New gloves!
Warm gloves against cold hands...

Brave 2 – new speed flying harness

Connect Reverse – now available for left-handed pilots

Alfredo Studer in 1st place in the XContest flying a Stratus WRC
1421 km in just 6 flights

Swing Pilots celebrate their success

ASTRAL 6.26 and 28 – DHV tests passed

CIVL World Ranking – Torsten Siegel in 4th place

Top placings for our Swing pilots

Spitfire - the new speed rider from Swing

ASTRAL 6 - Testival in Bassano
from 31 October 2009 – 7 November 2009

XC Open in Araxá in Brazil
Richard Pethigall wins on a Stratus WRC

Daniel Tyrkas is German XC Champion for 2009
on the Stratus WRC

Free Flight Tegelberg 2009

World Cup Super Final
Swing Team in third place

SWING pilots successful in the 2009 DHV-XC
Daniel Tyrkas wins open class with Stratus WRC

Astral 6.24 – aspect ratio of 6.4 with LTF 2 / EN C
A very special event

36. Coupe Icare in France

163 km on a category 1/1-2 glider
Roger Bruhin with an Arcus 6

Swiss Open – 2nd place in the Swiss Open and runner-up in the Swiss champs

World Cup Kroatien – Marion Slunka finishes in 2nd place
Success in the World Cup in Croatia for our Swing pilots

Swiss Championships: task victory and podium place for Swing team pilots
Torsten and Petsch succeed...

Connect Reverse – sold out till late September!
Manufacturing capacity doubled.

New! ... The Arcus 6 Compact
A compact version of our proven top performer

Arcus 6.32 Compact (120 to 150kg)
Flying enjoyment for "larger" pilots too

Caroll Licini wins the BaWü Open
on the Stratus WRC

World Cup Turkey - Peter Neuenschwander in 1st place with the “Spälti” team
The European World Cup season gets underway with places on the winners’

Alex Happacher flies a 227km FAI triangle on the Stratus WRC
On 20 May, Alex Happacher from the Swing Racing Team flying a Stratus WRC,

Swing Competition Team strengthened by Peter Neuenschwander (CH)

211 km on the Stratus 7 – furthest flight ever by a pilot from Ticino!
At 11.26 on 20 May 2009, Swing XC team pilot Claudio Vosti,

150 km with the Arcus 6
Roger Bruhin tops his last performance

Ewa Wisnierska is Bavarian Women’s Champ

“Ladies only” XC-Camp with Ewa Wisnierska

Arcus 6 – the first FAI triangle over 100km
On 7 May, Roger Bruhin flew a fantastic 112km FAI triangle in Switzerland

DULV-certified motors for Mistral 5

Alex Schalber wins the Staufen Cup
As was the case the previous week at the Zillertal Open

Podium for Stratus WRC at the Zillertal Open

Connect Reverse - convertible harness/backpack

Caroll Licini finishes in 2nd place on the Stratus WRC in the Bassano Open

Richard Pethigall is 2nd in the Brazilian Championship on a Stratus WRC

Explorer XL backpack
Your wish is our command ;0)

Paweł Faron wins the XC Open in Australia

Designer Torsten Siegel moves to Swing
Team enhancement in 2009

The Arcus 6 is ready!
LTF 1 / 1-2

Swing's new Sky-Wear Collection

Great audience response for the cinema film Reise zum Horizont (“Journey to the Horizon”)
a film by Thomas Latzel with Ewa Wisnierska and Dörte Schwarz

Eva Wisnierska tops the women's rankings at the PWC in Brazil

Richard once again on the podium

German Championships in Piedrahita
Only one task...

35 th Coupe Icare
Invitation to the 35th Coupe Icare in St. Hilare

2008 Dolomite Man Comp. - Swing in 1st + 2nd places in the team results
Congratulations to our Swing pilots and to those who joined our ranks not long before the race

Rosanna Scanagatta is the 2008 Italian Women’s Champion, flying a Stratus 7 GS!
...with Martina Centa in 2nd place, also on a Stratus 7

Richard Pethigal - Brazilian vice champion 2008 on a Stratus WRC
The ABVL Brazilian Nationals were held in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, between the 24-30/Aug

Report by Heidi Skepanski, winner of first prize in our Free Flight draw
Friday, 14 March 2008 – Day 1 of the Free Flight Exhibition in Garmisch (South Germany)

Manuel Nübel dominates the Junior Challenge on the Stratus WRC
- winning all 4 tasks. Jan-Philip Rebhan finishes in 3rd place

Marion Slunka is Austrian Women’s Champion
flying a Stratus 7 GS

Bordairline 2008 – Tremendous performances by the athletes!
Swing test pilot Christian Amon finishes in 2nd place

Gold for Swing!
Ewa Wisnierska is the European Women’s Champion for 2008

All systems go for Wendelin Ortner
at Red Bull’s Hangar-7

European Paragliding Championships in Nis (Serbia)
The Swing Team is totally hooked on the Stratus WRC

Kai Arcus Godwin...
…a huge honour for Swing.

Robert Pré flies 208 km
with Stratus 7 in France

Victory for Ewa in Spain - 1st Women ranking
The PWC in Castejon is a success for SWING

Uros Bergant flies 158Km with an Arcus 5 in Slovenia
with only 1 year paragliding experience

2nd place in the PWC in Grindelwald for Peter Frauenschuh on a Stratus WRC

MISTRAL 5 certified for paramotoring

FAI triangles of 237 and 229 km on the Stratus 7

Mistral 5.30 has passed all DHV tests
range 105-150 kg !

4th place in the Italian World Cup for Alex Schalber on a Stratus WRC
Ewa Wisnierska second in worldcup ranking

280.9km across the German flatlands on the Stratus 7

Jens Kierdorf wins the 2008 Mosel Open!
25.-27. April

Now we’re away!
Several 200km+ flights ...

First successful results on the Stratus WRC in Italy
Stratus WRC (World Race Competition)

Mistral 5
check it out now!

MISTRAL 5 - the replacement for our top selling glider
DHV 1-2

Stratus 7 GS - Sizes 22 and 24 with DHV 2-3

Swing’s end-of-season party at the Mölltal glacier
Super Event with Speedriding....

1st RED BULL Speed Ride
Swing a Co-Sponsor in the RedBull Speed Rider Event

SAVAGE - New!
Speedrider

Our new reserve
PROTECT Nano, PROTECT II RIS L and PROTECT II RIS XL

"Reise zum Horizont" (Journey to the Horizon)
This is the title of the new film from Thomas Latzel, with Ewa Wisnierska

ONE RECORD AND READY FOR MORE

For all Stratus pilots
inspection of the competition gliders

Ravage - Micro glider of 11m²
new dimension

NAJA - a brandnew paramotor wing
by powerplay

2-Yearly-Check and Special designs
on SWING website

Distribution network
on SWING website

New gloves!

Just arrived – our new 4-in-1 gloves, developed for paragliding in cooperation with Zanier, the well-known Austrian glove manufacturer.
Fine kidskin is used for the palm section, which gives the wearer a good sense of feeling even when taking photos and sorting out lines. The glove set consists of a pair of liner gloves, a pair of outer gloves and a pair of warming packs. The liner gloves have a small fabric pouch on the upper side into which the powder warming packs can be inserted. The warming packs generate heat when they come into contact with the air.

The various parts of the glove set can be combined in various ways depending on your requirements:

1) fleece liner gloves on their own
2) outer gloves on their own
3) liner gloves + outer gloves
4) liner gloves with warming packs + outer gloves

The gloves are available in sizes S, M, L and XL

Other features:
a) Outer shell: 4-way stretch, kidskin palm
b) Liner gloves: wind-proof fleece, palm reinforced with leather
c) The wind-proof ZA BLOCKER membrane helps counter the wind-chill effect and offers protection against the wind.
d) ZA FLEX is used. This is a 4-way stretch material guaranteeing optimum fit and comfort. Gloves with ZA FLEX are particularly soft and pleasant to wear.
e) Colour: black

The warming pads (in pairs) are also available separately. We recommend that you place your orders now. The 4-in1 gloves will of course be available through our dealers.

Brave 2 – new speed flying harness

Now available - the new Brave 2 speed flying harness! This harness is based on Gin’s Freerider harness, offering a whole new concept. It is smaller and lighter, and perfectly attuned to speed flying or speed riding. The combination of the Spitfire + Brave 2 has everything to make it THE highlight of this speed riding season.

click here for more information -->

Connect Reverse – now available for left-handed pilots

The Connect Reverse has probably been the most successful harness in 2009 and, following many enquiries, it has now been adapted to suit left-handed pilots. In this left-handed version, the reserve container located underneath the seat has its opening on the left rather than on the right. This change has already received type-certification and orders can now be placed for the left-handed version in all 3 sizes.

Our waiting list is slowly becoming shorter, but the left-handed version will unfortunately not be delivered before mid-January. It is certainly possible that Swing will later carry the left-handed version as a stock item if there is sufficient demand for it. When placing an order with your dealer for the left-handed version, please be certain to note "LEFT" (e.g. Connect Reverse Large - LEFT). We are working very hard on further reducing the waiting time for the Connect Reverse.

At the moment, there are no plans to produce a left-handed version of our Connect Light 2 and Connect 2.

click here for more information -->

Alfredo Studer in 1st place in the XContest flying a Stratus WRC

Our Swing team pilot Alfredo Studer, three-time winner of the international OLC, has just had his first trip to the cross-country paradise of Quixada in North Brazil, spending two weeks there with a dozen other Swiss pilots.

He flew a Swiss record on 4.11, and he also had two flights over 150km, two over 200km and two over 300km, flying a Stratus WRC, which gave him the lead in the international XContest-rankings. He also had a flight of 158km on an Astral 6, but unfortunately the conditions on that day were not ideal.
You can read further details about his flights here http://www.xcontest.org/world/en/ranking-pg-open/

Congratulations to Alfredo for his excellent performance...this will certainly not be his last trip to Brazil.

Swing Pilots celebrate their success

Swing celebrated several German cross-country championship titles at this year’s DHV cross-country awards event.

