Zoom X2C Paraglider Review
Hrs Flown: 70 + 1 competition
Harness: Ozone Forza 2
(You can read the review of Forza 2 Harness here)
Size: 115 loaded at 112 Kilos
Location: Bir Billing India, Oct– Nov 2024
Upgrade from: Ozone Delta 3 100 hrs + Phi Allegro 70 Hrs
Build Quality:
Stitching and fabric pretty spot on after 70 hrs. The glider takes about 5 hours of XC flying to have all seems and stitches to be properly taught (you can see the seems out of place during first flights and then it all gets perfectly aligned.) Fabric is exactly what I needed- Robust. Tested nicely on the 2nd day when a failed downhill take-off run by a kamikaze Pilot ran into the wing while I was clipped on one side by riser and dragged me along with the glider some 10 feet.
Upper cascade lines are not meant for any kind of abuse because. I had a snag on the 3rd flight between B-lines and Brake Cascade – when all failed, I pumped using B lines very aggressively and the brake line on top cascade snapped. Just saying, you need to be careful with lines as is the case with any performance glider (On Hind sight I feel the Kamikaze encounter on the previous day could have affected this line. Which reiterates the fact that we need to check the lines for strength after any such incidence.)
Take-off:
First take-off: the glider felt a tad bit heavy on the nose (coming from Allegro), however I soon realised it just needs a committed pull and you are set in very light winds. Strong winds are no Biggy, it’s like a B Glider where it tends to stop overhead with no tendency to overshoot.
Handling:
The glider gives you good authority in Rolls which is fantastic for thermaling and lets you place the glider exactly where you need to be. First 2 flights it felt weird because it seemed as the glider has too much roll, but then you understand its nature and you start smiling ear to ear every time you are in a thermal.
It is moderately pitch stable… the nose wants to shoot forward in strong thermals, but somehow it just points you towards the lift, sniffing and pulling but never overshooting with an intention to scare.
Leading Edge:
Very strong leading edge resistant to collapses and frontals. I never had one. Except for this one time where I was hit by a rowdy Lee Side thermal and I could feel the Air trying to rip the leading edge, but it held the fort very well with minimal input from my end. It would not have been the case with the Allegro.
Wing tips:
Well interestingly the wing tip are floaters and not attached to brake lines. So, when you do brake, they are kind of folded in. Not sure how, but it gives an amazing command over the wing overall. Strong thermals you can place the glider wherever however you want: week thermals/ lifts you can turn very flat with just about 5 cm of brakes and minimal weight shift.
Glide at Trim:
The glider is fast at trim: Multiple glides next to Photon showed similar glide and Speed. Photon is maybe 2 kmph faster on full bar, but Zoom held a better glide. I would say 2 phases are compensated. Had a few glides at trim next to the NEW Davinci Mambo: X2c is much faster with better glide at trim. Dint get a chance to fly with the Mambo on bar.
Speed bar:
Speed bar pressure is progressive. I got so used to flying on 3 quarter of bar that at times I ended up leaving the B lines and steering with Brakes. (Yes, I know I cannot do a bigger blunder and it’s a terrible mistake.) But what I mean to say here is that on half to ¾ bar the glider is rock-solid, with excellent performance through turbulence. Makes you complacent.
Full Bar:
The Glider glides how it should, good speed and great glide. The Diva 2, Zeno 2 left me with a bruised ego. So don’t compare to the ENDs and Enzos. No point heading in that space. EN D gliders have a clear advantage in long glides as they should over Photon or zoom or whatever. There is no comparison. First time on a 2 Liner: I was little scared to see the B lines hang lose on Full Bar – The glider only loads A Lines on full bar. This gives great authority with B line control on full bar. Half Bar, the B lines do take a little effort to turn the glider.
Landing:
Although the glider reacts with 5cm of brakes, It has a long flare to play with during landing. By far the best glider to flare on landing and gives you good range of speed control.
Brake Handles:
Again, the first flight with them was odd, but then you start appreciating the little nuances in the design and the fab grip it gives. It’s the best Brake handle, relieves fatigue and gives you very good command and feedback. I would definitely switch the brake handles to these on any glider.
Manoeuvres:
Spirals: Very quick to get into spirals, nothing scary for the C Class pilots and Dynamic exits are manageable thanks to the good brake authority. Wingovers are fun and again can be as big or as easy as you want them to be.
Pulling Big Ears with A lines took all my strength and I let go probably in 2 seconds.
B Line Tip Stalls work much better, easily retracted, Ears don’t flap and come out easily on release.
Collapses:
70 hours of flying in strong thermic conditions and gliding next to terrain in moderately rough air inspired a lot of confidence in the wing. I did get maybe 30% collapse once in a rough thermal on the outside, the glider was bored, so was I and we just continued the turn with a small pump on the outer brake.
I wouldn’t want to make statements here as most of the flying was done next to gliders flying XC distances. As stated earlier – END gliders have much better glides when needed. Ozone Photon is as good on trim, slightly faster on full bar but X2C holds a better glide. It definitely performs better than 3 liner C wings. It was very interesting when on 2 occasions Photon Pilots came and asked if I feel X2C is better … Well, it definitely turns better 😉.
Who is the glider for:
An ambitious High B glider Pilot would feel safe on the wing.
Stepping up from Allegro (R07 Riser Config) I felt this to be a step down in active flying but a huge improvement in Performance. Any EN-C pilot wanting to get a 2 liner will feel immediately at ease. Needless to mention pilots wanting to fly a 2-liner come from certain experience and a comfort level flying in varied thermic conditions. I mostly fly strong conditions; others may not feel equally good on the same glider in similar conditions.
If you think you are a B pilot always flying on bar, you can jump to the X2C. But if you are mostly reluctant before pushing Bar on a B glider or a 2.5 liner C, you may want to start using your speed bar instead of upgrading your glider.
Happy landings Always!
Cheers!
Krishan.
Am I associated to Zoom in any manner?
Yes, I am the authorized dealer for India, but I also represent Ozone, Advance, Phi etc. so no biases whatsoever. Some great deals at www.xcwings.com