NOVA Tycoon, a short review by Lars Sletten
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| Nova Tycoon L on it`s first flight |
Video Clips
NOVA Tycoon in "my" mountains (5mb)
NOVA Tycoon in France (138Mb)
NOVA Tycoon Thermalling (170Mb)
NOVA Vertex glide angle flight (With skis)
Paramotor adventure
Paramotor adventure 2
Links
Nova product page
Tycoon photo gallery
PG Forum Tycoon tread
My Nova Aeron review
My Nova Tattoo review
When I came into paragliding competitions many years ago, NOVA was synonymus with high performance gliders.
I have flown most of the NOVA high performers and I have all in all a very good impression after many hundreds of hours
under these state of the art gliders.
When I flew the XENON for the first time I remember how amazed I was about the glide ratio - a giant leap!
PHANTOM - XYON - SPHINX - VERTEX were all solid gliders that took good care of me through many a tight spot...
The VERTEX and Radon was the last DHV 2-3 gliders at this stage.
The DHV2 glider AERON and the RADON (modified AERON) was next in line followed by the DHV2 TATTOO and TATTOO C.
It is very interesting to see that NOVA once again has decided to enter the high performance scene with the
DHV 2-3 TYCOON
After 4 years flying DHV 2 gliders I felt content that I had found "my" class.
....So the question is; Can the Tycoon alter my opinion on this??
I know that some of these gliders has put many an unexperienced pilot in situations to hard to handle.
Accordingly, unfair rumours spread, indicating hazardous flight behaviours...
Pilots out there should be aware that we are talking about high performance gliders designed to be the best at their time.
Such gliders, then and now are exclusively for the very experienced and those with lots of FRESH airtime.
A rough estimate tells me that I have around 300 hours flying NOVA high performers and an additional 400 hours on
other DHV 3 or unclassified prototypes.
I have always respected my glider and the conditions around me, and
all these hours have been enjoyable and safe.
This time I fly a TYCOON L that has been ballasted up to 115 kg total weight, this puts me in the middle of the weight range.
The glider has around 20 hours airtime before I got it.
This is meant to be a short review based on a few weeks of flying.
I will compare it with the Tattoo where it seems natural to do so.
My current equipment
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NOVA Tattoo and Avasport Samurai |
I Have flown my Tattoo for the last 2 seasons, 130 happy hours...
Last year, I changed my SUP AIR profeel XC harness for an AVASPORT Samurai integrated harness.
What a quantum leap in comfort, warmth, feel and performance. I really cannot state how much I like this harness.
You owe yourself to try a modern integral harness and see if this is something for you.
Last spring, when I was cloud surfing
high up in temperatures way below feezing; AMAZING feeling NOT being frozen half to
death after a few hours at cloudbase.
At the other end, I have flown it in mid summer in the French alps, still no problems being too warm ...
It is so comfortable that I almost fell asleep in it after 6 hours soaring on a
rather small hill....
General impression and build
On thing that I have always liked about the NOVA gliders : Their simplicity and straight forward behaviour.
Again; the Tycoon follows this tradition and resembles the Tattoo in build and materials chosen.
Interesting to see that a new cloth mix with varying cloth weight at different places.
My 2 year old Tattoo with well over 100 hours barely show any signs of wear at all....
No signs of porosity.
I can say with confidence that a well kept NOVA glider can last for
a long time...
 A mix of sheeted and unsheeted lines |
 Tattoo lineset |
 The riser is clean and simple - nice! |
 Tattoo VS Tycoon intakes ... |
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Upper cascades are unsheeted - so is the outer main lines |
 Can`t get any simpler than this - nice (: |
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Launch
As I have flown the tattoo the last 2 years, I have become a "spoiled brat" when it comes to ground handling and
launch characteristics. The Tattoo is really really good in this respect and I have little to wish for.
My first launch with the Tycoon was in smooth cold winter air, 2 ms straight in.
I expected a troublefree launch, but found the Tycoon to be quite different from the Tattoo.
Where the Tattoo would easily and evenly rise up and stay well inflated, the Tycoon is more demanding.
The Tycoon rises rather slow and apparently has a "hard spot" midway between ground and directly above.
Also, the Tycoon seems prone to lateral twisting and bending during the pullup.
Once inflated and above your head, it feels rather "heavy" and needs more wind to support itself than the Tattoo.
The take of run is average and should be no problem for the experienced pilot.
I had no problems getting in the air with style ...( :
Next, I were out on a slope with 4-6 ms smooth air.
The glider once again showed a different behaviour than the Tattoo.
First - Tycoon is more prone to lateral movement and greater care should be taken before you pull it up.
Be careful to untangle the tips before pullup - they can be quite stubborn to get out ...
It rises nicely and the "hard spot" midway were gone. Gentle breaking required to stabilize.
