This means the customer can buy the ATOS from AIR, Icaro or another manufacturer. One (but not exclusive) distributor is Icaro 2000. The parts will be manufactured in Germany and other countries.Įvery glider will be labelled ‘designed by AIR’. In addition, a composite specialist will be responsible for checking and for maintenance of the composite parts. The people who assemble the glider are members of the earlier Thalhofer Company, who have more than twenty years experience in hang glider manufacture. The name of the new company is AIR (Aeronautic Innovation Ruhle and Partner), and the gliders will be assembled in Germany. And the structural weight of the ATOS is much less than the Exxtacy.Īre you working with a new manufacturer? I heard that the D-cells will be made elsewhere and the gliders assembled in Germany.

This was possible thanks to the DLR (German Research Institute) where I still work part time. In order to optimise the structure, I did load tests with the DHV car with strain gauges at critical locations. Will the glider be as strong at the Exxtacy? Most fittings are improved, so the set up time is shorter and the trailing edge is now cleaner. The sail will be produced at Icaro, which will give us additional valuable know-how input. Bernd designed the sails for Thalhofer, the last UP hang gliders, and continued the production of the Pegasus sails after I stopped it, so I know the finish is very nice. The sail material is different and the finish of the sail is better too, due to the experience of Bernd Weber. The new flap design also effects a better sink rate. The airfoils are designed for the local angle of attack, which requires different moulds for each rib and spar. The Exxtacy was designed with a constant chord to keep the production costs low. L/D? Does it still have a constant cord? Does it have a different profile/camber or different material? How are you able to significantly reduce the size of the glider (8%), whilst improving the minimum sink rate and max. Some Exxtacy owners have already asked me “could it be that much better” but that’s my honest impression after the first flights. This is the result of the very light outer wing in combination with a new spoiler geometry and a changed wing shape.

Further advantages include better handling, which is much more direct with a shorter roll ratio. This is improved due to the higher aspect ratio and the shape of the tip and an optimised lift distribution. Especially while flying in thermals with high bank a low induced drag is an important criterion for a good climbing. There are other advantages apart from just performance. We are now in the refinement phase of a design type, so the improvements are not as dramatic as they might at first appear. So where does the ATOS pull away from the Exxtacy? On paper, the ATOS 125 and 145 are way ahead of their predecessors in sink rate, glide and weight, and there’s a bold claim of a max L/D 19.1 but, Felix was quick to point out, “19:1 can only be reached by an optimised pilot position, even though with a much cleaner sail we think we’re being conservative with this figure.” This is an incredible figure, and compares with the Exxtacy 160’s 10.15. There are some interesting numbers to be found in the ATOS brochure, but the most interesting of all is the aspect ratio, which weighs in at a whopping 12.1 for the 145 size. Now he is working with Felix Ruehle, who has a proven track record designing fine rigid wing hang gliders. I had heard that Gianni (at Icaro 2000) had stopped the Lumina project after its design failures. He will be working in close collaboration with Icaro in the production and distribution of his new wing. Felix recently left Flight Design, where he developed the revolutionary Exxtacy, to form his own company, AIR. Hang gliding: Felix Ruehle, previously of Pegasus and Flight Design, revealed his new ATOS design at the Thermik show, Germany, in December. Go get ’em … an Atos launches at St Andre, France

Hang glider design