Ozone Geo 7

Version 7 of the Geo is a continuation of the series of wings that Ozone launched the first of in 2005. Here we find a versatile wing, robust with lots of passive safety and high performing for this segment. It will appeal to progressing pilots as a primary wing as well as those more experienced in hike and fly.

The reputation of Ozone wings' performance is a given. It isn't a coincidence that there are a disproportionate number of Enzos in paragliding competitions or that the Rush range are the most popular in the EN-B segment. But how about an Ozone model that we maybe see less often at take-off such as the Geo?

We had the opportunity to test the Geo 7 over several weeks in all conditions. Below you will find a video summary of our impressions as well as a fact sheet to answer the questions: "who's it for" and "for which disciplines".

• Flight test video
• For which discipline? Flyeo flygram
• Who is the Geo 7 for?
• What's great about this wing?
• What could be improved?
• Manufacturer data
• Buy this glider

Flight test video

Two Flyeo pilots had the chance to fly the Geo 7: Malin, our head instructor who tested it during an SIV session, in particular to evaluate what would happen during a stall; and Laurent, who harnessed his knowledge about this segment for an informed opinion. The following video sets out our impressions:

For which discipline? Flyeo Flygram

The Geo 7 is a mid-level double skin lightweight wing (3.44 kg for the S size), but not ultralight, like the Ozone Ultralight. As it's a mid-level wing for intermediate pilots, we place it here on the Flyeo Flygram:

Flyeo places this wing at the intersection between Hike & Fly Up and site flying for intermediate pilot. Note also that it works very well for cross country novices

This light wing packs small and will be ideal for hike and fly or simply for onsite flying with the occasional cross-country adventure.

Who is the Geo 7 for?

With a flat aspect ratio of 5.16 and 48 cells, this wing is typical of the EN-B lower range category, so it is comparable to the Advance Epsilon DLS or Skywalk Tequila in terms of its passive safety and performance.

We therefore pretty much agree with the pilot profile that Ozone describes on their website:

The Geo 7 is aimed at pilots who fly 30 to 50 hours a year and who are looking for a lightweight wing for travel, hike & fly, and cross country flights with high levels of passive safety.

We will add that it is a wing that would be very suitable as a second glider for a pilot in progression or for more experienced pilots who want an easy and light wing for everyday adventures.

What's great about this wing?

Having spent many hours under the Geo 7, we have settled on several strengths that make it a particularly attractive wing.

*Malin Lobb finds the wing hard to stall. It requires strong and long brakes pulls to stall it.

Difficult to stall but direct brake inputs

It doesn't come as a surprise that a wing in this category would be hard to stall. After all, the idea is that developing pilots don't accidentally stall their wing by being heavy-handed; so this is an important security feature.

It is more surprising that Malin also noted that this was not at the expense of responsiveness to brake inputs, especially in the first third of their range. In other words, the brakes act immediately, at the beginning of the range, while also being very resistant to stall in the last third of their range.

The wing stays cohesive in the air, retaining its shape.

A very cohesive canopy

As for me, I was very pleasantly surprised by the cohesion of the wing, regardless of wind conditions. It moves as one in the air, rather than deforming like some wings can do where you sometimes have half the wing reacting differently to the rest of the canopy.

It is especially reassuring for any slightly nervous pilots who might be put off by the feeling that wing feels like it is flopping or losing its shape in certain conditions.

The Geo 7 still provides enough information in flight: when approaching a thermal, you can feel it turning towards it, and upon entering, the inner side gives the impression of "biting" into it.

Two sets of risers are available: normal (on the left) or light (on the right) - Photo: Marcus King

Available with two different options for the risers

Few brands offer a choice of risers as standard for this price. But the Ozone Geo 7 is available in 2 options:

• Standard with risers in black 12mm webbing and steel connectors. 365 grams per pair.
• Lightweight with risers in black 7mm Dyneema and Linklite connectors. 172 grams per pair.

So opting out for the light risers will save about 190 grammes compare to the normal risers set configuration.

Its worth noting that a third, non-standard option is also available: you can order a pack of Linklite connectors, keeping the risers in 12mm webbing but without the steel connectors. This option reduces the total weight of the set-up by about 100 grams.

A wing that's easier for groundhandling thanks to its lightweight material.

Maybe it's a detail, but our experience of wings that use light materials, especially those that use a large amount of "Dominico" fabric (10D and 20D for this wing), is that they make groundhandling easier. As they are lighter, they have less inertia and can be more easily 'placed' by the pilot in the airmass on take-off, during ground handling or in flight.

The other side of the coin is however that there are more dynamic canopies that require a faster but typically shorter catch, for example when exiting 360°s to catch the surge.

What could be improved?

Given that this wing is for those who are almost beginners, it would be sensible to make it as user friendly as possible. In this sense, I feel there are few little details missing that could make it better for all pilots.

For example, many brands have made their risers more intuitive so that you can feel at take-off whether they are tangled. With Advance, there's a coloured line behind the brake risers that helps you spot a tangled brakeline (the coloured line is then clearly interrupted).

That doesn't affect the wing's performance at all, but I can't help thinking that these little details are what ultimately make for a greater package.

Manufacturer data

The full technical data, test reports and manuals are available on the Ozone website.

Buy this glider

Flyeo has a long-standing partnership with Ozone. We can arrange Ozone glider tests and will be happy to advise you and suggest the most appropriate equipment to accompany this paraglider.

Contact us here for further information and to order with us.