Skywalk Mescal 2 - Awesome Wing
by Gavin
The Karma was too small for me to be a fair comparison, and required pretty strong wind for me to ridge soar. The Bolero was a great wing which is incredibly easy to ground handle and launch. If somebody were considering purchasing a Karma or Bolero 3 I would not discourage them. However, if somebody was looking for a recommendation, I would definitely recommend the Skywalk Mescal 2. It seems to have the smoothest turns of any of the gliders I have flown. It seemed to shoot up a little faster on launch than the Bolero, but in flight was extremely solid and smooth. I refrain from using the word dampened to describe the steering, as that seems to have a negative connotation. Control inputs were direct but very smooth. My only issue, which is easy to fix, is that the brake travel is extremely long. I think it would be EXTREMELY difficult to stall this wing. It would be necessary to take several wraps and lock your hands under your bum. Nobody is going to accidentally stall this glider, which is what you want in a DHV-1 glider. My issue with it was that at the top of the weight range, I did not take any wraps and came into my landings fairly quick. Not hard landings at all, just quick horizontal speed. Also, after a full landing flair the wing was still kiting overhead. This worked out perfectly as I was able to kite the wing out of the weeds and onto a smooth surface before disabling the canopy. At the top of the weight range I had plenty of speed, and was easily able to penetrate the wind. On the day, I was one of the fastest gliders on the hill. This is not a lazy school bus, and I think anybody buying the Skywalk Mescal 2 will find they are flying it for a long time, and not soon outgrow its potential.
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