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"It
seems like we always strive towards perfection, the ultimate and totally flawless
construction, one that leaves
nothing to wish for ....
As we get closer and closer, I start to wonder if this "dream machine"
is just a good thing ..."
To flayhay.com mainpage
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Introduction
Once more, I have been lucky enough to get my hands on nova`s newest creation
(:
The new DHV 2 class TATTOO replaces the very successful AERON.
In the summer of 2003, I got my AERON, and it were to become a lovestory ...
In fact the AERON still sets the
performance standards in it`s class ...
The Aeron is truly a great glider, and it`s successor has a daunting task
ahead.
You can read my review
of the AERON here.
A short video (2.3 Mb) of the Tattoo here
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Comparing
it to the Aeron
My objective will be to try out the TATTOO, and primarily compare it to the
AERON.
I have flown the TATTOO against a few other gliders and will reflect on this.
In the review of the AERON, I tried to implement some important elements of
the flight itself.
You can still use that as a good indepth explanation of those matters.
T his time I will try to center around the more subtle matters of the pilot
itself, but still, the primary objective is
to try to describe the new glider from Nova.
My naked weight is
76 kg and I use a SupAir Profeel XC harness/ Apco Top Secura harness. Metamorfosi
P18 reserve.
Flight instruments are Braunigers IQ comp GPS paired with Garmin`s VISTA
To get the nice pictures, I use an Olympus 8080 wide zoom.
Nova
Tattoo,
DHV 2 |
Nova
Aeron,
DHV 2 |
Projected
span : 10,05 m |
Projected
span : 10,35 m |
Build
I am happy to see that the Tattoo is built like the Aeron.
In most aeras, construction, materials and quality is equal, and that is a
wise decision from Nova (:
My "old"
Aeron, 18 months and around 75 hours airtime, looks remarkable fresh.
You will have a hard time finding a trace of wear on it !
The Gelvenor cloth seems almost bulletproof and hard wearing.
This is of course a result of the way it has been used and treated.
I like to take good care of my gliders.
You can significantly lenghten the lifespan of your glider with the proper
treatment.
You, the pilot has to choose how you want to use it, but if you follow all
or some of the points below, I can guarantee that you will add years to your
glider`s life.
My 98`Vertex has around 200 hours on it, and it flies great, and should be good for several years to come !
- ALWAYS dry your glider after use !( if there is the slighetst trace of moisture on it ) I do this even if I will fly it again the next day.
- Avoid manouvers that will put much strain on the canopy. Fullstall and extreme spiraling/aerobatics is fun, but will rob you of lifespan on the canopy.
- I avoid landing in anything that has sand on it. The grains collect inside and is impossible to get rid of, then grinds on the cloth ...
- I put my canopy inside a plastic bag when ascending the mountains. ( To keep the sweat out )
 Tattoo riser has separate C and D risers. No compensator for the brake suspension. |
|
 Tattoo lineset |
 Aeron lineset |
 Aeron bag Worked well when packed properly .. |
 The new Tattoo bag is made by AVASPORT |
 This new bag is simply great! The best I have ever used and I have no things to wish for on this one (: |
 Good for long hikes with room for all the gear ! |
 Aeron has microlines in the top cascades Liros PPSL 0.6 / 1.2 / 1.45 |
 Tattoo has no microlines. Liros PPSL 1 / 1.2 / 1.45 mm |
 Nice build quality - as usual |
 The Gelvenor cloth is durable. Only issue is that self adhesive rip stop has a hard time attaching to the slick surface. |
 This is new ! Sheeted riserloop is a good thing :) |
 Good quality, ball bearing pulley. |
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The TATTOO
has the following changes over the AERON: ( From Nova )
- The stabilo has one cell less (per side): less wrinkles
- The profiles are absolutely new: more performance, smoother collapses, better
handling
- more aggressive sail tensions: handling, wing rigidity
- canopy curve, longer lines: handling, roll stability
- lines geometry (the TATTOO has main D lines): more defined shape in the
trailing edge, better handling
- smaller surface: speed, dynamic
- some internals (holes, diagonals..): better inflation, stiffer, cleaner
buildup
- speed system
I really
like the way this glider is built; clean and simple using high quality materials.
It`s as simple as that ...
Launch
Getting into the
air in style is as important as getting back in one piece, so for me, this
is always a very important part of any review.
A lot of mishaps occur during the critical launch phase, and it is important
to remember that no matter how good your
glider is, pilot skill is still paramount.
