The DOMINATOR Paraglider | Avery Flies

Today I fly possibly the most controversial wing available for purchase in the paramotor sport. If you know, we're not having a comment war about it. If you don't know, you're not missing out.
In the end, I would not buy a Dominator - and that's NOT because of those that sell it. This video was made objectively, the wing just doesn't handle itself well. If you're unfamiliar with it, the Dominator is an old design that is still manufactured and sold as new and lacks many modern advancements in glider technology. In a way, it's like experiencing newly built 10-15 year old wing designs. It is a non-reflex, 4-riser, 2-cascade design that lacks cell opening rods and is fairly slow. Inflation and launch stability are important to me, and the Dominator does this poorly, requiring trims to be set out (fast) to keep the wing overhead and never really feeling "locked in" during the takeoff run. In flight, it's actually alright unless you're trimmed in and hit turbulence, then it's uncomfortable. Landing flare is decent for what I would categorize as an A wing in performance, but a C wing in passive safety. Whether or not that C rating in safety is accurate, I really don't know, but I was thrown around under this thing on a perfectly calm day and didn't like how insecure it felt at times. I would be alright with the lack of security if it performed better, but it just doesn't. I am glad I got to fly it though, I always say every experience builds experience.
Thanks to John Pinnix of Remote Alaska Missions for letting my fly his wing. He is doing some amazing work using paramotors among other vehicles to spread the Gospel to remote wildernesses. Check him out here: ‪@pinnixfamily‬

[@AveryFlies]

Hey, I flew the Flat Top too, if you want to see the other half of this gear: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qnWugHeGhZJjl9U

[@mobo9391]

You are right on. I have flown them a lot and I learn on the beach where the wind blows even and strong so normally it’s 2 to 5 steps and you’re in the air. That’s how we get sold on the strength of the wing and how well it performs as a new student flyer. But once I came home to Co I couldn’t get it off the ground for the reason you stated. It took me lesson from a school here in Co to teach me what you also pointed out here as to what it took to get the Dominator to fly. Once I did I have flown a bunch but then I tried a BGD Magic and it was SOOO much easier to get up and hold it above. But I do think it is not as stable as the dominator in the air but I’m new so I didn’t know all there is to know yet. That’s just my 2 cents.

[@AveryFlies]

Good to hear from other fliers with dominator experience, thanks for the input!

[@joshuastanaland7099]

This is my main wing I have been flying for years with about 200-300 hrs, same size and all. Here is what I can say. You are spot on with the inflation, it's really bad at forwards, especially in nill wind. It takes a lot of practice to get good with this wing on launch. It's surprising much better at reverse launches in very light winds. I took off today almost nill wind with a reverse. Secondly, yes it does fly well and has some weird flight characteristics that take getting use too. Landings are decent and you did launch, fly and land in the correct trim positions. You also mentioned you felt unstable in turbulence which is also true. Im not a modest pilot, I've taken dozens of collapses, some only a few feet off the ground while flying in rotor, thermals, sheer, midday, wake, ext... This wing will collapse often but recovers extraordinary well. Probably one of the best.

[@Sky_Pony_1_mic_sierra]

Nice review. I flew the large for a year before buying a Roadster to keep up with everyone else. Great wing, kinda regret not just going down a size for speed. Definitely need trims out on launch. Yes, its old technology, but so is every Cesna flying right now - that doesn't meet everyones needs, but isn't inherently bad.

[@codyking4342]

The top of that motor was way too round to be sporting a dominator wing. How dare you!!! Hahaha

[@AveryFlies]

Lol!

[@taylorgardarian]

Honestly, Avery Your channel is really cool - I look forward to seeing all of Your posts. Keep up the grand work. May I make suggestions for new video ideas?

[@AveryFlies]

Please do! I tend to gravitate toward paramotors but I'll fly just about anything I can get my hands on.

