REVIEW - I love the new

This is a review of my new wing, a Theta ULS from Advance.
It is a lightweight wing for hike and fly.
This review is from the perspective of a beginner. I am a relatively low air time paraglider pilot, with less than 20 hours. In the first 18 months of flying i have only ever flown "A" rated gliders or school wings, so i thought it might be interesting for other pilots with low airtime to see how this wing behaves in launching, thermalling and ridge soaring, given that Advance describe it as a "mid B".
This model is a 29m2 , and i weigh 112kg all up. Roughly the middle of the weight range.
The wing itself weighs 4kg.
I bought mine from the Sick & the Wrong, my local shop in Keswick - really nice people they are highly recommended!
I am flying the Theta ULS in the early afternoon on June 22nd, 2024, as part of the leisure/ free flyers group for the Lakes Charity Classic, organised by the BHPA / Cumbria Soaring Club.
Wind is westerly, 10 - 12mph.

[@GrasmereHikeAndFly]

EXTRA THING FOR THE REVIEW! Having flown a few more times on the Theta ULS something else to watch for is that because the air speed is higher, the wing is more likely to deflate on takeoff unless you can commit and load-up the risers fully, as you run forward, versus an "A" wing with a lower stall point. It's not a big issue but definitely is helping me to focus more on putting weight through the risers before i step off the hill (which I probably should have been doing anyway). 👍👍👍

[@larssorenson9916]

Hi thanks for posting this video! It’s very helpful. I also like the quality reputation of Advance despite never having flown any of their wings. I have about 40 hours and 150 flights and fly a Swing Miura 2 RS which has taken very good care of me thus far. I will take it to SIV in Annecy in October. I have flown a 20 km XC on the wing and will take it on a one week XC school trip to the Dolomites in two weeks. I hope to improve on the distance despite it being an EN A/B. I’m told it’s perfectly possible to fly your first 100 km XC on any ENA wing so I won’t let that hold me back. However I’ve been in love with the Theta ULS since its announcement. My weight is smack between sizes on the Epsilon and I don’t want to have to choose between being super light or super heavy on any wing. Rather I would like to fall at about 70-80% of the weight range and this is the case for the Theta. Its perfect. However, several dealers and instructors have told me the Theta is way too dynamic for my current experience level and it will scare me in turbulent thermals etc. I see you fly mainly in the UK which may be more mellow despite the high winds. I have only flown in desert mountains of Southern California and this summer I’m in Austria and Italy. So I only fly big mountains and it’s often quite turbulent and collapses are a daily occurrence at most flying sites from my observations. The Swing with RAST is a really stiff wing and the few times it folded in strong turbulence were resolved by the time I looked up. I have flown it with 50% pilot induced asymmetric collapses both in heading hold and also doing a 360 into the open side here in Austria as part of the basic training to get the Austrian / DHV license. I’ve also pulled B stall and it’s all very straight forward and not part of an SIV course. I don’t know how this would be on the Theta. Regardless, I was surprised to see your video based on what I’ve been told about the wing. Because I don’t feel the Swing is teaching me much about active piloting, I feel I should get something else since I’m past the first 30 hours. Also I travel and don’t live in a specific place so packing size is important. The Miura is a heavy full size glider and also I’m at 90 kg flight weight which is 100% into weight range for size (S). I do SIV with Flyeo in Annecy in October and then head to Tenerife to receive flight coaching with Para24 on the way to Colombia for the winter with two flight schools for XC mentoring. I already use the Advance Boundless reversible harness. For travel the Theta seems perfect for the setup. Hmm. Well - what’s your latest feeling about flying the wing? Any regrets, any scary moments? Nobody encouraged you to get the Epsilon first? Did anyone discourage you from buying the Theta? I fly in rowdy conditions so maybe the wing is not for me yet. I also have my eyes on the Phi Tenor 2 which I flew for a few days. I’ve also flown the Gin Calypso 2 as a loaner for a couple of weeks. The Theta has a debris clearing design in the trailing edge while the Calypso has zero openings to clear debris and the ribs in the trailing edge are sewn on the outside with string sticking out ready to come undone over time. The Tenor has a tiny debris opening - next to useless and the riser magnets are a nuisance on that wing. I think the Theta would check most of “the design detail” boxes perfectly. But I don’t want a wing which will scare me in very turbulent thermals and be super dynamic during SIV. That’s why I’m curious about your assessment. To be honest, I only began flying in April this year but I did obtain the basic license in 2001 however never flew after training until 23 years later. So basically I began off the street this year. I’ve still managed to accumulate nearly 40 hours and 150 flights. I also have the USHPA P3 independent pilot rating (IPPI3) and the Austrian / German B license (I believe it equates to IPPI 5). But as we all know, licenses are for bureaucrats and don’t say much about skill and real world proficiency. I look forward to your comments.

