Demo of the MacPara Colorado 2, This wing is 27m which is 6 meters smaller than my current Colo (1st gen)27.
My first impression was how light this wing is. Partly due to the six less meters of fabric also the sailcloth seems lighter. The un-sheathed lines have been replaced with sheathed and the cascades have been simplified. Accordingly the risers are simpler and the webbing they are made from is a lighter spec. They still sport 2-d steering and two finger wing tip toggles but lack the bungees on the WTS to increase resistance.
It’s the same basic design style but without the expensive refinements that made the Colorado special. Sky-tec has been replaced with rip stop. Complex risers have been replaced with simpler ones that limit the pilots ability to tweak the steering configuration. High tech wind cheating un-sheathed lines are now thick Kevlar. The brake magnets were acceptable but weaker than the mod. 1, at least they are still on both sides of the toggle, which is stiffer that the previous wing.. The price was still a hefty $4600 but that can attributed to inflation and profit seeking because this wing is clearly less expensive to produce.
The wing came up a little crooked but responded to input and stabilized quickly. I chose not to use A-assists which was probably a mistake because I released a bit early. Fortunately the wing didn’t fall back.
Initial climb out was excellent but there was a noticeable pull to the left that had to be adjusted using trimmers. Cruise RPM WAS 3100. I was at the top of the placard for this wing and it showed with increased speed and stiff brakes.
The flare authority was poor but that could also be attributed to the pilot and unfortunately there was only one flight so no comparisons are possible.
The tip steering was fine but I wasn’t impressed with the 2-d steering. Again, more flights would have been helpful.
The temperature at launch was 40* F with nil wind. I would have liked to gone up to 2000+ ft but the cold air was keeping me low. No hard yanking and banking today.
Overall, it’s a nice wing that would be a lot of fun with a lighter rig but it’s not the wing for me.
It was a long drive but it was worth the time and money to know for sure that the Colorado 2 was not for me. It’s going to make a lot more sense to have new line sets on the APCO. and Colorado that add this wing to the inventory for considerably more money.
Powered Paragliding. A most Personal form of Flight 