In the premier league, the title of German champion went to Daniel Tyrkas, a new member of the Swing team. Flying a Stratus WRC, he finished ahead of his well-known competitors after an exciting finish in the open class, and secured for himself a major title for the first time in his young flying career. Among the women, Monika Mack, flying an Astral 5, again became German women’s cross-country champion, celebrating the fifth time (!) she has won this title.

In the German cup, our top flat-land pilots, Angela Dachs and Erwin Auer, made their mark and flew to victory in the German rankings.

Günther Wörl, head of Swing, was delighted about his strong team, and took the opportunity to offer his personal congratulations to the champions. All of the members of the Swing team would like to add their congratulations.

We wish to thank you very much for the great commitment which you have shown in 2009 and, of course, all the best for next season.
Keep up the good flying!

pic: from left Angela Dachs, Daniel Tyrkas, Monika Mack, Günther Wörl and Erwin Auer.

ASTRAL 6.26 and 28 – DHV tests passed

We are delighted to be able to tell you that the brand-new top category 2 glider, the Astral 6, has now also successfully completed the DHV test flights in sizes 26 (85-110kg) and 28 (105-130kg). The smallest size (22) will follow shortly.

The documents for the type certification of sizes 24, 26 and 28 are being processed by the DHV and will be published in the next few weeks. Orders for gliders (including custom colours) can now be placed. We will keep the availability status of the various sizes updated and it can be checked any time on the Astral 6 page of our website.

Contact your Swing dealer to arrange a test flight. See also the item below on the "Astral 6 Testival in Bassano" which is on now, for another chance to test fly the glider.

click here for more information -->

CIVL World Ranking – Torsten Siegel in 4th place

Our constructor, test and team pilot Torsten Siegel also shot up in the current CIVL world rankings after his last two top ten results in the World Cup in Croatia and the World Cup Super Final: Torsten is currently in 4th place and will stay there for some time to come – there are no more major competitions in 2009.

Congratulations on these achievements (and to other pilots we have not mentioned here).. we are very proud of you!

Your Swing Team

Top placings for our Swing pilots

The 2009 season is coming to an end and we are able to look back with pride at some excellent results by our pilots.

Our Stratus pilots were very successful in the cross-country competitions in particular. Special mention goes to Daniel Tyrkas, who took out the title of German Cross-Country Champion and Alex Happacher, who won the Italian Championship. Christian Amon took part again in the Dolomite Man competition, with his team finishing in 1st place.

Success too at the World Cup Final for our Swing Team: Maurizio Bottegal, Manuel Nübel, Jens Kierdorf and Torsten Siegel demonstrated top performance for two weeks and finished in third place in the team results. Torsten just missed out on a place on the winners’ podium in the individual results, finishing in fifth place.

As well as third place in the team results, Jens, Manuel and Torsten were also on the podium for the nation results. Our three German team pilots finished in second place, admitting defeat only to the Italians.

Another top placing for Swing came from our Polish pilot Pawel Faron in the WXC contest (World XC online contest). The cross-country competition sponsored by the FAI/CIVL ranks a pilot’s six best flights worldwide. Pawel got started in February, treated himself to a holiday in Australia and flew 255 km and 205 km from Mt. Borah. The remaining four flights submitted by our WRC pilot were in the Alps, with him tackling three flights in quick succession on 18, 19 and 20 August. He wouldn’t reveal whether he spent the night out at the disco in between :-)

http://wxc.fai.org/module.php?id=22&date=20090930&gliderclass=pgo&civlid=1

Spitfire - the new speed rider from Swing

Speedriding is becoming more and more popular around the world and Swing started developing the first speed riders in 2006. Our speedflying development team led by Manuel Croci and Daniel Kalberer, together with the Swing Speedflying Team pilots Daniel Kofler, Andreas Schreilechner and Beni Kaelin, worked on this new project in the Alps during 2009. The result is a perfect wing for this very exciting and breathtaking sport

Spitfire - ride the Swing side of life.

click here for more information -->

ASTRAL 6 - Testival in Bassano

Everyone has been talking about the Astral 6 and, from this weekend, everyone will want to fly it too.
We will be in Bassano for the whole week with a large number of demo Astral 6 gliders in sizes 24, 26 and 28.

You will find us at the SWING tent at the Garden Relais (hang-glider landing area) or the official landing area. Swing reps Andi and Philip will provide you with a demo glider and be on hand to give you any information you require. Don’t miss this opportunity, and the thermic conditions, to get the full picture of the Astral 6.

There’s no time to delay! After a great flight you can also enjoy a taste of the local beer at the Swing tent in "bella Italia". The Astral 6 will keep a cheerful mood in the air ...guaranteed!!

See you there...

XC Open in Araxá in Brazil

The third and final XC Open event of 2009 took place in Araxá, Brasil. Araxá is known for it\'s great cross country flying with normal October conditions making over 150kms flights the norm. Unfortunately the conditions this year were not to easy with big formations interrupting some tasks and making other tasks very shadowy on route. The second task was best day with Washington Peruchi and Richard Pethigal (Swing WRC) winning the task with the longest flight of the competition: 107 kms.
Only 3 tasks were validated during the competition with other days being stopped or cancelled because of thunder clouds. Richard Pethigal was able to hold onto his lead through the 3rd task and take the overall winners spot on the podium.

Another great victory for Swing and the Stratus WRC.

click here for more information -->

Daniel Tyrkas is German XC Champion for 2009

A successful XC-season for SWING team pilot Daniel Tyrkas: an exciting cross-country season got underway for Daniel back in April. Two good FAI triangles of approx. 120km each from the Brauneck (Bavaria) on his Stratus 7 put Daniel in 1st position in the rankings from the outset. Things are looking good, so he sets himself the goal for this season of finishing in the top 10. He then tests a SWING Stratus WRC so that he has the most competitive glider available, and is so enthusiastic about it that he does not want to give it back. The weather gods finally play their part in late July and allow a couple of "big days". On 26 and 29 July, Daniel flies two large triangles from the Speikboden of 186km and 203km on his SWING Stratus WRC (see under News ...).

Daniel is very pleased about his first 200km FAI and suddenly finds himself right at the top of the rankings again. His new goal for the season is to finish in the top 3. In August there is a real showdown. Good weather, the top pilots are submitting big flights, and the rankings change with every good day. He needs an FAI of at least 145 km to get himself into 1st place. The result of his final flight is a 151.5km FAI! Yes! Daniel is able to hold 1st place till the end of the season and is thrilled about winning the hard-fought title of German Cross-Country Champion.

Daniel, great result!! ...you joined the Swing Competition Team just recently and you’ve already got the title...
Many congratulations!

Free Flight Tegelberg 2009

Many thanks for visiting our stand at the Free Flight trade show. We were able to present a really great product here, namely the brand-new Astral 6 (LTF 2 with aspect ratio of 6.4) .

The E-Motor Silent-X also caused a real sensation. During the demonstrations, spectators were able to see for themselves its performance and properties. This has gone into series production in cooperation with Geiger Engineering and Fresh Breeze and is now ready for delivery through Swing. Amazingly quiet circuits near ground level were convincing for spectators at the landing field, and they were able to see and listen to the two E-motors in combination with the new Astral 6. At the same time, there was also an impressive demo flight by our Speedriding ProTeam of our new speed rider, the "Spitfire" . These new products are sure to create a real stir in their respective categories.

Thanks to everyone who visited us – we enjoyed talking to you and your suggestions are always welcome. We look forward to seeing you again next year.

Until then, our Swing-dealers are of course pleased to help you if you need any advice. Your wishes are behind what we do....

Swing-air Team

click here for more information -->

World Cup Super Final

Successful World Cup Final for our Swing Team: Maurizio Bottegal, Manuel Nübel, Jens Kierdorf and Torsten Siegel demonstrated top performance for two weeks and finished in third place in the team results. Torsten just missed out on a place on the winners’ podium in the individual results, finishing in fifth place.

The Italian village of Poggio Bustone was taken over by the World Cup Super Finals from 2-12 September. The World Cup Title was battled out in a twelve-day long final, similar to the World or European Champs, following the introduction of a new format. This resulted in a top-class field, which included former champions such as Luca Donini and Bruce Goldsmith. The Swing Team was represented by eight pilots, with Torsten, Jens and Maurizio making up the team and Manuel flying as reserve. Our team pilots were still working busily on the new models during the training days, as Torsten related: “We had three prototypes on launch, which we readjusted a little in trim, making them right for the windy conditions. Petsch, for example, was flying with a very high speed which at the end of the day proved unsuccessful . It mostly caught the leaders or pilots who were flying ahead of the main field, and Petsch was always up there.” Things went better for Jens, who flew up on the field from behind during a high-speed task in Norma and finished in the third-fastest time. “The new Stratus-Proto was ideally adjusted for those kind of conditions and “bulletproof” in the bumpy air”, Jens told us with a smile. He accelerated the glider up to 70 km/h and flew right at the head of the field after a bad start.

The decision came down to the last task: a large area of shade came over the flying area from the south. “We were always flying behind the area of shadow, but eventually we ended up in it”, Torsten reported. “Only six pilots in our group were able to reach the mountains again from the flat land, whereas Jens took a tactical approach, avoided the shaded flat land and took the next turn in a large arc over the mountains. This left us both very-well positioned and we flew to goal for a place on the podium.” As well as third place in the team results, Jens, Manuel and Torsten were also on the podium for the nation results. Our three German team pilots finished in second place, admitting defeat only to the Italians.

Congratulations from the Swing Team to our pilots and the World Cup champions Charles Cazaux and Keiko Hiraki.

SWING pilots successful in the 2009 DHV-XC

Our Swing team pilots finished in top positions in the DHV-XC again this year, with some spectacular flights:

Daniel Tyrkas / Stratus WRC
- 1st place PG Open national
Monika Mack / Astral 5
- 1st place PG women's national
Eberhard Linckh / Astral 5
- 5th place PG Sport national

The SWING team congratulates these and all other pilots on their success and their great flights!

http://xc.dhv.de/xc/modules/leonardo/index.php?name=leonardo&season=2009&year=0&month=0&day=0

Astral 6.24 – aspect ratio of 6.4 with LTF 2 / EN C

We have received the first series gliders in the final design right in time for the Coupe Icare and trade fair in St. Hilaire. Here at Swing, we are treating the Astral 6 as a milestone in our history and we are all genuinely very excited about it. The prototypes have already shown that the Swing development team led by Michael Hartmann has again blazed a new trail. Several pilots have already had the opportunity to log quite a few hours of thermalling and have been enthusiastic about its fresh handling, improved performance, high level of safety and innovative details. We can claim (and not without a touch of pride) that the design, including the new colours, emphasises this glider’s true class.