During my 18 years of flying, I have only had one serious mishap, and it happened
on a very windy launch ( + 10 ms ).
As I shot rather unbalanced into the air, the glider had a frontal collapse
at about 15 meters height ...
dislocated shoulder hurts ....
I love to climb the gorgeus mountains of northern Norway, and as I often fly
off rugged launches far from any civilisation, I cannot emhasise the launch
skills hard enough.
I therefore provide full evaluation of both the Tattoo and Aeron for the launch
phase.
 Stand like this for a few minutes ... Tattoo |
 ... Before you launch ( : Aeron |
I try to spend
a lot of time playing with my glider before I leave the ground, and not just
"going for it, and hope for the best". Always leave the ground while
in total control of your glider, never sliding sideways or with a pitching
glider !
And I will share one of my absolute commandments ...
If turbulent conditions, never launch if the wind exceeds 6 ms (12kt),
I stretch this to 7ms if laminar conditions.
Yes, I know there are many of you out there that will say that you are capable
of dealing with more than that.
It is my firm belief after many personal experiences, and watching some of
the best pilots around, that the paraglider
has a certain limit for how much wind force the pilot can actively control.
Exceeding that limit will render the pilot unable to stop an oncoming collapse
... no matter how good the pilot is.
99 out of 100 times things will work out, but ....
There are mainly 2 quite different scenarios I will look at.
- Calm conditions, forward launch
- Windy conditions, reverse launch
- If you use your glider for paramotoring ( like I do ) this too will require special technique.
It is not hard
at all to describe these gliders - they both possess great qualities !
The Aeron has proven itself under all kinds of conditions, always predictable
and easy launching, even for paramotoring:
The Tattoo follows up, and has already impressed me with it`s simplicity ...
Some differences can be found..
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Tattoo,
Forward launch
Should simply be laid out as it is (no special folding)
Rises up moderately
fast, with little effort required.
No hard points.
Little tendency to overshoot.
The pitch control is very different from Aeron, as the "autopilot pitch"
seems to keep any surges in check.
The pilot has limited control over canopy (especially compared to Aeron).
The lateral control during this phase is exceptional !
Never before have I been able to control the canopy effecively trough the
brakes as I pull up the glider:
Glider seems to "swallow" assymetric pulling, and can be brough
into launch position from "weird" attitudes.
The canopy feels "light" and will kite in the lightest of breezes,
will not easily fall back.
Average liftoff speed
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Aeron,
Forward launch
Should simply be laid out as it is (no special folding)
Rises up moderately fast, with medium effort required.
No hard points.
Little tendency to overshoot.
Pilot has great control through the very direct pitch control, and it feels
very reassuring during those nowind launches in steep terrain, as any forward
surge can be kept in check.
Lateral control
is average and requires the pilot to run under the canopy if larger bank angles
are encountered.
Is sensitive to assymetric pulling, and requires the pilot to check for symmetry
before launch.
Will fall back quickly if the pilot stops running.
(Canopy sometimes seems "heavy" and unwilling to stay up)
Above average liftoff speed
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Tattoo,
Reverse launch
What can I say ... it cannot possibly get any better than this ??
The Tattoo is by far the safest and easiest reverse launcher I have tried.
Rises up moderately fast
Little tendency to overshoot.
It groundhandles almost like a kite, and you can easily control it on the
ground with the brakes alone.. unheard of ..
It more or less keeps the pitch under it`s own command and you just fine tune
the pitch with brake input.
I soon realized that too much pilot intervention on the pitch just made things
worse ... It is very stable above you.
Seems to require very little wind for it to stay up, substatially less than
the Aeron.
This you should feel for yourself, it is really something new ...
Very very impressive (:
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Aeron,
Reverse launch
After
1.5 years of flying, I can truly say that the Aeron fullfills all the needs
for launching at the most demanding of sites.
Then comes the Tattoo around, with even better launching ... just keep in
mind that the Aeron is still great !
Rises up moderately fast
Little tendency to overshoot.
It`s strengt is very direct pitch control, and through that you can put it
exactly where you want.
Lateral control is average, and there is a limit for the deflections you can
correct before it fall to the side.
Requires more wind than Tattoo to stay up, and falls down more frequently.
I will say it is slighly below average on this point.
The only "problem"
I can think of is when the wind is low, and the canopy falls down, then it
has a tendency to
close it`s leading edge.
... Then you will have to go and open it yourself ...
Good and safe - solid feel after liftoff.
