Astair and Syrius

It is interesting to compare two paragliders from the same firth with the same airworthiness certification. Both gliders flown here are Standard class, yet they are very different. My guess is that the Astair would get a DHV t and the Syrius a high DHV 1-2 rating, but that's not my job. We seem to have been waiting forever for the new European standard to be sorted, a situation that leaves buyers confused by the wide range of performance and stability embraced by the Standard class.

Build

Both gliders are extremely well made and came in the obligatory reviewer yellow (does this colour not sell, or is it a plot against me from all the dealers?). There are fancy graphics on the bottom surface to jazz the look up, but both remain fairly conventional designs without any mind-grabbing features. I'll give a good mention to the bags, and I particularly liked the checked cloth. Glider bags are getting better all the time, and with these two you can pack your modern harness away and still have places to keep your bits - not all of us fly from sites that are ten yards from the top of a chair lift. And a little tip, in answer to a question I am often asked: the little

neat protective webbing on the bottom riser attachment loops. These loops should allow a karabiner to go through easily and not require a wrestling match - it's possible to scuff this area with a modern karabiner -but very few do, or are reinforced as the FP ones are.

Astair

The Astair has all the features of an entry-level machine: each cell loaded, simple line layout and a very solid feel in flight. I found the brake pressures to be high - perfect for the novice pilot. 360ing was OK but spirals felt like my shoulders were going to pop, though it's fair to say I was well up the weight range (I had in fact removed a few surplus batteries and things from my harness to get within the I 15kg limit). Launching was a coddle, with no tendency to overfly and good balance. Given the level of pilot that will use this wing, all flying on it is going to be flat out, with little or no attempt to damp dives or

than the gym wall and more fresh air! The Astair conforms to my usual Standard class maxim of solid, simple and safe... but stepping straight onto the Syrius - also a Standard, remember - gave me food for thought.

Syrius

The Syrius I flew seemed to have been carefully trimmed, but for me the brakes were a tad too short. On launching it sat back just a fraction, so it probably only needed a centimetre to be let out. On resorting to a right good heave I ended up in the comfy position, so for once I could fly just on the handles without taking a wrap. And what a good flight - helped by some nice English spring weather: constant dynamic lift and small punchy thermals.

The Syrius has a far more sophisticated profle, internal V ribs and a bifurcated line system. The brak pressures are much lower but the security level is still high; the glider turns well on the brakes without any weight shift, but the swing through on wingovers is good and 360ing is much easier to build into a rhythm. The speed bar is effective but there is a lot

both together. You can even just pull one ear in (the Van Gogh manoeuvre?) if you want a simple descent adjustment. The Syrius is quite obviously faster than the Astair with more turn energy. It is an excellent ride: no spectacular events but real fun in the turn, good to throw about and show off on but sensible enough to respond to a taming rein.

Recently I've started to develop some 'passive' flying techniques as opposed to the famous active flying. If you have confdence in your wing and let it centre itself, it will seem to want to go with the lift once

taken with the lift and, apart from being careful about swinging through close to the hill, it's rather pleasant once you resist the natural tendency to keep countering every movement on the brakes.

Overview

The Astair and Syrius are a brace of very good wings. I think Flying Planet will begin to attract some interest, particularly with the Syrius which certainly matches others of the same class. The Astair will need to find a place to fill, probably among more safety-concerned pilots.

Importer's comment

Bill is absolutely right - both the Astair and Syrius are already attracting a lot of interest. All gliders in the Flying Planet range are built to exacting standards. The Syrius in particular gives a lot of performance with excellent security. I would just add... try one yourself to see what you are missing. And, of course, both are also available in colours other than yellow!

RICHARD HAINES, FLYING PLANET UK

 Specifications

* All-up weights