Our team has now taken 3 series gliders in the new colours and the final design to the Icarus Cup, and we hope to be able to take some good photos in the next few days. To give you an idea, here are 3 photos of the glider in the new colours (Petrol-green - Lilac - Aubergine) taken during practice inflations.

The gliders will be released at the Free Flight trade fair at Tegelberg in Füssen (Bavaria) in early October with other new products. More information soon.

We look forward to seeing you!

click here for more information -->

36. Coupe Icare in France

The next COUPE ICARE (Icarus Cup) will be held September 17th - 20th, 2009 on the combined sites of St Hilaire du Touvet - Lumbin.

On the programme for this year's edition are the traditional events : Film Festival, Icare Expo, aerial demos, Costumed Flight Competition, street shows, the Kids Corner for the younger set... not to mention a menu of new features !!

Visit our stand with new info's about Astral 6!

click here for more information -->

163 km on a category 1/1-2 glider

Category 1 gliders – competition and cross-country pilots normally snigger at them. Most pilots think they are suitable only for training and, when claims are made in advertising material that they can be used for cross-country flying, this is merely marketing hype. That’s why the 163km triangle which Roger Bruhin flew on an Arcus 6 deserves particular attention. It is an impressive demonstration of the potential of our new category 1 glider and successfully challenges the usual prejudices:

Sunday 16 August - last day of the holidays and finally great flying conditions. Roger Bruhin launched at 10.40am in Fiesch (Switzerland) on his Arcus 6 for a long cross-country flight. He had already thermalled to 3,800m in the Goms valley and he set his first turnpoint above the Grimsel Pass.

click here for more information -->

Swiss Open – 2nd place in the Swiss Open and runner-up in the Swiss champs

Things worked out second time around: the first Swiss Open in Flims did not reach the required minimum points for a valid Swiss Championships, so the competitors met for a second time in Fiesch from 20-23 August and flew three successful tasks. Our Swing team pilot Peter “Petsch” Neuenschwander was right up with the leaders from the start and secured both 2nd place in the Swiss Open and also the title of runner-up in the Swiss Champs.

The first task of 103 km was the highlight. “Stefan Wyss and I managed to leave the field behind halfway through the task. The conditions were really good and Stefan then made his final approach quite tight. I didn’t want to do the same and flew the last stretch a little more safely,“ Petsch reported. He finished in second place behind Wyss with an average of nearly 32 km. He also finished in second place the following day in a short race over 28km. There was no flying the next day because of the weather, and then the final task of 56km held on Sunday decided the Swiss Open. The task was limited because of the strong south-easterly which came in in the east over the Nufenen Pass and in the west over the Simplon. Martin Scheel therefore set the task over Riederfurka-Chäserstatt-Münster-Chäserstatt-Bettmeralp-Bellwald-Fiesch. As the lower air layer was still stable in the morning, the route over the Chäserstatt was expected to call for some tactical flying – however, as it turned out, conditions were very good in the morning, so that Andy Aebi pulled away and reached goal after 1h34m. Peter Neuenschwander and Stefan Wyss flew tactically and were able to keep their overall placings with 2nd place and 6th place.

Petsch flew our latest Stratus prototype during the Swiss Open, which he put through its paces against tough competition. He is also using it at the Super Final. We wish him luck, and hope he comes home with a similar result.

Congratulations from the Swing Team!

Photos by Martin Scheel.
A well-earned drink. Place-getters in the Swiss Open: Peter Neuenschwander, Stefan Wyss and Michael Sigel

World Cup Kroatien – Marion Slunka finishes in 2nd place

Marion Slunka keeps on getting better. Our WRC-pilot had already caused a stir at the pre-European Championships in Abtenau (Austria) where she finished in 2nd place, and she has now performed very well in Croatia. Marion laid the foundation for her success in the fifth task of 61km, in which she was the only female to make goal. She even reached an outstanding 15th place in the overall rankings (i.e. against the men as well). After six successful tasks, Marion had to admit defeat in the end, finishing in 2nd place just 42 points behind the Czech pilot Renata Kuhnova, but still ahead of the European champion Elisa Houdry.
Along with the Top 5 female pilots, the Top 10 male pilots were also honoured for their success in Buzet. Torsten Siegel was on the podium in 9th place, receiving a bottle of fine red wine as did the other competitors. The Swing test pilot had three very good tasks, in which he finished in 2nd, 5th and 6th place, which secured his top 10 placing.

So both pilots have qualified for the World Cup SuperFinal in Italy, and we will keep our fingers crossed for them...there’s not far to go before they’re right at the top :-))

Swiss Championships: task victory and podium place for Swing team pilots

Our Swing team pilots keep on getting better. Torsten Siegel was on the winners’ podium as third place-getter in the Swiss Championships, and Peter Neuenschwander notched up a win in the final task. Both pilots were flying new WRC prototypes, so that the performance of the wings could be tested against tough competition. And this went very well for the two pilots!

“The first task was fairly challenging in the brisk north wind and was nearly called off. Nevertheless, we persevered and this allowed us to test thoroughly the stability of the WRC protos in turbulent conditions”, Torsten told us. He was particularly pleased that the new proto which Petsch was flying demonstrated very good features. “The glider is really very stable”, Petsch also confirmed, and he flew to victory in the last task. “The conditions were very weak and the task was only short. Despite this, it was evident that the proto I was flying with the new profile has excellent climb characteristics”, Petsch reported to us. While Torsten was alongside Alex Hofer and Stefan Morgenthaler on the podium at the award ceremony, Petsch received a “healthy” check for his task victory. Our two Swing team pilots were pleased most of all about the fact that clear progress is evident in the development of the new competition gliders. We are eager to see further results. The required score of 800 points for a valid Swiss Championships was not reached in Flims, so the competition will enter its second round in Fiesch in 4 weeks.

Our congratulations to Torsten and Petsch!!!

Connect Reverse – sold out till late September!

The unique and very well conceived Connect Reverse has generated unprecedented demand. We must therefore inform all of our customers that orders placed after 22.06.09 (+-) can probably only be filled from late September. We are in the course of doubling production, but this in itself requires some time, as we are also dependent on Deuter for this product.
It is definitely well worth your while to be patient. There is good reason why there is such great demand.
We would like to thank you in advance for your understanding, and hope that you enjoy great flying in the 2009 season.

Your Swing Team

click here for more information -->

New! ... The Arcus 6 Compact

The Arcus 6 has very quickly established itself in its class because of its convincing flight characteristics and unequalled performance statistics, and Swing is now offering this popular glider in a compact version as well. The Arcus 6 Compact used with the Connect Reverse (our convertible harness - extremely comfortable to carry) form the ideal combination for any pilot who is looking for compact and lightweight equipment to use on paragliding trips and/or where there will be a lengthy walk.

The lightweight fabric of 4-6g/m² on average gives the Arcus 6 Compact a weight saving of approx. 700g, resulting in a much smaller pack size. A conscious decision was made not to use unsheathed lines, thinner risers or extremely lightweight fabric, so as not to compromise the Compact version’s suitability for everyday use by the Arcus 6 target group. This also ensures that its flight behaviour is nearly identical to the standard version.

click here for more information -->

Arcus 6.32 Compact (120 to 150kg)

And there’s more, as we present new performance possibilities for a group of pilots which is all too often neglected: we have added a sixth size of glider to the popular Arcus 6 range, so it now includes the 120 – 150kg weight group.

The Compact 6.32 nevertheless continues to be a LTF1/1-2 glider. The larger surface area is compensated by the lighter material combination in the Compact version, so it offers a pleasant pack size which is comfortable to carry. This size will therefore be available only in the Compact version.

Still looking for more?...It keeps getting better: the Arcus 6.32 Compact can be converted into a small tandem glider. This is a unique selling point which should not be underestimated when it comes to resale!
It is ideally suited for lighter pilots and social pilots who would like to take their children or friends flying. The 32 Compact converts into a very appealing and agile tandem by simply changing the risers. Then, in just a few quick steps, the small tandem changes back to the "outsized" solo glider.

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Caroll Licini wins the BaWü Open

One fixture which I highlight on the calendar every year is the Baden-Württenberg-Open in Oppenau in the Black Forest. The “Ba-Wü-Open” has now grown into Germany’s largest flight show and, in my view, is also one of the most well-organised paragliding events. It is very evident that the organisers have years of experience behind them. As well as the efficient organisation of the flying aspects (retrieves, task-setting, schedule, pilot information etc.), they also think of the smallest details and, above all, of the spectators: excellent catering services with Black Forest specialities (Spätzle!!), B.A.S.E. jumpers, wing-suit flying, world-record attempt, bouncy castle, crèche facility and model plane-making, and a crane where spectators could hang on a hang-glider to be “flown” over the show-grounds to the Dominik Büchele concert! It was all simply fantastic and the organisers certainly deserve our compliments!

The north-facing launch site is at an altitude of approx. 600m and the valley floor is at approx. 300m. The calculation isn’t hard: an alpine pilot will be wondering how it’s possible to fly here. But it certainly is! On the Friday, a task of 58.8km was set. A lot of wind with a good temp and high cloud-base made the task fairly sporty in some parts. But mostly I was trying to deal with my ice-cold fingers! More than 40 pilots reached goal from the 110 who launched. There was no task on the Saturday because of the strong wind, but that meant we were finally able to explore Baden-Baden. On the Sunday, the task-setters worked out a tricky task of 46.6km.However, only 9 pilots made it to goal this time because there was a strong wind once again. On the Monday, the task was cancelled because a pilot had been injured on landing and it looked at first as if a helicopter rescue would be needed but, fortunately, that was not the case. So there were two valid tasks during the four days. Davide Licini (ITA) won, followed by Greg Baboush (USA) and Peter Jung (GER). In the women’s rankings, I came first, followed by Ewa Gorneliuk-Guzzi (GER) and Yvonne Dathe (GER). Now I need to mark the dates for the next Ba-Wü-Open! ;-)

Caroll ....great performance!!!! ..congratulations!!!
PS: and perhaps Davide will also come back to the Swing Team soon .-))

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World Cup Turkey - Peter Neuenschwander in 1st place with the “Spälti” team

The European World Cup season gets underway with places on the winners’ rostrum for our Stratus WRC pilots: Peter Neuenschwander took out 1st place with Switzerland’s “Spälti” team, and Martina Centa finished in 2nd place with the “Cornizzolo Eventi” team.

