Flow Albatroxx

Flow Albatroxx

The Albatroxx was actually the first high aspect Ratio parakite to hit the market. And it seems like it’s still the fastest parakite out there when you fly hands up.

It doesn’t glide as well as the Bandit and it needs more wind to stay up. I think it’s safe to say the low end of the Bandit is still the best from all parakites out there. But the Albatroxx has a slightly higher high-end, so you can use it bit longer in strong wind.

The Albatroxx is a very chatty wing, it gives you a lot of feedback. You can feel a lot what’s going on. For some pilots that’s too much and it scares them.

Construction of the Albatroxx

It’s very well made, with thick durable Porcher fabrics. That gives it quite a big packing volume and a bit more weight than a Bandit. Flow uses quite thick and very stiff rods also, which i like. That stiffer fabric and stiffer rods make the Albatroxx a bit more easy to control on the ground and get ready compared to the bandit. On launch they both can shoot and surprise you…

The Albatroxx also has thicker lines than the Bandit, that adds some extra drag but it also makes line-handling a bit more easy. I guess the thicker lines are also part of the reason why the Bandit keeps the energy better and longer.

We also measured the weight of the Albatroxx;
Albatroxx 16 is 4kg and Bandit 16 is 3.6kg
Albatroxx 13 is 3.5kg and Bandit 13 is 3.1kg

So the weight date from Flow is not correct on their website.

Windrange of the Albatroxx

That’s sure a big advantage of the high aspect ratio parakites. More aspect ratio gives you a bigger windrange.

Stall behaviour

The Albatroxx clearly always stalls first in the wingtips, just like all Flow Paragliders do. They never stall over the whole span at once, like the Bandit does or the Advance Paragliders do. I don’t want to rate this, i’m not sure what is better or worse, but it’s one of the big differences to the Bandit. When pilots pump the Albatroxx to topland, the wing often makes a horsshoe behind the pilot, but it alway start flying again emeditatly one the pilot goes hands up again.

The Albatroxx does not get quit as hard before it stalls like the Bandit does. You do get a hardpoint before it goes, but not as hard as on Bandit.

One big difference of the Albatroxx vs a Bandit or also a Scrapper is the pulley-ratio on the risers. Flow uses a 5 to 1 ratio from Brake-handle to the B-Lines. Bandit and Scrapper have a 6 to 1 ratio. That means if you pull 100cm of brake, the B-Lines gets pulled 20cm on the Flow. On the others 16.6 cm. Doesn’t sound like a big change, but it really matters.

5 to 1 Ratio gives you a higher brake pressure while flying, but also make it more direct, you need less travel for all inputs you do. It also affects the stall behavior; parakites stall at a higher speed with a lower ratio, because you can pull less trailing edge down before they stall.

Long story short; The Albatroxx has more brake pressure while flying and it can’t go as slow as the Bandit. But it’s needs travel to make lift or dive.

Advantages

• fastest parakite out there
• very solid and durable construction
• thicker lines
• easy to forward launch in no wind
• cheaper than a Bandit

Important to know

• Needs more wind to soar than a Bandit
• Leading edge rods need to be packed nicely
• The stallpoint is not as hard and clear as on a Bandit
• Like any high AR Parakite it gets out of trim fast. If it doesn’t get as hard anymore before it stalls, time for a retrimm!
• Packing volume is bigger than on a Bandit

Tech specs and marketing text

AlbatroXX