[@GrasmereHikeAndFly]

@@larssorenson9916 this is an excellent and detailed comment. Just out at the moment but will reply fully tonight, give me an hour or so 👍

[@GrasmereHikeAndFly]

@@larssorenson9916 hello, sorry about that! Ok let me try to take this in order. 1) debris. I have never used this function of the Theta. I fly always in the mountains never the beach. So far i have never had debris / sand in the wing. I cannot comment on this. 2) wing feedback. I had got fairly comfortable kiting / ground handling on my old A wing , which was a BGD Magic. However the Theta ULS is more dynamic and difficult to kite. I find that i need to launch positively and hanging around for too long on takeoff means it tends to collapse and flutter, unless i load up and launch off. my theory is that this is because it has a higher natural air speed, and a higher stall point also. The test pilots at Air Turquoise talk about this in the certification (stall speed). This makes it harder to kite while stationary and slightly harder to launch. The same is true in the air. Generally i try to be light on the brakes as it responds quickly to small movements and - more generally - i seem to get "best climb" when my hands are up, rather than at 25% brake pressure. In thermals i have only flown in gentle thermals, maximum of 2.5m / second but more normally in 1.5m / second or less. Where i live it is easier to use terrain to find lift, so ridge soaring, especially if i am flying after work when the sun has lost its power, in the early evening. I have had one scary moment in a strong headwind, where i turned sharply to set up my landing approach but it had the effect (i believe) of buffeting the glider which maybe on a slower wing would have been OK. (Although also i would have been struggling to fly forwards on a slower glider, so it is hard to know.) when i tried this turn i had a 50% collapse on the Theta and a small rotation maybe 30% change of heading, with a minor loss of altitude. You can find the video in my "shorts" on KZbin. Not fun! My answer now is to fly in less wind. After this, i feel like I don't want to walk up the hill unless the wind is less than 15mph. Perhaps this should have been my policy in the beginning?

[@GrasmereHikeAndFly]

@@larssorenson9916 3) wing design and construction. The quality of the build is very high, and there are no problems that i can see. However it is lightweight. I love the small pack size and light weight for walking up the hills!!! However for SIV and pulling a lot of G-force on it, i am uncertain. Other people will know more than me and i am sure it will be tested to a very high strength. But it is sold as a lightweight glider so for myself i feel nervous to deliberately pull hard on the stitching for SIV. Maybe this is OK? I do not know.

[@GrasmereHikeAndFly]

@@larssorenson9916 finally, my overall feeling. My focus at the moment is learning to thermal better. I hope that the air speed of the Theta is a kind of safety, because it pushes through rougher air and does not "knock back" when you enter the thermal, which my old wing did. So in this way it is smoother and gives me a better feeling. On the other hand i am finding it harder to "fly slowly in the lift" , because the wing is so quick. Perhaps I am not turning tightly enough? Or i am turning on thermals that are too small, which i should ignore? Or am I flying too late in the day? In any case it is helping me to improve and it is particularly good for light "scratchy" conditions , for ridge soaring. I am flying 110kg on the 29m, so perhaps in the middle of the range? A limitation for me is that i have not flown lots of different wings. I would like to fly the Epsilon in the future, to see if it is different. I hope this is helpful! Apologies for the long reply 👍👍👍

[@larssorenson9916]

@@GrasmereHikeAndFly I appreciate all your feedback. I also enjoy ground handling and still have the small 14m BDG Seed wing. I think this really helped me. I’ve noticed the differences in ground handling between the different wings I’ve tried. I actually have two Swing gliders; the Miura 2 RS and a light weight Verso RS which is one size too small for me so I haven’t flown it more then a few times since it is extremely roll unstable. It is close to mini wing flying quality and I plan to fly it for SIV since I booked 9 days in total. Maybe Marlin Lobb can teach me how to fly it properly. Both the Swing gliders are really sweet to ground handle - I’m still working on the 360 ground spin though. Work in progress! If the Theta has a higher stall speed then you would think higher winds at launch would be beneficial as more wind moves over the canopy and the relative wind speed is higher thus stabilizing the wing providing it’s not too gusty? I may have it wrong. I do see a lot of blown launches in the alps. I believe it’s not always poor pilot ground handling skills. Some gliders are just plain difficult to get stabilized in variable wind conditions. Like the first generation Phi Beat has this reputation and I’ve seen the trouble it made for an otherwise very competent pilot. I’ve heard though that most Advance wings inflate very nicely including the Theta. But it’s not an A wing in that regard I’m sure. I may just keep my swing gliders for the first 150 hours. I appreciate your feedback. Or I may get rid of the light weight Verso and replace it with a Phi Tenor 2 light and wait with the Theta for another year or more. You have also been at this longer than me. I should probably not be in too big of a rush. I’ve heard the paragliding mantra a few times “slow down.” Still the Theta is such good looking wing from such a good company haha. Enjoy the rest of the flying season and thanks for your reply.. Come to Tenerife and fly it in November - or Colombia this winter!

[@marianobarrera1074]

Hello, very good video, I am a beginner too, I wanted to ask you two things, did you consider other paragliders and why did you decide to buy the advance, if you don't feel that the glider can resist little because it is ultralight and when one is learning, the glider passes a lot in the floor

[@GrasmereHikeAndFly]

@@marianobarrera1074 good question. I wanted something with a high build quality and my local shop (the sick and the wrong, Keswick) really recommend advance for the quality of the construction. From seeing the Theta ULS i agree with them. On the lightness, yes this is a factor and i would not use this on an SIV for example. But a little bit of dragging is not a problem. And the Theta ULS is a full 1.5kg lighter than my other wing, which really helps for hike and fly 👍

[@GrasmereHikeAndFly]

On other brands i havent ever flown other brands, but would be happy to have a look!

[@shaynegalloway3717]

It looks like the speed system lines aren’t running free.

[@GrasmereHikeAndFly]

@@shaynegalloway3717 yes - v narrow risers make it easy to link up the wrong side on takeoff. Bar still works fine but it would be better running clean