[@Para_Ninja]

I fly a M 25m Dominator, what trim setting did you launch with? Instructions say trims up which is weird compared to many other wings. I personally launch at half trim. The trims are much shorter than other wings and im guessing thats a safety feature of sorts. My opinion is its a fine safe slow wing.. I believe the theory behind the Dominator is its a slow design size for size but if you want to go faster you go to a smaller wing size but keep the stability which is a fair idea, primarily its an A wing with a capital A, very long lines and stable, almost too stable with heavy brakes, I suspect it has a much higher angle of attack than many other wings just to prevent collapsing which would also explain why its slow, its never going to be great with speed or barrel rolls but its fine for what I want it for.. just flying and I fly around local mountains so collapsing in rotor is a concern for me. . A main interest of mine is fly camping so I want to be able to launch and land in short distances as slow as possible. Your yaw issue may be due to the width of the arm bars, on the Flattop the bars are very wide, I have never felt yaw even under max 200cc of power. I flew a qubik last weekend and its a good wing too, feels much sportier at exactly the same size it had alot more flare but on a faster landing. Im sure its great for people who like acro and want to zip around. The shorter lines made the roll and wingovers much easier but that could be a bad thing for a new A pilot. I didn't like the little plastic brake stows, required me to look at it and stow precisely.. give me the magnets any day, in fact the plastic stow ripped off on him another day and was an expensive repair. Like anything I could get used to it, im used to the Dominator for the moment and don't have a strong urge to switch Overall there is alot of misdirected hate towards the Dominator because of general community hatred towards the guy behind it, the wing works, has its pros and cons.. many people forget its an A wing for people who just want a bit of extra safety. Its a real shame there is this viciousness community nastiness which extends to anyone who flys or even mentions the dominator. Its almost a derangement where instructors wont train anyone with Dominators, people yell shit out at you at fly ins etc. Its like being cancelled, Its ugly. I get nasty comments on my videos all the time I have to delete because people hate the guy so much they think they need to hate me. Try and write something positive about the Dominator on reddit and watch what happens lol. The real key behind the dominator is collapse resistance, im not sure how a test could be performed with an exactly same sized reflex wing but I would be really interested to see that. Would be hard to replicate the exact same violent turbulence for two wings though.

[@AveryFlies]

I made this review very objectively. Coming from a 26 meter Ozone Mojo PWR2 and having flown at least a half dozen other wings now, I felt the only thing the dominator did better than a mojo was retain maneuverability while trimmed in and have a slightly better flare. You say you appreciate the stability and safety of the Dominator, I would like to suggest that my Mojo is probably more collapse resistant than it. The mojo definitely feels more stable in all flight aspects and inflates much nicer, I can kite a mojo with no hands. I know I could not do the same on a Dominator. Both launches were trimmed out (up, as you call it) and felt labored. It did not shoot up too quickly, I did not need to arrest the forward movement, I had to coax it forward until applying full power, and even then did not feel locked in. I didn't appreciate that feeling. It didn't want to stabilize itself. My swing arm width is 19". interested to hear what your flat top width is. I have yet to fly one (but I really want to!). Width shouldn't cause erratic pitch movements in turbulence, though. I prefer magnet stows over plastic ones like Niviuk and BGD use, but I do not like the magnets the dominator uses. They are small, hidden/not marked, and weak. I much prefer the Gin or Apco styles, where the magnets are large, obvious, and even have plastic reinforcements to keep them from popping off accidently. This is just a preference thing though. I don't hate the dominator, but I wouldn't buy one personally after having flown several other wings. I prioritize inflation ease, stability in flight, and landing flare, and the Dominator only really did the flare part moderately well. It's indicative of the old technology that goes into building it. Again, I would suggest you put some time on an Ozone Mojo for better passive safety in flight and an easier time inflating. The Mojo doesn't flare as well as the Dom, so I'll give it that. Re: reflex collapse resistance, the reflex idea gives you speed and the swoop up on the trailing edge acts as a self-dampening feature. A reflex profile will basically pitch itself back if its AOA is too shallow, so in that vein a reflex wing is usually more collapse resistant. Many manuals advise to reflex up to moderate turbulence (Referencing the Ozone Roadster 3). The catch is a relfexed wing, if it collapses, does so more violently, so severe turbulence should be flown trimmed in (or down as you put it). I recently flew an Apco EZ-R in some 5/10 quality air, and reflexed it behaved very confidently. Check it out here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5SWpJSMmpp5bsk While I'm not a fan of the proprietor of this brand, I promise that in no way colored my video. I flew the wing in front of me and told you what I thought about it. Since I have a build date 2012 free-x xone wing in my care after the drone video, I can tell the construction and design weirdly similar to the Dominator. The difference being the dominator I flew was built 2021 and it kites about the same as the 11 year old free-x. Technology advances performance and safety, they are not mutually exclusive.

