Back to Wing Articles / Articles sur les Ailes.

PHI / Maestro 2

by Jérôme Daoust, revised 2023/10/12-a


References

User manual (English).

DHV test report for sizes 19212223.

Online discussion on PG Forum.

Ziad Bassil: Review on 2022/8/17 + B wing comparison + Video on 2022/9/13.

Review (video) by Flybubble on 2022/9/1.


Observations

  

About me: Flying paragliders since 1989 and still enjoying it. I still occasionally teach flying (semi-retired).

 

2022/8/3 notes

I got the wing today. I purchased it, hoping it will be another success from long-time designer Hannes Papesh and team.

Along with the wing, I received a concertina bag (pictures from a reseller) and some repair material. No free rucksack.

My measured naked body weight of 163.3 lb (74.07 kg) and TFW (Total Flying Weight) of 90.0 kg puts me at 75% into the 75-95 kg weight range of this size 21, or 60% into the extended 75-100 kg range.

I like that there is no need for concertina packing. The manufacturer states “The rods of the MAESTRO 2 are quite short and not sensitive against bending. You can pack the MAESTRO 2 without big attention.”. So, why include a concertina bag as part of the package and send mixed signals?

No need to send your wing away for an early “trim tuning”, just keep flying. The manufacturer states “On the base of our experience with the lines material mix, there is no trim tuning necessary: the trim does normally not change significantly.”.

Comparing the cell count with other High B wings:

76 + Mid-cell rib

PHI / Maestro 2

66

Nova / Mentor 7 light

62

Ozone / Rush 6

59

Advance / Iota DLS

59

Gin / Explorer 2

57

Skywalk / Chili 5

57

BGD / Base 2

This wing has a significant 18.0 cm distance between pulley axis, so the Brummel hooks/clips will travel down low to your harness (almost to the harness side pulleys) so check for harness/pulley interference/limitation.

 

2022/8/4 notes

Harness: Open leg: Woody Valley / Haska 2 / Size M.

Flight 1:

·    Flying site: Marshall, California.

·       Conditions: 100% cloud cover, light wind, light lift & thermals.

·       54 min. Up to 1722 m (5649’) MSL. Info on Leonardo.

·       General: I had low expectations, but worked light lift to gain altitude to test collapse recoveries, then made a small XC until rain started, at which point I made a long full speed glide back to the landing zone. I outperformed my expectations.

Gear:

·       The R07/600/180 risers (manufacturer picture 1picture 2 in flight) seem unusually long, but not an issue. When you pull down the C riser, it holds 1/3 of the floating B riser load (in addition to the C riser load), and the floating B riser will descend at 1/3 the rate of the C riser. My guess for the inscriptions on each riser’s label:

o   R07: Type/Geometry of riser. See selection.

o   600: 600 mm riser length, from outer base of carabiner loop, to top of metal quick-links for A risers.

·       180: 180 mm distance between pulley axis.

·       Rear riser steering: There are convenient and comfortable horizontal handles, integrated into the rear/C risers. For steering, it requires significant force to pull down (must overcome C riser tension and 1/3 of floating B) but then offers a smooth feeling, probably thanks to the quality pulleys that support the floating B riser. I made good use of them during a long full-speed glide to avoid the rain at the end of my flight.

·    Brake line friction rings (instead of pulleys): I am OK with those because I keep my hands close to my body sides while braking. But pilots who like to have their arms out, will accelerate the friction wear in the rings and possibly create notches over time, which in return will be more abrasive for the brake lines and may fray their sheathing.

·       Brake handles bottoms are flatter and wider than most in the industry that rely on a soft tube insert. I noticed at the start of my flight, but then forgot about them, which is good.

·       Brake keepers are magnetic, but strong so they do not easily fall off.

·       Speed bar application. There is a long travel of 54 cm (= 3x the 18.0 cm distance between pulley axis) but it is smooth thanks to quality pulleys.

Inflation:

·       Some extra care to untangle some thin lines before inflation, but not an issue.

·       The “floating” B risers were not an issue. I use A’s and brakes, but I guess one can use the A’s  and C’s technique.

·       The wing easily lifts from the ground to overhead, no feeling of heaviness or hard point.

Launch:

·       Nothing special, felt easy.

Movements in flight:

·       Roll motions: The wing induces more roll motions to the harness than a low-B wing, but not an issue on this day. Good directional stability: No self-sustaining roll bouncing.

·       Pitch motions seem well dampened, during lift entry/exit for example. Somewhat relaxing.

