Nova-Shockwave

Nova - Shockwave

The Nova Shockwave, was designed to best meet the requirements of the "Red-Bull Dolomitenmann" competition! These include having a lightweight glider with excellent take off handling, high speed and a very good glide ratio.

The wing is very input sensitive so a small steering impulse is all it takes to propel the Shockwave into a steep curve without delay.

The shockwave has also been tested in thermals, even in very rough conditions the glider never collapsed. In very turbulent air the lines on the glider can momentarily slacken, but the Shockwave will fly on unaffected.

The wing is light and small enough to almost fit into your pocket for the most extreme alpine ascents, for pilots seeking pure adrenalin and a raw sense of flying, the Shockwave will be a thoroughly satisfying glider. Nova Wings appeal to all pilots who choose to fly with this wing, you must ask yourself; are you able to handle such a glider? Suitable for expert pilots only...

The Nova Shockwave has a special airfoil along with a very high wing loading which makes it very resistant to collapse. With only two mainlines per side and three line - levels (a,b,c) this benefits the performance at high speed due to less line drag. This low line drag, is the key to the glide rate at high speed flight, and this geometry gives a consistent load distribution.

Nova test pilot Mario Eder made the first flights with the Shockwave, after which, he reported having an adrenalin overdose! One of the reasons for this is the high speed, the other, the extremely sensitive handling.

Manufacture Web: Nova Wings

Nova - Shockwave

Check out this great video of the Shockwave being flown at Dune de Plya, France
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6162517062543943011

Hugh Ginty very kindly lent me his Shockwave for a few flights at the Long Mynd last week. Conditions were smooth but the wind was way too strong for normal paragliders.

I found launching a bit tricky, partly because the short brake travel makes it easy to stall the wing. However, once above your head the wing is well behaved. And boy is it fast and fun to fly. The high trim speed saw me effortlessly zooming around the ridge in windspeeds that would blow normal gliders over the back. The handling is short and sweet: you're rarely pulling more than a few centimetres of brake. The wing is very dynamic and does need to be flown actively, in turbulence she "attacks" forward and needs to be checked on the brakes. Initiating a turn on only the inside brake produces a steep, diving turn which the Shockwave converts back to height on exit but with a bit of outside brake it's actually possible to get a smooth, efficient turn for thermalling. Hugh claims to have been top-of-the-stack amongst normal gliders in small punchy thermals, and this I can well believe (at the comp, Hugh was promoted from "wind dummy" to "Thermal Hunder" for finding climbs out for several gaggles on his SR7). The speed bar is very light and very, very effective. The Shockwave cuts through strong wind like a hot knife through butter.

For experienced pilots flying in smooth, windy conditions the Shockwave is a real blast. If I lived in the UK or near the coast I would strongly consider buying one. For me, here in thermals in the Alps, it's not the right wing. It could be very interesting as a mountain wing, however: it weighs very little and has heaps of performance to get you out of trouble.

Mark Leavesley also flew it and immediately ordered one!