Is the Piuma worth buying? My first impressions after a few flights. By Michał Kowal
- Fly Adventure
- 3 hours ago
- 3 min read
Many pilots would probably agree that it’s the pilot—not the equipment—who does the flying. Staying true to this principle, the idea of buying a new hang glider had been on my mind for a long time—after all, my 30-year-old Perfex still flew very well. Unfortunately, three decades of use had left its mark on the glider, and I began to seriously consider buying something new.
I don’t fly very often, so from the very beginning I was looking for an easy, recreational glider. I spent countless hours browsing online and talking with more experienced pilots and my instructor. A few features were particularly important to me: the weight of the glider, ease of handling—including landing—as well as quick and simple setup. It turned out that the Piuma from ICARO2000 met all of these requirements.
I’d been considering the purchase for quite some time, until I finally made the decision and ordered the glider. Two months later, I went to pick it up with Monika and Andrzej. We set up the glider together with Manfred Ruhmer, who carefully helped me adjust the hang height. After receiving congratulations, it was time to head back home.
On the way back it would have been a sin not to test the new glider, so we stopped
in Bassano to make the first flight in this exceptional place. The next day we drove
up the mountain and I set up the Piuma with Monika’s help. My first impression was how quickly the glider could be assembled. You can see a lot of well-thought-out solutions, and after just a dozen minutes it was ready to fly. The glider is also very light, which makes ground handling easy.
Slowly I walked up to the launch ramp. Since it was my first time in Bassano, I have to admit it made a huge impression on me. A short ramp—and then a vertical drop. There wasn’t much to think about: just push the bar forward and go.
The conditions were weak. On top of that, I didn’t yet know how much I could push
this glider, so after two unsuccessful attempts to catch a thermal I decided to head
for the landing field. My approach, following the new traffic rules, ended with a quick “touchdown” right after the 180-degree turn—“right after” in this case meant
immediately. I was shocked by how forgiving the glider was. My mistake was
obvious, but from the outside it could almost have looked intentional.
My next flights were back at a familiar site in Witków, using a winch.
How does it fly? Fantastic. Honestly, that pretty much says it all.
The glider tows very well. In flight, it’s agile even at very low speeds, yet at the same time extremely predictable and very consistent. The very light bar pressure is one of the first things you notice—it’s truly remarkable.
And the landing—simply excellent. The glider holds its heading perfectly until the very end, the flare timing is easy to judge, and it has excellent parachutal behavior. Directional stability on this glider is simply outstanding.
To sum up: it’s a fantastic glider for pilots who want to fly without stress and without carrying unnecessary weight. Would I order the same glider again? No—I’d go for the Technora version because this glider deserves a bit of jewelry. Jokes aside, I’m very satisfied, and I know this glider will stay with me for many years.
Is it worth buying this glider? Everyone has to answer that question for themselves. As for me—I’m delighted.
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