A 2-liner Paraglider for the C-class Pilot

Introduction:

I purchased the Sol LT 1 at the beginning of 2022. At the time of my purchase, there weren’t many reviews available. The feedback I was able to find when I researched the glider was from visiting foreign pilots who knew others flying this glider i.e. the feedback wasn’t first-hand. What I heard was that those who had the glider had positive things to say about it. I took a chance and ordered one from the manufacturer. It was a bit of a toss-up as to which size to order since I was on the border between size S (80-95kg) and size M (90-105kg). I ended up choosing size M, based on the logic that for normal flying, I’d be clipping in around 95kg, and I could always carry a little more ballast for very strong days.

The Sol LT 1 – A Brief Overview:

The Sol LT 1 is a 2-liner paraglider designed by Sol Paragliders. It’s an outstanding performer for XC flying and aimed at the C-class pilot. Definitely in the league of all the bigger brand C-class gliders, if not better. I’ve been flying this glider for a year now and have flown it in strong and weak conditions.

Key Points:

Takeoffs

The glider is heavier than the average glider. According to Sol: “WTX 29g / 40g fabric with the combination of Vectran and Technora threads makes this paraglider one of the most durable currently on the market.” There’s also the fact that the 66-cell glider has its nylon rods starting from the leading edge running to almost the trailing edge (stopping some ~20cm short of the tail). There’s no doubt that you’ll notice the heavier weight during the pull-up phase. It’s a challenge to launch in a zero wind scenario. For light to strong winds, though, I’ve had no issues all done using reverse launches. I had to adapt my launching technique a little, using the A’s and B’s (remember, this is a 2-liner, there’s no C’s), and for this technique pulling up on only the two centre A lines (not risers). Using just the 2 centre A lines means that there’s less tendency for the wingtips to come up before the centre. Once the glider’s up and inflated, it’s quite solid.

Brake-line length

Coming from the usual 3-liners in the C-class (I’ve flown quite a bit on the Skywalk Cayenne 5 and the Advance Sigma 9), the brake line length was something that I immediately noticed as different. It was longer than what I was used to. This means that there’s more slack in the brake lines, no doubt done to ensure no brake input while flying on speed bar and the rear risers. My usual style of holding the toggle was the classic half wrap. However, with the longer brake line, I’ve now changed this to double wraps when thermalling or flying unaccelerated in bumpy air. I’ve found the double wrap puts my arms in a more comfortable position, similar to what I was used to when flying my previous 3-liner gliders.

Thermalling

Another change for me was adding a bit more outside brake while thermalling. On previous 3-liners, I would thermal with little to no outside brake. However, I found that doing this with the LT 1 resulted in me being slow to control the outer wingtip, which led to collapses of the outside wingtip while thermalling in strong/rough thermals. Since making the change to double wraps and applying a touch more brake while thermalling, the collapse issue seems to be resolved. Once I got past the brake line length “difference”, I’ve enjoyed thermalling with the LT 1.

Rear-riser flying

One of the great joys of flying a 2-liner for me has been the ability to solidly control the glider while flying on the rear risers (B’s). This has meant that, overall, I’m flying faster when flying unaccelerated because I’m no longer doing pitch control with the brakes, but instead doing it with the B’s. The handles on the B risers give the pilot a good grip of the B risers, enabling you to effectively control the glider.

Accelerated flight

I’m flying a lot more on speed bar these days due to the efficient control via the B’s. In fact, most of the time, if I’m not thermalling, I’ll apply just a little bit of speed bar (approximately a quarter) and fly with B riser control. If the air is quite bumpy and I feel like I’m too close to the terrain to comfortably fly accelerated, then I revert to double wrap brake flying, though with this, too, my hands are up as close to trim as I’m comfortable with. I’m a believer in flying with a high airspeed and applying just enough brake to actively fly the glider. Most of my glides are now done on half bar, and if I need extra speed, then full bar really gets me going. I must say, flying this glider was the first time I felt like I was competing in both the Porterville and Barberton paragliding competitions. At the Porterville Comp, I would push the bar and catch up with EN D’s and CCC’s, even if I was flying at full bar and they weren’t – it was some novelty I enjoyed.