[@pjm204]

I'd love to see a test report that shows it is an A wing. I certainly don't find one on Air Turquoise's website.

[@Para_Ninja]

@@AveryFlies No that's ok, you did a good job staying away from the politics side of the subject. I have nothing against other wings or rigs either, I feel they all have their tradeoffs, pros and cons. I think there is a tendency for extreme emotions and over sensitivity around the subject because 1. We are all obsessed and love the subject 2. We are trusting our lives to our equipment so we all want to think what we have is the best. 3. We are not normal dudes lol, this is not a normal hobby... its going to attract intense personalities and intense opinions.

[@AveryFlies]

@@Para_Ninja Well said! I think its the understood trust of our lives in the gear that gets everyone so heated over things like this

[@Para_Ninja]

@@pjm204 Its a rebranding of a Sky Cima K2 made in the Czech Republic. Testing wise I did like Trevor flying around Salton a few years back with half the wing fully collapsed which I thought was a cool test. It would be great if someone would recreate that kind of how far will it collapse test with different wings. Would really want to have a reserve handy though.

[@warrenkral6562]

I know you said not to do it, but I will be that guy anyway-(it was bound to happen anyway :). While it is very nice to have a review that excludes any bias about the seller of the wings, I feel it really IS an important factor to know the character of the individual who is selling your life supporting apparatus- regardless of how it performs. After all, we are not buying tennis shoes here. If your Nike breaks because they used the cheapest child labor they could find in a dimly lit basement factory, you may stub your toe, but you probably won't die. If someone solely cares about their ego, refutes any product they don't sell, stops innovation/researching they own products, and makes generally poor life choices, I cannot trust them to make good decisions about the product that they sell or that they would ever stand behind it. Great video though as always!!!

[@AveryFlies]

Good tip toeing around the trash fire there, I'll allow it 🤣

[@robbiecollins2069]

It's a very old style. But saying that. It's an awesome wing the little I have flown it and many hours ground handling. I never had the differences you have pointed out. You would have found it different if you had always kept just your arms weight on the breaks when flying. Considering the age of the make its still much better than a lot out there.

[@AveryFlies]

Well, I respectfully disagree. If you get the chance to fly something else more modern, please do so. Some of the other very slow wings I've flown like my Mojo and the Apco Hybrid flare worse, so credit where credit is due. However, every one of the 11 different wings I've tried so far in my short career launches better than a dominator, and none of them require brake pressure in flight to feel stable. In the end, yeah it flies. I haven't put enough time on a dominator to claim any kind of safety deficit. I just know what it _feels _ like, and that's what you saw in the video. Thanks for the comment though, if I do get to fly one again I will try dragging brakes in flight. Usually that's not a good thing to do, but if that's what the dominator needs then I'll try it.

[@neosugus]

I haven't flown a Dominator, but after your review and the comments, I think any other A wing from a good brand will be better than the Dominator.

[@AveryFlies]

I agree, just from the takeoff perspective. It wasn't good, and the wobbling in flight was weird too.

[@mechanicandskills7215]

*The Dominator comes with a free bucket of hummus*

[@HilltopZombieShop]

I used to fly a Defiant. Those swing arms are way narrow. I think the flat top hang points are pretty wide. I think that would change handling a lot.

[@flierbill]

I like your review on that wing, I don't say bad things about people just because someone else does. I'd probably buy the same wing I fly now. Dudek Universal 1.1 23m

[@AveryFlies]

I really want to fly one, I've heard nothing but good things about it

[@balkan_pil0t]

Try and get your hands on the legendary Aeros Vitamin II... it was last updated in 2005. That is an old design, which can still compete with new ones of the same class.....