Induced collapses. Better than expected for frontals, typical for 50% asymmetrics:

·       1x 50% asymmetric at trim speed: Normal recovery typical of a high B wing. I applied some brake to the open side, and the wing made a 60° turn and about 30° dive (approximate angles).

·       1x frontal at trim speed: Better than expected, recovery typical of a mid-B wing. No prolonged free-fall or big pitch amplitude, progressive reopening.

·       1x 50% asymmetric at full speed: Normal recovery typical of a high B wing. I applied some brake to the open side, and the wing made a 90° turn and about 50° dive (approximate angles).

·       1x frontal at full speed: Better than expected, recovery typical of a mid-B wing. No prolonged free-fall or big pitch amplitude, progressive reopening.

·       From the above, and having also flown the first version of the Maestro, I agree with the designer’s statement “The level of safety is even better than that of the Maestro 1”.

Non-induced collapses: None.

Thermalling:

·       It seemed efficient in light lift, making me wonder if I could have achieved the same on a low-B wing.

·       The pitch dampening, helped smooth out the lift transitions.

·       Energy retention: I felt able to keep more energy (compared to a low B wing) to re-enter a thermal after dropping out.

Glide performance:

·       At trim (no braking) it feels good, but I had no reference point during my flight, except that I reached my destinations more easily than usual (could be the conditions).

·       Accelerated (using speed bar): This felt so much better than a low B wing, but there was no other pilot flying alongside to compare. Airspeed felt on the fast side, but no measurement (which need a correction).

Turn reaction to brake input: On the agile side, linear response, moderate line tension.

Sink rate: Seemed good, as I ridge soared for a while alongside a few hang gliders.

Big Ears:

·       The longer-than-typical risers and low separation point of the A risers, make it easy to create very big ears.

·       I also added full speed bar. No issue.

·       Large ears stick in place after releasing them, but harness roll motions were sufficient to release them. Even small ears are “sticky”.

Spiral dive:

·       Once a fast descent rate is achieved (I did -6.5 m/s), a corresponding G loading is felt. Exit was uneventful.

Wing-Overs:

·       Energy is well retained. No issue observed.

B line stall:

·       I did  not try, but wonder if it is possible, due to the need to grab a pulley instead of an actual B riser, and if the line geometry supports it (no user manual or line plan yet, but I could examine).

Landing:

·       More energy seemed retained during figure-8 altitude destruction, compared to a low B wing.

·       Easy to swoop over the landing surface and then touch-down very softly.

My overall feeling today:

·       Better flight performance than I expected from the light conditions. I am pleased with: Thermalling efficiency, turn response to brake input, sink rate, glide a trim and especially accelerated.

·       Worst case scenario (full speed) induced asymmetric collapse were well within the norm, and more relaxing than expected in the case of frontals.

·       The 1st flight with a new/test wing, is for me a mixture of anxiety about possible collapse reactions, and the pleasure of discovery. But from this point on, it is mostly fun.

·       I will add a few more hours, but will likely decide to keep this wing, as it seems to offer a good ratio of performance to pilot demands.

 

2022/8/5 notes

Harness: Open leg: Woody Valley / Haska 2 / Size M.

Flight 1:

·       Flying site: Marshall, California.

·       Conditions: Sunny, punchy thermals for first half of flight.

·       2 hour 37 min. Up to 2057 m (6748’) MSL. Info on Leonardo.

·       General: Easy launch, but soon found 5 m/s (1000 fpm) sink. I used speed bar to exit and at sink’s edge got rewarded with a left 25% asymmetric, which was benign (more details below). The rest of the flight was as expected with multiple climbs in punchy narrow thermals and long glides between local peaks. The main purpose of this flight was to get prolonged exposure to rough thermic air, and I succeeded (see “collapse resistance below”).

Video:

·       My launch (mp4), thanks to Cory.

Gear:

·       Wondering if it is possible to perform a B line stall I looked up in flight to see if the lines also branch in the chord direction (in addition to span direction). I observed no obvious upside-down pyramids, but upper lines are very thin to focus on, among other lines. When the user manual becomes available, we will know.

Non-induced collapses:

·       While using full speed bar at start of flight to exit strong sink, I got rewarded with a left 25% asymmetric while fully accelerated: Wing barely changed course and reinflated rapidly, feeling like an A-rated wing.

·       While using my left hand to use my radio while in a punchy thermal, I got a left 10% asymmetric (non-accelerated), which re-inflated immediately (I completed my radio transmission while having a look at it).

Collapse resistance and behavior in rough air (vario recorded a max of +5.3 m/s or +1040 fpm):

·       Good collapse resistance. Most of the flight was spent in punchy narrow thermals. Considering the duration of my exposure to rough conditions, this wing felt as collapse resistant as a low B wing, I have recently been using.

