Spring has now arrived, bringing fresh hope for the new promising season. We hope that we are well prepared and fully equipped to meet your needs and any demands you may have.

We would like to take this opportunity to update you regarding news, new products and developments at APCO.
 
 

Overalls - We finally fulfilled our promise and designed an overall which is intended for the most discerning paragliding pilot (in cooperation with Air Xtreme). Careful selection of the best materials (highly breathable microfibre, water and windproof Carrington’s Cyclone material, top of the line zippers, polyester meshing), combined with careful manufacture and exclusive features will make the overall an item in hot demand. Besides all the usual features, our overall is equipped with exclusive competition sleeves made of Lycra on arms and legs. They can be zipped on for racing, or left unzipped for recreational flying. There are plenty of pockets and other gadgets to carry all necessary equipment and more. Stylishly designed and tasteful color matching will make it stand out from the crowd.
Colors available:  Veridian Green/Black, Gypsy Blue/Black, Charcoal Gray/Black.
Sizes available:  Small, Large and Extra Large (Covering the range of pilot heights up to 195 cm.)
 

Cygnus Airbag - We are now producing Silhouette harness combined with integrated Cygnus airbag. Cygnus airbag is manufactured under license from Cygnus, Switzerland and the harness is well suited to the beginner pilot and school, giving excellent protection and great value for money.
New orders welcome.
 

Glider Bag - The volume of paragliding equipment seems to continually grow, requiring frequently changing paraglider bag. Once more we have modified our bag, making it larger so that it can accept a full set of equipment including bulky airfoam protector, but without compromising on quality or ergonomics of the bag. The bag is available in new colors and made from fancy ribstop material, making it look fresh and attractive.
 

Kevlar Helmet - We now have all sizes in stock.
The helmet is produced from 100% kevlar shell, beautifully finished in 3 different colors.
We are convinced that our helmet represents the best weight/protection/price value on the market. There are many other new helmets on the market, but in general their weak point is a very soft shell made from very thin polyester plastic in order to save on weight. In our case through the use of advanced composite materials (kevlar), we were able to reduce the weight of the helmet without reducing the strength of the shell and its protective qualities. Do not be mislead by marketing slogans of competitors selling helmets, labeled “kevlar reinforced”, “carbon graphite reinforced”, or “made with kevlar technology”. All these slogans try to hide the simple fact of cheap plastic or polyester used in production of helmet, enhancing them with a few threads of advanced composite materials in the best case.
 

Prima II - For 1998 we launched a modified version of Prima. The modifications are similar to those we used when converting Sabra to Sabra II. Standard risers were replaced by split “A” riser making Big Ear and launch better adapted to the novice pilot. The front part of the rib is now manufactured from 80 gr. Trilam, instead of regular cloth, improving launch characteristics and airfoil. We have also changed the color design to be in line with color design of Santana and Sierra.
We have successfully certified Prima II 30 in AFNOR Standard Class, so now all 3 main sizes - 24, 27 and 30 are certified in Standard Class.
Prima II is available in 5 sizes covering the entire range of pilot weights and it is still very popular with schools, pilots and paramotor enthusiasts. We will continue manufacturing Prima II in years to come.
Prima II is in regular production and is available for delivery.
 

Santana - Our long awaited intermediate glider has just been released. The glider is intended for the first-time buyer and will replace Sabra, we are confident that the market response will be positive and enthusiastic. It has been launched in 4 sizes - 25, 28, 30 and 32.  The glider is directly derived from the Futura, the shape is reminiscent of the Futura. It has a lower aspect ratio and less ribs, and is enhanced by a new color design, totally different from previous APCO tradition, in order to give a fresh, modern look to the entire '98 glider line. Special attention was paid to ensure that the glider is well adapted to the needs of the beginner/intermediate market, even though its performance far exceeds the performance of Sabra. The glider is incredibly easy to launch with very pleasant handling and good stability. It looks and feels like a modern performance glider, with a solid feel, with very little or no pitch oscillation. The handling is direct and uncomplicated.
Safety fully conforms to Standard Class requirements. We hope that the glider will become the favorite choice of the intermediate customer.
See Data sheet and layout of glider.
Colors: Solid Yellow, Solid White, Solid Violet, Solid Turquoise with Red arc design top and bottom surface.
ACPULS Certified - Standard Class in all sizes.
 

