Fabien Blanco (FLYEO school founder and boss) is a SIV, accro and single skin wings specialist, for which he has produced some superb tutorials (see YouTube). What does he think of single skin paragliders?
=== This article is an English translation of the original version, released in Parapente Magazine in 2024.
So, what do you think of these simplified wings?
It's a niche tool dedicated to ‘fast and light’, ‘trail and fly’ and technical mountaineering. But it's also an easy tool to have a good time and fly serenely.
What are their main advantages and disadvantages?
Advantages: light, compact, easy take-off on short terrain, ability to land on short terrain, ability to get through turbulence with a low level of piloting.
Disadvantages: lack of upwind performance compared to a dual-skin wing, not very versatile.
Is this performance deficit a disadvantage?
No! It's true that the performances isn't as good, but they are not really comparable. If you take a 4x4 and a saloon cars, each will be at ease in its preferred areas, and much less so in the other. When you fly a single skin, you know what kind of flight you're after, in this case down a mountain. Take-off is easy, manoeuvrability intuitive and landing precise. If you want to do some soaring, thermallng or small cross country, you will be able to do it, but it will require the pilot to have more skill in positioning and optimising the trajectory. Where the wing performs less well, the pilot has to be better! So if you're aiming for a complex flight in the mountains, crossing passes in the middle of a summer afternoon, you'll need to be very good at managing the air mass to reach your goal. Single skin wings are great tools, but they have their technological limits.
So single skins require more skill?
Pilot behaviour remains the basis of aerial activites. Whether it's a single or double surface, the most important thing will always be good preparation for the flight, a good knowledge of the wing's performance and reactions, a good analysis of the air mass and a good awareness of your piloting level. A single skin is an easy wing, but it's not a ‘google-car’. You need to make the right decisions and control your trajectory!
The low inertia, responsive ground control and pendulum stability of single skin wings are major advantages that will help the pilot to stay focused during the flight.
Can they suffer collapses?
It's rare, but it can happen, as with all paragliders. A frontal will be very dry, instantaneous: it slams and reopens straight away, it may start a quarter turn, but it reopens straight away. The same goes for asymmetrical collapses: they start quickly but reopen immediately, with a possible change of course of a quarter turn or less. I've never seen a single skin go into autorotation or get stuck with a cravate.
Should we be wary of low speeds with single skins?
Single skin wings stall at a slightly higher speed than a conventional wing. As a result, the backward rocking is much more surprising. But once this moment has passed, the glider behaves in the same way as any other. The return to flight is radical and surprising, but the low inertia and energy of this pendulum movement don't cause many problems. I like to say that single skin wings ‘peck’ like chickens: they make quick, lively little movements, but without much amplitude. That's because the line cone of a single skin canopy is short, so there's not much leverage and no slingshot effect. In addition, the lightness of the wing means that there is very little inertia (due to the weight of the wing and the air it contains), so it won't go far ahead. It's always surprising how single skin wings recover from induced stalls: the wing flies on its own again, often before the need to catch the dive! The amplitude of a stall is smaller than with a conventional wing, so the pilot is often surprised by the iimmediacy of the recovery... and that's what makes it so thrilling, because everything happens so quickly.
What about the lack of flare at landing?
Single skin wings have come a long way in recent years. They can now produce resources that are often just as beautiful as a classic paraglider. But pilots don't always know how to make a good landing! An efficient resource requires a set of movements that need to be worked on, by exaggerating both the speed (controls raised all the way to the stop) and the lowering of the controls (as low as possible). All pilots manage to take off and land and consider this a success, but we need to go further and get closer to perfection in these two crucial areas rather than blaming the wing.
Are single skin wings more vulnerable in the event of a key or i, the rain?
Yes, it's clear that a key on a small wing will have more effect than on a larger one. So beware of this, ‘pre-flight’ on a single-surface wing is vital! As for the rain... do we want to fly in the rain? Technically, ultralight fabrics (27 grams, 10D...) are obviously much more vulnerable when soaked. But this is true of all wings with these fabrics, whether single or dual surface. My advice is that if it's raining, it's better to stay at home!
And if we get surprised by rain?
Of course this can happen. But there are many different situations that vary according to the pilot's level of training and awareness. I'll just remind you of a few basics: the maximum risk would be to get caught in the rain when you've taken off with a glider that's already wet. A glider that is very dry on take-off will take a long time to become completely soaked, and you will lose performance, but you will be able to take action, for example by landing without delay, absolutely avoiding applying the brakes, and only flaring at the very last moment, when your feet are 10 centimeters above the ground. In this type of situation, there will be no difference between a single and a double surface wing. Accelerating in this situation will really help so it's a good idea to equip single skins with a speed bar, or trimmers (on wings like the Niviuk Skin 3).
In thermal flight, will a single skin be as efficient as a double-skin wing?
In thermal flight, single skins are real jewels of manoeuvrability! They are easy to place in the centre of the thermal, which makes them even more efficient. In the hands of an experienced pilot, a single skin wing will put a smile on your face in thermals! On the other hand, if the pilot lack thermalling experience and is not comfortable piloting in turbulence, a single skin will require good management of the roll axis and will have a tendency to dive if the outer control is not controlled, which will degrade the sink rate. Single-surface wings are demanding in terms of roll. It is therefore advisable to be coached by a ‘pro’ in a school to understand how to manage turn radii.
How do you adapt to the nervousness of single skin wings in turbulence?
