PARAGLIDING IN SA  |   FLYING SITES  |   REVIEWS  |   AIRLORE  |   STORIES  |   GALLERY |   CARTOONS Airwave Magic 3 by Darron Guberman (Thanks to www.airwave-gliders.com for images - sorry, we had camera trouble) The design philosophy behind the Magic3 was to keep every good point in the original Magic, and get better performance as well." Bruce Goldsmith continued by saying, "I very much wanted to keep the same feel to the wing, especially the sweet handling, and increase glide and stability at speed, as well as the top speed." In February I conducted a personal SIV clinic on the wing, followed by a long cross-country flight from Porterville. Below is what I discovered. CONSTRUCTION: I was assured that Magic2’s were not melted down and turned into Magic3’s. The old Magic was improved to make the Magic2 (prototype only) then additional improvements resulted in the Magic3 (production version). Three specialized materials are used on the wing, each with a specific purpose. Durable 49grm/sq. m. Gelvenor is on the top surface. This is a heavier cloth than most wings. The silicon coating gives it a waxy feel and protects it from UV and abrasion. A strong and dimensionally stable Porcher 9092 E29A Firm cloth is used for the ribs. A new lightweight Porcher 9017 E38A Soft and Toray cloth is used on the bottom surface and diagonal ribs for the best strength to weight ratio. The leading edge is completely open in the middle with progressively more closed cells towards the tips. Lines are color coded, bright and made of High Modular Aramid Kevlar. The risers are 2cm webbing, cleanly finished and have color coded cloth at the ends. The configuration is normal with split A’s, attached B’s, floating C’s and a pulley for the brakes on the D’s. The speed bar uses the fairly standard 2 pulley system on the front of the A riser. Brake toggles have soft foam inside and a magnetic keeper. The bag has lots of zippered pockets, enough space and good straps. The entire product is very neatly finished. LAUNCHING:  There are many closed cells on the Magic3 and it does affect the pull up.  I found the inflation to be slightly slower than on fully open cell wings.  The amount of pull necessary was also a little higher.  Neither of these was a problem.  In fact, the more I tested the more I liked the way the wing launched.  It was extremely consistent in the way it came over head.  Even in varying wind speeds, including nil, the pull up was very predictable.  This is a major plus.  I don’t like surprises on launch.  There was no tendency to overshoot. Magic 3HANDLING: The wind was moderate, cross and not completely cooperative at Lion’s Head when I first unrolled the new Magic3.  As I tugged on the A’s the wing came up normally.  At about 45 degrees, in the higher wind, I expected my new crinkly craft to jump to life and rip me off my feet.  I was wrong.  The glider started to fall back as soon as I released the pressure.  A second pull on the A’s, while the glider was still off the ground, brought the wing cleanly overhead. My old Proton (not the GT) would not have been as forgiving to a mid-launch change in input. Subsequent flights showed me the Magic3 launches predictably and consistently. Fewer open cells translated to fewer gusty surprises. Weight shifting was easy and responsive. Brake travel was average to short. I felt no need to shorten the brake lines like I have on my other wings. Brake pressure was firm, but not too hard or heavy. It felt like a sports car without the power steering; precise and quick. I felt dialed into the wing immediately. After a 4 ½ hour flight from Porterville, I found my neck and stomach muscles burning and my arms still relaxed. Thermals, bumps and turbulence could be felt easily. A small amount of active flying kept the wing inflated and overhead. The tendency was for the wing to pitch or roll in trashy air instead of collapsing. SAFETY: The medium Magic3 is rated DHV 2/3 (other sizes to be rated soon). Most tests passed DHV at the 2 level. I smiled as I gained height, looking forward to yanking down on brightly colored strings and seeing for myself. Eenie, meenie, miney, mooooeee…. Big ears were easy with the split A’s and would normally pop out on their own. Red cloth on the A-riser made initiation quick. A tap of the brakes restored the wing’s proper shape easily. I noticed no tendency to front tuck, even on full speed bar. Full speed was smooth