 The first top landing on Blue mountain A small pinnacle at 1300 meter. Tricky launch afterwards .... |
 The launch (The glacier) at Moysalen, the highest summit in our region, 1286 meters. You need to know you stuff when going for it ... |
Let`s
fly !
Flying the Tattoo
will alter your impression about how a nova glider feels.
Those of you that thought the glider is an Aeron clone, will have to throw
all your predeterminations into the trash can.
The Tattoo is almost in any respect very different from the Aeron, mostly
for good, but not entirely ...
The Tattoo has that nasty tendency of making the pilot do things not really
intended ...
Anyone that has been driving a fast motorcycle on an early sunday morning
should know the feeling ... who can resist the feeling of just twisting that
throttle, yelling into the helmet as you go way way past those speedlimits
...
It`s cool, it`s a bit dangerous, and you just love it ... (:
I`m telling you; the Tattoo will do things that you never thought a high performance
glider from Nova would be capable of.
It`s lateral ( turn ) handling is incredible; so fast and so dynamic
that it will surely set the reference mark in it`s class.
Where the Aeron was behaving nice and calm, steady and reliable, performing
strong, the Tattoo is the dynamic and playful kitten, performing just as well,
but capable of some rather horny moves ...
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Playground
in the sky
You probably know it by now, its lateral handling is quick and dynamic. But
it takes more than just fast rollcontrol to make a great glider.
Balance and Coordination is the key word.
We control the glider in 3 axes, pitch, roll, and yaw.
Pitch can be pretty much controlled independently of the 2 other.
In a paraglider, Roll and yaw does not have independent controls( like in
the airplanes ), neither does a conventional hangglider.
They act together; as we apply left brake, 2 things happen
- Drag increases, witch in turns slows the left side and initiates a left yaw
- Lift or lift cooefficient ( Cl) increases, witch in turns will initiate the roll to the right ....
- This we have to counter with weightshift (Should be applied BEFORE brake initiation)
- As the right wing now is flying faster the the left wing, this wing produces more lift and the glider rolls left.
-
Most gliders has a tendency to dive into the turn, and to counter this, we apply pitch control...
The Pitch has to balance the roll, too much of a good thing can be bad ...
As we fly the around the turn, we control all 3 axes in order to make a nice coordinated turn.
coordinated it is when all the forces are balanced, simply spoken; when you are able to fly short radius turns with the glider not diving into the turn.
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Pitch
control
Very, very different from Aeron.
This was the point that made the Aeron a little demanding before you got used
to it.
It had a very direct and "manual control" of the pitch.
In the turns, you had to be careful as the glider could easily dig into the
turn with excessive sink rate as the result.
If you vere "sloppy" the Aeron would not perform well,
however, once you "had it" it provided superior pitch control.
Thermalling demanded the pilot`s full attention, it could climb very well,
but only if the pilot were concentrating.
You had to "fly it" all the time around the turns, difficult in
the beginning, instinctive once learned. I loved it.
The Tattoo
appears to have an "autopilot" connected to the pitch. Just enter
the turn and the glider appears to balance the pitch by itself ...
I have flown my Vertex 26 for some years now, and that glider has a pitch
balance that resembles Tattoo pitch.
That glider was also rather easy to control in turns, in fact it is still
almost unbeatable once the lift gets weak and tight.
It does not dig into turns, and can do very flat turns.
The Vertex clearly outclimbed the Aeron in most conditions, and I will give
point out the way the glider behaves in it`s pitch axis as the main reason
for this.
Once again; the Tattoo has a lot of the "Vertex pitch", and I am
deeply impressed about the way the tattoo flies in thermals!
Of course, you have to control this, but surprisingly easy compared to the
Aeron.
This is mostly a good thing, and means that the glider will perform great
"out of the box "
... But ... the Tattoo have lost some of the Aerons superior pitch autority
...
Tattoo
pitch is slaved to lateral control
The Aeron had a direct, almost stick and rudder feel to the
pitch, took time to get used to, then worked great.
The Tattoo has a much more indirect feel to the pitch, easy
to get to terms with, but ...
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Lateral
control
WOW ...
hey hey hey, easy now .... (
My thoughts after an "aeron wingover" )
Light steering pressure (lighter than aeron) yet progressive near
the end of travel, like the Aeron.
Inputs that would give about 90`of bank on the aeron, produced around
140`(canopy well under me) on the Tattoo.
Handling this fast could easily give a nervous glider, hard to fly
coordinated....
I asked myself at first: is handling this fast really desireable ??
But I realise that through it`s pitch control, the glider can actually absorb
handling this fast.
