In this interview Frantisek “Franta” Pavlousek (Chief Designer) and Jaromir “Jarda” Mašek (Co-Designer & Test Pilot) go into detail about their new development TORRE – the EN-C 2-liner for 2026.
Why is a 2-liner in the C category still something revolutionary? What made it possible?
Jarda: "The 2-liners in the C-category start to appear for two reasons. First is that the 2-liner concept was mastered enough to achieve safety not only for competition pilots. The second reason is a change of the certification rules. The 2-liner concept in general is more resistant to collapses, which can bring performance advantages but also safety problems. Therefore there are special “folding” lines used to pass the certification collapses. Because these folding lines are kind of “legal cheat”, they have been allowed only for EN-D class until the last change of the norm. Therefore the only class the 2-liners had a chance to pass was the EN-D category. Currently, the folding lines are allowed also for EN-C class, so the 2-liners can be squeezed also here. The overall result is that less safe wings can pass the C category, no matter whether they are 2-liners or not. On the other hand it is a natural progress, that the concept from the high performance classes soaks down. Decades ago, when the first pure 3-liner competition glider was made, it was a dangerous technology and now it has been standard for EN-C gliders and with some modifications it is common even for school gliders."
What was your favorite moment in the development of TORRE?
Jarda: "My favorite moment in the development of any model is, when the line of imperfect prototypes is finally broken with the one. The wing starts to behave nicely and it is pure fun to take it for cross country. And that is exactly what happened with TORRE recently."
Who of the R&D Team did which part?
Franta: "TORRE project is the same as the other projects. The chief designer (the man sitting 24/7 behind his computer) is Franta Pavloušek, the co-designer and test pilot is Jarda Mašek, the test pilots are Michal Šneiberg and Jirka Dlask. What is important to mention is the support of Robert Grim and his colleagues of the Institute of Aerospace Engineering of the Brno University of Technology, who make the CFD software simulations, line drag measurements in a wind tunnel and similar scientific parts of the project."
At what point did the winglets come into play?
Jarda: "We have experimented with winglets on several models currently being developed, to assess the impacts as much as possible. We decided to keep them on TORRE unlike the K2 5 for example. The winglets improve direction stability. This helps straight flight, especially accelerated. It also helps in spirals and when exiting them. On TORRE this was a nicely fitting piece to add in the overall puzzle."
Compared to TRANGO X (2.5-liner) in the same category – which wing is suitable for which “type” of pilot?
Franta: "TRANGO X is "an old school wing" - there is nothing bad about that, the old school pilots - like me - love it. It flies great with good performance and perfect safety margin. TRANGO X even has a rear riser steering thanks to the HPR riser system. The rear riser steering works well to avoid collapses. Even the line drag of the TRANGO X is not much different as the 2,5-line system is very close to the 2-line system. So it looks there is no disadvantage when the 2,5-liner TRANGO X is compared to the new 2-liner TORRE… But there are some: TRANGO X is missing the biggest advantage of 2-liners, which is the efficiency of the rear riser steering on transitions through turbulence. The effect of gaining altitude when going through these turbulences. This is the biggest difference. When you compare the glide ratio in calm air the performance of the 2,5-liner and 2-liner looks quite similar. But when you fly in real air (real air of an XC flight) then you see how the 2-liner jumps a few meters up in almost every single bump you go through. This is why TORRE shows better performance in real flights. Plus another important advantage of TORRE is a higher maximum speed. So the answer in one simple sentence: If you are an old school pilot who is not used to being active with C-steering then TRANGO X is a great choice for you. If you're used to controlling the wing with the rear risers (or if you´re willing to learn it) then take the TORRE."
Will the TORRE & TRANGO series coexist in the future?
Jarda: "That is something that the market will show. In our point of view there are some benefits of TRANGO X, that is a reason why it was released even after the change of the certification rules. But if the majority of EN-C pilots will prefer 2-liners, TRANGO direction will be set aside."
Something you want to add?
Franta: "Finalisation is still in process but we believe the wing will be finished soon and will be available on stock soon. At least for sure for the 2026 season beginning."
Jarda: "It is already a great pleasure to fly the wing. So stay tuned for the final touch, because even the smallest details are important to us, and give it a shot."