PHI Maestro ( The wish maker )

March 9, 2019

PHI is a new brand founded by Mr Hannes Papesh. The team behind PHI has some of the most experienced pilots like Mike Kung for instance, who’s in charge for testing and fine tuning the gliders. Hannes Papesh, is a legend when it comes to designing gliders. His favorite class is the B class. I still remember the beautiful Mentor 2 S size at the time, as it was delivering a spice feel with very competitive performance that was close to some C or even D gliders at the time ! It was a special dynamic glider with competitive spirit. Will Hannes be able to manage the new Maestro ? Lets see… The Maestro 21 75-95 arrived. It has 2 lines per side on the A’s, 3 on the B’s 2 on the C’s. Very minimalistic, thin line configuration. There are lots of cells, and looking at it reminds me of the Phantom. All that package scream for performance. The finish details and construction are excellent ! In my past testing, i learned that gliders that has fewer lines and especially 2 lines per side, are likely to be flown slightly on the far end of their weight range in order to put a load on all the structure and keep it well homogenous in rough air. I found out that the sweet spot in overall conditions of the Maestro 21 is around 92, 93 all up. In moderate conditions, flying it at 90 or slightly below could be quite efficient also. At 93 all up with an X-rated 6 harness, the launching of the Maestro 21 is super easy and well behaved, without any forward surge or hanging back. After being airborne i immediately felt and understood the DNA inside this Maestro ! Let’s begin with the brake pressure that feels ‘perfect’. Not hard at all, nor too light ! For my personal feel, its just ‘perfect’ The response on the brakes are immediate ! i could steer the Maestro inside the core with 10 cm of travel in a linear brake response especially for a B !! The Maestro with its short brake travel, reacts immediately and carve inside the thermals in a tight radius, with a high degree of precision, that is rare to find on a high B glider ! Pure pleasure for the pros !! Going lower on the brakes is forgiving, but it’s not needed while coring, as around 15 cm max will let you core the meanest of thermals ! The day was special. It was windy and a bit turbulent at times. I was also surrounded by my expert flying friends, each one on their respective gliders. XC-Tracer small(2liner) , Klimber S, and a Swift 5 MS. All pilots are very well experienced. We did managed all-together, to make some small XC’s and to compare our little toys. ..Yes…i mentioned a 2 liner, and a D glider also…Just keep cool… No sudden conclusions ;-) I’m just spicing the write up a bit ;-) … I also flew with a friend on the excellent Swift 5 MS, *my reference* for the B cat, (same size) and exactly same load ! (93) as the Maestro 21. After 4 hours of extensive flying, with the whole group, i can flawlessly confirm the excellent climbing abilities of the Maestro 21 ! This glider behaves and deliver exactly like a competition glider with D certificate in its climbing properties. Why is that??? Just because the Maestro surges forward in a climb, without any pitch back at all. I mean it moves forward very quickly in climbing mode. In windy and challenging conditions or facing the valley breeze, the Maestro will deliver climbing excellence ! Those characteristics are super rare to be found on a B glider ! Letting it fly forward is super rewarding while climbing. I can confirm that it climbs very close “to say the least and keep you cool… :-) “ as the higher certified gliders. I will comment later on accessibility, but i have to mention that keeping it flying is very rewarding, but swift and fine controls on the brakes are needed to keep it leveled. Just like flying some high rated gliders. A delight ! Now comes the gliding part. I have to be clear that the top three B’s for 2019, have a very close gliding power as the C’s. For example, gliding with the Swift 5 against an Artik 5 showed me that the only difference is finding the next thermal !! Even in difficult conditions, flying either glider, a pilot can only make a difference, with the extra 2 km on the top end of a C and the feel of a higher aspect ratio glider which also helps in marginal conditions. Doing some long glides with the Maestro 21 at trim and at full bar showed me a super competitive glide angle similar to the best reference B, putting the Maestro on the top regarding gliding power. It’s gliding in moving air and difficult conditions that the Maestro could be quite rewarding. Now comes the accessibility part. The Maestro is definitely ‘not’ your first B glider. Not even after one small season on your first low B glider… The Maestro has some super fine qualities, and delivers impressive and valuable information for the keen pilot. It takes an experienced pilot to appreciate it, and to use it at its full potential. Talking for the B category, the Maestro is like a Samurai sword if you know what i mean. It can cut swiftly and cleanly, if you seek it or know how to use it. Pilots flying some C’s and even D’s wanting a great weapon for XC with B certification, will cherish the Maestro feel and qualities. Pilots flying high B gliders for two seasons, will find in the B certified Maestro, the educative feedback that will allow them to understand and fly later higher rated gliders. Big ears are stable, very efficient as only 1 line is left on the A’s, and they open without pilot intervention. Wing overs are quickly very high. The Maestro has good energy, and the structure if well loaded is compact and homogenous. Full speed is 13 km/h over trim taken at 1000 ASL. Trim speed is similar to the Rush 5, Swift 5. Conclusion: The best impressions you get is immediately after landing. Right ? This is one of the fewest times, I enjoy test flying a B glider. It’s not like driving a 8 cylinder family car. It’s like driving an “everyday” Sports car ! Comfortable enough but pleasurable to drive. Today’s top high B gliders delivers impressive performance, and it’s a blessing for many pilots to get those performances for free…But some, commented getting bored when flying B gliders, probably because of their very comfortable and dampening behavior on all axes. Pilots who feels too much dampening under a certain glider eventually seeks the higher classes. Every pilot has a different level of experience, and totally different taste regarding gliders. The Maestro has a complete package of top overall performance, agile feel of a dynamic but “balanced” high B glider. Flying pleasure awaits you with spices for the refined gastronomist ! :-) For those flying qualities, test flying it is a must. Video soon ! B comparison updated ! :-)