Ten years after the original was released, Little Cloud have unleashed a new version of their iconic mini wing, the Spiruline, onto the market for 2020.
It’s “the safest, most fun wing that you can use anywhere for any thing”, enthuse Little Cloud. And it’s available in a range of colours with a cheery cloud logo on top. It comes in at a friendly price point too, starting at €2,040.
LC say they made it to replace the EZ, and it offers similar accessibility. The entire design is new – it has 34 cells and a flat aspect ratio of 4.65, and is available in 14, 16 or 18m² versions – there are no extreme sizes. All three sizes are suitable for pilot weights from 55kg to 120kg.
All sizes have trimmers and they fly “relatively fast”, so don’t choose a size that’s too small for your experience level, LC advise: the higher the wing-loading, the more skill is required to pilot it.
Compared to the EZ, Little Cloud say the new Spiruline has more precise handling and a better glide with a great hands-up glide ratio and very good upwind penetration. LC say it carves “beautifully”, feeling much like their Turbosoaring wings but with less energy to manage.
Launching the Spiruline is very easy, LC say, and it inflates smoothly and progressively. It’s very pitch stable too, with overshooting tendency even in strong wind.
For robustness and ease of use, it’s made from Dominico 20D and all lines are sheathed, with a wing weight of 2.6kg to 3.2kg across the sizes.
All three sizes are EN 926-1 load tested: Little Cloud don’t put most of their wings through the EN or LTF certification procedures (read the company’s reasoning behind this, here), but they say the Spiruline is an easy wing, suitable for any qualified paragliding or speedflying pilot.
