NOVA Bantam

With the BANTAM, NOVA presents an extremely small, super-light and fast miniwing. The three-liner is perfect for those who want speed and a dynamic wing. Especially fans of sports competitions like the “Dolomitenmann” and “Rise & Fall” will love this little bundle of power. The BANTAM is not a poorly performing speedwing – due to its excellent performance, you can glide really far. This makes it a great choice for para-mountaineers as well as hike & fly. Size 12 is already certified as EN/LTF D; sizes 10 and 14 are pending. In sizes 10 and 12, the BANTAM requires a skilled pilot with experience of heavily loaded wings. In size 14, and flown under 80 kg, the wing is markedly more docile.

The BANTAM is basically the fast little brother of NOVA’s new super-light paraglider the DOUBLESKIN. The BANTAM will probably soon be available in three sizes (10, 12 and 14). Size 12 has already been successfully certified. Sizes 10 and 14 are currently in process.

Designed as a three-liner with 33 cells, NOVA put the BANTAM on a radical diet: size 12 weighs only 1.65 kg (all- up weight 65 – 90 kg). This makes it the lightest certified wing with a double-surface. Nevertheless, performance- enhancing details were not neglected – the wing has mini-ribs, NOVA’s innovative Upper Surface Vector Tape and Zig-Zag 3D-Shaping for an even more aerodynamically optimised leading edge.

The focus in terms of brake geometry was on precise handling and optimal flare behaviour. This, of course, helps during landing, but also during take off, because the with some brake the airfoil generates a lot of lift. The BANTAM and takes off even at incredibly low speed. And once in the air, it’s full speed ahead. The speed range is large and the speed increase impressive!

The BANTAM has a good-natured airfoil with high passive safety. But small surface areas with a high wing-loading generally make flight very dynamic. The certification EN/LTF D suggests that the BANTAM is a glider with high demands on the pilot. This is particularly true for the sizes 10 and 12, which, especially flown in the upper end of the weight range, require a great deal of flying ability and experience with highly loaded wings.

The BANTAM offers other safety features for high-alpine use: holding pins stop the wing from slipping when laying out on steep terrain or snow. Completely sheathed lines make pre-flight preparation simpler and they are more durable. Thanks to the extremely short lines, little space is needed at a take-off. And finally, speed and good glide mean good penetration and landing characteristics.

NOVA emphasises that the light weight of the BANTAM does NOT result from simply “omitting” features, but from the consistent use of the lightest materials and an intelligent design. And of course, the BANTAM comes with the complete NOVA guarantee package.

The BANTAM is perfect for those who want to travel super- light and get down fast after an ascent. This makes it particularly interesting for athletes taking part in sports competitions like the Dolomitenmann, Rise & Fall, etc. Para- mountaineers or hike & fly fans who have experience with highly loaded gliders (miniwings) will cherish the BANTAM’s tiny packing size and weight, but will also love the speed and dynamic behaviour.

Chrigel Maurer demonstrated at the Grazi-Man that the BANTAM 12, thanks to its high top speed and good glide, is also ideally suited for such competitions. We congratulate Chrigel on his victory in the paraglider classification.

The first wings will be available from NOVA dealers in the autumn.