Reviews

Perfectly designed, all-day comfort, really light weight. I have used it for hike and fly, thermalling, XC and all sorts of mucking about. Its a fabulous harness. Although light it feels strong and safe. I love the split leg arrangement with such a simple clip in design. It is as reactive as you like, tighten the strap to fall asleep, or loosen it off to throw the glider around. It's very easy on the ground and and so easy to get into after launch. Agreed, it is expensive, but it is definitely worth it....

Report by Ziad Bassil
Mac Para Eden 6-26
(The magical flying carpet)
Pilot: Ziad Bassil

There are many gliders popping out each week/month in every category. It’s very rare to find a flaw in today’s gliders. As a reviewer I always search for those tiny flaws if occurred… But it’s becoming more and more difficult!

Companies are doing their best to give us the best possible and magical flying carpets.

Here’s one…

After test flying Mac Para EN-D, The Icon, here is the Eden 6 in size 26 for a test flight.
I flew the Eden 26 from 93 to 98 all up.
Take off is quite straightforward for a B, despite the high aspect ratio of 5.9, the Eden 6 inflates as a block and very easy without any delays or even shooting forward.
I had some nice flying conditions for three days and I was lucky to fly next to High end B’s all that time in order to feel and see the differences.

What does it feel in the air?

The Eden 6 is a very different glider from the 5th version.
The Eden 6 is tuned for performance flying with an efficient flat turning radius and a nose that searches for thermals rather than bumping into them.

The brake pressure is moderate with a linear response and the Eden 6 could be steered around 35 cm of travel.
The Eden 6 is a fairly agile wing trimmed toward an efficient turn rather than a diving turn.
To be more precise, I think the Eden 6 agility is well balanced between a gentle fun side, and an efficient XC use.
The Eden 6 26 could be flown easily at 90 but I found out that flying it at +75 % of its weight range is optimal (95-96)

Eden6 - Ziad
Climbing ability:

The Eden 6 has similar climbing capability in weak lifts as the Eden 5, which was very good. In stronger lifts the Eden 6 dig through those thermals more efficiently for a better climb.

Gliding power:

Flying the Eden 6 26 in the company of the Swing Nyos M, the Mentor 4 S and the Rook 2 M showed me after many attempts a superb glide angle for the Eden 6 putting it right on top next to the best one in this category!
The gliding at top speed is fully usable and also very competitive like you would expect from the best B’s out there!
The Eden 6 26 at 96 all up has a fast trim speed.
The speed bar pressure is moderate and the gain in speed is ±15 km/h.

Eden6 - Ziad
What are the benefits and differences (Eden 6 over the Eden 5?)?

-Eden 6 needs slightly more active piloting -Glide at trim and at top speed is well improved!
-Efficiency in head wind glides
-Speed

The Eden 6 is as comfortable to fly as the Rush 4.
Big ears are stable and easy. They reopen smoothly by themselves.
Spiraling down is efficient but the pilot must get out hyper smoothly…to prevent a tuck on surges.

Eden6 - Ziad
Conclusion:

The Eden 6 is a new breed of Mac Para gliders. There’s something different in the making.
The glide angle is the best you can get .The climb rate is very good! The handling is pleasurable. The Eden 6 is fast!
For sure, it’s a small step over the Eden 5 in piloting
but ok for an experienced B pilot looking inside the high B category!
There’s indeed something new over here…...

Everything you want when sending off such an important piece of kit. . Professional job at a great price, hassle free, good communication and quick turnaround.
Will be back again when reserve needs repacked.. . . Hopefully. 😉😉
Thanks Steve...

Wonderfully light for the big Scottish hills
Also very fast and friendly service with great advice
Many thanks
John newton...

Very good piece of kit. Great visibility and a reasonable price. Shipping was first class, order delivered next day.

Thanks Paraglide. P.s Get the 2mtr one in stock.

Cheers Phil....

REVIEW FROM SKYWINGS MAGAZINE MARCH 2013

Flight test (first Impressions) OZONE XXLITE Skywings March 2013

Chris Field got an XXLite for Christmas...

