Flow Paragliders RPM 2 Review

Flow Paragliders RPM 2 Review

I have had the pleasure of flying many iterations of this wing. From the pre-production model to the most current version. I have owned this wing now for 3 months and it has completely changed the way I see paramotoring for the better!

As a little backstory, Flow Paragliders did not intend on making this wing an intense as it is/was. It was created to be a stable XC wing with a large reflex profile. It ended up being a fast and incredibly roll happy glider. It's hands down one of the most fun gliders I've ever flown simply because of the energy it creates. That being said, it comes with more risk. It is very happy to simply just dive at the ground with minimal tip steering inputs. The race toggle setup on the brakes allows the pilot to give inputs to the center brakes or the tip brakes by simply rolling the wrist. You can also grab the higher up portion of the brake toggle to get an even higher sense of input.

This is definitely a wing only suited for highly experienced pilots. I would say an absolute minimum of 250 hours to safely control this wing and fly it. As I said earlier, the energy it creates is intense. You could easily barrel roll it multiple times without having to gain energy back again. On top of that, it rolls faster than anything I've flown before. Trying to compare it to other wings is difficult because of that. I've flown Vipers, Freerides, Warps, Snakes, F1s, etc. and nothing compares to the roll rate of the RPM 2. 

One major thing that I've noticed about this glider is the design effort to make it collapse resistant. I know we talk and hear the term collapse resistant a lot. But this glider truly does that term justice. It simply does not want to collapse when it gets airborne. There is so much emphasis on the leading stability that it creates an airfoil that wants to fly even in slower airspeeds. You'll notice right away when you get wing overhead, if you yank on the A lines, it does want to collapse like a typical glider would. It simply just lowers the leading edge while maintaining a relatively level profile. While flying, you can easily notice that same profile stability in turbulence. It just cuts through rough air on the leading edge with minimal bumps. The downside to that is, with the roll happiness, it tends to start an oscillation instead. I highly recommend playing around on the ground and kiting it to see how it feels before ever clipping into it to fly. 

The downsides to this glider, aside from the obviousness that you need to always stay ahead of it is the fact that is does oscillate. It oscillates quickly too. Since I flew the pre-production model, they have made improvements to the design. They have changed many aspects of it from the line length and trim of the glider, to the fabric of the wing itself. This had made a noticeable difference but it does not mean that is safer for the novice pilot. The second downside of this glider is the launch characteristics. It simply does not like to launch trims closed. The first time I tried to launch it in nil wind, it wanted to only drag across the ground making it feel like it was always a tailwind launch. Even in a steady breeze, trims closed is difficult. I have heard from other pilots who fly it all choose to launch it with trims set at least a couple lines out from closed. Even so, it will not launch like a Freeride or a Viper. It takes more effort to pop it up. But as soon as you let go of the As, it's very stable and manageable. 

The good news is, this wing comes from a company who are putting a lot of effort, design, and quality into growing into a top tier paraglider manufacturer. I fully expect Flow Paragliders to be one of the next big glider companies in the near future! They created what is probably one the most exciting gliders on the market right now. It can be a handful to fly it, but that shouldn't stop you. If you are an experienced pilot looking for a fun, capable glider to try something new, this could be a great option for you!

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