For many ultra-light hike-and-fly pilots, a reserve can often get left behind in the quest to save extra weight. Supair may have found a solution to that, unveiling a 741g ultra-light reserve, the X Lite. They say it’s the lightest parachute on the market for a flying weight of 80kg.
Designed specifically for hike-and-fly, it offers reliability and safety thanks to an innovative structure that optimises stability and a smooth descent.
“Our designers’ initial objective was ambitious – to design the lightest possible rescue parachute while maintaining the highest levels of safety and robustness,” says the manufacturer. To meet this challenge, they joined forces with the French rope manufacturer Cousin Trestec to develop a new kind of riser, which they are calling Dynalink.
“Today, most parachutes are equipped with a static riser and reinforcements in the canopy to withstand the shock of opening. Dynalink takes a different approach,” say Supair.
“Thanks to the elasticity of the materials used, the riser absorbs part of the energy by deforming, reducing the stress on the rest of the structure. Once the energy has been absorbed, the lift returns to its original shape and retains its efficiency.”
This has allowed them to lighten the structure of the parachute while maintaining a high level of safety.
The reserve bag is similarly light, weighing just 17g, but it is possible to use other bags.
The reserve is a square design which Supair says offers better stability during descent and therefore a higher level of passive safety. It has an advertised max sink rate of 5.35m/s, and an opening time of 3.63s.
The X Lite has been developed for a flying weight range from 45kg to 80kg without the glider. It is available from the end of September priced at €990 including VAT.
