Viper XC Review

What is the Viper XC?

The Viper XC is the ultimate advanced level cross country machine. As implied by the name, everything about this glider was optimized for long distance XC flights. It is efficient, easy to launch, fast, stable, and solid in turbulence. I wish this glider existed when I did the Icarus race.

Who is the Viper XC for?

The Viper XC is for advanced pilots coming from a glider like the Sirocco or Speedster. This glider is perfect for someone who is really serious about XC flying. It will allow them to fly hands off, comfortably, efficiently, and quickly. It makes a great adventure flying wing for when you want to cover long distances and explore. 

Even if you are not an XC junkie, the Viper XC is a great all around advanced wing. It is much less demanding than the Freeride and much more efficient than the Sirocco or Speedster. It is perfect for someone looking for the best of the best in terms of performance, but still wants to be able to fly hands off.

Price, Colors, Options, and Sizing

The Viper XC costs $4,600. It comes in four different color options, all of which use Ozone’s new color scheme and include a colored bottom skin. Custom colors can be added for $250. 

The Viper XC has two different options: standard and PK. The standard risers offer a longer trim range and keep the speed bar and trim operation independent. This is the version I would recommend to the majority of pilots. I would argue that this is the better option for XC as you have more speed in the trimmers. I own the standard version, for reference.

The PK version allows you to achieve max speed with the speed bar, regardless of your trim position. Both riser options come with sheathed lines.

Unlike the Freeride, I have no problem loading the Viper XC at its max weight range. I fly the 16m at 110kg and it remains very efficient and relatively docile. If you are looking for greater efficiency and super easy launches, I would aim for 80% or less. If you are a big XC guru, you should consider if you will be carrying extra gear, like oil or camping supplies, and accommodate accordingly.

Risers, Lines, and Cells

The risers on the Viper XC use a 3 liner setup with a reflex profile. It comes stock with 2D steering and roller cams on the trims. These are actually super nice, I wish more gliders used the roller cams. The trim range has a green line for neutral which is where I fly at most of the time. There is a red line to show where you are no longer allowed to pull the main brake. Just like the Sirocco/Speedster, you should use caution when flying in this red zone. It is super nice to have such speed in the trims, but you should only do so in smooth conditions at altitude. 

I have found the stock brake length to be totally fine on the Viper XC. I believe I only shortened the tip line to gain a little more roll authority. The lines on both versions are sheathed.

The Viper XC has a flat aspect ratio of 5.8 and a cell count of 62. This relatively high aspect ratio helps with making the glider so efficient. It also uses a shark nose profile and has very small cell openings.

I love the winglets on this glider. This is really the most straight tracking glider I have ever flown.

Inflation and Launch

The inflation on the Viper XC is smooth and predictable. I find that it doesn’t inflate and jump above your head quite as rapidly as the Freeride, but it has no tendency to hang back. The efficiency of this glider makes it so easy to get lift at slow speeds. Both the inflation and actual launch inspires confidence, which is great for a glider that you may use for adventure flying. If you are taking off on a desert trail, maybe with a slight crosswind, the Viper XC will make it easy.

In Flight Handling

I think the handling on the Viper XC is a little deceiving. It is so stable, it basically wants to fly itself. It is also not the most roll happy glider. It wants so badly to track straight, you need to encourage it to do wingovers. But once you get it going, you realize that it is still an advanced, unrated, reflex glider. It will build energy, become more dynamic, and easily do barrel rolls. This combination makes it great as an all around glider for someone that doesn’t want something as spicy as the Freeride.

Did I mention it tracks straight? In the aspect of roll stability, it is the opposite of the Freeride. You can fly this glider hands off with no issues. When you engage the speed system, it seems to lock on even more. It’s as if it has an auto level feature built in.

The efficiency of this glider is remarkable. For comparison, when I was testing the electric paramotor, I found that the 16m Viper XC used the same amount of power as a 26m Spyder 3 to maintain level flight. In wingovers, the Viper XC wants to recover quickly, unlike how the Freeride wants to dive.

The speed range is phenomenal. Especially on the standard riser version where most of the speed is in the trims. This is a huge advantage for XC. When I was flying the Icarus on the Freeride, I had to deal with the shorter trims. I was not able to add much more speed because it becomes very tiring to use speed bar for long amounts of time. The Viper XC would have excelled at this task.

Safety and Collapses

In turbulence, the Viper XC feels solid. It does not want to oscillate even in bumpy conditions. It is a high aspect ratio 3 liner, so it does feel a bit different. It’s hard to describe, but it feels like there is less above you. The reflex profile eats up a lot of the more minor bumps before you should start actively piloting. As this is a high performance unrated glider, you should definitely avoid flying in conditions that would cause a collapse.

Landing

The landing comes with no surprises. The Viper XC has a very flat and efficient glide with a deep and powerful flare. It isn’t as swoop happy as the Freeride as it just doesn’t want to dive as hard.

Trike Use

I have never used the Viper XC on a trike, but I’m sure it would perform well. The winglets would be great to keep it flying straight with a fixed hang point.

Free Flight Use

While you certainly can free fly the Viper XC, it would not be my first choice. I would stick to smooth soaring or sled runs. 

Advanced Skills

The Viper XC will happily do any of the advanced skills you ask it to do. Just like the Freeride, you should have mastered all of these skills prior to getting on this wing.

Cons

It’s honestly hard to come up with a single con for this glider. For its purpose, it’s honestly really dialed. I do wish it was a little more playful, but that's not what it was designed for. You can’t have a high level of stability but also be roll happy.

Conclusion

The Viper XC is the cross country glider for an advanced pilot. Its well mannered launch, efficiency, speed, and stability all make it perfect for long distance flights. If that is not your main objective, it can be an excellent every day glider for the advanced pilot.

Viper XC First Impressions

First Flight On My Custom Viper XC