Mac Para has just released it's first full reflex glider, the Mac Jet. It is available in 5 sizes, 22, 24, 26, 28, and 31. The retail price of the Mac Jet is $3500.
As with all Mac gliders, it is very easy to inflate and ground handle. It is also fast, nimble and safe. In short, the Mac Jet will be a contender in a market dominated by a few competitors. Below is a review of my first flight on the 24 Mac Jet.
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I got a Mac Jet 24 yesterday and I really wanted to take it for a spin (bad choice of words!). The winds laid down so I took off out of the park about 4:45. When I got up a couple of hundred feet it was quite bumpy which was what I was hoping for because I wanted to test the Mac Jet. I was quite impressed. It handled exactly the way a reflex glider is supposed to handle, i.e., fast and very stable. My only other experience was with the Mac Jet 28 which seemed way to big for me at only 155 lbs. The 24 on the other hand felt great. It turns quite easily with the wing tip steering and seems feels very nimble. I think I probably had to use more power with the trim out than I would with the Velvet or Envy 2, but that is to be expected of full reflex gliders.
Speed wise, the Mac Jet 24 was quite zippy, and had no trouble penetrating down wind. Unfortunately, I did not have a GPS to clock the actual speed.
I was flying over the Exxon/Mobile property just north of my house about 20 minutes into the flight, and decided to go low, so I backed off the power and mymotor died. Fortunately, I still had some altitude so I chose a spot close to a dirt road set up for landing. I was not sure if I was exactly into the wind because as I got close to the ground my speed seemed excessive. I braced for a fast landing but when I flared there was a ton of energy and, voila!, I had a nice soft two step landing.
