AirDesign UFO-Bi

– “And what did you learn?” The general Stachys curtly interrupted him.

– “At a time of the day where most of the mountaineers are still going down, these dudes were enjoying a beer on a terrace, chatting and laughing about the incredible day they just had”.

They mentioned that time when they had to improvise a bivouac on the top of the Grépon, using the ropes to cover their bodies to face a long and cold night and were wondering “what if we had had a fast solution to get down?”. Then, one of them exclaimed: “I’d like to propose a toast to this new chapter! Today we reached the Aiguille Verte and took off from there. How come? Because I had the UFO-Bi in my rucksack! Light and fast! This is the key for our safety!” The other was merry “Dude, I really had doubts about it until I saw you taking the light and compact package out of your backpack, then I knew you were right. The take-off with the UFO-Bi has been a formality and still, my heart was pounding so hard in my chest!”.

– “No descent! Just enjoying the flight in tandem!?” Stachys almost choked.

– “Just enjoying the view, yes, they said they were yelling like two kids”, Alf calmly pursued. “While soaring the huge granite faces, the pilot felt thankful to have such a nice wing to play with. Then, they headed to the valley… And after a nice flare, they were back on earth”.

The old alien looked clearly worried. This observation mission had gone further than anything he could have had imagined. Not only they were not alone in the universe, but the human beings now mastered the UFO technology for two people. Let’s hope it is limited to the mountaineers. The others must not know.

…in one image?
Folded in its Airpack 50-50 XS, you just can’t imagine this is a tandem wing.

.… in one dream?
Accessing a virgin slope, skis on… in a galaxy far, far away…

The UFO-Bi is SUPERLIGHT on every part designed but durable as well-known for the UFO. Every detail matters. For instance, the use of rib-arches with a border-webbing support takes the load from the ribs and line attachments. As well it guarantees a long-lasting glider.

– As for the new UFO, the lines are unsheathed Aramid but color-coded! Solidity has never been so easy to untangle.

– Releasing the trimmers allows a good speed increase to further improve its amazing ability to flare and land smoothly.

– The use of Nitinol rods not only saves weight and increases robustness, it also allows a super compact folding… To always slip it into your rucksack.

– Leading edge and trailing edge are with mylar-border band. This ensures a structural consistency for not changing the wing’s flying behaviors.

– On the leading edge, ground attachment loops can be used to prevent the paraglider from slipping on a steep and/or slippery slope (snow).

The French AirDesign team had the first contact with the UFO-Bi during the Flying Light Festival in Saint-Gervais (Mont-Blanc area) and was very happy with its behavior in every phase of flying and ability to thermal up in the light autumnal climbs. Pilots there really were positively surprised and remained amazed to have such a nice tandem wing weighing only 2.8 kg!!

This tandem, EN-B certified, is meant to take-off from everywhere and to take you anywhere! Easy to launch, gentle handling, and a smooth landing: a must-have for your mountaineering adventures in duet!

Take Off Weight is considered as the flight-mass (including Pilot, Glider, Harness, Reserve, Gear…)

Lines
• Porcher Skytex 27 classic II – Double coated

Lines
• Top lines: Edelrid 8001/U-070, 090
• Middle lines: Edelrid 8001/U-130, 190
• Main lines: Edelrid 8001/U-190, 230, 280

Riser: EDELRID Taurus – ~3,7mm Dyneema Rope