Ever since CEFICS was founded, we have been committed to making perfect things even better. Even products that have been successful for years are always in our focus for possible further development and improvements. Even with having the most widely usable, lightest, best-behaved, and best-performing all-round paraglider in the 4-meter class in our program, we knew we could do better. We wanted more, we wanted to create legends, and we wanted to improve them.
We wanted the CrossAlps V2!
The "CrossAlps V2 VCT 2.8 Hybrid", is the logical successor to the high-performance all-rounder CrossAlps 2.8 Hybrid, whose qualities are globally highly regarded.
The top priority was to reduce drag while maintaining the wing's well-behaved and practical nature. The basic setup was to remain untouched. So, the size, aspect ratio, and number of cells are identical to the old CrossAlps 2.8, but that's all they have in common regarding design. The rigging has been changed to the two-line concept, which saves about 20% of the total line length and thus drag. To give the wing sufficient stability due to the significantly lower number of lines, extensive adjustments were necessary inside the CrossAlps 2.8. In addition to an airfoil adapted to the two-liner, we developed an entirely new type of stabilizing structure that reduces its stability at the right moment in the situations necessary to give the wing flexibility that we can use to improve its flight characteristics.
Variable Camber Technology, or VCT for short, was born.
The CrossAlps V2 VCT thus automatically changes its profile thanks to the new VCT design, allowing the stall to develop much later in extreme flight attitudes. Only with VCT technology is it possible to build a wing that remains exceptionally stable in fast flight but automatically responds to the profile changes needed to stay good-natured in slow flight.
The result is an RC sport paraglider that can be flown extremely fast with the greatest possible performance and very slowly with the greatest possible safety at an even lower takeoff weight, even in "heavy weather" situations.
Due to the two-line setup, the total drag is significantly reduced, which contributes to the higher glide performance. In addition, the new CrossAlps V2 VCT can be accelerated even more effectively and better due to the revised risers. It is a high performer that can be easily launched and safely piloted in an unprecedented speed range even by less experienced pilots due to its Punkair hybrid construction and the new VCT technology.
To make it easier for the pilot to mount the flight system and adjust the brake lines, we have developed the EBS system.
EBS stands for "Easy Brake-Line Setup."
This means the length of the brake line no longer needs to be measured to adjust to the flight system. The brake line is connected directly to the riser at the bottom. The already built-in acro deflector is just above and attached to the pilot's arm. The adjustment is as easy as the accelerator and can be done in a few seconds.
With EBS, we can now implement an automatic B-line control and named it RST to match it with all the other abbreviations.
RST means "Riser-Steering-Technology."
On a 2-liner, the rear lines are called B-lines. Our innovative new brake line design with B-line control automatically pulls the B-level in addition to the conventional brake, depending on the load condition and braking travel.
The main effect of this is cleaner steering because the B-line control directly changes the angle of attack of the glider. In contrast, the conventional brake only worsens the profile.
Therefore, if the B-level is also used to steer, less brake input is required, and consequently, the wing flies more efficiently. This is particularly noticeable in accelerated flight because the wing on the braked side is "decelerated" automatically via the angle of attack, ultimately improving glide performance.
All this happens automatically; no changes are needed on the flight system or the transmitter. The B-line control is located on the riser of the glider and works "out of the box."
In summary, EBS and RST offer you the following advantages:
- The acro deflector is already installed!
- No brake line length has to be adjusted when mounting the flight system! The brake is attached to the pilot arm without tension.
- The flight performance is better
VCT = Variable Camber Technology
The CrossAlps V2 VCT automatically changes its profile due to the unique VCT design, allowing the stall to develop much later in extreme flight situations.
In a high angle-of-attack situation, such as when flying slowly or when the glider is highly loaded due to aerobatic maneuvers, the airfoil automatically cambers more and adapts to the flight conditions.
A greater camber turns the profile into a high-lift profile, which supports slow flight. The paraglider can therefore be flown even slower without fear of a stall. In highly dynamic situations, a larger camber prevents the glider from overreacting due to the increased drag. The VCT thus dampens the system's dynamics, which means that potentially dangerous situations such as excessive forward shooting are effectively avoided without the pilot having to react actively.
The image below shows the increased camber in such situations:
The Variable Camber technology prevents most collapses at the beginning so that the paraglider always remains well-behaved even in the most violent weather or the wildest maneuvers. This is an unprecedented capability for a two-liner paraglider wing!
Should a collapse occur, the VCT acts like a "collapse brake." The profile's middle part pushes upwards and will work like an airbrake, creating a counterforce to the downward folding of the profile's leading edge. The defined kink line ensures that the rear part of the airfoil continues to fly so that the collapse cannot develop over the entire surface of the glider. In a typical case, the wing restores itself within seconds.
Only with VCT technology is it possible to build a wing that remains exceptionally stable during fast flight and provides the needed profile changes to remain well-behaved in slow flight. The result is an RC-Paraglider that can be flown extremely fast with the greatest possible performance and very slowly with the greatest possible safety at an even lower takeoff weight, even in "heavy weather" situations.
With B-line control
The new Punkair EBS system with RST-B line control and built-in Acro deflection eliminates the need for time-consuming brake line adjustments.
