Independence Dragon

Last updated
Dragon
Role Paraglider
National origin Germany
Manufacturer Independence Paragliding
Designer Michaël Nesler
Status Production completed
Produced early 2000s
Unit cost
€2,500 (Dragon 2 L, 2004)

The Independence Dragon is a German single-place, paraglider that was designed by Michaël Nesler and produced by Independence Paragliding of Eisenberg, Thuringia. It is now out of production. [1]

Germany Federal parliamentary republic in central-western Europe

Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central and Western Europe, lying between the Baltic and North Seas to the north, and the Alps to the south. It borders Denmark to the north, Poland and the Czech Republic to the east, Austria and Switzerland to the south, France to the southwest, and Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands to the west.

Independence Paragliding

Independence Paragliding is a German aircraft manufacturer based in Eisenberg, Thuringia and founded by designer Michaël Nesler and test pilot Christian Amon. The company is a division of Fly-Market Flugsport-Zubehör GmbH & Co. KG and specializes in the design and manufacture of paragliders in the form of ready-to-fly aircraft as well as reserve parachutes, harnesses and paragliding accessories.

Eisenberg, Thuringia Place in Thuringia, Germany

Eisenberg is a town in Thuringia, Germany. It is the capital of the district Saale-Holzland.

Contents

Design and development

The Dragon was designed as a beginner-intermediate glider. The design progressed through two generations of models, the Dragon and Dragon 2. The models are each named for their relative size. [1]

Company test pilot Christian Amon was also involved in the development as well as flight testing of the Dragon. [1]

Test pilot aviator who flies new and modified aircraft in specific maneuvers

A test pilot is an aircraft pilot with additional training to fly and evaluate experimental, newly produced and modified aircraft with specific manoeuvres known as flight test techniques.

Variants

Dragon 2 S
Small-sized model for lighter pilots. Its 11.6 m (38.1 ft) span wing has a wing area of 24.07 m2 (259.1 sq ft), 46 cells and the aspect ratio is 5.5:1. The pilot weight range is 65 to 85 kg (143 to 187 lb). The glider model is DHV 1-2 certified. [1]
Dragon 2 M
Mid-sized model for medium-weight pilots. Its 12.5 m (41.0 ft) span wing has a wing area of 27.83 m2 (299.6 sq ft), 46 cells and the aspect ratio is 5.5:1. The pilot weight range is 80 to 105 kg (176 to 231 lb). The glider model is DHV 1-2 certified. [1]
Dragon 2 L
Large-sized model for heavier pilots. Its 13.0 m (42.7 ft) span wing has a wing area of 30.68 m2 (330.2 sq ft), 46 cells and the aspect ratio is 5.5:1. The pilot weight range is 100 to 125 kg (220 to 276 lb). The glider model is DHV 1-2 certified. [1]
Dragon 2 XL
Extra large-sized model for much heavier pilots. Its 13.5 m (44.3 ft) span wing has a wing area of 33.1 m2 (356 sq ft), 40 cells and the aspect ratio is 5.5:1. The pilot weight range is 100 to 135 kg (220 to 298 lb). The glider model is DHV 1-2 certified. [1]

Specifications (Dragon 2 L)

Data from Bertrand [1]

General characteristics

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 52 km/h (32 mph; 28 kn)

Related Research Articles

The Advance Alpha is a family of Swiss single-place, paragliders, designed and produced by Advance Thun of Thun.

The Advance Epsilon is a family of Swiss single-place paragliders, designed and produced by Advance Thun of Thun.

The Airwave Sport is an Austrian single-place, paraglider that was designed by Bruce Goldsmith and produced by Airwave Gliders of Fulpmes. It is now out of production.

Firebird Hornet

The Firebird Hornet is a German single-place, paraglider that was designed and produced by Firebird Sky Sports AG of Füssen in the mid-2000s. It is now out of production.

The Gin Bolero Plus is a South Korean single-place, paraglider that was designed by Gin Seok Song and produced by Gin Gliders of Yongin. It is now out of production.

Gin Oasis

The Gin Oasis is a South Korean single-place, paraglider that was designed by Gin Seok Song and produced by Gin Gliders of Yongin. It is now out of production.

Gradient Aspen

The Gradient Aspen is a Czech single-place, paraglider designed and produced by Gradient sro of Prague. Introduced in 2003, it remained in production in 2016 as the Aspen 5.

The Gradient Golden is a Czech single-place, paraglider designed and produced by Gradient sro of Prague. Originally produced in the mid-2000s, it was still in production in 2016 as the Golden 4.

The Independence Avalon is a German single-place, paraglider that was designed by Michaël Nesler and produced by Independence Paragliding of Eisenberg, Thuringia. It is now out of production.

The Ozone Atom is a French single-place paraglider that was designed by hang gliding and paragliding world champion pilot Robbie Whittall and produced by Ozone Gliders of Le Bar-sur-Loup. It remained in production as the Ozone 3 in 2016.

The Ozone Proton is a French single-place paraglider that was designed by hang gliding and paragliding world champion pilot Robbie Whittall and produced by Ozone Gliders of Le Bar-sur-Loup. It is no longer in production.

The Ozone Vibe is a French single-place paraglider that was designed by hang gliding and paragliding world champion pilot Robbie Whittall and produced by Ozone Gliders of Le Bar-sur-Loup. It is no longer in production.

Swing Arcus

The Swing Arcus is a series of German single-place and two-place paragliders, designed and produced by Swing Flugsportgeräte of Landsberied. In 2016 it remained in production as the Arcus 7.

The Astral is a German single-place paraglider that was designed and produced by Swing Flugsportgeräte of Landsberied. It is now out of production.

The Mistral is a German single-place paraglider that was designed and produced by Swing Flugsportgeräte of Landsberied. It is now out of production.

The U-Turn Infinity is a German single-place paraglider, designed and produced by U-Turn GmbH of Villingen-Schwenningen. It was the first glider introduced by the company in 2003 and remained in production in 2016 as the Infinity 4.

The UP Kantega is a family of German single and two-place paragliders that was designed and produced by UP Europe of Kochel am See. Introduced in 2003, production of the final version ended in 2016.

The UP Makalu is a German single-place paraglider that was designed and produced by UP Europe of Kochel am See. Introduced in 2001, production of the final version ended in 2016.

The UP Summit is a German single-place paraglider, designed and produced by UP Europe of Kochel am See, now UP International of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Introduced in 2001, production continued through 2016 with the Summit XC4 model.

The UP Trango is a German single-place paraglider, designed and produced by UP Europe of Kochel am See, now UP International of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Introduced in 2002, production continued through 2016 with the Trango XC3 model.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04, page 20. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster OK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485X
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.