There's a final checklist to go over once finished and rigged. Also supplied is a new crossbar sticker with a new serial number to make it officially a new model glider. There’s a new sticker supplied so you don’t forget the new position. You can simply swap the main and backup if they are in the old standard positions. Sail fitting is straight forward and the sail attachments at the nose now fit on the nosebolts, however the keel pocket is riveted to the keel.įinally the main hangpoint needs to be shifted rearward by 25mm. When you’ve finally got the new batten shapes, and matched the curves on each side, you cut the batten ends to the new lengths and epoxy the new batten sockets in. Many will find this quite a challenge as these are tough 7075 battens and with the force required, it's possible to break them easily! A batten former is essential to get both the right shape and to get them exactly symmetric. Some of the battens need serious reshaping. The new wires are a different length to the old ones as they attach in a different position. In many cases it’s time to replace those sidewires anyway. The kit comes with the new sail, new crossbar brackets, new sidewires and lever tip batten fittings, with all the bolts, nuts and rivets required. It’s a good time to fully check the old airframe. This makes them perfect candidates for a sail upgrade.ĭoing the upgrade requires removal of the sail, which is not too difficult on a Fun, and Airborne supplies detailed instructions, but still it's a job that requires an expert, the right tools, some 5 minute epoxy, a large carpeted area, and 4-6 hours. Unlike high performance gliders, many airframes on Funs are in near perfect order, as Funs are ridiculously easy to land and many have never been whacked in. The Retro kit Upgradeīest of all you can buy a Fun2 kit to upgrade an old Fun 190. The improvements provide noticeable performance and convenience with no penalty to the legendary handling and landing ability. Overall it looks a lot cleaner, there’s even a nosecone to finish off the front. Pitch pressure is less now but still comfortable, so I’d expect it will be easier to aerotow too. However it will worry older enclosed crossbar gliders on glide and outclimb anything else in the air as well as having far more control authority if the air gets rough. There’s a better glide at speed too though it's still not a fast glider. I took it places into wind that required a better glide and it didn’t disappoint. In flight, it’s hard to improve on the original Fun's handling but the Fun2 feels just as good to me, however efficiency is noticeably better in turns and on glide. On the complete model, new length uprights and fittings allow optional aerofoils and even aerofoil and carbon basebars for those that want them. This glider is definitely a contender for a sub 3 minute rig up which I could never quite crack with the old model. Lufflines now attach a little forward of the trailing edge making it impossible to snag on batten ends and they can even stay connected to the kingpost when packed once you learn the sail folding method. The new cambered outer battens go in much easier, there’s no more fiddling inside the sail to locate those strut hooks. I got the mylar inserts with my glider and couldn't detect any loss in handling. Leading edge pockets are standard, but mylar inserts are optional, the glider has much smoother leading edge panels, gone are the leading edge wrinkles of the earlier Fun and the glider’s performance benefits with better efficiency. The trailing edge layout should ensure longer sail life as the trailing edge cloth is now loaded straight along the strongest direction of the fabric, which should prevent ‘floater flutter’ for some time more than previously. Well improve it they did, obviously in looks with the attractive ‘rim & fill’ sail layout but the new glider has undergone a thorough overhaul in all departments without any sacrifice of the features that made it so popular. NZs most popular hang glider of recent years, the Airborne Fun 190 is everywhere as a dune glider, recreational thermal wing and the indisputable favorite for training. When Airborne updated it to the Fun2, It was hard to imagine how they could improve it.
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