Flight test: Nova Aeron
Tony Johnson reports
The Aeron is the latest DHV 2 glider from Nova, spawned from Hannes Papesh's Radon development. Early computer simulations indicated excellent performance figures despite a big reduction in the aspect ratio of the Radon prototype. The Radon profile is retained.
The result is probably the best glider I have ever flown. Big statement! Imagine the speed, glide and energy-retention of a top competition wing, coupled with superb handling and feedback. All this and easy ground handling. Does such a glider exist? Maybe not, but for me the Aeron is it. So much for the big statement - here's the meat on the bones.
Construction
The build quality is the best I have ever seen on a Nova glider. Differences from most previous Nova wings include thin risers with control-loop pulleys on the B-risers, all-internal stitching and Gelvenor top-surface material. Just about every paraglider I have examined in the last three years has good-to-superb build quality; if you want to study the technical specification look at the panel (below) or on the web at www.nova-wings.com.
Ground handling
The Aeron's ground handling is impeccable. To test this to the full I got my seven-year-old son Joshua to inflate the glider a couple of times in winds of about 10mph. It came up arrow-straight and slowed overhead. Enough said! Alpine launches were equally easy.
Flying
The flight characteristics are quite different to the standard Nova feel. To begin with the Aeron is trimmed quite fast at hands-off, although half-brake equals about average trim for this type of glider. The glider moves around more than any other Nova wing I have flown and feels quite Sigma-like, but nicer. The control feel is very linear and provides excellent feedback, whether flat turning in weak early-spring thermals or doing big wingovers.
The only facet of the Aeron which I initially found disconcerting was initiating the first turn in strong 800ft/min+ thermals. In these conditions it was a case of using a lot more brake than normal to instigate the turn and then backing off.
The Aeron has a superb blend of stability and agile performance. The fact that the wing carries so much energy and handles so well left me with a nagging doubt over whether it represented a departure from (my perception of) Nova's normal philosophy of sacrificing a little performance for stability.
I had to wait a while for the chance to really push the Aeron, but an SIV course over the lake at Annecy was the ideal opportunity to find out how it went in extreme situations.
With its fast trim speed and the way it carries a lot of energy, I was interested to see how it would behave when pushed or mismanaged.
A wing will be most naughty and excitable when badly handled whilst banked and carrying lots of energy and speed. The standard straight-and-level-at-trim asymmetric test is nigh-on pointless on most modern gliders - not much is going to happen. Instead I like to use an intentionally mismanaged wingover to try and induce an asymmetric collapse. The glider will have both pitch and roll energy at this point so it's a much better representation of a real asymmetric tuck situation.
I had expected the Aeron, with its lively handling, to get to a point where it collapsed quickly and violently. To my surprise the wing displayed the characteristics of a good DHV1-2 wing. The leading edge would start to deform and turn under, but as soon as corrective control input was applied it would immediately regain its normal profile.
The slow-flight characteristics were excellent and reminiscent of the Ozone Electron, only perhaps more precise and with better feedback. Pushing one control through quickly to its limit and holding it until the wing just started to bend back and begin to stall, and then immediately letting up, produced a surprisingly benign response. This response is very impressive for this type of glider, and in fact all the instability tests I undertook gave excellent results.
I was left with the impression that the Aeron must be one of the top-performing current DHV2 gliders, with astonishing levels of stability for its class. But make no mistake - this is still a glider for experienced pilots wanting performance at the expense of security, as are all DHV 2s. However, assuming the right level of pilot is hanging underneath it and flying it properly, the Aeron has to the zenith of current DHV2 gliders.
Like a lot of current performance wings, the Aeron has a very taut, solid feel. It's also pleasing on the eye, very racy and sleek, and has look of being manufactured to very high tolerances.
Apart from the slightly unusual technique required to get the Aeron to bite into strong lift, the glider is a joy to thermal, with excellent feedback through the canopy and controls. Because of this, altering the bank angle and turn rate whilst thermalling become very intuitive. This makes for very rewarding flying. Couple this with a glide ratio of that feels like that of one of last year's competition gliders, and the package is complete.
Conclusion
The most telling response about the Aeron came from the other pilots that I invited to fly it. Every single one of 15 pilots that flew the glider landed smiling, and not one of them had any negative comments about the wing. The recurring theme was instant comfort and a very reassuring feel to the wing, immediately putting the pilot at ease. I have never witnessed this rapid settling in before with any other wing.
Who is going to buy and fly the Aeron? XC hounds and pilots who like dynamic gliders but don't want to totally sacrifice stability on the alter of performance. The Aeron feels like a very good modern sports motorbike, with balls-out potential but easy to use around town or drive 400 miles without undue stress.
The Aeron glider is very special and will probably become a benchmark for future gliders. For my piece of mind I wanted to explore every facet of the glider. We have had it inside out and upside down and done every type of flying on it. It just gets better the more you use it!
Importer's comment
Replace! Replace! Replace! The fact that the wing carries so much energy and handles so well. Left me with a nagging doubt about whether the Aeron was a departure from my perception of the normal Nova philosophy of slightly sacrificing performance for stability. Although it was a bit of wait (thanks for your patience Joe/Dean!) I was running a SIV course I had the ideal opportunity to really push the glider, over the lake. As the glider has quite a fast trim speed and carries a lot of energy I was interested to see how it would behave when pushed or mismanaged. Replace! Replace! Replace!
Dean Crosby, Active Edge
Reviewer Tony Johnston is CFI of Vertical Motion and an SIV instructor with the Last Resort. Tony started flying hang gliders in 1984, and has been involved in teaching hang gliding and paragliding for the last 16 years.
Specification
Model XS(20) S(22) M(24) L(26)
No of cells 57 57 57 57
Span (m) 9.46 9.92 10.35 10.76
Area (m2) 22.75 25 27.25 29.47
Aspect ratio 5.66:1 5.66:1 5.66:1 5.66:1
Line diameter (mm) 0.6 / 1.2 / 1.45 0.6 / 1.2 / 1.45 0.6 / 1.2 / 1.45 0.6 / 1.2 / 1.45
DHV weight range (kg)* 60 - 85 75 - 95 90 - 110 95 - 130
DHV certification 2 2 2 2
AFNOR certification Performance Performance Performance
Guarantee 3 years/300 hours materials & workmanship + Nova Protect**
Price
* All-up weights
** Nova Protect is free and covers any accidental damage in the first year of ownership
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