The Swiss company Spälti, which specialises in switching systems, has been sponsoring a powerful World Cup Team for years, and has been very successfully involved in competition. Peter Neuenschwander, our new team member from Switzerland, was team captain during the World Cup in Turkey of the three-man “Spälti-Troop” which, after four tasks, was the convincing winner in the team rankings. “”With Stefan Morgentahler and Joel Debon, we had an extremely strong team on launch and the victory in the team rankings is of course a very good start”, reported Petsch. In the individual rankings, however, he had a tough struggle. “Unfortunately, I landed just short of goal in the third task after 110km. The winner for the day came down to a battle at the end, and I made my final glide a little too early. Many pilots risked an awful lot and the risk had to be taken – it was a real shame.” Petsch was flying a new Stratus WRC Proto in Turkey. In the end, he could at least celebrate the team’s success. “First place for the team is naturally very important for our sponsor and our motivation and we will make every possible effort to repeat the success in the Super Final.” As well as Peter Neuenschwander, our Italian Swing pilot Martina Centa was also on the winners’ rostrum. She and her teammates were second in the team rankings. Shortly after, like all the prize winners, she found herself cooling down in the pool: the celebrations continued poolside until late in the night and, in the end, no-one stayed dry.

Congratulations to our two Stratus WRC pilots, and we keep our fingers crossed for them.

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Alex Happacher flies a 227km FAI triangle on the Stratus WRC

On 20 May, Alex Happacher from the Swing Racing Team flying a Stratus WRC, launched from the Grente (Antholz im Pustertal/South Tyrol) over the Staller Sattel into the Defreggen valley, where he set his first turn-point SW of Matrei. The first leg stretched about 100km from the Defreggen valley over Bruneck, Gitschberg by Brixen into the Ridnaun Valley near Sterzing. From there, he flew with Eder Kurt to the third turn-point towards Falzarego Pass at the end of the Gader Valley. He crossed the Puster Valley after Rodeneck over the Lüsener Alm to the Kromplatz and from there towards the turn-point at the Falzarego Pass, where he lost about 10km from the FAI triangle because he set the third turn-point too far east and, as a result, the second turn-point in the Ridnaun Valley was shortened or truncated. (Alex has had to send his normal GPS in for repairs, and the GPS he has on loan has only a small display, so his calculations were out by a few km). From the Falzarego, he flew back towards Kronplatz, where he managed to reach cloud base again, and so he was able to reach his intended landing spot in the Antholzer Valley. He landed there after 9.5 hours flying and a scoring distance of 227km.
Alex...great flight...
Many congratulations!!
more information here:


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Swing Competition Team strengthened by Peter Neuenschwander (CH)

We are pleased to be able to welcome Peter “Petsch” Neuenschwander to the Swing Competition Team. Peter, 29 years old, is switching to the Swing Team with immediate effect and will work in the high performance and competition area and in test flying tandem gliders. “Petsch” is an all-round pilot, who has recorded many successful flights and flies in Switzerland’s “Selection A”. He was successful in acro-flying for many years, together with Chrigel Maurer, and he is now concentrating mainly on the World Cup Events. In other respects, Peter has committed himself 100% to flying. As a professional tandem pilot and flying instructor, he works in the “tandem mecca’” of Interlaken and, if he has any spare time, he also enjoys hang-gliding or allows himself to be thrown out of planes: another of his great passions is skydiving. And if he ever isn’t in the air, his other pursuits include football, snowboarding and travel. Our new team member has many years of experience as a test and competition pilot and in development, which he will in future contribute to Swing.
Petsch will also look after competition pilots in his native country of Switzerland. This expands our network of contact people, and he can be contacted at the address below with any questions about competition flying:
peter.neuenschwander@swing.de

A brief profile of “Petsch”:
Date of birth: 19.09.1979
Swiss-Team: SELECTION A
Sponsors: SPAELTI-AG, Mormaii sunglasses
Job: Tandem pilot, flying instructor
Education: Electrician
Hobbies: Snowboarding, flying
Flying since: 1997
Comps since: 1998
Reason for flying: Because it’s just great fun!


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211 km on the Stratus 7 – furthest flight ever by a pilot from Ticino!

At 11.26 on 20 May 2009, Swing XC team pilot Claudio Vosti, from the Swiss canton of Ticino, began a cross-country flight from Motto Bartola. The weather forecast predicted an average westerly but, once in the air, Claudio noticed very quickly that it was stronger than the forecast. He decided to fly an “open distance” flight towards Austria. He crossed the Alps from south to north at a height of about 3300 m, and reached the crest above Sedrun.
Vosti encountered some difficulties above Chur, where he had to fight hard to work his way up again. Twenty years of flying experience helped him get out of the difficult situation and to thermal up to 3734m near Trimmis. He landed at Landeck in Austria after 7 ½ hours in the air. At the landing site, he met Paul Tomassi and Reynald
Mumentahler who had launched from Fiesch, so the three were all able to report on their flights.
Vosti was able to exploit the potential of his Stratus 7 to the full - his flight was 211 km with an average speed of 28.52 km/h.
This is the furthest flight ever by a pilot from Ticino. Vosti is now in 2nd place in the XContest Schweiz and 11th in the XC world rankings. A total of 38 pilots in Switzerland flew further than 100km on the same day, and Vosti’s flight was the 3rd longest.

Super …congratulations Claudio…great flight!

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150 km with the Arcus 6

On 20 May, Roger Bruhin flew a flat triangle of 150km on the Arcus 6, just two weeks after his great 112km FAI triangle!

As with his earlier flight, Roger began his second one on the Arcus 6 in Fanas (Switzerland). “Given the wind conditions in Prättigau, I decided at the first turnpoint to fly a flat triangle in the direction of Lake Walen.” On the way, Roger made a detour to the Schesaplana mountain, a route which is not altogether usual, but which has spectacular scenery.After the impressive crossing over the Rhine Valley, he connected straight away, and made good progress to Leistchamm. “I couldn’t resist the temptation, so I flew over Amden, which is fairly flat, as far as the Federispitz.”
His plan succeeded, and Roger was able to continue his flight several kilometres further to the west. The downside to this was that he was now a little late for the return. The evening thermals were only bubbling off the Gonzen at 2500m, not exactly comfortable for the 10km crossing ahead. Way below Falknis he kept hoping in vain for another half hour for some redemption or some valley wind.
“In those conditions, it would almost have been a miracle if I had come up again – but I had to give it a try!” He adds with a smile: “I had probably played all my Jokers already during the flight…”

Roger landed his Arcus 6 in Malans after 8 hours 40 minutes with a satisfied smile…

Great performance Roger!…if you keep this up, you’ll soon be flying 200km 

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Ewa Wisnierska is Bavarian Women’s Champ

The International Bavarian Championships took place in Lenggries from 14 – 17 May 2009. There were 95 entrants competing for the title. The weather was not at its best at the start of the competition in Tölzer Land (Upper Bavaria), but it was possible to hold two valid tasks. Cloud base was at 3300m on Sunday, and excellent visibility allowed unique impressions of the landscape.

Ewa Wisnierska, who has for two years been living near Swing’s base in Landsberied, competed for the first time for the title of Bavarian Women’s Champion, and won it convincingly on her Stratus WRC. In keeping with the title and the occasion, she wore traditional Bavarian costume to receive her cup. Manuel Nübel, our talented Swing Team pilot, earned a spot on the Bavarian winners’ podium, finishing in third place.

Congratulations to you both !!!

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“Ladies only” XC-Camp with Ewa Wisnierska

Cross-country flying for female pilots with the reigning European Women’s Champion: the focus of this special cross-country camp is the joy of cross-country flying, with advice “from one woman to another” on how to further develop your skills and overcome your own weaknesses and obstacles. The special aspect to this camp is that it builds on each individual’s flying ability, in the small groups which are intentionally kept to a maximum of 7 participants. All pilots, from XC beginners to experienced and ambitious pilots, will benefit at the XC-Camp from Ewa’s unique know-how and her great wealth of experience. Dates: 31 May (Sun) – 6 June (Sat), Place: Greifenburg (Austria).

Pilots will of course have the opportunity during the XC Camp to test fly the various Swing gliders.
Please let us know beforehand if you will be interested in doing this, so that we can make sure we have gliders available. < ewa@swing.de >

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Arcus 6 – the first FAI triangle over 100km

7 May, Roger Bruhin flew a fantastic 112km FAI triangle in Switzerland with the new Arcus 6! The first leg took him from Prättigau to Klosters. After the first turn-point, he did not follow the Koster route as most of the others did that day, but flew together with Swing XC Team pilot André Bussmann towards the south-west. Just before Savognin, Roger caught the blue thermal and was able to glide at a comfortable height to the Lenzerhorn. (Unfortunately André Bussmann was not quite so lucky and had to give up after the crossing). After that, it was a quick flight over Chur to Landquart. At the Vilan, just a few km away from where he launched, the stable layer became apparent and so Roger had to give up on the third turn-point he had originally planned. Nevertheless, after about 7 hours flying, he had done enough for a fantastic 112 km FAI triangle…

A great flight and a great start to the season Roger! …Many congratulations!

