BLENDED PERFORMANCE ZONES
Our aim with every product is to make them fly as efficiently as possible but not at the expense of balancing the belief that our customers should be buying the best made product possible.
Owning our own factory in Vietnam that exclusively makes Ozone products offers real freedom in design.
Accelerating aerodynamic performance requires a complex blend of material selection with an intricate understanding of their implementation. Having 100% access to the factory gives our designers a unique advantage when it comes to understanding material application.
For a super high performance model like the Flux, it’s not only the materials themselves, but the intricate positioning and then handmade craftsmanship by our expert team of sewers that are key to the Flux’s superior aerodynamic handling.
While much of the design journey through the 80+ prototypes was about finding the magic point at which all these elements work in harmony, there are five features outlined below that really supercharge the handling in the Flux and help create its bigger sweet spot.
01: PRE-LOADED LEADING EDGE
Say goodbye to baggy canopy cloth and hello to more performance and a longer lasting shape.
Using a performance Dacron material that is rigid and strong has allowed our designers to pre-load the leading edge and shape it to experience drastically less deformation under load.
Combined with optimised sail shaping and horizontal panels for a tighter canopy, the Flux delivers huge aerodynamic performance gains.
We have developed a new way to add tension to the leading edge. When we then put the sail on to the leading edge it transfers the tension into the sail, making it tight and clean. When we finally cracked that part of the puzzle, it was a major breakthrough in controlling the sail though the angle of attack range. You can, of course, have too much tension leading to deformation, it’s a fine balance.
DOM ZIMMERMANN, CO-DESIGNER
02: 20% LIGHTER AND STIFFER PERFORMANCE DACRON
The 125g performance Dacron of the leading edge is also used in the strut and further accentuates the superb rigidity in the frame. In combination with the new rigid handles the connection levels feel like you’re part of the wind!
Buckling under pressure is now far less of a concern and the Flux’s pre-loaded leading edge and stiffened strut work sublimely well in partnership with the other design features. A new, bigger sweet spot in handling will allow you to find more control in stronger conditions, point higher into the wind, reach higher speeds and also pump with greater efficiency, which makes the wing’s bottom end even more potent.
03: MULTIPLIED SEAM STRENGTH AND CLEANER AERODYNAMICS
The leading edge features a high cell count which creates a more perfectly curved shape, resulting in a purer aerofoil.
The Flux is also designed with many more horizontal panels in the sail itself, distributing the load better along the warp of the fabric. From strut to tip, each seam creates a stronger line connection in the sail and takes more of the load, reducing canopy stretch.
We build natural strength into our products and therefore, more often than not, you’ll find our designs are lighter than even our competitors’ ‘exclusive’ reduced weight designs. Read more under in the ‘Born Light’ tab.
‘FLUX’ (n).
1: Continuous movement and change
2: The action or process of flowing