Easy to kite in the stronger wind.
(the Tattoo can be pulled up in "funny angles and shapes" and still be steered into takeoff position.)
This rather demanding behaviour surprised me at first, but when I analyze things it makes more sense.
- The Tycoon has a much higher AR that the Tattoo 5.55 vs 6.41 (flat).
- The Tycoon has only about half the intake aera of the Tattoo.
- An overall concept biased towards performance.
I guess the pilots that considers a glider in this class already has a very good "feel" and technique when it comes to
launching. For them, the Tycoon should be easily launchable.
When you compare the Tycoon with the rest of the high end gliders it is as good or even better than the average.
The Tycoon would not be my first choice on demanding alpine launch sites. Especially flat with no wind.
Less experienced pilots should know that the Tycoon lacks the "childs play" ease of launcing that the Tattoo can offer.
Better launching would be high up on my improvement list for the Tycoon successor - often fly off critical sites...
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Handling - General impression
Coming from a Tattoo, I could hardly expect faster or "better" handling ... the Tattoo is unbeatable when it comes to quick and nimble controls.
And indeed; the Tycoon is very different in this respect - and, this is not really a negative thing !
As I would expect from a glider with such impressive aspect ratio; rather damped handling, especially when flying slow.
Steering pressure is quite high and the available brake travel is surprisingly short.
Weightshift input seems to be of less importance - still required, but ...
(The Tattoo likes to be steered this way : weightshift into the turn, apply brake, when you are in the turn - weightshift slightly away from the turn. Makes a nice, flat turn)
Scratching in marginal conditons I found the Tycoon to be very precise and easy to put exactly where I wanted it.
In fact; the Tycoon seems to be better than Tattoo when it comes to
scratching ...
Sink rate seems to be OK ( :
The Tycoon sail looks hard as a drumskin, not much movement to spot in any plane. Obviously has a high spanwise tension.
I have flown directly over the Tycoon topsail (in bumby conditions) observing an amazingly rigid structure...
Usually, this will lead to impulsive deflations, but somehow Nova has managed to overcome this ...
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Pitch feel and control
The Tycoon has a very precise and sensitive pitch control.
Available brake travel is really short and the inexperienced pilot should be aware - the stall comes quickly ...
Different gliders often have quite different feel in the pitch axis.
- The Vertex was beautifully balanced in thermals, but had a "spongy" insensitive feeling in pitch.
...
Good inherent stability, but could surprise with sudden deflations.
- The Aeron was
quite the opposite; direct control, but had to be "flown" all the time in the thermals.
...More inherently pitch stable than Tattoo. Very collapse resistant
- The Tattoo balances nicely in thermals but offers less direct control of pitch.
...
Is on the borderline of being nervous in pitch. Very collapse resistant.
The first few desimeters of travel is super effective, after that, brake pressure increases a lot and effectiveness drops off.
No doubt, the Tycoon has the shortest brake travel I have ever experienced and this takes some time to get used to.
I really like the way the Tycoon behaves when it responds to air movement.
Where the Tattoo moves WITH the air, the Tycoon moves TROUGH the air, cutting through turbulence.
Feedback is more damped than Tattoo, but I think this is a good thing as the Tattoo can sometimes deliver more feedback
than what is really needed.
Playing on the slope, swooping down towards the ground before you zoom upwards is fun and gives a good feel for the
glider.
The Tattoo can be somewhat unprecise here, as the pitch control is limited once you set the glider in motion downwards.
The Tycoon is the opposite - can make long dives, but you can effectively control the trajectory - NICE (:
The Tycoon gives a solid, stable and safe impression in pitch axis.
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Flying the Tycoon - there seems to be quite a performance difference over the Tattoo ... ... was pretty easy to outsoar the Tattoo down there .... |
Roll feel and control
Compared to the Tattoo, the Tycoon has much more damped roll control.
Not a surprise as the Tattoo is really quick and sensitive.
I was surprised how good this behaviour worked when I had to fight to stay airborne in weak lift.
Even with the low airtime I had, I felt that I was soon doing better on the Tyccon that I would have done on the Tattoo.
The Tycoon requires more muscle to keep the turns tight, but will deliver really nice, flat turns at low airspeeds.
Pitch coordination in turns feels great, possibly on of the best assets in the Tycoon`s handling envelope.
Even though I have not flown it in thermals, I feel confident that the glider will be very hard to beat.
The Tattoo is also a very good glider in thermals, but is more "wobbly" and has a more "lively" pitch
Steering forces dictates less muscle work and I often steer the Tattoo using only 2 fingers.
On thing is certain (should I buy a Tycoon) : I will have to develop stronger arm muscles ....
