Ozone Quality

At Ozone we are very proud of the quality of our products, and it’s something that we feel passionate about. This page explains why we chose some of the materials we use and how our wings are put together.

We started to develop our first wing on a clean sheet of paper. Choice of materials was one of the first problems to solve. Issues such as aging, material stability, ease of handling, and cost, etc had to be taken into account. In the end we chose the materials that we knew would do their particular jobs best. End of story.

Upper Surface

We have chosen to use Porcher Sport’s Skytex Evolution 45g m2 for the upper surface of our gliders. We consider this material to be the most advanced cloth available today, and our testing and research suggests that it lasts longer and performs better than any material in the world.

Dav and the design team spend a lot of time perfecting our wings to make them as wrinkle free as possible. Wrinkle free means a well designed glider with an exacting high quality production method.

Bottom Surface and Ribs

The loads on the lower surface of a glider are high so a durable cloth is needed, but the undersurface is not subjected to the same abuse as the upper surface. Because overall glider weight is a major issue for performance and comfort, we use Porcher Sport 40g m2. This is essentially the same material as the top surface, in a lighter weight. We also use Porcher Sport cloth for the rib construction as it is important that these remain stable so as not to deform and affect the handling of your glider over time.

Lines

We are great believers in using the right product for the job. On the lower lines we make use of Edeilrid High Modulus Aramid for its stretch resistance, high thermal tolerance and acknowledged durability. For the upper cascades we have chosen Liros line. This specially heat treated dyneema in a finely woven sheath gives a line that is hard wearing allowing us to use a smaller diameter line for the same strength, meaning less drag, less weight and more performance.

Line Attachments

Our line attachments are sewn deep into the reinforcement area of the ribs, which makes them stronger. For instance, the Mojo is tested to 12G at 155kg, which is higher than almost any other glider on the market today. Our deep attachment points also mean that the load is spread over a larger area of material which will reduce any stretching or aging of the cloth. This is a new feature that we have added to all of our latest gliders.

Colour Scheme Accuracy

Take a look at the colour scheme of an Ozone glider and you will see the panels match up with millimeter precision. This is a clear indicator of the accuracy and quality with which our wings are put together. This leads to wrinkle free gliders with consistent handling, performance and style.

Our Manufacturing Facility

OK you can’t see this vital piece in our quality system, unless of course you get on a plane. We are very proud of the fact that all our paragliders and kites are manufactured in our very own high quality facility. Airconditioning not only keeps our workers cool but maintains the stability of our cloth during manufacture. The production is designed so every wing is fully inflated during final inspection. This allows us to maintain the highest levels of quality control all thanks to Dr Dave and his team.

Risers

Our risers are manufactured using Guth &Wolf zero stretch polyester webbing from Germany (25mm/2000daN, 20mm1600daN). Risers take a lot of wear and tear, so we have reinforced the hook in point with two layers of webbing and a protective sheath of heavy-duty nylon cloth for maximum abrasion resistance. The risers are colour coded for ease of use and all of our gliders are equipped with split “A” lines for easy use of Big Ears.

Pulleys

AustriAlpin pulleys are the best in the world. We use pulleys with a cast alloy body and a brass roller that ensures a long working life. Oh, and they’re shiny and rather sexy as well.

Maillons

The French company Maillon Rapide have been in the business of producing the best quality shackles, links and clips for many years. There are many look-a-likes but only one original; look for the stamped name and the breaking strength. Lines are kept neatly in place on the maillon using a rubber o-ring.

Mylar Tape

The leading and trailing edges are finished with Mylar tape to protect your glider and to stop any stretching and to maintain the correct shape of the glider, particularly in the leading edge. The accuracy of our colour schemes should reassure you that we are not hiding any panel inaccuracies behind the tape. Just remember that 1mm error on a cell in a glider with 50 cells leads to an overall error of 5cm, this can make a marked difference to a gliders handling, performance and safety!

The Ozone Butt Hole

When we were the first to introduce this feature on our gliders there was quite a lot of sniggering, but now look at all the copycats out there. This Velcro opening in the wingtip of our gliders makes it easier to fish out all those stones, leaves, dirt, mobile phones etc that seem to collect in your glider. Getting rid of the dirt reduces abrasion of the cloth and means that your glider will last longer.

These materials and design elements combine to create a glider that when cared for properly will give you hundreds of hours of trouble free flying.