
Supair have announced a successor to their high EN-A Birdy describing the Birdy 2 as “tolerant, lightweight, and versatile, the perfect first glider for ambitious new pilots”.
It is now available in six sizes, rather than the usual five, thanks to the addition of a new and “true” XXS. Designed for pilots with all-up weights starting at just 45kg; it is currently certified from 50kg, awaiting a lighter EN test pilot.

The Birdy 2 has been load-tested twice, in M and in XL. Sizes XXS to M have thinner lines than the larger sizes, a choice that has been made for performance reasons. With the same diameter lines, line drag is proportionally greater for smaller wing sizes, so having narrower lines on smaller sizes reduces this.
At 3.85kg in size S, the Birdy 2 remains a similar weight to the original, although in fact a lot has changed. Materials-wise, the undersurface is now Dominico Dokdo D10 (the Birdy was Porcher Skytex 27). D10 is even lighter, and also matches the top surface which is also Dokdo (D30).

The ribs in the new model are also more “honed”. The accuracy and ease of laser cutting has allowed excessive material to be cut out from the ribs where it is not needed, ie they have more holes in them. Together these weight reductions have offset the small weight gains that came from replacing the Birdy’s softlinks with more user-friendly (but slightly heavier) maillons.
The Birdy 2’s flat aspect ratio is very slightly increased, to 5.0, but the projected area has reduced because the wing has more arc. There are no winglets on the Birdy 2. They were not needed for spiral stability with this wing – it was fine without, Supair explained – and they do affect performance sightly so they were left off.
Other changes include a new C-band reinforcement above the Cs, whose role is to improve brake feedback, especially around the stall point. Supair say the brake pressure now really ramps up before the wing stalls.
The Birdy 2 is available now and delivered with a compact case and rucksack.
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