G: Icaro GTO Race Paraglider: Competition
Friday, June 18, 2010 at 15:10 GTO Race paraglider purchase inquiry
After two years of development and test time, ICARO Paragliders launches the long awaited high level performance glider. The GTO Race is an ultra performance paraglider designed to offer pure un-compromised real world performance and fantastic handling.
Non-Conventional by Design
After many experiments with different profiles with only three line levels and different canopy curvatures, the ICARO R & D team firmly resolved on the prototype farthest away from the recent mainstream trend of 3 lines with a high canopy curvature.
The GTO Race has 4 line levels which run up to the riser. This has great advantages to the true and false (C and D combined) three-liners:
- The extreme flight characteristics are easier and the glider is safer. Despite the high 7.5 aspect ratio, front and full stalls are easy to control, and the tendency to get tangled up in a cravat is extremely low.
- The fast speed profile can be trimmed more neatly because of the better load distribution. At full speed, the profile is being changed into a reflex-profile through a slight change in the four levels. This enables a high stability and a better glide performance, when flown on speed bar.
- Of great effect on handling: the fourth line level improves the climbing performance and the handling while centering on thermals. Through the direct and more efficient handling, it is much easier to avoid asymmetric collapses in heavy turbulence and unloading.
- Despite the four line levels, the GTO has the same line resistance as other gliders with three line levels, as achieved by a genial geometry of the line galleries.
The canopy curvature of the GTO Race is very flat compared to other competition gliders
The projected area is bigger at the same form drag. The high projected aspect ratio generates more lift, and thus, superior glide.
Many brands create a good optic while the glider is laying flat on launch, with a high flat aspect ratio, that is then dramatically cut back with large curvature in flight: yielding a low projected aspect ratio. Good thermal pilots using perfect flight techniques can barely achieve advantages against lesser pilots when all are using high canopy curvature paragliders.
This is different with gliders that have a flat curvature: the difference between good and moderate thermal pilots is distinctive. The good paraglider pilot using the flat curvature paraglider will climb beyond the highly curved canopies.
The hybrid use of materials in the GTO Race is complex
Depending on the desired expansion, Icaro uses different sail cloth and line materials and diameters. In this manner, for example, the ultra light Porche Marine Skytex 27 sail cloth is used in select areas to deactivate extreme flight characteristics.
The race risers are made of Kevlar, with an easy to push speed system, despite a precise six-fold attachment and are optimally arranged.
There are no pvc or carbon fiber mini battens used for reinforcement of the sail, as real performance was achieved without using them.
Flight Impressions of the GTO Race
The GTO Race flies surprisingly comfortably considering it is an elongated high performance paraglider. Its direct handling, with no time lag, is new for this class and not only guarantees better climb rates in the thermals, but also total control in turbulence. This is reinforced by the long brake range travel in this class: A non-intended over-steer because of an extreme interception maneuver, to counter turbulence, is therefore no subject for proficient pilots. For thermal flying and steering, the first 10 to 20 cm of brake travel is enough. Up to the stall point, another 40 cm are available for an interception. Due to the tensioning system at the brake, the brake effect is being enhanced. The flat canopy offers good pilots the possibility to fly away from higher curved gliders with a better flight technique and better performance. The slightly larger self motion of the canopy in heavy turbulence, gives more time to the pilot to react to the upcoming release of pressure, and to avoid asymmetric collapses. Due to the four line levels, light construction, and the well balanced design, the extreme flight characteristics are easy.
A lot can be written about glide performance and speed: the real picture can only be seen by in flight side-to-side comparison tests with other reference competition paragliders. From the real perspective, GTO Race positively convinces.
iParaglide Comments
Icaro has zagged rather than zigged with the mainstream and applied the KISS principle here, rather than fashion, and used real solutions to optimize design. Of special interest is the use of high projected aspect ratio in lieu of 3 line levels, to gain glide advantage without compromising form rigidity or handling.
- Dion Vuk, P. Eng, iParaglide Director
