The Pros of Wing

The decade 2010 will have revealed the immense qualities of foil to the greatest number of people. The gain in speed by reducing friction has propelled us into a world where all the mediocre sessions have become real paradises for gliding.

Everyone now knows that they can fly on water. The time for frustration is over. Now we can have fun with nothing.

The 80s

In this movement that we could call low energy, we have rediscovered a forgotten means of traction: the wing.

Imagined and developed in France in the 80s, its power was not sufficient and docile for the sports of the time.

The huge democratization of inflatable machines, first in boats, then in kitesurfing and SUP, gave credibility to this process which goes far beyond the initiation machines.

Foil + inflatable + Wing of the 80’s = new generation Wing!!!

An evidence

The combination of these elements has recently appeared as an evidence for the gliding world. Some people believed in it earlier as it was the case for GONG who put a lot of work both in R&D and in communication of the desire to wing.

• We like the wing first of all because it’s simple. Easy to set up, easy to practice, easy to transport.
• A wing inflates in a few seconds. Four screws to connect your foil to your board and off you go! It couldn’t be simpler. The wing fits in a backpack, the board is more and more compact, and the foil can be taken apart. The whole thing fits in a golf bag. It’s just great.
• The handling is almost immediate. In a few minutes we understand how it works and, in a few sessions, we tame the foil.

The sensations

Then we like the wing because it reminds us of the best sensations of windsurfing. We find the grip that we love, the handling of the board, the almost identical tricks. But no more back pain and untransportable gear, the wing is very cool. ?

We like the wing for its traction close to the one from the kite. You don’t need to carry the wing; it relieves your arms. The traction is in the same angles as the kite, providing comparable sensations. At the bottom it pulls hard and at the top it makes you feel lighter.

Safe

We like the wing because it’s safe. We can leave from anywhere. We usually have volume, so at worst we paddle like surfing to get in. You stand on the board in cramped and poorly ventilated places, easy to start.

You can release all the power just by letting go of the wing. No question of getting ripped off like in kite, everything is coooool.

The harmony

We like the total harmony between the wing and the foil. One seems to be born for the other to give a smooth glide, without any break, fluid to the extreme. We are not talking about racing foils, even if it will inevitably come. We mainly use surf foils because of their lift and for maximum efficiency at very low speeds. This reinforces the simplicity and smoothness.

We like the tolerance of this means of propulsion which accepts more than any other the irregularities of the wind, the tilting, the wind holes. In wing, everything seems cleaner because its inflatable structure with large sections gives it the necessary room for this tolerance. A lake, offshore wind, squalls, a branch of a river, all bodies of water are tops in Wing on a large surface foil. It will take over when the wing is out of breath. With some technique you can even go up against the wind by the simple force of pumping on the foil. Amazing. And you don’t need a lot of space, you can have fun on a 200m wide spot.

We also like to chill out on the water and take time to chat with our friends. The inflatable wings against each other, no danger, everything is fine.

We love wing surfing.

Perched on a long foil, we slide with optimal fluidity on slopes and bumps. The water offers endless combinations of pure glide. The wing is only there to provide the useful traction for going upwind. Just awesome.

Finally, we like the wing because it is economical. Budgets are not anecdotal, of course, it’s a technological water sport. But the wing only costs a few hundred euros, the same for the foil, and a little more for the board. That’s still very reasonable and light years away from windsurfing budgets for example.

Key points:

• The simplicity
• The pleasure of flying easily
• Tolerance for imperfect conditions
• Easy transport and storage
• Friendliness, sharing
• The novelty
• Safety