Xenon fra Nova

Reliable in extreme situations. Challenging launches, long flights in changeable conditions and spot landings in rough terrain - this is what the Red Bull X-Alps is all about. The XENON (EN/LTF D) was designed to rise to these extreme situations. It offers pilots who want to get the most out of an XC day the perfect package of performance and safety. Thanks to a clever mix of materials, the superlight XENON is also extraordinarily durable.

Achieve top flight. Even at launch you will notice the simple handling, which ensures effortless thermalling for many hours. In accelerated straight flight, the XENON impresses with its glide performance and speed. The great stability and moderate pressure on the B-area allow this performance to be utilised in a relaxed manner, even in lively air. Therefore collapses are really rare. If the XENON does collapses, the reaction is tame for a glider of this aspect ratio. It does not tend to reopen abruptly, responds well to input during asymmetric collapses and shows no tendency to stall during a frontal.

Smart use of materials. With the XENON, we spared no effort to increase performance -including with the choice of materials. Nitinol rods fitted throughout the wing depth of the upper surface increase stability and thus performance. Nitinol is kink-resistant due to its shape memory and has better length stability than conventional nylon reinforcements. When it comes to the cloth, we rely on robust and dimensionally stable cloth in the front area of the upper surface. On the trailing edge we also dispensed with the lightest cloth available in favour of greater stability. This cloth is used for the entire undersurface and the main parts of the upper surface. Optimised in this way, the weight of the XENON is 3.15 kg in size 17.

No compromise with the risers. We use 8 mm slim Kevlar webbing for the risers, which twist very little despite their narrow width. Thanks to their great length stability, the clearly arranged risers make a significant contribution to the trim stability of the XENON. We are happy to accept that the risers weigh about 30 g more per pair than, for example, ultra-light Dyneema "shoelaces". After all, high trim stability and easy riser and line sorting before take off are essential not only during the X-Alps.
The Height-Adjustable B-Handles (HAB-Handles) can be adjusted to six different heights and thus optimally adapted to pilot size and harness geometry. The individual adjustment of the B-handles enables more effective glider control in accelerated flight. For weight reduction, we use carbon as an extraordinarily light material. For even more performance, the XENON offered a special solution for the riser: due to a moveable pulley on the B3 main line, the optimum wing twist is maintained even when pulling on the B-handles.

Photos: Fabian Gasteiger, Vera Polaschegg

The XENON (EN/LTF D) was designed for experienced XC pilots and hike & fly competitions. It is also perfect for those who are flying a two-liner for the first time. The XENON is as challenging as its aspect ratio of 6.7 would suggest. To meet the requirements for the pilot target group, we recommend experience in the safe control of gliders with an aspect ratio of at least 6.

Optimal combination of cloths. For the nose we use the dimensionally stable and UV-resistant Dominico 20D (34 g/m2). On the upper surface trailing edge we also prioritised stability over minimal weight and chose Skytex27 C2 (29 g/m2). On the entire undersurface and most of the upper surface, we use Dominico 10D (25 g/m2), which is outstanding in terms of weight, packing volume and UV resistance. The entire internal construction is made from Skytex27 hard (27 g/m2), and has been additionally reinforced at particularly loaded points on the profile ribs and diagonal ribs.

Efficient risers. Despite the slim width of 8 mm, the Kevlar risers have an extremely low tendency to twist. Thanks to their great length stability, they make a significant contribution to the trim stability of the wing. The Height-Adjustable B-handles can be adjusted and optimally adapted to pilot size and harness geometry. Due to the moveable pulley on the B3 main line, the optimum wing twist is maintained, even when pulling on the B-handles.

Speed optimised aerodynamics. The development of the XENON focused on speed. The profile ensures a high degree of pitch stability even at low angles of attack. In numerous simulations, the ballooning or stress distribution was refined to minimise the deformation of the glider at full speed. The cell openings are designed so that the internal pressure remains perfect even in accelerated flight. The result of these measures is excellent glide performance with exceptionally high stability.

Pilots Théo de Blic, Nick Donini and Ken Oguma competed in the Red Bull X-Alps 2021 with the XENON.

Quote from Théo de Blic
“During the X-Alps there are many variables, for example the weather forecast, the strategy and your physical condition on the day. But one really important factor doesn’t change - your wing. Therefore it is essential to be flying the best possible glider. For me, the XENON clearly fulfilled this criteria. When we arrived at the race, it was immediately obvious that the XENON was completely competitive. In terms of performance, we could easily keep up with the others. And the safety of the XENON is unsurpassable. After the race I heard many of the other pilots talking about scary situations in challenging conditions, where it was hard to control the glider. With the XENON I was never scared, because I could handle it perfectly in all situations. I think its great safety - even in accelerated flight - is one of its greatest assets. This means it is possible to get the maximum potential out of the XENON.”

The three athletes also flew the lightweight ARTUS harness, which will be available in a modified version in 2022.

You can find our X-Alps videos in this YouTube-Playlist and detailed reports on News & Stories.

... Philipp Medicus (Head of R&D / NOVA)

"The development of the XENON was particularly exciting because we have enthusiastic XC and hike & fly pilots in the development team who are fascinated by the X-Alps and bivouac flying. From a technical point of view, the XENON is interesting because the target group demands a purist concept. You have to weigh up - literally - exactly what the glider needs and what is omitted to save weight."

... Toni Bender (Toni on Tour / NOVA)

“To fly this glider I happily drive to Bassano for the day and then back home in the evening. It really is fun to fly. In terms of potential, the wing reminds me a little of the 1995 XENON. The 'old' XENON was by far the most successful competition glider in its day."