About the glider: Aspect ratio = 5.4. Area = 27.5 sq. m. laid out (Size M). The Spear has 56 cells with diagonal rib design - which results in a very smooth and even profile. Material is the new N1097 (47 g/m2) which is slightly heavier but resists aging better and is more colour stable. The ribs are made from the specially coated Carrington N1099 material, which minimises stretching of the profile ribs.
The manufacturing quality check is performed twice, once in Hungary by the Austrian company Puntec and a second time in Germany by FreeX. The purchaser will receive a product produced to a high quality standard, as well as interesting detail solutions designed into this glider by FreeX.
Take-off: Take-off is one of the Spear's strengths and is very easy. The glider should be laid out an arc shape. The lines are easy to sort due to the colour coding. Correcting the direction is easily done, either by using the brakes or by the pilot moving back under the wing. Take-off speed is normal.
Flight: I know of no other modern intermediate glider which turns so responsively and with such low brake pressure. This requires the pilot to balance the inner and outer brakes, as well as weight shifting. To maximise climb in weak lift, FreeX recommends experienced pilots to pressurise the outer wing in a turn by weight shifting.
The Spear climbs very well, and is easier to centre than the Spark high-performance wing. In wide thermals it is possible to turn by weight shift only. The brake pressures are very low up to 40 - 50% brake, then the pressure increases a lot and becomes very high before the stall point is reached. This is a very good improvement on previous intermediate gliders. The wing remains very stable even in turbulent conditions when the glider is made to swing about. But even so, the pilot of the Spear should have experience of active flying to avoid deflations. With opposite brake input even big collapses are not a problem, the wing is easy to stablilize.
Performance: I measured a trim speed of 38 km/h. The best glide was achieved at trim speed with a ratio of 7.8. Minimum sink was 1.2 m/s at 30 km/h. With speed bar input the speed can be increased by 10 km/h and is very easy to operate. The first 10 cm of movement does not require a lot of pressure and is very easy to hold, even for a long period. If the speed bar is pushed further, pressure increases quite a bit. Interestingly, the polar curve is very flat over this high speed range, up to 48 km/h.
Descending: Big-ears are easy to perform (one outer A-line on each side is enough) and with speed bar input more than 4 m/s was achieved. The glider remains easy to steer by weight shifting. After release of the outer A-lines the wing tip pops out immediately without brake input.
B-lining is also easy to perform. After 10 cm pull the glider enters the B-stall. With another 10 cm pull, a sink rate of 10 m/s was achieved.
The spiral dive is entered very quickly. Just by pulling one brake continuously the glider will increase speed and bank steeply. In the spiral dive, the wing should be stabilised with the outer brake by equalising the brakes. Doing so, the speed and sink rate can be better controlled.
Landing: Landing is very easy due to the high speed range and easy correction.
Summary:
At this point is time, the Spear is a real alternative to a competition wing. This well-designed performance wing has very direct and easy handling which saves the pilot from muscle fatigue, especially on XC flights.
Due to its high performance, the Spear belongs at the top of the range of intermediate wings currently on the market. Experienced pilots will like the very flat polar throughout the speed range, right up to top speed.
The pilot should be experienced in SIV manoeuvres and flying, the Spear is not a glider for low airtime pilots.
The user manual is well laid out, complete with approval certificate, line diagrams and free sheets for annual checks. Typical flight behaviour, specific to the wing is also covered, so the pilot is well prepared for his first flight and has information at hand for a later date.
Plus points:
+ very direct handling
+ brakes are smooth in flight
+ high performance
+ well-thought-out details
Minus points:
- none