[@fwkb2]

Interesting! I like the level detail in your analysis. Good discussion here in the comments too. The wing looks very flat here - is that real or a camera distortion? Instinctively I would expect that shape to yaw more, like a plane without a vertical stabilizer. So strange that it ground handles poorly considering some of the amazing kiting that many of us have seen people do with that wing. I think that death on landing thing would really freak me out, would not make me very confident about in-flight stall & spin resistance.

[@AveryFlies]

Thanks! I usually record the voiceover in flight, but I was talking to John (the owner) the whole time so I dubbed back over it, hope it was decent quality. The wing certainly felt flat. I use a GoPro lens with maximum fish eye effect for wide angle so it might be skewed, but you'd have to compare some of my other videos to confirm that. I think ground handling in wind helps an awful lot, so nill wind inland flights are pretty arduous to get off the ground.

[@geoffmaxwell4461]

Trim-out on launch would cause it to not feel locked in. Try it out with a reverse.

[@AveryFlies]

Trims out was instructed by the owner, and confirmed by several other dominator pilots. I rarely get the smooth winds needed for a reverse here in inland North Carolina, I would love to try it if I could.

[@AveryFlies]

Lets keep it civil in the comments here, guys.

[@AveryFlies]

I have not flown the velocity brand, but I do know of them, they're blackhawk's in store brand of wing. I'm sure they're better than a dominator.

[@Rickardo22li]

My current wing is a mojo pwr2, based on the wings you have tried what would be a good step up a little bit in efficiency and speed but not compromising safety?

[@AveryFlies]

@@Rickardo22li For reflex wings, I would point you at an Ozone Spyder 3, Dudek Solo, or MacPara Charger (I have not flown the last 2 but have heard good things). If you don't want a reflex wing, a BGD Epic/Echo or Gin Vantage 3 would be a better handling and quicker B wing.

[@Rickardo22li]

@@AveryFlies thanks for your advice, have you tested the mojo max speed trimmed in?

[@AveryFlies]

@@Rickardo22li If memory serves, it nets me 22 mph, 110 kg auw on my 26m. I can hit 26-27 trims out on bar.

[@Leesbiz52]

When I first started watching videos about PPG's and PPC's during the "plandemic" I came across this Dell dude, as he had a lot of content on KZbin. I was initally impressed, but after awhile his demeaning crituques of others and and other equipment (besides his) and his harsh grating tone of voice was off-putting to say the least. Sheesh.... I think he would actually make coffee nervous. Sadly because of his over-the-top antics I won't be interacting with him financially in any way,,,ever. When you get older you realize when someone is trying to "sell" you something. I have been looking for an "unbiased" review on his SUPER-SLOBGOCIOUS-SUPERCALIFRAGALISTIC-EXPIEALODCIOUS WORLD-BEATING BEST IN THE ENTIRE SOLAR SYSTEM Dominator wing (as told by,,,,,,,,,,,,him). So I thank you for making this video. I would have liked to see a closer more detailed inspection of the trim adjustments you spoke about IN YOUR VIDEO as well as the difficulty of inflation from other vantage points. Perhaps close up video of what that looks like in-flight when you make those trim adjustments focusing on hands and how it affects the wing itself. This would require someone with a P.O.V. drone flying beside you when you are making those adjustments. Easy for me to say but difficult to do I know. But talk about content for YOUR videos! That would be SUPER helpful. We all want the best, safest, most high performance wing and don't want to make a buying mistake that leave us with regrets that result in injury or death. After studying this sport for over twenty years and having been involved in the massive explosion of it in the late 90's with my own design (The Para-Cycle), we used a 400 Sq.Ft. P.D. (Performance Design) square on my PPC. It was SUPER-DRAGY but it was SUPER-SAFE. We didn't have any "trim adjustments". Only trailing edge tip drag for turns. In conclusion I am hoping someone will lend you a Flare Mustache wing so you can do a review of it as well. Tucker Gott has an amazing review already, but I like your straight-forward style and would welcome your thoughts on the Mustache. Especially as contrasted with other gliders on the market including the Dominator. Cheers!