·       The wing felt as relaxing to fly in punchy narrow thermals a low B wing, I have recently been using.

Glide performance:

·       The flight had 11 long glides between peaks, and about half of them were done by using half to full speed bar. The glide remained good while accelerated, felt fast and the wing remained stable. The use of rear riser toggles is growing on me.

Movements in flight:

·       Roll motions: I was pleasantly surprised that the extra roll motion felt in the harness (compared to a recent low B wing) was not bothersome in today’s rougher air. I actually enjoyed the extra feedback to explore the side with more lift. Again, no self-sustaining roll bouncing.

  

2022/8/6 notes

Harness: Open leg: Woody Valley / Haska 2 / Size M.

Flight 1:

·       Flying site: Marshall, California.

·       Conditions: Sunny, punchy thermals (according to many pilots), low inversion limiting altitude gains.

·       2 hour 27 min. Up to 1703 m (5587’) MSL. Info on Leonardo.

·    General: Easy launch, low altitude gains due to an inversion, but managed a few transitions between peaks, made 2 top landings at Crestline (small launch surrounded by trees on 2 sides).

Picture:

·    In flight (jpg), thanks to David.

Video:

·    My launch (mp4), thanks to Cory.

·    My landing at sunset (mp4), thanks to Cory.

Non-induced collapses:

·    While in a punchy thermal, I got a left (outside of turn) 25% asymmetric. I ignored it, kept circling and it fixed itself quickly. Many other pilots reported rough air, and next to me a low B wing (with good pilot) got a 35% asymmetric collapse thanks to random air turbulence.

·    I felt weightless once, but without significant wing deformation or movement.

Stall:

·    While top landing at Crestline launch, I purposefully stalled the wing about 60 cm (2’) between my feet and the ground. Stall requires significant brake pull, not something likely in normal flight. I also top landed smoothly soon after.

Glide performance:

·    Franck on his D wing (Triple Seven King 2) and pod harness (Supair Delight 3), joined me on a 2.4 km (1.5 mile) transition (Pine peak to Crestline). In his words: “I was full speed bar, I started with more altitude, you had a little advance, and we arrived at the same altitude. Your glider is good.”. I only used ½ speed bar for about 20% of the distance during some sink, but was otherwise at trim speed since there was no head wind. This was not a proper side-by-side comparison, so the main value here is just Franck’s impression.

 

2022/8/13 notes

Harness: Open leg: Woody Valley / Haska 2 / Size M.

Flight 1:

·    Flying site: Marshall, California.

·    Conditions: Thin layer of Cirrus clouds, moderately windy and light thermals.

·    2 hour 14 min. Up to 1772 m (5813’) MSL. Info on Leonardo.

·    General: Easy launch in moderately strong wind (despite having my left brake line wrapped around a C line), low altitude gains at first due to higher-than-typical wind, did a few transitions between peaks.

Gear:

·    On each riser, there is a label (R07/600/180). Their side edges are fraying, a cosmetic issue.

Speed bar:

·    Using GPS ground speed, observed +17 km/h (10.6 mph) gain from adding full speed bar (riser pulley contact).

  

2022/8/19 notes

Harness: Open leg: Woody Valley / Haska 2 / Size M.

Flight 1:

·    Flying site: Marshall, California.

·    Conditions: Limited height gains, rough thermals.

·    2 hour 3 min. Up to 1806 m (5925’) MSL. Info on Leonardo.

·    General: Low altitude gains, rough air (a few weightless moments), did a few transitions between peaks.

Video:

·    My launch (mp4), thanks to Cory.

·    Crestline fly-by + Re-launch after top landing (mp4), thanks to Jana.

·    My landing at sunset (mp4), thanks to Cory.

  

2022/8/28 notes

Harness: Open leg: Woody Valley / Haska 2 / Size M.

Flight 1:

·    Flying site: Marshall, California.

·    Conditions: Limited height gains, very rough thermals.

·    2 hour 29 min. Up to 1724 m (5656’) MSL. Info on LeonardoSportsTrackLive animation thanks to David.

·    General: Low altitude gains, very rough air (other pilots complained) but avoided collapses, did a few transitions between peaks.

Picture:

·    In flight and backlit (jpg) + Frontlit (jpg) thanks to David.

Glide performance:

·    David on his Nova Ion 6 (low EN B), with same harness as mine and similar wing loading, provided a side-by-side glide in smooth air at sunset. Similar glide at trim (no braking), about ½, and also at full speed bar for the Ion 6. But I was only about 60% using my speed bar, while the Ion 6 was at full. When I used full speed bar, I gained a significant speed advantage, while maintaining a similar sink rate to the Ion 6 at its full speed. Observable in this SportsTrackLive animation from David.