When you have no point of reference, it's not a problem because you don't think about it. Coming from a classical paragliding background, this lively side where the wing ‘pecks’ at all the roughness in the air can be surprising at first. But if you fly regularly, this feeling disappears.
But before you get used to it, isn't there a risk of over-piloting?
The risk of over-piloting comes from the pilot's nervousness and limiting mindset. It's true that a pilot not used to thermals who finds himself at 800 metres from the ground in a string harness at 4 o'clock on a summer's afternoon after a long run in the mountains is going to experience a hectic psychological situation. And if, on top of that, he has reserves about the wing's deteriorating glide ratio in the wind, or how nervous it is in turbulence... that's not going to help him relax! The risk of over-piloting will then be real... but in the same way as with a classic wing. All equipment has a potential in relation to its specifications. Once that's out of the way, we need to build up our skills to get the best out of it in all situations.
Can you explain what you mean by "limiting mindset"?
The limiting factor is the little time and energy that pilots devote to making progress: we need to deconstruct the ideas and beliefs that limit us!
What about using the speedbar and doing big ears?
Big ears work well and are effective. Unlike the accelerator, however, which is not very effective...
Single surface wings seem easier and more forgiving in spirals?
It's true, and as a result, single skin wings are a teaching tool that we use in advanced piloting processes. I use them in my SIV courses because they're easy wings to approach rotations with and to getting used to centrifugal forces and control of rotation angles. If the student panics, the wing springs back on its own, providing he puts his hands up, of course. And what's more, it comes out without any pendulum energy to manage. It's a great way to learn and discover centrifugal force. The single-surface kite is a fantastic tool for discovering spirals.
Is it possible to get into a locked spiral with a single skin?
No! And that's why single skin wings are such a great teaching tool. Their structure does not allow you to face the planet locked in a spiral, and its short line strongly limits centrifugal force. The pilot will therefore be much less impressed, and even if he were to let himself fall into the harness without countering, all he has to do is raise the brakes completely for the glider to come out of the spiral on its own. This is one of the reasons why I occasionally use single skin wings on SIV or Advanced courses to develop confidence in rotations.
Are single skins as robust and do they age as well as a double-surface wings?
If they have reinforcing seams at the attachment points and braids at the trailing edge, it will hold up as well as another wing. And maybe even better, because it will be subject to less stress (dynamic, centrifugal, internal pressure) and will probably spend less time in the air, so less exposure to the sun. However, as with any wing, be careful not to store it damp!
Can we get into paragliding with a single skin?
Yes, its low inertia, responsive ground control and pendulum stability are major advantages that will help pilots to keep their concentration for the flight. We organise courses dedicated to single-surface wings, explaining a logical progression in the practice of free flight.
But won't pilots who have discovered paragliding with a single skin wing run into difficulties if they want to fly with a double skin wing?
As with all different types of equipment, there will be small adjustments to make when switching from one type of glider to another. But if the pilot has learnt the basics of how to take off, how to plan his flight in advance and how to take the ground properly, the transition will be easy. By switching to a dual surface, the amplitudes of the movements on the controls will have to be greater, the reaction time on the controls will be greater, the radii of the turns will be greater and the pendulum amplitudes will be greater. It will therefore be useful for a pilot who has started with a single surface to return to the course to develop these new sensations.
For the same weight range, single-surface models have smaller surface areas. Which surface to choose?
For most pilots, it will be a choice between 16 and 18 m2. The difference lies more in the level of handling and grip than in speed. The 13 or 14 m2 are very lively, have a more limited load capacity and are obviously more demanding to fly. And the 20 m2 models are designed for heavy or really beginner or older riders.
Some pilots work miracles with single skins, don't they?
Oh yes! When I see the precision of Axel Coste's flight and the way he plays in the wind with his AirG or Julien Irilli in the Alps, or what Benjamin Vé- drines or Julien Dussère have done in the Ecrins or the Himalayas, I tell myself that this type of glider really isn't a disadvantage!
There are now a good dozen different single-surface models. Which ones do you know and what do you think is special about them?
I haven't tried them all. I'm familiar with the Niviuk Skin 3P, which is still a good wing, but it's not the most recent and it doesn't have a great flare. The Dudek Run&fly 1 and 2 are super light and compact, they have top notch flares but they are a little more demanding at take-off without wind than their competitors. The Air Design UFO 2 is my favourite because it perfectly meets my school specifications: ease of use, stability, durability, build quality, resources on landing. I've also just tried the Ronin, which is essentially alighter UFO 2 and is my favourite, the wing of my dreams: better speed, performance and compactness. Of course it is probably a little less durable because the materials used are very thin. I've tried others, like the Vril or V-King, but they didn't meet my specifications. And I'm waiting to try out the new Skywalk Pace and the Lion's Tooth from AirG.
Which is the easiest and most forgiving single-surface for beginners?
Without a doubt the UFO 2, it's the most recent and the most advanced.
Tandem too?
Both the UFO and the Skin are good tandem wings, very light and very compact. The UFO has better landing power, but it's more physical.
Any last word?
I want to come back to the importance of the pilot over the equipment. Safety is not just about having equipment that is easy to fly. You have to understand that to err is human and that when the flight becomes more complex we find it harder to think in solution mode... then the incident is not far away. Whatever the equipment used, the important thing is to work on our skills, our discernment and our decision-making. If we often feel hesitant, if we have difficulty making a decision or daring to act, it's because our flight is too complex. We then have to scale down the conditions in which we fly and our objectives, to have that psychological margin that will enable us to fly safely and with greater pleasure.