(A feature often seen on high performers)
The short brake travel is unusual and the pilot must adapt to this - could possibly be a love it or hate it thing...
Personally, I had little problem with this as the Tattoo usually is flown with quite short brake travel.
If the airspeed is low, it feels like you run out of "aileron travel" really fast - good the first 10 - 20 cm, then control becomes hard
and less effective.
Like before stated, I feel that the pilot has enough roll control to stay in the tightest of cores, just note that doing so
iis hard work and possibly tiring after a few hours.
At higher airspeeds things change - the first 10 cm of travel produces
a quite fast reaction and cool vingovers are possible.
Fly it fast and it feels quite agile.
The short brake range remains the same.
For the experienced pilot, entering a spin with an open glider should really never happen.
Flying the Tycoon, it will should be next to impossible to ignore the rapidly increasing brake forces when you approach the
stall region.
But be ware - the range IS short and the Tycoon will enter a spin should you pull too far...
I found it easy to get out of the spin stop manouver.
Feedback in roll / yaw is more "muted" than I am used to in my Tattoo.
All in all it makes (like the pitch feedback) me relax in the air, while still delivering clues to what the air is doing ...
Very impresive indeed with such an aspect ratio ... ( :
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Performance
It is not very hard to see that the Tycoon has a good glide ratio.
I have not made any scientific measurements but there is a clear difference to the Tattoo
Gletschirm
magazine made a comparison and the Tycoon came out on top.
weight (kg) |
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| Nova | Tycoon | 9.2 | 2-3 | 90-102-110 | 2006/6 |
| Airwave | Magic 4 | 8.9 | 2-3 | 80-100-105 | 2006/10 |
| UP | Trango 2 | 8.8 | 2-3 | 90-99-107 | 2005/8 |
| Gradient | Aspen 2 | 8.7 | 2 | 80-97-100 | 2006/7 |
| Ozone | Addict R | 8.7 | 2 | 80-98-100 | 2006/6 |
| Skywalk | Cayenne 2 | 8.7 | 2 | 80-97-100 | 2006/8 |
| Advance | Sigma 6 | 8.6 | 2 | 70-94-95 | 2005/5 |
| Nova | Mamboo | 8.6 | 1-2 | 90-97-110 | 2005/9 |
| Nova | Tattoo | 8.6 | 2 | 90-97-110 | 2005/6 |
| UP | Summit 3 | 8.6 | 2 | 90-97-107 | 2006/5 |
You can actually feel the good glide, especially when close to the ground - landings resemble hangglider patterns ...
You must fly a different pattern than the Tattoo pilot ...
No doubt about it, a top performer!
I am eagerly awaiting the new RA, that (according to rumours) shall fly in the same leauge as the Tycoon.
We are planning a gilde ratio test between the Tycoon - Tattoo - Ra and the new UP Trango 3.
I will post the results here.
When it comes to speed range - it is a bit faster on the bar than the Tattoo, similar at slow speeds.
Experience after one year has shown sufficient speed to be competitive.
I was very pleased with the stability and general behaviour at full speed bar - little deformation of the leading edge.
This means that the Tycoon is "flyable" trough the whole speedrange, even in turbulent air.
( The tattoo leading edge deforms more at high speed)
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Safety
This is always an important aspect when I try out a new glider.
When a high performance glider is tested, I do not expect it to be as easily controlled as a lower classified glider.
Sacrifice has to be made in order to gain performance.
This is not necessaryly a bad thing if the pilot is up to the challenge.
The point is to see if stability is within certain limits, and that even a tired pilot can ride through a tight spot.
- Assymetric collapse from trim (Pulled A riser) : "Normal" 50% collapse with little tendency to turn and surge.
The glider is easily controllable with just weightshift.
The collapse gets "stuck" at around 25% and pilot action is required to reopen.
You need to "work" the remaining collapse quite carefully to get it fully open.
(The Tattoo M at 105 kg will reopen completely without pilot action)
- Assymetric collapse from 50% speed (Pulled A riser): Rapid 60% collapse with some turn and surge
The glider is easily controllable with just weightshift - surprisingly GOOD!
If you keep the speed in, the collapse will reopen only very slowly
Release the speed and the glider reopens to about 25%
You need to "work" the remaining collapse quite carefully to get it fully open.
The internal pressure on the Tycoon feels high and the glider is laterally very rigid - high spanwise tension obviously.
The wing has good collapse resistanse and will probably be better than many in its class.
It is a surprise to me that the Tycoon requires just as much effort as Tattoo in order to produce a similar deflation...
Riser tension feels equal between the 2.
When it does collapse, it does that only marginally more impulsive than the Tattoo.
But what it does AFTER a collapse surprised me -
It will remain relatively undisturbed and controllable even after a 60%
deflation.
During my test flights (Tycoon and Tattoo back to back) the Tattoo produced just as demanding deflation behaviour.
