The PRO-DESIGN PRO-JECT

Yet another review by Greg Hamerton
28 December 2001
images courtesy of Pro-Design

Due to the limited airtime I have had on the ProJect, I can only offer a brief comment, so please bear in mind the subjective nature of this review.

Founded in 1986 by Armin Graf and Herbert Hofbauer, ProDesign has built a reputation for durable, solid gliders with a very good build quality. A ProDesign glider usually boasts thick centre lines and obvious attention to detail like double-stitched seams and strong Porcher Marine fabric. It's not every manufacturer who can offer a 3year or 400 hour guarantee on their products.

If anything their previous designs could be criticised for being too stable (Target, Relax) but in a market full of agile, sensitive wings, there is certainly a place for docile, confidence-building gliders.

The Project earned its DHV2/3 rating on 14 August 2001 and is aimed at the Cross-country pilot. It seems to have short lines and from the pilot's seat it has a stubby appearance with swept back tips. Every third cell is closed, and the standard partial U-bracing reinforces the wing, along with spanwise tape in various places. The speedbar engages reduction pulleys set within the risers to give a smooth, easy acceleration.

Having flown beside ProDesign pilot Rudi Untermoser for long racing sections during the recent All Africa Open competition in Porterville, I was able to judge the Project's performance relative to my Airwave Magic. We were often the only serial gliders amongst the Boomerangs, Avax's and UP protos at the front during the ridge races. So now you know that the speedbar works, and the glide at speed is pretty good. Rudi was often seen with the bar pegged flat out, swooping through booming thermals. When I tried the bar I found a similar thing - the Project remains fairly solid even at 50km/h+. DHV clocked it as 37km/h at trim (hands up) and 55km/h on full bar.

I had the opportunity to fly the Pro-ject for half an hour in light thermic conditions. I found the glider easy to launch, and remarkably stable and reassuring in the air. It seemed to drop its inside wing and 'rotate' around the corners rather than the swinging, carving turn I am used to, but the turn was quick, precise and tight. I climbed at the same rate as a scattering of intermediate wings nearby.

The front tucks I induced showed delayed, mellow reinflation characteristics, with the glider wallowing for a moment before regaining airspeed. Asymmetric collapses reinflated slowly by themselves seemingly with a moderate turn and little dive. This hinted that the wing might be trimmed a bit 'nose high', a suspicion echoed in the results for 'Countersteering an Asymmetric Collapse' - the DHV found it demanding, with a tendancy to stall. I should expect the same tendancy to present itself when descending with large 'big-ears'.

With DHV2/3 scores for symmetric and asymmetric tucks at both trim and full speed (also 2/3 for B-line stalls) the Pro-ject requires an experienced hand on the controls, which is a pity because its reassuring feel in the air would be welcomed by many novice cross-country pilots. In the words of ProDesign "the PRO-JECT is a paraglider for experienced pilots who are looking for a manageable high-performance wing with maximum performance." For those bent on getting into goal first, there is the Project C, the same glider with a changed rigging to offer a flatter wing (less curvature across the span) and higher top speed.

For more information contact the South African importer :
Jo Chananie email : aviotec@iafrica.com or mobile : 082 904-1020
or visit the PRO-DESIGN website www.pro-design.at