Kathryn O'Riordan <kathryn> writes:

If you are going to create a product in an already saturated
market, you will want to present something superior. Otherwise, what's the
point?

This is why we waited so long for the Malibu 166!

We all know Moyes has been very successful designing high performance gliders.
Recently they are having success with their new single surface glider, the
Malibu 188. However, in many ways, a small single surface or beginner glider is
harder to perfect - as I was told, you can't just make everything smaller and
expect it to work just as well as the bigger version.

I have been one of the first to try out the "smaller version" (or mini-boo as I
like to call it). I have been flying a Fun 160 for most of the last 2 years and
liked it, so I was very interested to try another single surface glider to
compare. The following are some thoughts on how the Malibu 166 feels to me;
feels being the operative word because my technical knowledge is somewhat
limited.

I invite the designer to perhaps supplement my thoughts with some of his
experienced input regarding the construction and aerodynamics.

I have categorized this review into some common glider characteristics: setup,
ground-handling, flying, thermaling, towing. Hope you find it useful.

Setup

As a somewhat independent girl one of the most important qualities for me is a
glider I can carry, setup and launch by myself.

Carrying: At 23kg carrying the glider from the car the launch is easy. Even for
a 54Kg girl.

Setup: In stronger winds on the coast, when it's not possible to set it up on
the a-frame, you need to be able to lay the glider flat. Same goes when you want
to take a rest. Like the Malibu 188, the 166 can be setup flat and left on the
ground, nose pointing into the wind (with your harness on the nose) while you go
for a swim or have some lunch. There is a little trick to standing the glider up
again, you need to crawl in under the nose, push the crossbar up and let the
a-frame swing under. Once you've done it a few times it's pretty easy.

Launch: The small a-frame (8cm shorter, but with standard speedbar) makes it
very easy to launch. Why? I feel I can run harder in light winds. I am able to
really get my shoulders in behind it as I run which keeps the nose down to build
more speed. As I am only 5'6, in some gliders I feel like I am tripping over the
a-frame, which can make launching look awkward and ungraceful, but it also makes
it dangerous if you are not able to build up enough speed before take-off.

Pack-up: Whether packing the Malibu up on the uprights, or packing it flat I
always start at the widest part of the wing and roll - this makes for a nice
shapely roll that fits perfectly inside the Mylar of the leading edge. Putting
the straps on it just a formality because when packed up correctly the Malibu
looks like a perfectly formed cocoon. The under surface zips, when opened, help
with the tidy folding.

Overall, let's say that I have been flying on my own with the 166 and have been
able to setup and fly, land and pack up (without any help) in 15-20 knot winds.
This is very encouraging for lighter pilots!

Ground-handling

Small a-frame: Above I referred to the small-frame. The first time I tried
Malibu 166 out for size was at the Moyes factory recently. I noticed the small
a-frame immediately. Finally someone has thought of us small-shouldered girls
(and guys!). I thought it felt easy, light, and small. It somehow felt smaller
than the Fun 160 even though the Malibu is 6 square feet bigger. It just felt
balanced and even.

Ground-handling in gusty conditions: Saying that, the real test of
ground-handling is not in the factory! So I took it out for a test spin in the
Boneyard in Sydney, a small (tricky) coastal site. Even though the winds were
strong and gusty, I felt like I was playing with a toy. I have some experience
on the coast now, but I really feel like anyone could ground-handle this baby.
It wasn't twitchy, nor did it turn too much to one side. It just seemed to
ignore the gusts. Very smooth. Flying (or hovering) over the ground at 1 meter
was stress-free and so much fun, so much so that my mind was not worried about
handling, but more about how elegant could I make it look.

In the air I think Moyes really started to think about the Malibu glider design
when he took to the dunes himself and had the experience of flying a novice
glider again. He began to really understand what was needed for this type of
glider.

Slow speeds: A novice pilot wants to feel safe, so the big test for me was the
stall. How does it fly at slow speeds? How has he improved on the Fun? The slow
stall speed of 22km/h (14m/h) was quite apparent. Pushing right out as far as I
could the glider did not tip-stall one bit, not even in these gusty conditions.
You push out - the glider catches the wind more and goes backward; it makes
doing what we call the "whoop-dee-dooos" really fun (this is when you push out,
then pull in and dive and push out again, so really it's like doing a backwards
circle in the air with the glider). Being able to control a glider so much
really makes you feel at ease with your surroundings, your thoughts and your
place in nature, and I think for the first time I felt like I actually belonged
in the air, just as much as any bird. Is it dangerous to feel too safe on a
glider?

I was not the only one who loved flying it. Even Tony Armstrong flew it in Hill
60. He is a great pilot, but to see the big smile on his face as he was doing
chandelle after chandelle, top landing with ease - he was transformed! He
commented that he could not get over how well it flew at slow speeds. It was
hard to get the glider back off him - you could see he had found his new toy!

Thermaling

My first thermaling experience with the Malibu 166 was in Honeysuckle launch at
Tumut. I hooked into a thermal right off launch and stayed till cloudbase. Even
though the lift was weak, being such an easy glider to handle it allowed me to
really bank and stay put in the lift. In amongst the intermediate and
performance gliders I managed to hold my own. In one flight I thermalled for
ages tip-to-tip with a Swift and an Aeros combat. It was a very bitty and broken
thermal - in, out, in, out. The Aeros decided to leave (because he had a bit of
a sharp tip to one side and decided to find a better thermal), and the Swift
eventually skied-out over me, but I have to say it was gratifying just to be
able to say I was climbing just as well as they were. I think with more
experience I may have even been able to keep up with the Swift ;)

Penetration

Floaters are not really made for going cross country, but most novices will try!
I know I go cross country all the time, so I would like some performance. On my
first flight inland with the Malibu 166 in Honeysuckle, I could feel straight
away on my first glide that this little glider had better penetration than I was
used to. I was able to make it across the valley without losing too much height.
I remember last year in the Fun in roughly the same conditions (same cloudbase
and wind strength/direction, flying about 40km/h - just over best glide) that I
lost so much height I landed eventually at the bombout! This year I made it over
Bald Hill and only 6kms from the Tumut airfield. This extra bit of scope gave me
a bit more confidence to seek out thermals.

Aerotowing

It's nice to be able to tow without feeling like you want to pin off because
your arms are killing you! I had a big smile on my face after the first tow in
Tumut behind the trike. Definitely not as much bar pressure as the Fun. My arms
were fine, I felt I could have towed forever. I remember feeling like this with
the Malibu 188 in Forbes too. I thought to myself, "Ah, so this is what towing
should feel like"! I can't be sure what speed I was going, maybe 60 km/h - it
felt smooth with no fluttering.

The details

Sometimes it's the little things that make all the difference:

- You can choose to colour the whole glider (with the Fun the main colour is
white with options only for coloured leading edges and a little bit of the under
surface)

- The choice of coloured border on the top/bottom surfaces makes the glider
appear great in photos

- Velcro to keep the dive sticks in place when packed up

- Small a-frame (did I mention that?)

- VG is an option, great for getting to that next dune

- Nose cone

- Bungee-less batten tips

What more can I say? Give it a go.

http://moyes.com.au