[@BoredFlyer]

Not sure if you knew this, but you’re supposed to launch those trims all the way out . Then when you’re off the ground pull trims all the way in. All in all the wing is booty cheeks

[@AveryFlies]

That's what the owner told me, and that's how I launched it. Then I guess I just stayed trimmed out in flight, which you should be able to fly a wing trims out 🤷 I did trim in for landings. It was an interesting experience for sure

[@BoredFlyer]

@@AveryFlies yeah trims all the out the wing is no longer certified. I actually help train the guy you borrowed that wing from . In Corpus Christi

[@user-wo6zt1hf9q]

No such thing as a 'reflex' cloth wing. You need a rigid wing to have any 'reflex', it's impossible to produce negative pressure under the aft portion a cloth wing like in a real reflex wing. It's basic physics. In hang gliders, the reflex at the back portion of the wing produces an inverted Bernoulli effect at low angles of attack by increasing pressure on top of the aft portion of the wing - this provides negative feedback to a dive. This effect is impossible with a cloth wing because inverting the pressure gradient will immediately collapse the aft portion of the wing to equalize the pressure. For a cloth wing to reflex would require a 'pushing' force upward to counteract the downward force on top of the wing created by the reflex. Since there is only a 'pulling' force downward on the riser lines, no reflex can be formed. These 'reflex' wings are merely front-loading the wing, shifting the center of pressure forward, and virtually excluding the rear of the wing from the lift. Effectively this increases the aspect ratio, and will make the wing fly faster, but the downside is that it will have the tendency to collapse since the loading in the rear is virtually gone. This is the reason why these so-called reflex wings forbid using brakes when the wing is front loaded - you will collapse the wing and drop like a rock to the ground. The term 'reflex' is a marketing scheme and is not factually correct. The real term should be 'death trap' wings.

[@AveryFlies]

Interesting. Well, if you ever fly next to a reflexed wing, you'll see the tail turned up. I'm no physicist but it does have an upward sweep. You last sentence makes you sound very upset about this, and I'm not here to stir the pot, this video wasn't even about reflex wings.

[@__Faust__]

OK, Dell😂

[@AveryFlies]

🤷

[@artoodeetoo3064]

Long as you know Dell is a human pos, review whatever you want. That you had to even preface the video with that, tells us you know that as well as anyone.

[@AveryFlies]

It's true, I do. I just didn't want to make the comments a super discussion.

[@artoodeetoo3064]

@@AveryFlies Fair enough bud, happy flying

[@DellSchanze]

HAAHAHHAA yea because telling the truth to save people's lives is bad but calling people pieces of crap for telling the truth to save lives is ok... hahaha. Why do you allow the devil to make a complete fool of you like that? hahhaahhaahaaha

[@DellSchanze]

@@AveryFlies Hhahaha so people that tell the truth and stand up for what's right are bad but calling good people bad is supposedly good? hahahaha. Do you see the problem with following the devil? He just makes a complete fool of you. I mean seriously try to think through that rationally for a second. Can you name even 1 single bad thing I've ever done in my entire life without lying? Nope. Not a single one. Then you do a silly "review" when you are clueless. Trying to pretend it's unstable because you went through your own wake? Seriously dude. Or unstable launching?? hahahaha. Or only accelerates 2 mph on bar???? HAHAAHAHAHAA I set the world speed record on it dude. It's crazy fast. Want to race for cash? Grab one of those Gin that you think are faster lol.

[@artoodeetoo3064]

@@DellSchanze Didn't you flee the US to avoid the lawsuits from the families of the people you killed? That isn't exactly called "saving lives." Time to be quiet junior, the adults are talking.

[@ppgtraininguk]

It’s a really easy wing to fly and train on if you’re struggling, you must be lacking the basic skills

[@AveryFlies]

Thanks for your opinion! I wasn't struggling, just pointing out how different it was from modern wings.

[@turkeyphant]

@@AveryFlies Be aware the guy you replied to sells "super training".

[@AveryFlies]

@@turkeyphant I figured as much, and being in the UK he probably has some nice winds to fly in. I had to experience nill wind forward launches. The dominator is ok in flight, but like the flat top most of my complaints are how it handles during takeoff.

[@turkeyphant]

@@AveryFlies Actually in the UK we get our fair share of zero wind days for ppg. Definitely get a lot of 15 mph days too though!

[@AveryFlies]

@@turkeyphant I guess I shouldn't assume everyone lives next to the cliffs of Dover 😂