Make a glider with pitch like the Aeron and lateral control like the Tattoo,
and you would have a glider that would be very demanding to coordinate...
... Just remember to drop your "old" way of flying; those roll inputs
must be nice and careful.
Most gliders change beaviour when flown in a liftzone, as does the
Tattoo.
The glider cools down a bit, changing the "springiness"
to a beautiful "softness" that gave me a feeling of being in harmony
with the air and the glider.
You will be amazed how little brake input it takes to turn this baby 180 degrees
on the slope...
On my first slope soaring session, I was amazed on how smooth and gentle it
flew on the slope.
Transitions in and out of turns like.... oooohhhh yesss mmmmmm
(:
I could easily stay in the narrow lift, the turns felt tight and
flat, super coordinated.
The Aeron feels more locomotivelike, it has higher airspeed, wider
turns and you need to work harder to keep it coordinated.
I am sure that the Tattoo will outperform the Aeron in weaker conditions.
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A good friend through 200 flight hours, and I still enjoy my trusty Vertex ( :
One of the things I enjoy the most, is when I am at one of our smooth, grassy
slopes where the wind is super laminar.
There you can enjoy the stable lift and obstacle free environment.
"I am 20 meters above the gound, good airspeed and an upward moving arc,
I weightshift and apply generous brake...
soon reaching a good bank angle, I find myself in a nice dive back towards
the ground.
Airspeed is high, and the groundspeed is really impressive as I time the roundout
with the pitch to get level 30 cm of the ground..... wooshhh ..... I apply
5 cm of brake and once again do I zoom upwards for another cycle"
This I could do with my
Aeron with fingertip precision, I knew excatly at what altitude I had to be
to start with, and once in the dive, I had such control over the downward
arc, that roundout was wery precise.
The Aeron would follow a predictable arc every time.
Enter
the Tattoo :
First you should know that I have not flown this glider a lot yet, but enough
to give a good evaluation on this matter..
In fact; once in the dive, pulling the brakes seem to have less (compared
to Aeron) effect over the glider`s trajectory.
More pulling is required before anything happens.
I had the oppurtunity to play with the Tattoo for a while on such a slope,
and after some practice, I enjoyed doing so, learning to be real careful with
the brake input.
But I had to be more on the alert, and polster me with some extra margin for
error as the Tattoo does not have the Aerons precision on vertical arcs.
Energy retention on the Tattoo is very high, and it will easily trade speed
for altitude.
It will climb really high after a spiral dive.
It`s pitch stability
feels more "casual" as it takes it`s time to get back to level,
stabilized flight after a disturbance.
.... Exactly like the Vertex does !
What I am trying
to say; is that the Tattoo has a roll autority that will easily bank it to
high wingovers.
after a such manouver, the glider will make a dive, and the Tattoo pilot should
be aware of the high altitude loss after such a dive. The unaware pilot could
find himself trapped in a situation where he could hit the ground at a very
high groundspeed....
The Tattoo superhandling will encourage such lowlevel stunts, so beware on
those death spirals ...
As the glider performs superbly in the lift and almost all flight regimes
due to the easy coordination, it does have this one culprit that you, should
be aware of.
... And DO NOT forget that despite all the great properties of this phenomenal glider, it is NOT intended for the inexperienced!
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Safety
and the classification of gliders : Read my opinion on
this matter !
Performance
Always interesting
when checking out a new glider, especially when the glider is supposed to
replace the Aeron, a glider that represents the pinnacle of the matter in
it`s class.
This is actually quite easy to describe...
The Tattoo will NOT leave the Aeron behind, at best it will fly marginally
better...
The Tattoo seems to have an advantage when accellerated, but only
marginal.
I daily flying, both gliders perform superbly and should satisfy all but the
most fanatic competitors ...
For me, I consider them equal as far as the "bare numbers" are concerned.
I
feel that the 2 are very much alike, with the difference that the Tattoo has
a slightly lower stall and trim speed.
Check out my measured values ( All at around 93 kg all up weight )
How they deliver that performance are more different and are discussed
below
Glide
test ( 400 meters height )
Day one, 10 km/h headwind
Aeron at 110 kg flew 60 meters longer than Tattoo at 95 kg
Artax M at 110 kg flew 50 meters shorter than Tattoo
An apco Keara was left behind by the artax by almost 100 meters ...
Glide : 7,4
Day two, 5
km/h headwind
Only Tattoo and an old firebird Genesis flew.
3300 meters / 400 meters height = glide 8.25
The Genesis was behind by almost 700 meters ...