 

Beyond this point, I will only report events that bring new knowledge or unusual flights.

 

2022/9/22 notes

Harness: Open leg: Woody Valley / Haska 2 / Size M.

Flight 1:

·      Flying site: Soboba, California.

·      2 hour 32 min. Up to 1645 m (5396’) MSL.

Gear:

·      Sheathed lines only for: Lower center 2 A’s, lower 1 center B, lower brake.

Video:

·      My strong wind launch (mp4), thanks to Cory.

 

2022/9/23 notes

Harness: Open leg: Woody Valley / Haska 2 / Size M.

Flight 1:

·      Flying site: Soboba, California.

·      Good launch, but then noticed tangled upper A lines on left side. Unable to clear knot in flight, so made the wing symmetric with Big-Ears and steered by weight shifting until a soft landing.

Flight 2:

·      1 hour 22 min. Up to 1590 m (5216’) MSL. Smooth wide lift. Did a -10 m/s spiral dive to land by sunset.

Gear:

·      Found way to stabilize the wing in a “wall” shape in strong wind: Only hold center A risers instead of all A risers.

Video:

·      My 2nd launch (mp4), thanks to Cory.

 

2022/10/20 notes

Harness: Open leg: Woody Valley / Haska 2 / Size M.

Flight 1:

·      Flying site: Marshall, California.

·      2 hour 56 min. Up to 2711 m (8891’) MSL.

Video:

·      My launch (mp4), thanks to Cory.

·      Flight track animation, thanks to David.

 

2022/10/28 notes

Harness: Open leg: Woody Valley / Haska 2 / Size M.

Flight 1:

·      Flying site: Marshall, California. Launched from Crestline.

·      2 hour 9 min. Up to 2535 m (8316’) MSL.

Video:

·      Flight track animation, thanks to David.

 

 

2023/9/8 notes

Harness: Open leg: Woody Valley / Haska 2 / Size M.

Fun flight today, but with broken lines: After a good launch I noticed a small knot in the right center upper brake lines and tried clearing it with a stab of brake input. The centermost "1" line broke and the nearby "F1" end loop broke but held on. With the flailing line, I had a 2.5 hour flight with no obvious behavior change. Replacement lines on order and will install myself.

I use this incident, and my 127.9 hours under this wing, to report that I have experienced about 2x the rate of getting knots in my lines compared to other wings I have owned. The upper lines are extremely thin and flexible, which likely accounts for this behavior.

 

 

2023/10/12 notes

Wing has been sold. It has been good to me.

 

 


Summary

138 hour of airtime in various conditions, including lots of rough air

Good:

·      Good level of performance: Easy to reach distant destinations, easy to manage trajectory while thermalling.

·      Relaxing to fly for its category, thanks to pitch dampening and directional stability: No self-sustaining roll bouncing. Good collapse resistance.

·      Full speed collapse recovery is as expected of a high B for asymmetrics, but more relaxing (like a low or mid B) for frontals.

·      Indicator of good behavior: 25 (instead of 20) kg weight range, can use with added weight of a motor (without changing glider). Reasonable aspect ratio (5.56 flat).

·      Pack it anyway you want: No need for a pillow or concertina bag, saving bulk and weight. It fits more loosely than my former wing (with concertina bag) in the same rucksack.

·      Sexy leading edge (Picture + Source): High cell count and in addition its upper surface has ribs between walls.

·      The manufacturer provides a better-than-average warranty.

·      No need to send your wing away for an early “trim tuning”, just keep flying.

Neutral:

·      Risers are longer than typical. Each riser has a label (R07/600/180) with side edges that started fraying after a few hours of airtime, a cosmetic issue.

·      Very thin lines near the wing.

·      The fabric (Porcher Skytex 32/27 double coated) feels lightweight, the same used for the Tenor Light. For those interested there is an even lighter version coming.

·      With a high cell count and upper leading edge mid-cell rods, the leading edge feels spring-loaded while packing it.

·      Manufacturer confidence: “The greatest leap in performance that we have ever achieved from one generation to the next.”.

·      B line stall is possible: Demonstration video.

·      On a windy launch, to stabilize the wing into a “wall” shape, only hold center A risers instead of all A risers.

·      I get teased: My color choice matches “Tony the Tiger”.

Bad:

·      Pricing is a bit more than other brands, at least in the USA.

·      About 2x more often knots in my lines during the launch process, compared to typical low B wings.