The APCO FIESTA review

There is something about an Apco wing, noticeable as soon as you pick up the backpack - it feels sturdy, the fabric is tough, and the design well padded. But apart f rom the little extras like a glider patch, a spare rubber O-ring, a speedbar and a helmet bag, what else does the new entry-level wing from Apco have to offer? I stuck my nose deep inside the latest Israeli export, and sniffed at all the bits you're not supposed to.

CONSTRUCTION : This is a well-made piece of equipment, with solid stitching and adequate reinforcement. There is a reinforcing tape running along the D-span, and at selected points throughout the wing. The lower lines are the thick sheathed su per-aramid we are used to seeing on modern gliders, and only the upper cascade of the C and D-lines is the unique unsheathed Apco white-dyneema. But don't worry - it's right up against the wing, where it is unlikely to snag on anything. Every cell is hung, and there are no V-ribs to weight the wing down. The C and D line-attachment points are inside the wing, so there's no tabs visible on the outside - a factor which makes repairs slightly more intricate. Three eyelets on the trailing edge allow the o uter brake lines to pucker the fabric under tension, allowing a smoother surface when turning. The fabric is the tough double-coated Gelvenor ripstop nylon traditionally used on Apco wings, with their three years / 250 hours warranty. There are the standard two bifurcations in the lines. An inner-A riser (2lines), outer-A (1lines), B(3lines + 1stabiliser), C(3lines), and brakes makes the rigging neat and efficient. The risers are made from the traditional sturdy black webbing, with name-tags sewn onto each riser, to allow for easy identification. The 'big-ears' outer A's are yellow. The speedbar has a long travel, but does not need a step-ladder system. The brakes have soft fabric loops, which I love because they are so comfortable on the wrists. They attach by means of magnetic press-studs, which feel easy and neat.

LAUNCH : A measured pullup which stops overhead well. It has less of a tendancy to overshoot than wings like the Freex Flair and the Swing Arcus. In light winds the pullup is a bit slow , especially if you are too exuberant and hang on the A-risers (you'll fold the nose in). With a bit of wind, it can be launched without holding the A-risers, just by leaning into the harness firmly, but a constant pressure is needed throughout the pullu p. If the glider begins to drop back, it needs to be coaxed up on the A-risers again. Groundhandling is predictable - the wing is slow to respond, but doesn't move much, and can roll far off to the side and still be recovered. In a word, simple.

FLIGHT : The first thing I noticed was a good trim speed - it seemed fast for its class. The speedbar had little effect for the first half, as you are pulling down the centre A-lines only. Then the light bar-pressure increases noticeably, and the speedbar takes u p the outer A lines and the B-lines at once. The wing goes into higher gear, and skims along with a decreased glide angle. It has a reasonable top speed, but nothing extreme - the 45km/h quoted on the specs is a fair approximation. The wing appears to be quite small, even though it's surface area is quite adequate on the specifications. The lines are fairly long, being the same length as those on the Allegra. \par \par Flying in choppy thermic conditions, I liked the feedback I received from the wing. I could fee l where the turbulence was striking the wing, but the wing's reaction was calm. On the pitch axis, the wing dampens out most surges and climbs to within 10 degrees of vertical. On the roll axis, a big turn will result in a double-correction - first you s wing under and beyond the glider, then it swings over and slightly ahead of you, and you catch up to it in a small stabilising motion. In other words, wait for what I call 'the Fiesta 4 seconds' - the wing will level out given adequate time. The tendanc y in lower airtime pilots may be to over-correct and set up an oscillation. There is no noticeable yaw tendancy.

I had a few small tucks (by flying without any active input through turbulence), but they came out on their own, in a measured 'curling wave' style. (Frrrip glop! if you want the sound.) 'Big ears' need to be held in, having moderate pressure. Weight-shift turns are easier with the ears in, and soon result in big wingovers, so keep the input gentle. There was no tendancy to go parachutal while tucked.

