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Wills Wing Sport 3: Impressions of the Newly-Released 155
By Jonathan Dietch
Originally published in USHPA Pilot Magazine, June 2018. © 2018 United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association. Reproduced with permission.
This review reflects the author's personal experience and assessment at the time of publication.
Currently there are two sizes of the Wills Wing Sport 3 — 135 & 155 square feet. I'll attempt to summarize the qualities of the glider I flew for six hours in five flights on three consecutive days at two sites in a variety of frequently encountered conditions.
This glider exceeded my expectations in handling, performance and just plain fun. I was delighted by a wider-than-anticipated VG range coupled with a surprisingly broad speed envelope. At every combination of sail tension, airspeed, bank angle, turn radius, roll rate and yaw, it was nimble, predictable, balanced and enjoyable. I flew glassy, coastal ridge lift and tightly blasting thermals. I regretted having to return the glider. I flew my Sport 2 155 and T2C 144 on subsequent days and, in spite of respectable flights, I'd rather have been on that Sport 3 155. I wanted to know just where it might have taken me on every new day. This is my overall impression.
Last November I spotted some prototype gliders that resembled the Sport 2 but were different. I promptly asked Wills Wing for a demo flight. Vehicle testing was performed by early February and on short notice I was ready for that demo flight. I weigh 170 pounds and have often flown a Sport 2 155 since 2008. My 1976 hours have mostly been on different T2C 144s. I like the performance but I'm often too weak to handle 76 pounds of glider and cover bags. At 60 years old I've learned to have fun while going far on sport-level equipment. Lately, I prefer a lightweight, simpler, easy launching and landing, stable, maneuverable, good climbing and reasonable gliding wing.
With cover bags, my Sport 2 and Falcon 4 195 weigh 58 pounds versus 76 pounds for my T2C. I fly with the bags since I land out often and want to be self-contained. The Sport 3 felt the same weight as my Sport 2. This 18-pound savings is often the difference between going flying or loafing around at home.
Launch and Landing
Assembly was easy, straightforward and similar to the Sport 2. This glider has much greater double surface and the fully-enclosed sprogs just zip into place without placing a shock cord over exposed tips. The tip wands were very easy to install without any frustration. There's an extra reflex bridle near the root to compensate for the lower sprogs.
All three launches at Torrey were easy and uneventful. My fourth and fifth were from Marshall Peak, including a top-launch from the shallow, upper slope in light wind. The ability to launch from shallower slopes in lighter winds is another advantage of this glider.
I typically land VG loose and perform many out-landings. The Sport 3 tracked evenly in pitch, roll and yaw in spite of sharp wind shear and abrupt changes in airspeed. I don't always use my drogue chute for tight landings. I like to practice steep approaches with my body upright and VG loose for glide-path control. I performed a downwind leg with VG loose at 38mph airspeed and 51mph groundspeed. The Sport 3 tracked straight and true without any conscious effort. The control bar felt solid as well.
Handling and VG
The VG on the Sport 3 has a lower pulley ratio than the Sport 2. The VG tension was light and felt just right as I frequently adjusted it from end to end. With VG tight I pushed the bar down to my waist and still had good reach. The glider easily cruised between 46 and 50mph airspeed with only moderate pressure.
I flew the glider straight and level just above stall while mushing in both VG loose and fully tight. I felt no tendency to stall suddenly or drop a tip without warning. Lateral control was good and it wasn't difficult to remain straight and level.
Fast-Glide Performance
Fast-glide performance was a major improvement over the Sport 2 155s I've flown. I did several glides at 46–50mph airspeed in moderate lift at Torrey and Marshall Peak. On one glide during a 99km race task I kept climbing at 46mph airspeed. The bar pressure was always moderate and it tracked true and confident. I felt like a kid, sledding across the sky. I never felt any tendency to oscillate, roll or yaw without my input. I really had a blast on fast glide. I also looked around at the wing and observed no hint of sail flutter, deformation, or obvious wrinkles.
Cross-Country
I flew the glider in strong turbulence during my fourth flight from Marshall Peak on a day with very strong sink and strong wind reversals. I found myself in pretty deep at one point and in spite of a stiff headwind, sink, and turbulence, I was able to work my way out without too much fuss, and then hit a thermal and climbed out easily. I was prepared to take it XC but had no retrieve and didn't want to hide a glider I didn't own while I took an Uber back to my car.
On the fifth day I did some racing-task practice with my buddy Bruce, who is a seasoned and accomplished comp pilot. We set up a difficult-to-complete 99km task along 10 or 11 turnpoints. We encountered nearly every kind of flying condition, including good ridge lift, flat-bottomed clouds, dead calm with overcast, sunny and thermic, smooth air through weightless turbulence. I really got to put the Sport 3 155 through its paces!
