Independence Dragon

The Independence Dragon is a German single-place, paraglider that was designed by Michaël Nesler and produced by Independence Paragliding of Eisenberg, Thuringia. It is now out of production.^[1]

Design and development

The Dragon was designed as a beginner-intermediate glider. The design progressed through two generations of models, the Dragon and Dragon 2. The models are each named for their relative size.^[1]

Company test pilot Christian Amon was also involved in the development as well as flight testing of the Dragon.^[1]

Variants

Dragon 2 S

Small-sized model for lighter pilots. Its 11.6 m (38.1 ft) span wing has a wing area of 24.07 m² (259.1 sq ft), 46 cells and the aspect ratio is 5.5:1. The pilot weight range is 65 to 85 kg (143 to 187 lb). The glider model is DHV 1-2 certified.^[1]

Dragon 2 M

Mid-sized model for medium-weight pilots. Its 12.5 m (41.0 ft) span wing has a wing area of 27.83 m² (299.6 sq ft), 46 cells and the aspect ratio is 5.5:1. The pilot weight range is 80 to 105 kg (176 to 231 lb). The glider model is DHV 1-2 certified.^[1]

Dragon 2 L

Large-sized model for heavier pilots. Its 13.0 m (42.7 ft) span wing has a wing area of 30.68 m² (330.2 sq ft), 46 cells and the aspect ratio is 5.5:1. The pilot weight range is 100 to 125 kg (220 to 276 lb). The glider model is DHV 1-2 certified.^[1]

Dragon 2 XL

Extra large-sized model for much heavier pilots. Its 13.5 m (44.3 ft) span wing has a wing area of 33.1 m² (356 sq ft), 40 cells and the aspect ratio is 5.5:1. The pilot weight range is 100 to 135 kg (220 to 298 lb). The glider model is DHV 1-2 certified.^[1]

Specifications (Dragon 2 L)

Data from Bertrand^[1]

General characteristics

• Crew: one
• Wingspan: 13.0 m (42 ft 8 in)
• Wing area: 30.68 m² (330.2 sq ft)
• Aspect ratio: 5.5:1

Performance

• Maximum speed: 52 km/h (32 mph; 28 kn)

References