In theory, this would give around 9 in absolute calm conditions.
 The Aeron - very hard to match it`s performance |
 And the winner is ... Havard with the victory grin ... |
|
Tattoo
( 95 kg total, winter air ) Glide
: Close to 9 |
Aeron ( 95 kg total, winter air ) Stall
IAS
: 23 Glide
: Close to 9 Sinkrate
: A touch below Tattoo, but seems to work better at high wingloadings
where it overtakes the Tattoo |
Performance,
everyday flying.
The way I see it, performance is not simply the bare numbers, but also a combination
of properties.
A modern, high performer needs several ...
- Should be a good climber
- Should have handling that will allow the pilot to exploit all kinds of lift with minimum physical strain.
- Transmit "data" down to the pilot in a positive way
- Be inherently stable with predictable characteristics.
- Must have state of the art glide and speedrange.
- Must be practical in use; simplicity always rules !
I enjoyed the
Aeron for it`s simplicity, no fancy stuff, no trimmers, no exotic jet flipflap
air intakes (:
It it simplicity itself; and it works!
The Tattoo follows up the Aeron in that respect, more or less the same construction
and materials.
It climbs well, handles like a dream, feels secure and have the performance
needed.....
... but there is 1 thing that I would have changed : It`s speed system.
The Aeron had a superb accellerator, good airspeed gain with a moderate
push required.
The Tattoo requires
long legs if you want full speed ahead....
You have to push longer to get the same speed, in fact; it is quite cumbersome
to attach the stirrup, as the line must be short to enable full throw.
Add this to the fact that the Tattoo has a lower trimspeed, keeping the accellerator
busy at times ...
It works, but the Aeron had a better, and more practical accellerator system
!
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Tattoo,
the dream machine in thermals ...
I had to wait for the thermals to start popping, but finally I was on my way
towards the sky ...
Our spring thermals rise at 3 - 5 ms and are tight and sometimes hard to catch
due to multiple cores.
You seldom get a constant climbrate as you go.
It did not take long before I realized the awsome potential of the Tattoo...
I have never flown a glider that can work thermals like this one does !
Gone are the sore arms and cramped fingers, light, smooth handling that allows
you to follow even the tightest of cores with ease.
AND ... it does have that mysterious ability to guide you into the good part
of the thermal.
The Vertex does the same; just be easy on the guidance, and the glider will
bank INTO the strong lift....
IT WORKS! , and here is a glider that can "self center"
like the Vertex and has superior and light roll control...
If you love to fly in thermals, you owe it to yourself to try the Tattoo;
you will not believe how good it thermals.
I pinch the brake with thumb and index finger, and that is all the force that
is needed to turn the tightest of cores !
......
The Aeron does not posess this remarkable ability, and although a
good climber, the Vertex did outclimb it on several occations.
Yeah baby yeah, gimme some more ..... di di di di piiiipppipipipiiiiiip
(brauniger hysteria) (: (: (:
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Stability
The Aeron has proved itself through many a leeside and strong
thermal. I always felt good and secure under it.
It had a very solid pitch damping if brought into a pitch oscillation. It
would only go that far before it abruptly stopped pitching.
Collapses vere rare and well behaved.
Tracking dead straight and with a good roll damping.
The canopy could "be a bit alive" in the lateral plane. Especially
when entering a spin, you could watch the wingtips bend away backwards.
The Tattoo is again a bit different from the Aeron.
Where the Aeron would swing quite freely within a certain range of pitch,
the Tattoo feels more damped and hesitant to wander. ( Note : only if self
induced swinging )
However, it does not seem to have the abrupt stopping action at a certain
pitch angle.
The canopy is streched hard laterally, and the glider feels rigid and well
inflated, almost springy like.
When it stalls, lateral tension remains good for a long time.
In turbulence, it feels a bit more lively than the Aeron.
But I think this is not a bad thing, it is sending more "unfiltered"
feedback to the pilot below ...
Yaw and roll stability; again a touch more "lively" that the Aeron.
Flying the glider
has proven it`s stability with or without accellerator. I seen any collapses
despite rather "sporty" conditions at times .. The Tattoo
feels good and safe in turbulence !
I like the way the Tattoo feels in bumpy air, in fact I prefer the Tattoo
over Aeron as it gives more feedback to me, while not increasing workload
doing so.
NOTE : The term pitch does not relate to angle of attack. Pitch angle is related
to the level suface, horizon if you like.
Angle of attck is the angle between the chord line and the flight path.
