2-row Sport Class

The Photon gives experienced Sport class pilots access to a level of performance very close to that of competition wings. This wing is the quintessence of Ozone's know-how in 2-line architecture. This project followed a studious development during which we gave ourselves the means by building numerous prototypes and flying it for hundreds of hours to obtain performance in flight and outside the flight envelope that allowed us to bring the Photon to a very high level of "Useful Performance" in real cross-country conditions. With the Photon, we found the missing link between conventional 3-lines and wings such as the Zeno 2 and the Enzo 3.

The Design

The Photon was developed from the Zeno 2 with a slightly lower aspect ratio and number of cells. The profile retained is a little more stable and the arch more pronounced, improving the feeling of piloting comfort while the winglets allow, for their part, to control the effect of the increased arch on the stability in roll and spiral. This wing is the most accessible 2-line that we have ever developed.

Flight Sensations

In flight, the stability of the profile as well as the cohesion of the sail along the span and the chord give the pilot a feeling of solidity and compactness over the entire speed range. Our work has resulted in a wing that provides superb piloting sensations combined with good passive safety and great ease of use. The level of performance of the wing is immediately noticeable – we have never flown an EN C that has such a glide. It is a true 2-line, the pilot can directly control the angle of attack at all flight regimes, which gives increased safety for experienced pilots and allows them to increase their average speed in turbulence. The control of the wing at the rear is intuitive and gives the pilot confidence, making this wing the ideal first step to convert you to this type of piloting.

Performance

The glide ratio is very close to that of the Zeno 2 but with less demanding and more comfortable handling due to the reduced aspect ratio and a more consistent wing. As for speed, the Photon is not only the fastest EN C we have built but, beyond the D4, it also surpasses the M7 and the Zeolite, only slightly behind the Zeno 2. Equally important: at these speeds the wing remains solid and comfortable and the winglets stabilize the roll, which improves performance in accelerated flight.

Passive Safety

Extensive collapse behavior tests conducted by our own R&D team have demonstrated that the wing easily meets the Sport Class specifications, with asymmetric and frontal collapse behaviors similar to those of the Delta 4. We never settle for the still air tests required by the standard and the Photon was no exception. We spent hundreds of hours pushing the wing to its limits, in real conditions, to confirm its robustness in flight but also to ensure its behavior after real collapses to be certain that the wing is well suited to Sport Class pilots.

The Pilot

The Photon is EN C certified and available in six sizes, it is intended for experienced pilots who have already flown under EN C category wings, with a high level of wing control and recent SIV experience.