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DULV-certified motors for Mistral 5

The foundation was laid for using the Mistral 5 for motorised flight in 2008 with type certification by the DULV (German Ultralight Association) of the higher take-off weights in connection with trimmer risers. The necessary compatibility tests have now been successfully completed with many current motors.
In Germany, it is only possible to submit completely motor-powered aircraft for final type certification (i.e. glider + motor, not separate components). In other words, a test flight is required by a pilot specially trained by the DULV to determine whether the desired combination of paraglider and motor satisfies the safety requirements. This pilot flies a precisely defined test-flight programme with a particular combination.
The following Mistral 5- combinations were successfully certified:

• Mistral 5.24 /.26 /.28 with FB Snap Sportix
• Mistral 5.24 /.26 /.28 with FB Simo Jettison
• Mistral 5.24 /.26 /.28 with FB Simo Sportix
• Mistral 5.26 /.28 with FB Flyke Monster
• Mistral 5.26 /.28 with FB Bullix Monster

Here are the weight ranges for motorised flight
• Mistral 5.24 (75-130kg)
• Mistral 5.26 (85-155kg)
• Mistral 5.28 (95-170kg)>br> The compatibility tests will be included in the DULV databank shortly at
http://www.dulv.de/fmi/xsl/motorschirm/findrecords.xsl?-view

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Alex Schalber wins the Staufen Cup

As was the case the previous week at the Zillertal Open, the decision to proceed with the Staufen Cup in Andelsbuch (Vorarlberg) was not an easy one. The developing Foehn wind created real worries for the organisers. But, just like in Zillertal, it was possible to rely on a top pilot who, in addition to his flying ability, also demonstrates sound meteorological knowledge: Christian Tamegger. Christian expected the southerly to drop off considerably in the afternoon. And, as it happened, at about noon, a dozen pilots were floating about above launch. So there was nothing more standing in the way of a valid flight for points.
A short, fast flight would produce a result. It was a very quick flight to goal at Andelsbuch with good ascent rates over two somewhat unusual flat country markers.
In the turbulent final glide, Alex Schalber was able to break away from the leading group thanks to the stability of his Stratus WRC and win the day’s task. Armin Eder (Tyrol) and Werner Jäger (Vorarlberg) reached goal not far behind.
It wasn’t possible to hold a task on the Sunday, so the first task settled the overall rankings in the 2009 Staufen Cup.

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Podium for Stratus WRC at the Zillertal Open

Anyone who wishes to hold a competition in Central Europe in mid-April needs an advisor well-versed in meteorology. Former World Champion, Stephan Stieglair from Zillertal, has already shown on several occasions that he has the local weather under control. So, despite a miserable weather forecast, a large part of the Austrian League took up the invitation by the organiser, the “Golden Eagles Zillertal”.
The pilots who travelled there were rewarded with two excellent tasks. Swing pilots Alex Schalber and Thomas Brandlehner performed well once again. Alex won the first task and was second in the overall rankings, just one point ahead of his team-mate Thomas in 3rd place.
Victory went to the young pilot from Zillertal, Hannes Huber, who gave convincing proof of his knowledge of the area.
Photo: Winners at the Zillertal Open: Brandlehner, Huber, Schalber (l. to r.)

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Connect Reverse - convertible harness/backpack

For the start of the 2009 season, Swing is releasing the Connect Reverse, a very innovative convertible harness/backpack. It is the perfect addition to the Connect range, and will impress you with its high level of comfort and the large number of very well thought-out details. With this harness, Swing is targeting all paraglider pilots who place a lot of importance on a small pack size, light weight, and high level of functionality yet, at the same time, it is suitable for everyday use.

The seat geometry of the successful Connect Light 2 was used for this harness. Swing has broken new ground when it comes to carrying comfort, and has integrated the "Alpin Back System"System back support system from the well-known backpack manufacturer Deuter. Anyone who is familiar with Deuter backpacks will know that they distribute weight perfectly on the back and hips for lengthy hikes. The perceived weight is therefore considerably less than the actual weight, a great advantage of this unique carrying system. For this reason it is worth looking again more closely at the Connect Reverse for “lightweight fans”.

The backpack offers enough room for even large gliders and full helmets. The Connect Reverse L weighs 4Kg (excl. carabiners, cover and hip belt). However, note that the reserve is integrated under the seat, thus saving about 400g for an additional front container. This point should not be overlooked when comparing its weight with other products which do not have an integrated reserve system.

The first harnesses are on stock and are being delivered.

Get up to speed ...it’s worth it....

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Caroll Licini finishes in 2nd place on the Stratus WRC in the Bassano Open

The International Bassano Open takes place at Easter each year to mark the start of the season. This year, 140 pilots from more than eight countries battled against one another from 9 -13 April for points and a winning spot. The weather at Easter is notoriously changeable. Caroll Licini from the Swing Racing Team even took her golf gear with her this year to deal with the potential problem of "para-waiting" in the event of bad weather but, luckily, it stayed in her car. This year, tasks of between 59 and 113km were flown on 4 of 5 possible flying days. The longest flight of 113km took pilots as far away as Feltre. So everyone was really able to celebrate a wonderful festival of flying. There was also a large turnout of pilots at the exhibition.

Ulrich Prinz (DEU) was the winner, followed by Jimmy Pacher (ITA) and Alberto Vitale (ITA). In the women’s rankings, the world champion Helisa Houdry (FRA) finished in number one place, followed by Caroll Licini (ITA) and Rosanna Scannagata (ITA).

Richard Pethigall is 2nd in the Brazilian Championship on a Stratus WRC

This year, with the 1st PWC of 2009 coming to Governador Valadares, many top European and U.S. pilots took advantage of the GV Open the week before to compete and get some trainning in before the big event. The Brazilian Nationals were also put together with the GV - Open which made for a very high end competition. The weather made for some mixed tasks during the event. Tasks 1, 4 and 6 were very racy days while the other tasks were very slow with weak conditions. One task was cancelled halfway during the race because of overdevelopement.

Swing (with the WRC) made an impressive showing during the event with a total of 155 participants. Alfio Sargento (BRA) and Maurynho Kotoco (BRA) were holding their positions in the top 10 during the beginning of the event. Alfio fell out after the 4th task and Koto held onto 4th place until the last task where he ended up in 9th overall and 6th in the Brazilian Nationals.

Richard Pethigal from the Swing Racing Team (BRA) battled his way from 44th after task 2 to finish in 5th place overall and 2nd in the Brazilian Nationals. Martina Centa (ITA) with her WRC finished in 2nd place for the women to complete a great showing for Team Swing.

Our congratulations to these Pilots

Explorer XL backpack

The Explorer backpack is now available in the XL version as well. It has a volume of approx. 200 litres (compared to the standard Explorer at approx. 130 litres), which gives it ample room for even the bulkiest harness, such as a competition harness.

In future, this backpack will be delivered with all gliders in sizes 28 and 30.

Please state specifically when placing an order if this is not what you want.

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Paweł Faron wins the XC Open in Australia

Swing Team pilot Paweł Faron from Poland finished in first place in the first stage of the XC Open World Series 2009, which was held in Manilla, Australia from 14-21 February. There were 106 pilots from around the world battling to fly the furthest.

Our congratulations Paweł!

more information at>>

photos

Designer Torsten Siegel moves to Swing

We have scored a surprising coup, with designer Torsten Siegel moving to Swing from competitor UP International. From the coming season, Torsten will work with chief designer Michael Hartmann on paraglider development for Swing. Torsten is an outstanding gain for our team and will be involved in a number of areas for Swing. We are certain that his extensive know-how in the sport of paragliding will be a significant gain for us.

Torsten Siegel, 39 years old, is known as an experienced and successful designer, test pilot and competition pilot. Having completed his studies in engineering, he has been developing and testing paragliders for 12 years for UP International. Swing’s contact with Torsten began in October 2008, and has intensified since. Torsten’s main motivation for a change was the new challenge of working with a large and experienced team.

At Swing, we are very aware that, to retain market leadership, we should not rely on previous success. We have therefore stepped up our efforts to achieve perfection in all aspects of the sport of paragliding.

We are again emphasising this ambition by entering into a working relationship with Torsten. For this reason, he is the ideal person to expand our development team led by chief designer Michael Hartmann and test pilots Christian Amon and Benny Hörburger. Torsten will demonstrate his strengths to the full in competition flying too, and be fully committed to taking care of Swing’s competition team. Germany’s number one ranked pilot has been one of the world’s top pilots for years, and will bring all his know-how as a designer and test pilot to the team and to future products.

He is currently completing his contractual obligations with UP International and will start working with Swing from 15 February 2009.

Torsten ..welcome to the team!!!... we look forward to working with you!

The Arcus 6 is ready!

Get ready for the brand new Arcus 6, the latest model in the most successful paraglider range of all time.

find more about the new glider...

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Swing's new Sky-Wear Collection

We are pleased to be able to bring you our new Sky-Wear collection.

Our aim with this range was to offer clothing which does much more than simply keep you warm. We have joined forces with Völkl (www.voelkl.com), the ideal partner for us to be able to bring you top quality clothing.

Völkl is one of the world's largest and best-known ski manufacturers, and has extensive experience in top-quality outdoor and performance clothing. We have selected the items of clothing from the Völkl collection which are best-suited to our sport and are now able to market them with our own label.

Sportiness, practicality and an appealing design were the most important considerations in designing each item of clothing. Our Sky-Wear is manufactured from the highest-quality technical fabrics and ranks alongside the best available on the market when it comes to workmanship and practicality. The shape and cut will allow the freedom needed whatever the activity chosen.

For sales, contact one of the dealers in your country

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Great audience response for the cinema film Reise zum Horizont (“Journey to the Horizon”)

The documentary film Reise zum Horizont was met with enthusiastic audience acclaim at the 30th Biberacher Independent Film Festival and at its premiere in Munich’s Arri cinema. It tells the moving and eventful story of Ewa Wisnierska, reigning European women’s champion and multiple winner of the World Cup, and Dörte Schwarz, the 69 year old Ewa was teaching to paraglide during the course of filming. Thomas Latzel, film-maker and paraglider pilot, spent eighteen months with the pair, during a time which was very important for Ewa and Dörte.
In 105 enjoyable, exciting and entertaining minutes, the film succeeds in giving a very honest and intensive look at two extraordinary personalities and behind the scenes of competition paragliding. Reise zum Horizont shows a unique and very personal view of paragliding which has not seen before, in both breath-taking images and in quiet, very intimate moments with the two leads.

A wonderful film about limitations and how to overcome them, about a fascinating passion and on the question of what is really important in life. Recommended even for those who are not paraglider pilots! Swing is pleased to have been able to make an important contribution towards making this unconventional film project a reality.