Especially with the bar on - Tattoo has a tendency to have a secondary deflation as I countersteer.
Never saw that on the Tycoon.
I must say that "real life" deflations are yet to be seen while the air is turbulent around you.
The Tattoo has proven itself, and I thrust it completely in the rough stuff...
I suspect the Tycoon to be more of a handful when the spring thermals starts pumping, but still -
I am impressed by the safety level of the Tycoon.
The deflation looks much more scary than it really is - even after a big collapse you can still control it with weightshift only!
The weightshift method is by far better than countersteering as you will not scarifice airspeed for directional control.
I have ridden out 80 % collapses on my Tattoo by just holding on to the "flying riser", preventing a fall into the collapsed
side, the glider reopened completely on its own with no pilot action.
PRESERVING AIRSPEED IS VERY IMPORTANT WHEN YOU HAVE A COLLAPSE
!
Have a look at this video of the Falhawk Apex prototype - it deflated all the time, and seldom less than 50% ....
I suspect that the (inexperienced ) Tycoon pilot can be a "problem" when a collapse occurs.
Even though the Tycoon can deflate like many other
high performers, it requires less pilot action to keep it going straight.
When we know that the glider has a very sensitive pitch and a short brake travel before the stall, pilot overreaction
can possibly happen like this ...
- The pilot enters turbulent air and experiences a big deflation
- Scared by the apparently dramatic situation he applies much opposite brake to contersteer (Possibly stalling)
- This combined with "pumping" for reopening can very easily send the Tycoon into a cascade of stalling and surging.
- It is important to observe and to practice deflations on the Tycoon - pilot inputs must be precise and NOT to large.
Once again - I am impressed (and surprised) with the safety level of the Tycoon
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Direct comparison Tycoon VS Tattoo
| Tycoon | Tattoo | |
| Pullup and launch | Take great care to center it when you pull it up. Can be a bit "hard" in low winds. Easy to kite in winds above 4 ms. Tips can become tangled in the unsheeted lines. On par with the rest of the DHV 2-3 bunch Overall : Demanding (Compared with Tattoo) |
The Tattoo excels in this respect. |
| Pitch feel and control | Feels solid and stable. Will fly THROUGH turbulence in a nice way Damped feedback Precise and effective controls. Very short brake travel. Very heavy at the end of travel. Easier to fly in turbulence than Tattoo Overall : Very pleased with it |
Feels solid but more unstable Will fly WITH the turbulence Direct feedback Rather insensitive pitch control Long brake travel Heavy at the end of travel Needs to be actively piloted Overall : Weak spot of the Tattoo |
| Roll feel and control | Feels solid and stable Moves with the air, but is damped Limited effectiveness, better at higher speed Very short brake travel Very heavy at the end of travel. Overall : OK, but needs strong arms... |
Feels "springy" and lively Moves more with the air. VERY effective control Long brake travel Heavy at the end of travel Overall : I like the quick and light controls! |
| Turn coordination | Very good pitch coordiantion Nice flat turns Easy for the pilot to keep it from diving into turns Overall : Very good |
Very good pitch coordination Flat turns requires good teqnique Easy for the pilot to keep it from diving into turns Overall : Good, but Tycoon is better |
| Performance | Tycoon is setting the standard... 9.2 measured glide. |
Tattoo has around 0.6 LD steeper glide Speed slightly less than the Tycoon |
| Security | For a glider this class, amazingly good But for EXPERIENCED pilots ONLY! |
Tattoo feels more unstable than it really is due to the direct feedback and the need for active piloting in pitch. Not for unexperienced pilots... |
| Primary usage | Competitions XC flying General high performance flying. |
Can be used for a vide variety of purposes. Very good on difficult launch sites. Very good on small slopes. Good for paramotoring "Allround glider" |
| Second hand value | Hard to sell used DHV 2-3 gliders Poor second hand value |
Quite easy to sell a well kept Tattoo Good second hand value |
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Final notes
Paraglider design has come a long way since the days of the xenon`s and katana`s .
Such performance and high aspect ratio would have been almost unflyable just a few years ago.
I was surprised to know that despite It`s radical look and performance, the Tycoon is relatively easy to control in all situations.
Performance is at least as good as the other DHV 2-3 gliders on the market today.
Even tough the Tycoon has many good qualities one should not forget that this is a glider for experienced pilots ONLY !
iIt`s primary use is clearly competitive flying and serious XC flights.
For everyday flying I would rather use my Tattoo as it is better at launch, lighter handling and generally more "fun" to fly.
Ideally I would like to have both available on my shelf....
I am eagerly awaiting the RA to see what this new DHV 2 glider has to offer ( :
Regards ( :
Lars Sletten, 13 february 2007