(rock music plays)
- [Greg] Ozone says the M7 is the ideal wing
for experienced pilots stepping up to the D class
who want the performance and pleasure of a modern 2-liner,
but with more comfort, security, and confidence.
So what's it like to fly? And who should buy one?
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- [Greg] First, a bit of background.
Ozone had the Delta two and the M6
The pilot demand gap was fairly big between those two wings.
Then Ozone brought out the Zeno, also aspect ratio 6.9
but a 2-liner with higher pilot demands than the Mantra M6.
Then the new Delta 3 offered lower pilot demands
than the Delta 2,
making the range gap between Ozone's EN-C
and the 2-liner EN-D even bigger.
The Mantra M7 offers lower pilot demands than the M6,
so it fits well in Ozone's range,
midway between the Delta 3 and the Zeno.
(rock music plays)
The M7 inflates fairly readily,
considering the size of the cell openings, which are narrow.
It's pretty typical for this level of wing.
So getting the wing open and building a wall
in moderate to strong winds is as expected.
On inflation, it requires a pretty high level of control
on giving correct and symmetric input.
If the wing's well laid out into a nice breeze
and your pull up is good, the wing comes up well
with not too much tendency to drop back from low angles
or scoop and dive near the top of the zenith.
Overall, I'd say the ground handling is about right
for the level of wing it's meant to be, low D.
It's less demanding to ground handle than most 2-liners,
but more demanding than most 3-liners I've tested
in recent years.
(rock music plays)
Glider handling is a subjective thing
and everyone has their personal Goldilocks zone.
Not too much nor too little, just right.
(relaxed music plays)
People can also mean different things
when they talk about handling.
Some guys, surfers, are talking in terms of feeling,
not the feeling the wing transmits about the air
through the brakes and the lines, which I call feedback.
I mean the feeling you get from the wing in turns,
through the breaks and rises as a result of your inputs,
the energy it transmits back to you,
and also how much it makes you smile.
The joy factor.
Most pilots say they don't want the handling
to be too heavy,
but they want to be able to feel what's going on
through the breaks.
Goldilocks again.
One pilot's lovely and light brake pressure
is another's vague and mushy.
One's heavy and stiff is another firm and direct.
Other guys, engineers, are talking about brake authority,
how much the glider responds
to a specific amount of brake input.
It's almost a clinical measure of
input x centimetres of break equals wide degrees of turn
in z time.
Some are primarily concerned about how responsive
or agile the wing is.
So how fast and tight you can turn it.
When I talk about handling
I'm thinking about all these things.
I find the brake pressure on the M7 moderate,
if anything, slightly on the firmer side,
in relative terms
The feeling in terms of the handling and energy is moderate,
slightly dampened.
The glider responds steadily to break inputs.
It's neither particularly agile nor slow.
(relaxed music continues)
I tested the wing at different loadings for comparison,
including near the top of the weight range.
Some pilots are convinced that all wings,
especially higher end wings, should be flown near or
at the top of their recommended weight range by all pilots.
I disagree.
Many pilots have taken that advice
and ended up with the wrong wing as a result.
What's right for you might
not necessarily be right or best for others.
Normally I prefer to fly wings
around the middle of their recommended weight range
for all around best behaviour.
If I flew the M7,
then I would it fly near or at the top of its weight range
because I prefer a wing that's more dynamic and agile
rather than more docile and placid.
(relaxed music continues)
The feedback from the M7 is rather dampened for a D wing.
It's very pitch stable,
which leads to a slightly vague feeling.
Functional rather than pleasurable.
I found myself looking up at the wing more than usual,
not because the wing was making me nervous,
but because it wasn't talking to me.
I prefer firm and direct feedback of information.
The M7 is calmer than the M6.
It climbs well, good for the class.
However, despite flying near the top of the weight range,
I found the wing was hanging back on entering thermals.
There's that delay you might expect from a lower rated wing.
At full speed, it is comfortable and undemanding
with an effective rear riser control system.
Their BC connectors on the M7 is very good,
with a simple pulley on the Bs
carrying a thick Dyneema line bridge from A to C.
I felt the M7 climbs pretty well
in light to moderate thermals,
but it felt like it was more suited to stronger, punchier
climbs than the weaker stuff.
Unusually for a D wing, I was always feeling like,
"Come on, give me a bit more speed,
more energy, more feedback."
Despite me being loaded at the top of the weight range
and flying in light conditions.
(rock music plays)
The M7 is certified EN-D and aimed at EN-D level pilots,
says Ozone.
But the level of comfort and security
is closer to the class below.
Even, so, it's recommended for experienced pilots who fly
at least a hundred hours per year with recent SIV training.
(rock music continues)
So who's this for?
Uh, I see the M7 as being mainly a stepping stone wing
for progressing competition pilots
who are frustrated at being outgunned on their old EN-C wing
by high end 2-liners,
but they don't want to take the jump up to a wing
like a Zeno or a Gin leopard.
Overall, I'd say it has low D pilot demands
in terms of ground handling, general flying, and SIV.
Turns seem pretty average for the aspect ratio,
if anything the wing lacks a bit of speed and energy
for the class.
(rock music continues)
If you're not obsessed with performance,
and you're looking for a wing that is coordinated,
comfortable and reassuringly solid on full bar,
then the M7 might suit you.
This M7 that we used in the review is now available to buy
on our secondhand site.
So check that out,
find out more about the M7 on our website,
and you can also read the full written review on our blog.