At one point I pushed it too hard and was left to dig my way out from the foot of Sugarpine Mountain or go land. Two redtails led me to a wafting bubble in an adjacent canyon. The Sport 3 tracked the weak doughnut of air as it meandered and walked along a canyon wall. The glider tracked this marginal lift as if programmed on autopilot. The glider easily avoided the rocky mountainsides and tracked the weak thermal turn by turn. I gradually worked my way up the side of the canyon and popped out beside the surrounding peaks. I climbed away freely, tagged the turnpoint, then proceeded on course. The glider was truly confidence-inspiring as it maneuvered and thermaled beautifully regardless of VG setting.
Bruce completed the task on his topless race machine, then picked me up. Later he remarked how well the Sport 3 kept up on fast glide. The only thing holding this wing back was the pilot.
The Sport 3 170 S: A Surprise from Wills Wing
By Jonathan Dietch
Originally published in USHPA Pilot Magazine, September/October 2019. © 2019 United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association. Reproduced with permission.
This review reflects the author's personal experience and assessment at the time of publication.
Last year I reviewed the Wills Wing Sport 3 155. I typically fly with bags and gear, hooking in at 193 lbs. at the high end. Many pilots present a significantly higher payload, so the demand for a Sport 2 175 replacement has been around since S3 introduction. This review addresses pilots in my weight range with similar desires.
Last August, factory pilot Ken Howells let me demo a prototype Sport 3 170, after I promised not to go XC and land out. It was late in the day, during marginal but smooth conditions, so I immediately pulled the VG cord and headed east to the highway cloverleaf. This ridge of triggers and hazards is a great make-or-break bench-up spot. I arrived low and gradually worked my way up, until I was firmly established and flying in conditions that past experience would have sent me sledding for the LZ on my Sport 3 155. What caught my attention, in addition to the noticeably improved sink rate, was my ability to turn the glider tightly, but flat and slow, when I normally would have been banked up higher and slipping down, while trying to work weak and narrow columns or lines of lift. Another attention-grabbing headline was its surprising ease of handling and great tracking in every mode of flight and VG setting.
Two things about the production glider made an immediate impression: 1) the empty weight was only 65 lbs. and 2) the control bar legs (downtubes) were only 65" long. The glider was very easy to transport, ground handle, and launch.
Turbulence Handling
By this point in my avocation of hang gliding, which formally began in 1973, my tolerance for turbulence had turned into loathing and cringing. I have never looked forward to toughing out mid-day turbulence, but I could weather the storm — until the past few years. Even on my well-tuned Sport 3 155, I just wasn't enjoying getting jostled and tossed. I'd gotten into the habit of leaving overly textured lift and landing wherever I could, then hustling a ride back to launch and flying late in the day.
I took the demo 170 out in mid-day turbulence I would have suffered through on a smaller glider and was delighted — at no point did I feel overpowered or that the glider was flying me. I was sold!
Factory Test Flight
During June, I managed to cajole a factory test pilot into performing the ritual ceremony of my freshly minted Sport 3 170 on a non-test-flying day, in exchange for a ride to Regionals launch, plus 4 oz. of my home-roasted coffee. I flew chase on my Sport 3 155. The factory pilot weighed 10 lbs. less than I do and did not carry any bags or gear, other than his vario. The air was fairly active, but not what I would consider turbulent. From my vantage point, I could see he was having fun — more fun than usual, I thought — as I watched him carve out lines into places I've rarely seen him go on other gliders. Ultimately, he stuffed the bar and got it up to 65 mph at a fairly steep angle with wing loading near 1.4 lbs/sq. ft.
The first five minutes of post-flight review consisted of non-stop laughing about just how easy the glider handled and how smooth it was in turbulence that was normally a challenge.
In Summary
My Sport 3 170 will not keep up on glide with my 155 and falls short in penetration, as speed required increases. My 170 has a noticeably slower minimum useable airspeed, as well as better sink rate, but only when I fly the glider more slowly, which I often forget to do. If I try to fly my 170 at 155 or T2C 144 speeds, I find myself with too much wing and at a disadvantage. I have been altering my approach and mindset to keep the advantage.
I am always at an advantage on my 170 in turbulence, plus I experience more favorable handling and tracking most or all of the time. I can land my 170 easier and with better glide path control by entering downwind leg at zero VG, with body upright and legs spread. It comes down steeply without excess speed, and the flare window is very long. The 170 is somewhat heavier and at the limit of what I can carry without assistance, where the 155 is much easier for me to deal with logistically.
Cross Country Magazine Review Summary
Originally published in Cross Country Magazine, Issue 196, December 2018. © 2018 Cross Country Magazine.
This review reflects the author's personal experience and assessment at the time of publication.
Cross Country Magazine's Jonathan Dietch also tested both the Sport 3 155 and the Sport 3 Race 155, reporting "light, lively and well-coordinated turn initiation and exit at every VG setting" with "little if any detectable adverse yaw." At high speeds (50–58 mph), bar pressure remained moderate to light with "smooth and predictable control response" through turbulence. The VG system was praised as "easy, effective and broad," enabling comfortable operation across diverse conditions and pilot skill levels.
The conclusion: the S3 offers "recreational and developing pilots a glider that will carry them through many years of joy and progress," with the Race version providing lighter bar pressure and higher glide speeds for competitive flying.