First impressions of the Ozone Vibe GT : forward launch and flydown

Thanks to Steve at sickandwrong.co.uk for lending me an XL demo of the new Ozone Vibe GT, or the Vibe 2. I was intrigued by this wing as I mostly fly an Ozone Buzz 7Z which I love. But, the Buzz is almost 6kg in the XL size and it has a high pack volume. So I was interested in something slightly lighter and more compact, but with a similar handling. For hike and fly in Cumbria, the pack volume is almost as important as the weight. A neater, more compact wing is easier to carry and feels lighter than a bulkier wing of equal weight. So I am looking for something that is easy to pack and carry up on long H&F expeditions. Also important to me is launch behaviour. Our takeoffs here are rocky and small, with no second chances. For hike and fly here I would rather have a dependable wing that launches every time, rather than the highest glide performance. Safety first! A wing that is easy to launch is probably also more forgiving for slope-landings, top landings, and with a lower safer stall point. I was working this Saturday so could only walk up Nab Scar after work about 6.30pm: low wind and no thermals. It was calm air. The forward launch with the Vibe GT was super easy and reassuring, which surprised me because the narrow openings on the sharknose are much smaller than the Buzz 7Z. However this profile on the leading edge did not stop the wing from inflating beautifully from the centre As, and then hovering overhead as I ran forward. A few steps in the 2 - 3mph wind and I was flying. This was just a brief flydown and I would like to try the wing again in thermic, turbulent air. However my impression is that the wing has a very efficient, flat turn and a solid leading edge. It is lightweight, but with enough inertia that the wing is unlikely to launch accidentally - this is important because some very ultra-light wings can flutter on launch and jump up before you want them to. This can be dangerous in high winds. The Vibe GT seems to strike a good balance on this front. I would like to try a reverse launch next, and some rising air. The handling is more direct and precise than the Buzz Z7 but the feel is similar: you can tell these wings are from the same "family". The high arc of the wing seems to want to stay positively in a flat turn, when you bank up for a thermal, for example. This feels efficient but I need to test again in active air. The wing is a pleasure to turn, and has a relaxed feel. This calm feeling is what I am looking for. It seemed to absorb the odd lee-side bump without any management of the pitch energy from me: but this was a very gentle day, as I have said. The glide seems excellent, although at this level of flying the pilot's decision-making is more important than just the wing's glide ratio on its own. I was flying the XL size of the Ozone Vibe GT in the middle of the weight range with a Strike 2 harness: this may contribute to my first impressions of the wing's stability, perhaps? A pleasure to fly this new wing from Ozone! I am excited to try it again on a day with some lift. #ozoneparagliders #paragliding #CumbriaSoaringClub