Nova Announces New Mountaineering Wing Named IBEX
The IBEX weighs in at 2988 grams (that's 105 oz.) and ships with a full warranty.
IBEX – the Latin root of the Capricorn (wild mountain goat) – is our new wing for alpinists and paragliding globetrotters. The design is based on the ROOKIE, which has gained an excellent reputation as a low-level DHV class 1–2 wing. The IBEX sports a 15 m2 surface and an impressively low weight of 2988 grams. But best of all, this featherweight wing packs extremely small, is safe to fly and allows launching at a wide range of wind conditions. Rather than typical lightweight mountaineering wings, we dare to give full warranty! We have planned to launch the IBEX with a DHV Gütesiegel and a maximum flight weight of 100 kg this spring.
The low weight is achieved by:
- The small surface.
- The reduced line set up (like the ROOKIE or the RA).
- Innovations concerning the choice of fabrics: The feather-weight 27 gr/m2 Porcher Skytex is only applied to areas with little stress, e.g. bottom sail and the rear supporting ribs and diagonals cells. We use firm 40 gr/m2 cloth for the complete top sail and stressed profiles and diagonals.
- Furthermore, we abstained from ultra light risers, in favour of slightly reduced standard risers with a more comfortable handling.
Result: Despite of the ultra-low weight, it is not necessary with the IBEX to put up with special limitations concerning its lifespan or when choosing the take-off (contrary to many other alpinist gliders)! That is why the IBEX is fully guaranteed by us! Outside Austria, Germany and Switzerland the warranty is three years!
Besides the low weight, the IBEX’s incredibly small pack size is of paramount importance: A neatly packed IBEX does not exceed the volume of a warm sleeping bag. It is easily stored in an alpine or trekking backpack – leaving plenty of space for other equipment in your pack.
The launching characteristic of the IBEX is straightforward and very, very uncomplicated. Due to the short lines, the IBEX’s canopy rises very quickly. A short pull on the A-risers is sufficient for the canopy to stand-up. If the wind is stronger or gusty, the additional advantage of a smaller surface canopy is that the handling is easier: The acting forces are less. This renders the IBEX a great glider for launch sites in higher altitude and versatile for varying wind-conditions.
Given the small surface of only 15m2, the obvious question arises: “Will this little thing carry me at all?” We have gathered considerable expertise on high surface loads in the process of developing paramotor wings: The SPEEDMAX, which is very similar to the ROOKIE, has the DULV Gütesiegel for up to 150 kg with 19 m2 only! This means, the surface load is clearly higher! (Just for your information: DULV is the German Ultralight Association and their Gütesiegel as strict as the DHV’s). With the right construction, small surfaces pose no problem.
In flight, the IBEX with 100 kg has an approximate trim-speed of 45 km/h. The response to collapses is amazingly docile. Designer Hannes Papesh says on the IBEX: “The fear of uncontrolled collapses due to a small surface is unfounded. I’m quite certain we will receive the DHV approval.”
Performance: Mid January, we had a NOVA pilot’s team meeting in the Dolomites on a beautiful flying site called Plose. A dozen world-class pilots were pretty sceptical, regarding what performance could be expected from this petite unit. They were speechless, when after a few minutes our test pilot Walter Holzmüller cruised next to them in the air with their RAs and TYCOONs in weak winter thermals. The IBEX performs amazingly well and it is much more than just an aid for descending.
Summing up its characteristics, the IBEX should be especially interesting for four target groups:
1. Para-alpinists who walk or climb up to the launch site.
2. Expedition-alpinists who take off from high altitude.
3. Travellers taking along their glider for holiday trips.
4. Pilots who prefer to walk in autumn or winter affording the luxury of a second glider with small packing and low weight.
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