It all came together late last year, at least for this Lakeland pilot. After the miserabLe weather
of Last summer and autumn, winier was fast approachrng. The promise was of trudging

upwards through bog and snow, with prospects Littte better than a pleasant float back down to
the car. I love a long fly-down over the snow-covered fells on a crisp winter's day, Landing next
to a welcoming hostelry for a pint of Cumbria's finest in the warmth of an open fire in the
company of like-minded friends.


But that's not what happens. My experience
involves dragging yourself and kit, including the
extra paraphernalia of winter flying, as high as
endurance allows. The forecast Light wind turns
out to be an icy blast but, refusing to
contemplate the knee-crunching retreat to the
valley with your redundant Load, you sit it out.
Sweat freezes, muscles stiffen and morale sags.
The wind doesn't drop. inevitability, as dusk
approaches, you accept defeat and retreat, cold,
wet and despondent, to find the pub doesn't
open for another hour.

Yesterday, in near perfect winter conditions and with
a tight easterly forecast, I headed for the hills with
crampons and walking poles. I walked for a couple
of hours, saw no one, enjoyed the winter panoramas
and the exercise. Then, on reaching a convenient
launch, I laid out my XXLite on the pristine snow,
reverse launched in a nothing breeze and floated
down the few hundred metres to the valley. The pub
was open and the fire was blazing.

And that to me is the point of the XXLite - you
can have your cake and eat it! you can enjoy a
full day's walking [or climbing) in the mountains
combined with a flight, or even several flights.
And if you don't get to fly, it's no big deal. I have
been the enthusiastic owner of an XXLite since
25th December when, in a moment of exquisite
serendipity, my wife decided that it would make
the perfect Christmas present.

I have flown it half a dozen times, and carried it
on long walks without flying a couple more. This
report is not an earnest and balanced review by
an experienced and intrepid pilot; it is simply the
view of one rambler-pilot who is fed up wasting
great mountain days sitting on icy fell-sides
developing haemorrhoids. Conscious of my
paragliding limitations, I have drawn on the
views of other Lakes pilots who have flown the
glider with much more aplomb than me,
including Steve Giles of [ISick and the Wrong] and
Gordie Oliver [Air Ventures].

I should say at the start that I hadn't read any
of the many forum comments and reviews of
the XXLite before I bought it. The only exception
was the Ozone website information page,

whose '...a special wing for special pilots who
fully understand its Limitations, and have the
skill and experience to pilot it' comment gave
cause for caution. in fact Ozone are
reassuringly open about the limitations of the
glider and its special demands on the pilot. I
felt that as long as I maintained a cautious
approach, particularly with respect to strong
winds and turbulence ['...it should only be flown
in reasonably light wind and turbulence-free
conditions'), it would suit my purposes.

I don't need to repeat all the techie construction
information readily available through the normal
sources. My overriding impression on first
removing the glider from the sack was, 'Hmm,
l see... that's why it only weighs 1.2kg.'Even
though I had read the bumph it did seem as if
there was a lot missing. Like the bottom surface
l know, I know, but it still looked weird like
looking into its entrails and the missing risers
It only has A and B risers. The Dyneema [oops
connecting the lines are 'interesting', more so
when you are standing ready to launch. Most
interesting is the attachment of the Leading lines
(and unsheathed of course) to the top surface
which, in combination with the nylon inserts,
shapes the nose. Too late now, it's bought and
paid for.

Off to the hills. A small gaggle of CSC pilots
including Steve Giles, also armed with an XXLite,
headed up one of the higher fells for a classic
Lake District fly-down. We met up with a couple
more pilots carrying conventional heavyweight
kit for the walk up. Bliss! Carrying a 6kg sack in
the company of people carrying 20kg is the very
essence of schadenfreude. We arrived on the
summit to find the forecast Light wind was fresh
and 90 degrees off. No surprise there then.

Ozone's website warns that 'Launch behaviour in
stronger winds is more demanding as the wing
has a tendency to want to fly. It is best to control
the wall with the rear risers.' This is a bit of an
understatement, but at least those who'd Lugged
their heavy sacks up the hill could enjoy some
reverse-schadenfreude. Both Steve and l,
neither of whom had conne...