Wills Wing May 1997 Info Bulletin

Highlights of this Issue: Ultra Sports, Falcons, XCs In Stock • Ultra Sport 166 Prototype Flying • New Designs • Fusion 150 • Fusions in the East Coast Challenge • Fusions at Bassano Italy • Chris Arai's Internet Comments on the Fusion • Pete Lehmann's Internet Fusion Comments • Ultra Sport, Fusion Demo Tour • Cross Country Bags in Stock • Accessory News • Proline • Service and Technical

Ultra Sports, Falcons, XCs In Stock

We have a large selection of colors and sizes in stock. Dealers and distributors like WW Europa, Sport Opa Kite, Muller Hang Gliding, Flying People, Morningside, Lookout Mt, Fly High, Wallaby Ranch, Mission Soaring, Windsports, Chandelle, Far Up, Raven Hang Gliding, Ultra Light Flying Equipment, Eagles Wings, and Airtime Above, all agree that the ULTRA SPORT is a great glider.

The ULTRA SPORT is not suitable as a first mountain flight glider for brand new pilots.  The performance is in the HPAT class, and even though it is very forgiving VG loose, we still recommend a minimum of ten to fifteen hours of airtime to fly it.  We think your students are much better off in a FALCON for their first season.  Remember, selling a pilot a glider that is too hot for them just increases the chance that they will scare themselves or get hurt and quit the sport!

If you have not flown an Ultra Sport, it's time you did! Check out the enclosed inventory list.

Ultra Sport 166 Prototype Flying

The very first large Ultra Sport flew great right out of the box! Steve Pearson has plans to fit the FUSION VG system on it (plates that swivel at the end of the cross bar to reduce the side wire slack) and then it should be ready for vehicle testing.  It slows down really well (17 mph indicated) and climbs great.  Overall it seems to fly like what it is, a bigger ULTRA SPORT.  We hope to have the glider in production soon, and will release it after the vehicle tests are complete.  We suggest that anyone hooking in at less than 210 - 215 pounds get a 147 ULTRA SPORT.

Mike Meier hooks in at 205 and says that the 147 carries him just fine.

New Designs

The small ULTRA SPORT, and the small FUSION will be the next gliders developed.  There is no way to know at this time how long it will take to complete them, but we’ll keep you informed.

Fusion 150

The FUSION 150 (formerly 152) was HGMA certified on April 16th, and is now in production.  We are fifty FUSIONS back ordered at this time, and delivery for new orders is about eight weeks.  Dealer demos and competition gliders will be shipped in May, and we will begin filling customer orders in June.

The FUSION comes complete with a folding speed bar, choice of custom colors, streamlined downtubes, and a 240 HTP trailing edge.

Suggested retail $5975

Mylar option $200 (not recommended, see below)

Deposit $2000

The available sail patterns are: a one color bottom surface, a two color split bottom surface, or an asymmetric bottom surface with a WW logo (in place of the XC).  You can use the XC form to order FUSIONS for now.

We certified the FUSION in a mylar configuration but we do not recommend mylar sails.  It is possible that mylar has a very slight performance advantage, but the sail will last about one third as long as a 240 HTP sail.

Fusions in the East Coast Challenge

Jim Lee, Pete Lehmann, and Mitch Shipley flew the first production gliders in the East Coast Challenge.  All three gliders were completely stock, non mylar, and in the production configuration.  Two out of three FUSIONS placed in the top three!

Jim Lee 2nd, Pete Lehmann 3rd, Mitch Shipley 14th

Congratulations to the team!

Fusions at Bassano Italy

Bassano Italy is the first big meet of the season in Europe.  There were over 190 pilots competing and more than 100 were flying "topless" gliders.

Chris Arai placed second in a pre-production Fusion. Austrian team pilot Stephan Waldhart placed ninth.  Everyone was impressed that with only four Fusions in the meet two placed in the top ten!