 

Turbulence

When I first got the glider, I experienced several collapses in rough thermals. The biggest collapse was about 50%. While it was annoying to experience a collapse in the first place, I was quite impressed with the glider’s behaviour post-collapse. After a collapse, the wing doesn’t always immediately recover (the collapse stays in) but the glider still flies stably. By shifting your weight to the flying side (and possibly applying a touch of brake on the flying side), it flies straight, enabling you to give a few stabs on the collapsed side to open the collapse. This was somewhat new to me as collapses on my previous gliders would open up almost immediately. The LT 1 gives you time to look up, see the problem, and fix it without going crazy. Some of my collapses resulted in cravats, probably due to the increased nylon rod lengths and count compared to my previous gliders. Again though, if I got a collapse that resulted in a cravat, I could keep the glider flying straight with weight shift and a touch of brake on the flying side, look up, and decide which method to use to clear the cravat before clearing it. The Sol LT 1 doesn’t have a separate stabilo line. The stabilo is attached to the outside A on an upper cascade. Sol recommends using the outside A to clear cravats. I’d like to point out that when I got used to flying this glider, the collapse and cravat frequency significantly reduced. I’ve also had one full frontal on this glider, and it was a non-event. When flying straight in turbulent air and high enough AGL for my comfort level, I mostly fly with some speed bar on and control the glider on the rear risers, which is very effective. The behaviour post-collapses leads me to state that this is a C class glider. If you’re the type of pilot who is going to panic and wildly pull on the brakes, then this glider isn’t for you, and you should probably gain more experience/skills before going passed the mid B class.

Wing loading

Sol LT 1 paragliders come in 15kg weight ranges, e.g. 90kg to 105kg for size M. Sol recommends being in the middle of the weight range, e.g. 95 to 100kg for size M. It should be needless to say that this is the “clipped-in” / “all-up” weight range. In fact, if you didn’t realize this, then this glider is probably above your skill level. Using ballast, I’ve flown the glider at an all-up weight of 95-98 kg, which was great. However, flying without ballast puts me closer to the bottom end of the glider, which doesn’t feel great in active air, even moderately active thermals, in my opinion. It feels like the wing sits behind you. I’ve recently flown this glider 2kg below the bottom-end, and I hated it. It’s the reason I’m selling this glider now as I’ve lost a few kg and I’m now ballasting into the bottom-end of the glider. I’d happily trade the size M for a size S.

Certification

The Sol LT 1 was the first 2-liner glider to come on the market for the C-class pilot. Sol released this glider in 2019, long before the changes to the EN certification were made for the C-class gliders. In 2022, the EN certification regulations changed to allow 2-liner gliders (which require folding lines to induce realistic collapses) to be classified in the C class, pending their behavior in the various tests. Prior to this, any glider that required the use of folding lines during the EN testing phase was automatically classified as EN-D. Because of those rules, Sol chose not to send the LT 1 for the usual EN tests as an EN-D classification would detract from the EN-C target market for whom this wing is clearly built. Instead, the glider was sent for minimal testing (load testing) and therefore has a CCC rating, which makes it a certified glider in terms of certification. However, it is obviously nothing like a real CCC glider. With changes in rules, Sol has released the LT 2, which has passed the certification tests as an EN-C glider. If you really care about the EN C rating (e.g. competing in the C class) then the LT 1 will not be suitable for you. It was something I fully understood and appreciated when I made my purchase. I care more about my own enjoyment of xc flying and see the competitions in which I compete in as “xc camps” to become a better xc pilot.

Conclusion:

The Sol LT 1 paraglider is a fun and solid glider for XC flying. It’s fast in the air and gentle in its recovery post-collapses. In my opinion this glider is suitable for competent pilots stepping up from the high B class and of course other pilots in the C, D and CCC classes looking for 2 liner handling but a bit more more passive safety / stability from this 6.25 aspect ratio glider. It’s been a great introduction to 2-liner gliders for me. I wish I had purchased the size S so I wouldn’t have to carry ballast with me up a mountain which is now detracting from my joy of flying. This wing has been my first experience with Sol, and I’ve been quite happy with it.