Testing the Niviuk Peak

I tested today the Niviuk Peak at Villeneuve, where they usually make the CEN certification. The occasion was the Testival organized by fly riviera, where we can test as many wings as we want, and I was to test some others (the artik2 for instance) but then the weather got worst and my will to go up again vanished.

Usually I fly a kantega2 (dhv 1/2), and have less then 1h in dhv's 2, but I fly my wing in any condition with confidence. So I was a bit nervous to try the Peak, but as it has only one D in the brakes course, I just thought it would be ok having extra care handling it.
The wing was very easy to inflate, it is super light and not hard to control. I was using the "acro" handlers like I use in my wing (custom made) but their grip was not so good, and my gloves slipped at first. After grabbing it properly I had no problems to inflate and take off.



Conditions were super light, it was about 11h and it was a straight flight to landing field, but it gave me the opportunity to see some of the good behavior the wing has.

The brakes does seem short, but it doesn't take 1/3 to turn the wing as it takes in my kantega (a wing I love as well) so I didnt ever pulled them hard. I started gently with some small induced asymmetrics easy to counter stear (even to over counter steer in cases). Big ears are not hard to come off as well, and she gets really quick in to wing overs (I didn't do proper wing overs I was still respecting the wing a lot).

I decided it was time to try a full collapse, so I gently touched the A's. Hell broke loose, I confess I wasn't prepared for the reaction the wing had after being so kind to me. But it was kind of a sweet hell, I think it only looked worse than it was.
Usually when I full collapse my wing, I have to push hard on the A's in order to make anything happen and the wing always keeps above my head. This time I didn't understand at first why the wing disappeared behind me. I thought for a second it went in deep stall, I remembered I had a reserve, but I quicky released that it made no sense, sinse all I did was to pull the A's, not the breaks. One brief moment after, I saw the wing above me in a horse shoe shape, and I didnt understand why at that time, and then she went in front of me maybe 90º. I calmly controlled it, and it was not a big thing after all, but at first it looked bad.

I landed with a BIG smile, and willing to pilot it in stronger conditions, but I have the conscience it's still a little bit above my level, specially since I just started to fly in the alps this season. (after some years flying in Portugal/spain/brazil)

None the less I loved it =D.

(after landing, I gave some thought on it, and concluded that the wing first went behind me because it was flying so fast, and I just kept momentum, while the wing didn't. The horse shoe was because the wing tips kept flying while the center was collapsed, so it was in a strange form. Then the wing surged in front quickly as it gained speed quick as I was in a slow movement. It was a great learning experience.)