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Aeron |
Tattoo |
| Assymetric
collapse using the A riser If left uncorrected, the glider will turn about 45 degrees, where it stabilizes. Motion is spontaneous and 40 % of the wing folds in. It pitches forward moderately, and then stabilizes. I have never entered a spiral dive from this manouver, it always reopens slowly. If flown actively, only a very minor disturbance of heading is possible, and it then reopens positively. I always use long, slow pumps after collapses |
Assymetric
collapse using the A riser |
| Assymetric
collapse accellerated using A riser If left uncorrected, a rather hefty and spontanous turn to about 90 degrees follows. Pitching forward, then slowly stabilizing, but it can enter a spiral dive from this manouver if not controlled. If you release the accellerator, and steer actively, the manouver is easy to control for an experienced pilot. |
Assymetric
collapse accellerated using A riser Easy to handle for the experienced pilot. |
B stall Piece of
cake ..... ( -: |
B stall Requires a lot
of initial force to enter B stall ! |
| Spin
stop manouvre Very easy to see how the tips will bend backwards before it spins. Brakeline tension is very high. Moderate braketravel, and time before stall happens. Spin developes quickly. Just release the brake positively, and let the glider fly again. I often use a spin stop to initiate very cool and very high wingovers! Enter a spin, say 45 degrees, then as the glider recovers and surges forward, apply opposite brake and weightshift - then watch ! Always instant recover, but it can surge forward some after recovery. |
Spin
stop manouvre |
| Negative
spin The Aeron is a high performance glider, and despite mellow and safe flight characteristics, it will for sure spin...... Spin developes quickly and with a fairly high rate of rotation. If initiated with outer wing at trim speed, it oviously spins much faster than from slow speeds. Have not experienced twist tendensies. Recovery has always been promt after brake release, I have never had to use the more dramatic full stall method... Recovery is not impulsive like the Artax, more progressive. Forward surge is moderate, but is easily controllable for the experienced pilot. |
Negative
spin Overall, less
demanding than Aeron |
Slow flight
deccellerating to stalling ... Oviously something
"bad" is happening in the full stall..... The Aeron developes
very high control forces at high angles of |
Slow
flight deccellerating to stalling No tendency to enter
deep stall, and can easily be brough back to slowflight after a moderate
stall.
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| Big
ears Easy to initiate, using the outer A line. Folds in about 20 % Pilot needs to hold A line pulled, otherwise the ears "pop" out again. Use accellerator, and ears stays " in " and descent rate increases. Average descent rate increase, and very efficient weightshift only steering. |
Big
ears Easy to initiate with rather low forces involved. Folds in only 15 cells when using 1 line, thus giving limited increase in sink rate. "ears" will pop out again, accellerator helps against this. Low descent rate increase, and very efficient weightshift only steering. |
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From left to right :
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See
this presentation around the subject of stalling / spinning
In powerpoint format
here
Landing
The Aeron was a spotlander of the highest degree. It could be landed anywhere
by a skilled pilot.
Precise handling and stable behaviour + a fair amount of mushing ability contributed
to this.
(It`s ability to mush is not as good as the Tattoo, and it will bite you more
easily. I never got the confidence to do those 5 meter drops ...)
The Tattoo has
lost some of the super precision, especially when the winds are low.
It tends to have it`s mind set when into the final glide segment, and unless
you carry extra speed, you have less control over trajectory, using the brakes.
Not to say it is difficult to land; you will bring it in safely every time,
but the Aeron could be landed on a dime ....
When the wind picks up, and the conditions become more difficult; like landing
on the slope (in lift), the Tattoo changes personality, and can be brought
in with grace.
Super handling, stability and the most important of all : a very wide
mushing range.
I have dropped it from several meters, almost straight down with
total control.
(Careful with this, as there is a high risk of stalling/spinning
involved)
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Picture gallery
Conclusion
"Is it no so, that things has to be a little challenging, for us
to feel good ?"
The Tattoo
is a glider that will fill you with an urge to go flying, it is as simple
as that.
Unlike the Aeron, the Tattoo can be flown well, right out of the box.
It`s handling is superb, performance leaves little to wish for and it is simple
and practical in everyday use.
Take care when you explore its sharp turn capabilty, and practice at altitude
before you start shaving the grass ..
And keep in mind that this is a glider for the experienced enthusiast.
A worthy successor to the Aeron !
"And I am glad that it is not COMPLETELY flawless
... "
 |
... and you will always
walk the earth with your eyes towards the sky ...