and solid with or without ears. Asymmetric collapses at trim speed turned the wing 90-180 degrees when no counter input was given. Weight shifting and braking away from the collapse effectively minimized the turn. The dive and resumption of airspeed was normal. On full speed bar things were much more exciting. Expect to do at least a 180 degree turn. The collapse was large, the dive big and the DHV 2/3 rating warranted.Magic 3 overhead Front tucks required a healthy pull to induce which is good. At trim the tuck and recovery are fast and benign. On full speed bar the frontal is big. An in flight inspection of most of the top surface is possible. Reinflation was delayed but did happen without any input from me. I found a small tendency for the wing to horseshoe after a high speed tuck. This was the other characteristic that earned a DHV 2/3 rating. When asked, Airwave said they found no tendency for the wing to horseshoe. In regular flight the application of some brake would keep a horseshoe from happening anyway. B-line stalls produce a good sink rate and are stable. The pull to initiate is hard, but holding is average. Internal pressure felt high based on the effort required to collapse the wing. Full stalls were a delight to recover from. They were symmetrical, with enough surge to assure you of forward flight. Proper input was required, but the wing behaved well. No tendency to go parachutal. Negative spin recovery varied but was nothing unusual. Of particular importance was the wing’s ample warning of impending danger. I had to pull hard, far and for a while before the wing stopped flying. Spirals and wingovers were easy to enter, although I felt the need to apply more outside brake to keep big wingovers smooth. I think this was an adjustment to the firm brake pressure. The roll rate was nice and I enjoyed doing reversals (loops). SATs were about average to enter on this wing. The Magic3 was very stable in the air and not prone to collapses, until I started yanking on random strings. All in all, the glider recovered well for a DHV 2/3 wing. Another important note on safety: the glider is tested to 16g’s. That’s twice the industry standard.   PERFORMANCE:  The Magic3 zipped across the sky nicely. According to the factory, trim speed is 37km/h and maximum is 55km/h. These figures checked out on my demo. The wing is stable at speed, and only tucked when I yanked on the A’s. Care should still be taken when flying fast. The glide ratio was good. Energy retention was noticeable when exiting spirals and landing. Airwave claims better than a 9:1 glide. An accurate still-air test eluded me, but a personal best XC flight did not. CONCLUSION: Most advanced pilots would enjoy the handling, glide and solid feel of the Magic3. If you are used to light brake pressure, the wing may feel less nimble than expected. If you like a strong direct feel, you will agree the glider turns quickly and with precision. A good intermediate pilot would also enjoy the wing, but recovery from full speed bar collapses may be challenging. I am not able to compare the old Magic to the new Magic3, but as soon as I get the bugs out of my teeth from smiling I will see if I can borrow one. TECHSPECS: Many thanks to Barry Pederson of Birdmen Paragliding for the wing. Barry can be reached on the net: www.birdmen.co.za, on the cell phone: +27 0 82 658 6710 or via email: birdmen@xsinet.co.za. Airwave can be found at: http://www.airwave-gliders.com. The site has loads of detail and a link for sending email. I found them quick to respond. MAGIC 3 (DHV2/3) *           Medium       Total line consumption (m)           382       Projected area (m2)           23.49       Flat Area (m2)           26.77       Flat Aspect Ratio           6.03       No of cells           71       In-flight weight range (kg) **           80 - 105       Min / Trim / Max speed (km/h)           -- / 37 / 55                           Airborne reviewer (kg)           108       Vtrim in review (km/h)           37       Vmax in review           54       (Adjusted for weight, altitude and temp.) * The medium has been DHV certified. Small and large certifications are expected soon. ** The placard indicates 80-100 kg, but the correct range is 80-105. I exceeded the max.  Don't miss out! Get the next paraglider test as soon as it's released, by JOINING OUR MAILING LIST. You might also like to read: Other paraglider reviews on this website.