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Syncro «High-Tech Cocktail»
(Translated by Carlo Borsattino)
Modern solutions such as the inverted trapezoidal and partially closed cell openings, reinforcements between ribs across the leading edge, only two cascades of lines and a speed system that is long, light and very usable. The planform derives from the Kronos (A slightly angulated planform and narrow cells). It has a very attractive tri-colour look and amazing qualities as much in turn as in speed.
The Syncro base comes from the development of the 1997 competition model Kronos. A slightly trapezoidal form smoothes out to a more rounded end with elliptical wing tips. It has narrow cells, which narrow further towards the tips. But from this base there are a great many innovations, most notably the openings of the leading edge. These are very complex, an inverted trapezoidal shape, in order to maximise the aerodynamic benefit by closing a great longitude of the leading edge surface, but without diminishing the total open surface of the cells. The designer, Alvaro Valdes, is convinced that placing these trapezoidal openings the other way up you wouldn't get such good results.
There are also some alternating fully close cells. All these openings are very well reinforced with a wide lateral webbing strap at the edges and some small floating ribs, which are sewn to the top surface near the leading edge but are hooked to miniscule diagonal webbing loading straps on the bottom surface.
An identical prototype was done sewing these special ribs fixed to the bottom surface and the results are not so good as if you have them more loose. This solution seeks the same effect as the Rigifoil design by Gin but taking a different path. And the reality is that it works perfectly and the wing presents a very well defined leading edge (as if you doubled the number of cells) without the inconveniences of the additional weight that having twice as many cells brings. You can feel the advantages most when the glider is accelerated, making the bar light and very efficient across the whole travel of the speed bar, and another benefit is that the leading edge of the glider is automatically 'pre-inflated' when you lay it out for launch.
Another gain for performance is the drastic line reduction (with only two cascades), seperating the anchor points out greatly across the bottom surface and compensating the tensions with diagonal ribs and transversal crossbeam straps inside the wing. The accelerator has a long travel and is light to use. The wing offers an remarkable stability, endorsing so much design and construction work on the leading edge (trapezoidal openings, reinforcements, etc).
The Price of Weight
A slightly heavier inflation, especially without wind, and also new reactions in flight revealing the enormous pressure that the wing maintains at all times. In the case where it might partially deflate or demostrate weakness to maintain it's form (in turbulence), the Syncro moves as one whole piece, as if cutting the air better with its dynamic movements, especially in pitching or turns.
Turbulence can even make several meters of the wingspan come down 10cm without deflations or leading edge collapses. This quality also proves virtuous in turning. It permits that in the middle of a turn, if you quickly apply a dab more input for a few seconds, you will obtain a great reduction in the turn radius without augmenting the bank, a kind of a small flat turn inside the original turn that does not have the classic secondary effects and penalties of a flat spin. It seems more like a kind of aerial "hand brake turn", swift and efficient, to tighten up the turn in a thermal, or quickly change one's bearing by up to 45 ° in a very short time and without having to wait for the dynamic response of the wing's associated side pitch or inclination.
At The Limits
The tips stall by clearly going backwards but leave the whole leading edge straight due to it's extreme rigidity (it seems almost like a board). Big ears are easy, since the A risers are split, and require pilot input to re-open.
B's are a little hard and require effort to pull in due to the closeness of the riser pulley for the speed system.
With a slightly open harness, or not overtly cross braced, the turn is simply delicious, quick and without any tendency to either tighten up or open out.
Interestingly the brakes have a "variable" pressure. In their first third of the travel and in turbulence they seem a little springy since they transmit the slightest aerodynamic pressure changes of the wing without the wing (extremely rigid to say the least) or risers advising. The brakes are not heavy whatsoever until you use more than half a metre of brake travel, for example, to maintain a very tight or slow turn in a thermal. It requires hardly any outside brake to flatten the turn.
You need to apply a considerable amount of brake and force to get into a spin, equally so for the stall, which makes the Syncro a very accessible wing for pilots who wish to come into the 2-3 class for the first time.
But pilots will meet a wing that needs to be piloted, dynamic in it's reactions, sophisticated, manouverable, fast with the accelerator, and which makes it possible to combine normal inclined turns, with i mmediate and almost completely flat bearing corrections.
| Technical Specification |
Marks out of 3 |
| Inflation : Leading edge a little heavy |
• • |
| Initiation of the turn : Light and very agile |
• • • |
| Turn reversal : Very dynamic |
• • • |
| Turns in very slow flight : Brakes fairly heav |
• • |
| Stability |
Marks out of 3 |
| Slow flight : Little risk of stall |
• • |
| Normal flight : Transmited by the brakes |
• • • |
| Accelerated flight : Speed System light &long |
• • • |
| Pitch : Dynamic pitching |
• • |
| Roll : Easy inclination |
• • • |
| Turns : Allows to tighten a lot (flat turn) |
• • • |
| Stall : The tips peel back before |
• • • |
| Tension : Leading edge very rigid |
• • • |
| Features |
| Trapazoidal cell openings |
| Double stitching |
| Dacron leading edge reinforcements |
| Internal stitching under (bottom) surface (and top surface) |
| Diagonals and transversals |
| Inter cell reinforcements |
| Line every 3 cells |
| Rigid brake handles |
| Speed System: 19 cm (38 cm pedal travel) |
| 8 Closed cells in between the open cells plus 14 in the tips. |
| Materials |
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| Wing |
Nylon Porche Marine New Skytex 44 gr/m2 |
| Lines |
Edelrid Dyneema 0.95/1.2/1.85 mm
Technora (aramid) 1.25/1.8 mm |
| Measurements* |
Syncro 27 |
| Min speed |
23 km/h |
| Speed 50% brake |
- |
| Trim speed |
39 km/h |
| Max speed (100% accelerator) |
- |
| Best glide |
8.5 at 38 km/h |
| Min sink rate |
1.1 m/s at 29 km/h |
| Wing loading |
106 kg |
*Measures at 350m QNH (Skywatch Pro)
| Manufacturer |
Windtech, Spain. |
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