Chris Arai's Internet Comments on the Fusion

"The new Fusion pre-production gliders are very nice and much improved over the prototype I flew in Australia.  Pitch pressure is very good, light yet confidence inspiring all the way to your knees.  Roll pressures seemed a bit high, but I was flying a mylar version with a smooth carbon basetube w/o any grip tape and gloves that were slippery.  Not to mention the strong north winds that were causing some real rock and roll air. (I’ll never understand why the Euros are so concerned w/the Owens: They get plenty of turbulence to play in.) I flew it one day with winglets and one w/o, but the turbulence made it a bit difficult to tell the difference.

The finish is good with the usual trick WW hardware.  The spar, while not glossy, impressed the other manufacturers when they read the test sticker on the spars that each side is tested to 500 lbs.  negative.  The sprogs (dive recovery) were perhaps one of the most rigid systems at the meet.

Of course I’m biased.  WW pays my ticket to places like Bassano.  Don’t listen to me; check one out yourself.  They will begin rolling out of the factory this month.

The trip was a success.  I joked with Rob Kells on the plane to Europe that I would hit ‘em on the head while he took their money.  Second place was reasonable and there was lots of interest in the glider.  Nothing like a bit of luck and good gear.  It was a fun short trip, but a long way to go for a competition of only 5 days in a place and season where the weather is marginal.  The most common greeting I had from friends was "What are you doing here? Don’t you know about the weather?"

Good food, lots of friends, beautiful mountains.  To hell with the weather, I’d go back."

Chris Arai

Pete Lehmann's Internet Fusion Comments

"Firstly, I am not ‘sponsored’ by Wills.  Rob Kells of Wills talks nicely to me, and I buy the glider for the same price I would even if he disliked me.  I bought the Fusion because of my own assessment of its virtues, technical, and otherwise.  One of those virtues was that I could get the glider when it was promised to me (in time for the ECC).

Down here in Tennessee Mitch Shipley, Jim Lee and I got onto our gliders one day before a major competition.  We helped each other assemble our new toys and jumped off Hensons Gap.  We have flown them with no difficult transition.  The Fusion is a straightforward glider.

Mitch, Jim and I have been flying our Fusion’s with Laminars, Moyes CSXs, Topless Concepts and even a Ukrainian Stealth.  We have now flown for six days against a broad range of gliders and the cream of the US competition scene (5 of the last 8 US Team’s pilots).  I am not a salesman, dealer or recipient of Will’s Wing largesse (other than spare parts).  My opinion as a highly experienced pilot who has flown three of the topless divers, and flown against about half a dozen different brands, is that the major brand gliders are all damn close in performance.

In conclusion, you consumers are presented with an extraordinary bounty of, admittedly expensive, new hang gliders that will revolutionize what we pilots can do with foot launched, portable soaring devices.  They all have their own mix of virtues and vices.  If you want to buy one, test fly as many as you can, talk to as many people as possible, read what’s available and take out a second mortgage. Which ever one you chose, it is going to be a helluva step up from what you are used to."

Regards,

Pete Lehmann

After flying the FUSION Rob McKenzie said "It’s the best all around high performance hang glider that Wills Wing has ever made."

Ultra Sport, Fusion Demo Tour

Rob Kells will be doing a swing through the southeastern US with ULTRA SPORTS and FUSIONS.  Please come to any of the following locations and get a flight on the new gliders if you are able to.

Cross Country Bags in Stock

We finally found suitable material at a reasonable price to make cross country bags.  We have them in small, medium, and large sizes.  Price is $120.00

Accessory News

Z-4s in Stock

We made stock Z-4s in some great looking colors for immediate spring delivery.  Check out the Inventory Harness List

Flylight Deluxe Change

The built in harness bag on the Flylight Deluxe Cocoon harness has been replaced with a front mounted storage container.  It now comes with a large flat XC gear bag.

Parachute Price Increase

Free Flight has informed us that the materials price increases to them have forced them to raise our price.  Every parachute has gone up in price by $10.00 effective immediately.

Last Modified: 3 May, 2001