Opening in cinemas on 13 November.

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Eva Wisnierska tops the women's rankings at the PWC in Brazil

Eva Wisnierska, the reigning European women's champion, demonstrated once again in Brazil how competitive she is.

Flying a Stratus WRC, she finished first in the women's rankings in three of the seven tasks and, with 3900 points, she clearly held her own against most of the men in the competition as well (31st place). In the 2008 World Cup rankings, she has 11675 points, putting her just 127 points behind first-place holder Anja Kroll.

Congratulations Ewa! The world championships in Mexico are certainly going to be exciting.

The Swing team.

Richard once again on the podium

The IV Andradas International Cup was held in Brazil between 7-13 September. Only 3 tasks were flown as there were strong winds on some days. Conditions were varied but some nice tasks were flown including one of 101kms with more than 50 pilots just 10kms short of goal.

With 180 pilots flying in the competition and a 450m high launch area, the beginning of the tasks were very interesting (or should we say very crowded). It was interesting to see so many different wings flying in Brazil and even more interesting to see the only Swing pilot in the comp make it to the podium (third place) .

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German Championships in Piedrahita

From September 7th until September 13th the German Championship was held in Piedrahita / Spain. Due to a tragically accident on the first day as well as bad weather conditions on the following days, only one valid run was possible. Therefore, no official rankings could be flown to determine a new champion and so Ewa Wisnierska remains the current German Champion. Once again Manuel Nübel proved his strong form and qualified for the PWC with a 3rd position in the overall ranking.

Moreover, our Stratus 7 pilot Angela Dachs, achieved a breakthrough with an inofficial first position in the ladies ranking of the German Championship. She is now the definitive winner of the 2008 league.

Swing grieves for the departed pilot Peter Gröger and feels with his family and friends.

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35 th Coupe Icare

We would like to invite you to the world's largest paragliding festival in St. Hilare, France, from Friday, 19th of September to Sunday, 21st of September.

As the weather forecasts are positive, the complete paraglider range of SWING will be available for test flights: Arcus 5, Mistral 5, Astral 5, Stratus 7 and our high tech proto Stratus WRC. Interested pilots can test the wings of their preference.

Our Swing team, together with our French Importer and the current European Champion, Ewa Wisnierska, will be pleased to help you with any questions,

We look forward to your visit!

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2008 Dolomite Man Comp. - Swing in 1st + 2nd places in the team results

The race started promptly at 10am on Saturday 6 September in the Austrian town of Lienz. The first leg was the mountain run, which was a distance of 11.1km and an altitude difference of 1950m.

It transpired on the previous day that the paraglider launch site had been shifted to the opposite mountain. After a sprint of 250m, the paragliding section of the race started from the “Damenstart” area on the Moosalm. The first pilot to launch was Christian Amon, a Swing test pilot. With his superb performance, he played his part in his team finishing in first place in the overall rankings. Congratulations, Christian. After that, the competitors were very close, with the professional teams in the leading positions, not surprisingly. Of the eleven professionals, five pilots were flying a Swing glider. Does this tell us something?

Wendelin Ortner had a super-fast Swing glider specially for this event (as reported in an earlier newsletter), as did Christian Amon, Thomas Mitterdorfer, Manuel Goller and Heli Eicholzer. There was a great battle between the pilots from the time they launched until they landed. It could not have been any more spectacular and exciting. The scenery provided an exceptionally beautiful image - with the pilots flying the course with “big ears”. There was a battle right to the end, with pilots being overtaken even on the last turn as they approached the landing on the tree-bordered football field. The pilots handed over to the kayakers, who had to run to the starting point, before launching their kayaks into the river from a height of 7m and paddling as hard as they could.

After the kayakers had finished their leg, they had to exit the water and hand over to the mountain bikers. After 17.4 km uphill, and 9.4 km downhill, a total climb of 1695m and a total fall of 1425m, the competitors rode across the finish line in the market square in Lienz. The award ceremony and party capped off this great event and the celebrations lived up to the event’s slogan, “only for the toughest under the sun!”

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Rosanna Scanagatta is the 2008 Italian Women’s Champion, flying a Stratus 7 GS!

The final tasks for the 2008 Italian Championships took place in Matese (Southern Italy) between 24 and 30 August. There were 128 pilots competing in a total of five tasks with distances between 48 and 88km. Rosanna Scanagatta and Martina Centa from the Swing Team finished in 1st and 2nd places in the women’s rankings. In the overall rankings, Luciano Pagnoni and Loris Berta from the Swing Team finished in 6th and 7th places.

Our congratulations go to all of the team pilots on their very good results, particularly to Rosanna for the title of women’s champion.

Unfortunately for our top pilot Peter Gebhard, his glider had a major collapse during a flight before the event started. He was not able to recover because he was flying fairly low at the time. The injuries Peter received in the crash meant that he was unable to continue flying in the competition. Fortunately he is not expected to have any permanent injuries. We hope that he is well again soon and wish him a speedy recovery

Richard Pethigal - Brazilian vice champion 2008 on a Stratus WRC

The ABVL Brazilian Nationals were held in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, between the 24-30/Aug . The conditions were strong, with thermals getting up to 7 m/s and max. cloud base reaching 3,200 m ASL. Six tasks ranging between 45 and 70 km were flown, with 4 to 10 pilots reaching the goal every day.
The competition was intense and many pilots were commenting about the Swing Stratus WRC marking an impressive showing in the turbulent conditions common to Belo Horizonte. Most of the tasks were flown over the impressive but intimidating Iron Mines found in the region. Everton Secco was leading the comp until the 5th day, when, during a frontal that lead to a 50% cravat above an Iron Mine, took his lead away (he arrived in goal 5th that day).
The 6th day was the last task flown and Richard Pethigal, on his Stratus WRC, arrived close behind Frank Brown to hold onto his overall lead in the competition. Because of a rule (decided at the beginning of the competition), that allowed 2 discards of the 6 tasks flown, Frank Brown passed Richard and once again was crowned Brazilian Champ.

Richard's comments to the Stratus WRC:
"The WRC is handling really well and, in my first month of flying her here in Brazil, many pilots are commenting about her impressive climbing abilities compared to the other protos and high end competition wings. When I was learning to Kayak whitewater my friend taught me that the kayak had to become my legs and the paddle had to become my arms. Later in the future this had to become a reality as I tackled difficult whitewater in Peruvian canyons. I never dreamed of the same feeling becoming a reality with myself and a paraglider until I started flying the Stratus WRC.

Thanks Swing for creating an amazing wing!"
Richard Pethigall

Congratulöations Richrad!!!!!

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Report by Heidi Skepanski, winner of first prize in our Free Flight draw

I headed off for Garmisch to find out something about the new DHV 1-2 gliders, because I had been battling with my current glider for a year and still hadn’t got comfortable with it. I visited the Swing stand, where test pilot Manuel was on hand to tell me all I needed to know about the new Mistral 5. I noticed somewhat incidentally that a fabulous campervan was on display. The winner in a prize draw would receive a week’s use of the campervan and a test glider from Swing. I was able to answer the entry question easily enough, so I quickly filled in an entry form and handed it in before heading off to the giant cake at the Blue Sky stand….

I quickly forgot that I had filled in the entry form, until I received a letter from Swing in the mail a couple of weeks later. My first thought was “Great, as soon as you give anyone your address, they start sending you advertising...” I opened the letter and couldn’t believe my eyes. It was a letter congratulating me on having won first prize. One week’s use of a campervan and a Swing test glider ….WOW… I almost couldn’t believe it, then I looked at the Swing website and there it was again, so it must have been true after all.

Things happened quickly after that. I telephoned Swing, and Daniel put me in contact with Knaus Tabbert (the campervan company) to arrange the dates for the trip (unfortunately it wasn’t possible until August). I reserved the Mistral 5 for my test glider. Then in August we were off. Our destination was Slovenia, and I was really lucky there too. Even though the weather forecast hadn’t been that great, we had a flight rate of 80% which was fantastic. Stol, Kobala, Lijak, Matajur – we went to all the top sites. We returned via Bassano, where we had another good day’s flying, and we had a final flight in Westendorf to finish. Then, sadly, before I knew it, I had to farewell the wonderfully practical campervan….

However, it was clear to me after my first few flights with the Mistral 5 that I did not want to give it back! It was love at first sight (and long after that too)...yes, and next year must get a campervan as well.

Many thanks to Swing and Knaus Tabbert – you were great to deal with and everything ran very smoothly

Manuel Nübel dominates the Junior Challenge on the Stratus WRC

This year, Swing’s Junior Team Pilot, Manuel Nübel, attracted much attention. Three tasks had already been flown and Manuel was able to cap it off, and win the fourth too. The young pilot aged 20 is enthusiastic about his Stratus WRC: “I love it like it was my own child” says Manuel, in a moment of spontaneity. His team-mate Jan-Philip Rebhan, who also flies a Stratus WRC, finished in 3rd place. Fantastic! We offer both pilots our warm congratulations and wish them all the best for the future. Keep it up! More information here

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Marion Slunka is Austrian Women’s Champion

The National Championships in Austria were not blessed with good weather. Seven tasks had been planned, but only two were flown, split between two competitions. Stable conditions for the first task in Bramberg meant that 80 pilots had already landed between 4 and 18 km. Only four pilots completed the entire task of 71km to reach goal. The East-Tyrol Open was not much better. Flying had to be cancelled on the Friday and then called off on the Saturday because of the weather. On the Sunday a task of about 54km was set, even though the weather was not totally promising. Some of the pilots had landed after about 25km and the others after about 37km. Only one pilot reached goal. Marion Slunka from the Austrian state of Carinthia, flying a Stratus 7 GS, won this year’s title of Austrian Women’s Champion, despite the adverse conditions. Heli Eichholzer from Salzburg won the title of Men’s Champion. He is also currently right among the top pilots in the World Cup rankings. Many congratulations!

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Bordairline 2008 – Tremendous performances by the athletes!

Saturday 26 July 2008, 8am, Werfenweng (Austria): the starting gun is fired for Bordairline, the paragliding adventure race. The 32 athletes from three countries (Austria, Germany, Slovenia) have 33 hours to get as far as possible from the start line by paraglider and/or on foot, and then to return to the start.

