The FreeX Blade is a German single-place,

paraglider Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched Glider (aircraft), glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a :wikt:harness, harness or in ...

that was designed and produced by

FreeX FreeX GmbH (usually styled freeX) was a German aircraft manufacturer based in Lenggries and previously located in Egling. The company specialized in the design and manufacture of paragliders in the form of ready-to-fly aircraft.Bertrand, Noe ...

Egling Egling () is a municipality in the district of Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen in Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states ...

in the mid-2000s. It is now out of production.Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04'', page 18. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster OK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485X

Design and development

The Blade was designed as an intermediate high-performance glider. Like all FreeX wings it features internal diagonal bracing. The models are each named for their relative size.

Operational history

The FreeX's CEO flew the Blade and won the German Distance Sport Class competition with it.

Variants

;Blade S :Small-sized model for lighter pilots. Its span wing has a wing area of , 53 cells and the

aspect ratio The aspect ratio of a geometry, geometric shape is the ratio of its sizes in different dimensions. For example, the aspect ratio of a rectangle is the ratio of its longer side to its shorter side—the ratio of width to height, when the rectangl ...

is 5.8:1. The pilot weight range is . ;Blade M :Mid-sized model for medium-weight pilots. Its span wing has a wing area of , 53 cells and the aspect ratio is 5.8:1. The pilot weight range is . The glider model is DHV 2 certified. ;Blade L :Large-sized model for heavier pilots. Its span wing has a wing area of , 53 cells and the aspect ratio is 5.8:1. The pilot weight range is . The glider model is DHV 2 certified.

Specifications (Blade L)

References

{{FreeX aircraft

Blade A blade is the Sharpness (cutting), sharp, cutting portion of a tool, weapon, or machine, specifically designed to puncture, chop, slice, or scrape surfaces or materials. Blades are typically made from materials that are harder than those they a ...

Paragliders