I also walk forward to prevent it from getting to that point before turning around. I almost got in my harness too soon as I started sinking back down, but everything worked out.

The air was still turbulent and the wind was picking up as I got higher. The prediction had it gusting to over 20mph above 5,000ft and it certainly felt like it at times. The glider had no problem cutting through and rising in thermals, in fact it definitely climbs faster and more efficiently than any other glider I’ve flown previously (BGD Epic, BGD Base 2, BGD Lynx 2).

The handling is not quite as calm and reassuring as the Lynx 2 (great glider btw), but for a climbing, racing machine, it’s great! The brakes feel more direct and the wing is just slightly more talkative. It also does shoot forward a little more, but I never experienced any collapse, not even a tippy one, even though the air was kind of rowdy. It had me a feeling a little more nervous, but I expected it to.

I made the crossing from Marshall to Crestline after seeing a couple of gliders ridge-soaring up there, but when I arrived, the wind was feeling a bit much and the station was recording gusts of up to 25mph around this time. I was ready to bail before I got too high, risking going behind the ridge. I faced Regionals launch, pressed the speed bar and five seconds in I heard a loud SNAPPP!!! “What the heck was that?!?”

My speed bar on my almost new Niviuk Arrow P harness broke at the most inconvenient time, while trying to pull away from the Crestline ridge. I didn’t stomp on it, I haven’t been abusing it, and I only have about a dozen flights on it so far. The price you pay for lightweight gear I guess! The right side was visibly loose, while the left side was fine. I wasn’t sure where it broke exactly, but at this point it didn’t look fixable in the air. Well,… poo.

I hoped that I would make it back to the front range without it and luckily I did. The Cure 3 seems to be pretty quick even without speed bar applied, but like most paragliders it too has its limits!

For the rest of the flight I only played out front, where I could see the LZ. I wanted to make sure I didn’t get too high, or go too far back where I might get stuck behind a ridge, in rotor, not being able to move forward. I continually checked the local weather stations to see if the gusts were backing off, but it was gusting to 20+mph well past 6:00PM.

While floating in the front range, Stephen was able to get a few good videos of me flying around. He’s talented like that and we appreciate his skills. 😛 Usually I have a hard time out climbing him on his Ozone Mantra 6 even while he’s preoccupied with his phone. That glider combined with his experience just never wants to land! During this flight on the Cure 3, I was actually able to out-climb him multiple times. I had never seen the top of his glider as much as I did yesterday. 😯😂 Then again he wasn’t feeling too well, so believe what you will. 😄 I know I didn’t suddenly become a better pilot overnight, but I am on a new BGD 2 liner, so… watch out! 😜