Spectators had the chance to find out something about the participants’ previous 33 hours during the obligatory finishers’ interview at the Red Bull finish line. Many of them swore that they would never again subject themselves to that kind of torture. However, come next year, plenty of them will have broken that vow and we will see the same faces again, taking part in Bordairline 2009!

Results: Individual results
1. Helmut Eichholzer
2. Christian Amon (Swing test pilot)
3. Stefan Sindleka
4. Lars Budack
5. Patrik Fankhauser

Tandem results:
1. Josef Rebernig Josef/ Mathias Kreutzer

Our congratulations go to Christian Amon for his outstanding performance.

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Gold for Swing!

Swing has good reason to celebrate...Ewa Wisnierska leads the women’s rankings in the European Paragliding Championships in Nis, Serbia, giving her the title of European Women’s Champion. Consistently good performance and a comfortable lead of 450 points allowed the 2005 World Cup winner to bring the title home to Germany. After five valid tasks, Ewa proved her abilities against the strong competition and finished with this excellent result. Now we can celebrate having a European Champion (even if it wasn’t in the football....) ;0)
The Stratus WRC pilots, Thomas Brandlehner from Team Austria and Maurizio Bottegal from Team Italy, also had exceptional performances, finishing in 6th and 7th positions.

Jurij Vidic, from Slovenia, who received his Stratus WRC just one month ago, finished in 21st place. All 10 Swing Team pilots fought hard and we would like to thank them very much for their commitment. We wish them every success in the future.
Congratulations!

The Swing Team

We are European Champions!

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All systems go for Wendelin Ortner

Red Bull’s Hangar-7 (at Salzburg airport) was the perfect location to hand over the brand new speed glider to Wendelin Ortner, six-times winner of the Dolomite Man Competition. He will use this very sophisticated glider designed by Swing when he takes part in the 2008 Dolomite Man Competition. We are eager to see whether he will be the first pilot to land in Lienz on 6 September.
We wish him all the best! The video of the hand-over in Red Bull’s Hangar 7 is here...

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European Paragliding Championships in Nis (Serbia)

The Swing Team is showing its strength once again on the Stratus WRC. Four of our team pilots are currently in the top 15 of the overall rankings in the European Championships: Maurizio Bottegal (IT) is in 7th place, Thomas Brandlehner (AUT) is in 8th place, Ewa Wisnierska (GER) is in 13th place (1st place in the women’s rankings) and Jurij Vidic (SVN) is in 14th place.

More results at: www.eupgserbia2008.com

There is a total of ten pilots flying Swing gliders in national teams from Germany, Austria, Italy, Slovenia and Poland. We wish them all the best for the final days of the competition!

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Kai Arcus Godwin...

We regularly receive friendly letters of appreciation and positive feedback from Swing Fans all over the world. This motivates us to do our best and focus on our targets.
A short while ago we received news from our Australian importer Poliglide that surpassed all demonstrations of appreciation we had seen before.
His customer Mathew Godwin, a more than satisfied owner of an ARCUS 3.24, is so happy with his paraglider that he and his wife Carmen, who will also take up flying lessons with an ARCUS, decided to name her newborn baby-boy after our well-known ARCUS Paraglider. Kai ARCUS Godwin was born in good health 2 months ago.
Swing is very pleased and deeply honoured and we wish him and his family all the best. We are certain that Kai Arcus will also one day take to the skies with a Swing paraglider… he only has to contact us as soon as he has his pilot license. We already look forward to his first flight and the ensuing headlines:
“Arcus flies Arcus”
Many thanks to the Godwins in Australia… we’re already wondering what we’re going to do if it’s a baby girl next time…
Your Swing team

Robert Pré flies 208 km

This year’s spring has not been very easy for us paragliders. Good conditions and high ceilings had been a rare sight. I am glad that with my STRATUS 7-22 I was able to use one of the better days to do a superb 208 km long out-and-return flight over the breathtaking landscape of the northern Alps: After a late takeoff from St Marcus (well known amongst cross-country fliers) the stratus’ excellent glide ratio allowed me to stay in the weak thermals long enough to be able to reach the Fort du Saint Eynard near Grenoble and to continue off north after that.
The long transition from Chartreuse to the Bauges, also called “the Savoyarde”, went well thanks to the high speed of my glider and I reached the other side at a comfortable altitude.
I followed the eastern slopes of the Bauges and then crossed to the Aravis. Since it was getting late already I switched to the eastern slopes and arrived at the culminating point “La pointe percée”, where I decided to return to the south. I transitted to the Danay, Lachat de Thones and then headed to the Parmelan. As the sun came closer to the horizon I rushed to the “Dents de Lanfon” and finally chose the classic return via the Roc des Boeufs, Margeriaz and Mt Gelas. In the end I finished with a relaxed glide to Chapareillan to close the loop less than 3 km from my starting point.
After 8 hours and 40 minutes of sheer flying happiness it was hard to get used to standing on the ground again.
The STRATUS 7 is so comfortable you simply forget about piloting. It allows you to take in the spectacular sights that freeflight offers. You can just go on and on without your arms getting tired. With a ceiling around 4000m it should be easy to fly 350 or even 400 km …
Robert

Google Earth Kml file>>

Victory for Ewa in Spain - 1st Women ranking

Ewa Wisnierska wins the third 2008 World Cup Event in the Spanish Pyrenees (Castejon de Sos). Ewa, a Swing Team pilot, won the Paragliding World Cup in Spain with two task victories and a 4th placing. This gives us an impressive reminder of how well she is flying currently and shows that she is very well prepared for the European Championships in Serbia. “I am very pleased that I had another opportunity to demonstrate my good form. I had never flown before in Castejon de Sos and I had no idea what I would encounter there”, she said, after flying in the Pyrenees for the first time but nevertheless handling the demanding conditions very well. “I felt very much at ease in the strong conditions, which is also due in part to the good set-up of the Stratus WRC glider I am flying this year. In the end, I was able to finish ahead of the rest of the field by a comfortable margin. The victory in Spain leaves me feeling very positive and motivated to fly right at the front of the field in the European Champs as well.” The European Paragliding Championships begin next week in Serbia.

The other team pilots also showed their strength and performance. After winning the second task for the Swing Team, Thomas Brandlehner eventually finished in 5th place overall in the event. Jens Kierdorf and Alex Schalber finished in 20th and 23rd positions. Congratulations to all these pilots and good luck for the European Champs.

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Uros Bergant flies 158Km with an Arcus 5 in Slovenia

"A nice high pressure area developed over central Europe from 9 till 14 May. Fortunately I could arrange some free time away from my job so I could enjoy the nice flying weather during that time. On 9 May four of my friends and I launched from the Krvavec mountain which is a famous Slovenian ski resort and headed west to Kranjska Gora near the Italian border.

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2nd place in the PWC in Grindelwald for Peter Frauenschuh on a Stratus WRC

Peter Frauenschuh from Austria, flying a Stratus WRC, finished convincingly in second place in the Paragliding World Cup in Grindelwald, after the great start to the event. The scenery for this event with the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau could hardly have been more spectacular. Unfortunately the weather meant that there were only two valid tasks in which our team pilots could show their skills. Mauricio Bottegal, the Italian importer for Swing, demonstrated his good form again and finished in 7th place in the event. Ewa Wisnierska defended her second position overall in the women’s rankings. Our congratulations to our team, and we wish them all the best for the next event in Castejon de Sos (Spain), which begins on 15 June.

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MISTRAL 5 certified for paramotoring

The excellent launch and handling features of the Mistral 5 made us decide to have this glider type-tested for paramotor use (also with trimmers and with the extended take-off weight ranges).

A paramotor harness with trimmers will be available shortly from SWING for the Mistral 5.24, 26 and 28.

The DULV test flights have already been carried out with the following maximum take-off weights:
Mistral 5.24: up to 130 kg
Mistral 5.26: up to 155 kg
Mistral 5.28: up to 170 kg
This means a huge increase in the range of use for the Mistral 5.

Mistral 5 - the sky is yours!

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FAI triangles of 237 and 229 km on the Stratus 7

Stratus 7: record-breaking flights yet again! The top cross-country pilots Alfredo Studer (Switzerland) and Klaus Günther (Germany) had a great flight together in the Swiss Alps on 15 May. The two Swing pilots flying Stratus 7 gliders launched from Fanas, and then flew a huge FAI triangle with turn-points in Klosters, the Oberalp Pass and the Churfürsten mountain range, then back to Fanas. Günther Klaus has almost certainly set a new German FAI triangle record with this flight.

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Mistral 5.30 has passed all DHV tests

Good news now for those of us who are on the larger side. The Mistral 5.30 has now passed the DHV flight tests as well and covers the upper weight range between 105 and 150 kg. This means that heavier pilots no longer have to miss out on the enjoyment of flying a Mistral. There shouldn’t be anything to hold up certification within the next 2 weeks by the DHV. The first gliders are already under production and will be ready for delivery from the end of May.

Advance orders can be placed at any time.

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4th place in the Italian World Cup for Alex Schalber on a Stratus WRC

A place in the top ten was the goal in the World Cup in Italy for Alex Schalber, top pilot from Salzburg. He did more than achieve that goal: he finished in a fabulous 4th place, just missing out on a place on the winner’s podium, but delivering the best ever World Cup result of his career.

Ewa Wisnierska also performed well on her brand-new Stratus WRC.

An unfortunate performance in the first task prevented her winning a place on the podium in this event, but ‘birdy’ still holds the promising second ranking overall among the women in the 2008 Tour.

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280.9km across the German flatlands on the Stratus 7

Erwin Auer will probably land in France soon if he keeps this up… Erwin Auer, a very successful competitor in the OLC, had a 280.9km cross-country flight on Friday 9 May 2008 after launching from his local site. This is probably the longest distance which has ever been covered in Germany on a paraglider.

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Jens Kierdorf wins the 2008 Mosel Open!

Last weekend Jens got the season underway with a picture-perfect start. He came first in the overall rankings in this top level FAI 2 competition with his new Stratus WRC competition glider. His first flight on this glider secured him the leading spot in the first task. This comfortable lead gave him a good position from which to tackle the subsequent tasks and make full use of the performance offered by his new glider. An exciting final glide in the last task allowed him to extend his lead further and to fly into goal certain of overall victory. In addition to the overall ranking, Jens was also able to defend successfully his title from last year as state champion for North Rhine-Westphalia, and he now continues as the current state champion.

