Nova’s new tandem paraglider, the Bion, has a huge weight range of 115 – 230kg. It was designed for professional tandem pilots, whose passengers can vary greatly in size.
They say they gave the Bion easy launch characteristics, good longevity, high safety and low brake pressure. Then they added smooth handling, trimmers and clamps to hold big ears in.
It was based on the solo EN B Ion, and its low aspect ratio makes it very collapse-resistant. Short lines and kink-resistant polyamide rods in the leading edge and a low canopy weight of 8.5kg, mean it inflates and rises easily with no tendency to overshoot. It has a low minimum speed, so is easy to launch in low winds with passengers who may be reluctant to run!
“Of course, the Bion’s performance is very good,” says designer Hannes Papesh, “as it is part of Nova’s philosophy. However, for the development of the Bion, we set the priority on start and flying behaviour as well as fulfilling the requirements of the professionals.”
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