SAFETY : Small asymetric collapses (less than 50%) result in less than a 90 degree turn, and swing the pilot gently towards the collapsed side. It reinflates of its own accord, and returns you to your original course. This is a reassuring tendancy whi ch was first seen in the Fiesta's bigger sister, Allegra. Big collapses (more than 50%) seemed to turn more than quoted in the DHV test (less than 90degrees), which may be encouraged by the fact that I fly a harness without cross-overs for maximum weight-shift effect. Fiesta held true to the DHV1 class though, by 'banging out' on its own accord just before 180 degrees of turn, with no severe height loss. With a little bit of countersteering, the most violent collapse can be held straight, so it's easy to control big collapses without inducing a stall. On speedbar, the Fiesta had very similar behaviour. B-line stall has a smooth entry, and can result in a high descent rate while still maintaining stability. The exit is slightly delayed, but smooth and faultless. Front tuck comes out into big-ears, which open comfortably. The recovery is once again slightly delayed, and smooth. The approach to stall point is accompanied by a moderate increase in brake pressure, but nothing as heavy as the Swing Arcus or old Apco Sierra. The brake line is attached to the stabilisers, but in such a way that the pressure is referred, and not direct, even at stall point. The brake travel is as short as it can be - quarter brakes is at the ears, just as one would expect, but stall point is just above the seatboard. The DHV measured it as over 75cm before deep stall and 90cm before full stall, which passes the requirement for DHV1. Pilots used to long brake travel will get a surprise - you have no need to ever 'take wraps' on the Fiesta. The glider drops back into a stall smoothly, but does not like to be held there. The brake lines offered the most resistance I have felt once in the stall, yanking at my hands to attempt to free the glider. The result was an asymmetric exit from the stall one time in three, and a small cravatte of the wingtip. This wound itself into a spiral dive without much delay. A bit of opposite weight-shift, and light countersteering, and the Fiesta levelled out. A quick tuck on the affected side sorted the crava tte out. The other two stalls exited without misbehaviour. \par \par Spins - the Fiesta does not like to spin, and spins quite fast if you can actually get it into a spin. I had to slow her waaaay down though, and then yank on the one toggle. If it surges during the spin, it goes straight into a spiral dive, which is its maneouvre of choice in extreme situations, and a good fast exit. Flying at trim speed and yanking on the one side results more often in a spiral than a spin. Spirals - if you turn with a third brake and a bit of weight shift, after the first full rotation you will enter a rapidly-accelerating spiral. It is soon a spiral dive, with high g-forces. This was rather quicker than I had expected. Releasing both brakes does not have an immediate effect - the usual 'Fiesta 4 seconds' passes before you are exiting from the spiral, but this is not necessarily a bad thing at all. By the time you exit, the glider has slowed down, and there is no radical climb-out and pitch.

THERMALLING : At last, an Apco wing that responds to either weight-shift or brake input! Normally one has to hang on the brakes to turn an Apco, and throw in a liberal amount of weight-shift too, but not so on the Fiesta. She turns on a third brake even with opposite weight-shift, and when you synchronise your weight with the turn, she banks beautifully and carves up those tight cores. Every input seems to have the customary delayed reaction of 4 seconds, but turns are soon predictable and easy. The only down-side it that the Fiesta likes to drop her inside wing a bit, sacrificing a bit of the ability to turn flat for her agility. Leading directly from this fact, if you over-cook the turn (too much input), the glider goes into a spiral, rather than a flat-spin. This is a good safety -feature, leaving the pilot with an easy recovery. Dabbing on a bit of outside brake can help to increase the climb, and flatten the turn slightly, without adversely affecting the turn rate.

SUMMARY : This is a predictable, sturdy workhorse, which shall ser ve the market well. It is ideal for a student and first-time buyer, offering simple controls, positive brake pressure, nice feedback and a safe response to flying situations. Performance is good, speed is good, and thermalling is nice 'n easy. Pilots upgrading and wanting an xc machine may want to look higher up the Apco range, or at sportier gliders. For pilots wanting a dependable and sure ride, the Apco Fiesta is the ticket to cloudbase.

TEST CONDITIONS : Porterville, Cape Town : 700m ASL launch, max altitude 1250m, 3hours total in choppy thermic conditions (max 5.7m/s lift), 44km xc.
Lions Head, Cape Town : 500m ASL, half an hour, in light thermic (less than 1m/s) conditions in coastal air.

REVIEWER'S SPECS : Greg Hamerton - I have been involved in paragliding instruction for the past six years, having flown everything I could get my hands on - especially good sports class gliders. I have run SIV courses in Cape Town, and specialise in advanced training (winching, thermalling, aerobatics, cross country). In '97 I competed in the PWC circuit on a Freex Spark Pro, a sensitive glider with light handling. By the end of '98 I chose to fly DHV2 gliders again. I currently fly a Freex Spear and prefer bivouac cross- country flying to competitions. I have over 1000 hours airtime, and have to date flown over 70 wings. This review is my subjective opinion.

GLIDER SPECIFICATIONS : FIESTA Medium flown by Greg Hamerton at 93kg (all-up)
Cells 39
Area m 29.20
Area m}(projected) 25.81
Aspect Ratio 5.12
Aspect Ratio(projected) 3.93
Pilot weight (all up) kg 85-105
V-min km/h 20
V-trim km/h 35
V-max km/h 45+
Total line length 425 m
Length of B lines 7.17
Line Materials Top Dyneema 0,8mm 90kg
Mid Super Aramid 1,1mm 80kg
Lower Super Aramid 1,7mm 150kg
Ctr Bottom Super Aramid 2,2mm 220kg
Brakes Dyneema 1,1mm 220kg Polyester
bottom brake lines 1,1mm 90kg
Sail Cloth Ripstop 46 gr./m "ZERO POROSITY" NYLON
Rib Reinforcement Mylar 180 gr./m
Certification: AFNOR/CEN "STANDARD CLASS"
Certification: DHV Class 1 (Trim and Accelerated)
Warranty Three Years / 250 Hours

THANKS To Tim Stiff for the use of the Fiesta during the review.

The SA APCO Dealer is Carlos Rafael.