AirDesign Ride 4 gets complete redesign
Tandem designed as "full-on tourist machine"
7 October, 2025, by Cross CountryGood things take time, say the Austrian manufacturer AirDesign, who took more than two years and 20 prototypes to develop the Ride 4 tandem. “We changed everything,” they told us at Coupe Icare.
“For 20 years, every new tandem promised the same trio: lighter brake pressure, easier launches, better flare. We had the same goals. The difference is how we achieved them.” The result, say AirDesign is a wing so different from its predecessor that the only thing it has in common is the name and the logo.
A unique feature is Ride 4’s “short line concept” which helps to make everything feel “more connected” giving the pilot “more control”. It makes for an easier take-off and a better flare on landing. During launch, “the wing comes overhead quicker with less pitch at the end of the rise”. AirDesign also say it makes it more agile in flight.
The wing is a four-liner concept and has winglets for roll stabilisation and easier spiral exits – as well as reduced G-force. It also has a redesigned arc and profile.
Ride 4 is designed as a “full-on tourist machine”, able to take off in all conditions, “day after day, from snowy winter launches with tailwind to strong spring thermals, windy take-offs to no-wind landings in tight small places.”
“More than once we thought we were done,” AirDesign explain on their website. “Each time we went back to the spec list to nail the details that matter in real life for pilot and passenger. Tiny tweaks that looked minor at first often took two or three more months to achieve the goal.”
The Ride 4 comes in two sizes 40m (110–220kg) and 43m (120–235kg).
