HGFA Skysailor Magazine

24 SKY SAILOR March | April 2018 and versatile – but trimmed towards even higher versatility: the Ibex 4 is suitable for Hike&Fly, travelling, recreational flying, instruction, high- mountain adventures, soaring or even XC flying. The three-liner has 36 cells, an aspect ratio of 4.63 and features Diagonal Tape Ribs for the first time. This results in less weight, higher performance and a more solid feel of the wing. The performance has improved quite a bit. Compared with the Prion 3, Nova discovered that Ibex 4 glides better with the same wing load – and the Prion 3 already is a well-performing EN A-wing: Robert Schaller flew a 209km FAI triangle on a Prion 3! Therefore the Ibex 4 is suitable for XC flying. The improvement mainly results from the Diagonal Tape Ribs which ensure a cleaner airfoil and a more stable canopy. The Ibex 4 feels more compact and homogenous. The Ibex 4’s extremely wide weight-range per size is a plus, the wing has been certified as EN-A in all sizes and weight ranges, however, wing-loading does have a bearing on speed, sink rate, handling and how it feels in the air. Another major assets is the very uncomplicated launch behaviour. Super-thin, sheathed PPSLS 65 and PPSL 191 lines make sorting them easy and reduce drag in flight. The low weight of the canopy combined with the short line length makes the pull- up and inflation easy – great on rough high-alpine launch sites as well as the training slope. Like all lightweight Nova wings, the Ibex 4 is not a design pushed to the absolute limits. It features a durable mix of fabrics and comes with narrow traditional webbing risers, not twisty Dyneema strings. Colour-coding on the risers for left/right as well as for front/back reduces the chance of errors. As a result, The Ibex 4 is suitable for everyday flying or instruction. Nova delivers the Ibex 4 with their waterproof Compression Bag (instead of a rucksack) and their comprehensive guarantee package. The Ibex 4 will be available for test flights from mid-February 2018. Find out more at [www.nova.eu/ibex4 ]. Till Gottbrath, Nova News Nova Ibex 4