"The impressive performance of the Stratus WRC more than lived up to my expectations. After the Mosel Open result, I am now looking forward to the first event in the 2008 World Cup and I am eager about upcoming competitions. I am also extremely motivated towards selection for the European Champs after this start to the season.”

This means we can look forward to a successful 2008 season for the Stratus WRC. Congratulations to Jens for the perfect start to the season!

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Now we’re away!

Several 200km+ flights made 27 April 2008 what is probably one of the first really good days in the 2008 season. A number of top pilots were flying a Swing glider on this day and flew further than 200km even on the flatlands. Among the women, Angela Dachs, who had just recently collected her Stratus 7 GS from us, flew an impressive flight of 195km over the Bavarian flatlands. Eberhardt Linckh flew a 188.7km flat triangle on an Astral 5. Now we’re away! The perfect start to the season, for which we have all been waiting.
Congratulations to everyone, including those whom we may not have mentioned here! Here are a few great flights for you to follow.

Eberhardt Linckh, Astral 5, 188.7km flat triangle from the Emberger Alm (Austria):
Link to DHV XC

Thomas Stidl, Stratus 7, 207.7km from Hausstein (plains):
Link to DHV XC

Daniel Tyrkas, Stratus 7, 168.3km flat triangle from the Emberger Alm (Austria):
Link to DHV XC

Angela Dachs, Stratus 7 GS, 195 km from Hausstein (plains):
Link to DHV XC

Erwin Auer, Stratus 7, 162km from Hausstein (plains):
Link to DHV XC

First successful results on the Stratus WRC in Italy

Our red-hot competition glider, the Stratus WRC (World Race Competition), is the replacement for the Stratus NT. It had the chance to really shine at the first competition in the Italian League which was held on 5 and 6 April. The Stratus WRC has been designed for the challenging world champs and PWC competitions. Among its impressive features are its aspect ratio of 7.5 and its handling, which is very similar to that of the Stratus 7.
The first task was held under very strong thermal conditions. Frederico Nevastro from the Swing Factory Team was the first pilot to cross the finish line 90.9 km away. Maurizio Botegall finished in 3rd place and Loris Berta was 5th. These two members of the Factory team also recently began flying the new Stratus WRC.
Conditions were much weaker on the Sunday and in stark contrast to the previous day. Unfortunately Frederico had to land early during this task (45.8 km), meaning that he lost the lead position. Maurizio Botegall was 5th in this task and Loris Berta finished 6th.
In the final placings, Maurizio Botegall earned a spot on the winners’ podium, in 3rd place, and Loris Berta was 5th place in the overall rankings. We congratulate them on a successful start to the season.
We are confident that pilots will earn many more competition points with the Stratus WRC and are looking forward to this year’s competition season!

Mistral 5

Mistral 5 in size 22 / 24 / 26 / 28 passed all tests ( LTF 1-2 and EN B). The first Mistral 5 are already delivered. So check out now and contact your dealer. Mistral 5 is now available in a range of 60-130 kg. Mistral 5.30 is in progress and scheduled for the beginning of may...

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MISTRAL 5 - the replacement for our top selling glider

Our new Mistral 5.24 successfully completed the certification test flights for DHV 1-2 classification just in time for us to present it for the first time at the Stubai Cup. It really wasn’t easy to improve on the Mistral 4. Anyone who has flown it will be aware just how good it is, but Swing’s development does not stand still…
We have made a great leap forwards in our development technology over the last 2 months. The Mistral 5.24, as with all the other Mistral sizes, is in the mid-range of the DHV classification or airworthiness requirements when it comes to safety. The other sizes will be available soon. Our team is completely captivated by this new glider and you will certainly be too… you are in for a surprise! More information will be available on our website soon (please bear with us in the meantime).

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Stratus 7 GS - Sizes 22 and 24 with DHV 2-3

Good news for our top competition and cross-country pilots, for whom certified gliders are important. The Stratus 7.22 and 7.24 have just recently passed the DHV tests with DHV 2-3 classification. It became apparent even last year that the Stratus 7 not only has great handling as a competition glider, but also has very high safety margins. Unlike the DHV version, the Stratus 7 GS, the acceleration distance was lengthened and the weight range was increased somewhat in the open class. You will find the updated data on our website

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Swing’s end-of-season party at the Mölltal glacier

More than 60 pilots had the opportunity to enjoy the fantastic location of the Mölltal glacier in good flying conditions at Swing’s 2007 end-of-season party. For most of those who took part, it was their first experience with the new sport of speed flying. Swing presented its new speed glider, the ‘Savage’, for the first time. The Savage 12 and Savage 13 were an absolute hit.
We could see the enthusiasm literally carved on the faces of all of the pilots (and, with temperatures of about -18 degrees, those expressions seemed almost permanent). During this event, we also made our presentations to the 10 best Swing Mustang-Jeans pilots from the 2007 Factory Team. Cash prizes totalling €5,000, as well as great Mustang jeans and other clothing were awarded to those who achieved the placings below.

1st place) Alex Schalber
2nd place) Ewa Wisnierska
3rd place) Maurizio Botegall
4th place) Jens Kierdorf
5th place) Caroll Licini
6th place)) Matthias Raab
7th place) Monika Mack
8th place) Ulrich Probst and Frederico Nevastro
10th place) Ivan Centa and Jan Philip Rephan

We would like to thank all pilots who took part and also the team at the Mölltal glacier cable railway - without them, this event would not have been possible.

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1st RED BULL Speed Ride

The first RedBull Speed Rider Contest will be held from 21.01 to 25.01.08 in Mattun am Arlberg. The crème de la crème of the speed riding scene will be there to fight for a placing. Swing is a co-sponsor of the event, and will be represented by Daniel Kofler (AT), from our newly formed Speed Rider Team, and our former test pilot and extreme sportsman Christian Amon (AT). The two locals will take up the challenge, using the smallest Savage (size 10). We know that it will not be easy for the pair, given the standard of pilots taking part. We keep our fingers crossed that they will perform well and get good placings.

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SAVAGE - New!

The "SAVAGE", Swing’s new speed glider, was presented at our glacier party in December 2007. The new sport of speed riding combines skiing and flying, and we are convinced that the handling and performance of the Savage make it the best speed glider available on the market. It will even be used soon by the entire German ski team when it goes to the Mölltal glacier to learn this new sport.

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Our new reserve

A further highlight was the announcement of Swing’s new reserves - PROTECT Nano, PROTECT II RIS L und PROTECT II RIS XL. Top quality at an affordable price was the philosophy followed by Swing, Advance and U-Turn. The three companies worked together to develop these reserves, now offered by each company under its own brand name. The Protect Nano, just 1.6kg and priced at only €498 (weight range from 70 - 100 kg) could be of particular interest for pilots on the lighter side.

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"Reise zum Horizont" (Journey to the Horizon)

This is the title of the new film from Thomas Latzel, with Ewa Wisnierska playing the lead role. The short presentation at the Thermik trade show before about 400 people met with great applause, and Thomas Latzel is even planning to complete the film for cinema release.

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ONE RECORD AND READY FOR MORE

The teams have been flying hard during the Anglorand X-SA Paragliding World Record Attempt. The South Africans have logged flights top flights of 187km, 186km, 168km so far. The Swiss team have 260, 225, 225. After spending a week in De Aar to acclimatise and test their gliders against the South Africans, the Swiss have advanced to Prieska in the hope that the conditions will be more favourable. The South Africans will continue to use De Aar as their base. The race for the world record continues.

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For all Stratus pilots

The flying- / competition season 2007 draws to a close. And it is now time to extend the DHV - special license for competition pilots ("Breitenerprobung") for season 2008.

SWING is offering a special price for the rotational inspection of the competition gliders (Stratus), which is duty after 100 flying hours (incl. ground handling) or after one year at the latest.
At this inspection there will be checked - among other things - the breaking strengths of the lines and the trim of the glider, in order to guarantee the airworthiness for further 100 flight hours or for max. one year.

IMPORTANT: Before sending your gliders to SWING, please contact our service manager Eugen Schussmann first.
fon +49 (0) 8141 3277871 or
eugen.schussmann@swing.de

ATTENTION: The producer`s declaration of conformity which is nessessary for the DHV - special license for competition pilots ("Breitenerprobung") can only be issued after the glider inspection is effected. This is the only way to assure that the paraglider is corresponding the the DHV-data´s.

Ravage - Micro glider of 11m²

Swing is pleased to present the Ravage, a micro glider of just 11 m². The Ravage allows a whole new feeling when flying, uncompromising, fast, direct. The canopy is relatively stable, but nevertheless extremely agile and versatile. Given its good performance (+/- glide ratio 5) for this size and shape of canopy, the Ravage is suitable not only for speed-paragliding on skies, but is conceived of more as a display glider for foot launch.
Swooping, dynamic acro moves, strong wind soaring, and much more besides, make the Ravage the ultimate fun glider. Needless to say, there is a high level of risk with such a glider. For this reason, the Swing Ravage is available only on special order and it is suitable only for ambitious pilots who have experience on similar equipment.

NAJA - a brandnew paramotor wing

POWERPLAY development team has been working with great enthusiasm on a wing purely for motorised flight.
The requirements for a paramotor wing are too varied compared with a conventional paraglider, which is designed to have the best features for gliding and thermic flight. But finally we are able to introduce you our new "weapon". 'NAJA ' is latin and means 'cobra' a snake which underlines the viperish character of the new wing.


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2-Yearly-Check and Special designs

As result of our survey on our website with international pilots, we now created two new domains on our website: You can find helpful information about possibilities to design a personal glider including costs of special designs on our homepage www.swing.de under service and specialdesign. Details and interesting facts concerning the 2-years-check are available at:

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Distribution network

SWING is working with 140 distributors in more than 40 countries. In order to inform you about our worldwide dealer network, we added the domain Sales on our website. There, our importers are listed by country with all necessary contact information. In case you have any questions about our products please don´t hesitate to contact our importers.

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