Sierra - This glider will fill the gap left between the Santana and Futura and will pioneer a new class of its own - to be called "Supersport Class" Top Performance Standard Class. This glider is capable of combining the performance of Futura with safety and handling - both on the ground and in the air, suitable for the intermediate pilot. Imagine Futura with Standard Class certification, handling, and launch characteristics of an intermediate glider. Its shape is similar to Santana, but built with diagonal rib technology as on the Futura, ensuring greater performance and speed range than the Santana. Sizes 28, 30 and 32 passed the ACPULS certification with flying colors in Standard Class. Size 25  certified in Performance class.
See data sheet and planform of the glider.
Colors: Solid Yellow, Solid White, Solid Violet, Solid Turquoise with Lavender arc design top and bottom surface.
ACPULS Certified - Standard Class in sizes 28, 30 and 32. Performance class in size 25.
 

Futura - We believe that for 1998, we are selling the most complete range of gliders ever made by APCO.
In Performance Class we continue to produce Futura, but to unify the look of the entire range, the color design of Futura has been changed to carry the same arc design on the bottom surface as on Sierra/Santana, so that the entire range of gliders Prima - Futura has a unified design, making our gliders stand out in the skies and for easy identification.
 
 

Tigra - We have now been delivering Tigras for approx. 3 months and they have turned out to be a very successful glider for competition pilots. Market response is very positive, probably indicating that Tigra is the best competition glider for this season.
Encouraged by the success of the glider, we would like to urge you to actively seek competition pilots who would be interested in flying Tigra. We continue to offer 20% discount against competition contract and would consider giving extra support based on individual cases according to the pilot’s ability and rating.
Stubai Cup:  We flew the Tigra there to show to the public and also to participate in the Open Class gliding competition. Formally we received a disappointing 6th Place, but a small evaluation of the results will show that 1st, 3rd and 5th Places were taken by 3 Czech gliders (non-production) built specially for the show. 2nd Place again was a special monster (non-production) from Pro-Design and 4th Place by Edel’s Proto.
So actually as a production glider, reasonable for pilot and flying, we took the 1st Place. We consider that as a production glider we have the best on the market.
 

Futura 38/42 - Following numerous customer inquiries, we identified a market niche which was not covered by a suitable product. In Europe and USA there are many tall and healthy people who tip the scales at 100+ kg. There is no suitable glider for them on the market and they should not be discriminated against, so we designed a special "big man's" glider - Futura 38. It is a zoomed version of Futura 30 and retains all the excellent qualities of the Futura range, but will carry loads of between 120-160 kg total.
The gliders have successfully passed the ACPULS test flight certification and a few privileged customers are already enjoying them. The response has been excellent.
Futura 38 will also be sold in tandem configuration as a light bi-place glider. The big brother of this glider - a 42 m. is now ready. Orders welcome.
We belive that Futura Tandem 38 and 42 present a breakthrough in tandem flying. These are the first tandem gliders which handle and fly like a single glider. Market response is excellent and we guarantee full satisfaction for future owners.
See your local dealer for a test flight.
See Data sheet.
ACPULS Certified - Futura 38 and 42 - Test flight only in Tandem Class.
 

Tandem Emergency Parachute - An additional emergency parachute (EP) will be added to the existing line of Maydays. It is an EP intended and specially designed for professional tandem paraglider pilots and features the same design as our parachutes in our Mayday range: - pull down apex, F1-11 cloth, and retains all its excellent characteristics - superior sink rate, lightening fast opening, excellent stability and low pack volume. Construction and manufacture are the same as our Mayday range. It is now in the process of ACPULS certification and has already passed on sink rate, stability and opening tests. Load test is scheduled for a later date.

All the new products are intended for 1998, but will be gradually launched on the market from the beginning of September '97. Additional products are in the works, but not yet ready for release. We will keep you informed of developments and when they are ready for the market. Please make no mistake, we are working hard on a continuous base to make our range attractive and competitive for markets for years to come as well.