The MENTOR 6 Light mainly differentiates itself from the MENTOR 6 in terms of weight. We chose weight-optimised Skytex 27 cloth on the upper and lower surface. Nice to know: We offer the same guarantee for this cloth as we do for our regular sail cloths. Why? It is very important to us that you can enjoy your NOVA wing for a long time. Despite its lightweight design, we use the most robust materials possible and on the wing nose we have additionally used double-sided coated 30D cloth.

No compromises in comfort. Apart from the gallery lines, all lines are sheathed and nearly sort themselves. Instead of "Spaghetti-straps" we use new aerodynamically slim risers, whose design was based on the Speedbrake Riser. These ensure optimal C-steering and even at the launch lie comfortably in the hand. This means the MENTOR 6 Light is easy to inflate and the weight-optimised canopy climbs even more easily than the normal version.

A typical Mentor. Which means that you can expect exactly what the name MENTOR traditionally promises from our new glider: best performance in the EN B class. An experienced pilot will soon realise that the MENTOR 6 Light gives useful feedback about what is happening with the wing in flight and at the same time leaves enough room for manoeuvre to actively fly the glider's great potential. Our new ergonomic brake handles make this even more comfortable.

Simply honest. The MENTOR 6 Light’s performance is easily accessible and is therefore suitable for local soaring as well as being perfect for ambitious FAI triangles, hike & fly and vol biv. In strong thermals it convinces with its relaxed and comfortable flying characteristics and, for its class, a very high level of passive safety (flat aspect ratio: 5.43). Especially for pilots who like to climb mountains on foot, the combined low weight and small packing size makes the MENTOR 6 Light an all-rounder: light on the back and as enthusiastic about going XC as you are.

Zig-Zag 3D-Shaping. As well as the double 3D-shaped seams, there is an additional diagonal 3D-shaped seam on every cell. This forms a striking zig-zag pattern. The advantage of Zig-Zag 3D-Shaping is that this seam doesn’t run in the direction of the spanwise force.  This means the seam runs more cleanly and is more aerodynamically advantageous.  This innovation reduces the creases in the leading edge.

Weight-optimised cloth. We not only test the sail cloth for durability (high porosity or reduced tear resistance through UV damage or wear) but also for mechanical robustness, for example stretching. For quality control purposes we regularly take samples during serial production.

Mini-Rib Vector Tape. Mini-ribs increase the number of cells in the rear wing area and thus provide an aerodynamically more favourable trailing edge. The MENTOR 6 Light has an additional vector tape in this area. This tape reduces the crease that is created when braking. This markedly increases climb performance and handling. Additionally, there is a brake gathering system on the trailing edge. These features mean the MENTOR 6 Light has a beautiful, smooth trailing edge, even when the brakes are applied.

New risers. The risers on the MENTOR 6 Light are a further development of the Speedbrake Riser and this means the B-line area is also shortened when the C-line area is pulled during accelerated flight. The advantage is that the when using C-steering, there is no performance-limiting crease between the B-line and C-line areas, which is otherwise typical in three-liners.  The new MENTOR 6 Light comes with the new riser as standard, so no retrofitting of the Speedbrake Riser is necessary. The new risers are practical and lie comfortably in the hand - during groundhandling and when getting ready to launch.

Learn more about the new risers at News & Stories.

Ergonomic brake handles. We developed the new brake handles for the MENTOR 6, so of course they also feature on the MENTOR 6 Light. The new brake handles have an ergonomic design and are comfortable to handle.

Double-B splits. These double-B splits are similar to the double-A splits in two-liners and these allow for a better load distribution in the chord direction. This ensures more stability and fewer creases between the individual line areas.

It is important to us to build smaller sized wings with a weight range starting at 50 kg. Instead of just scaling down a larger wing, we considered in great depth the technical peculiarities of small wings to ensure that the XXXS had a balanced and suitable brake configuration which matches the size of the canopy. Therefore, the MENTOR 6 Light XXXS is a wing with its own, fully-fledged specification allowing both women and men to enjoy its excellent performance, safety features and impressive agility. This is our contribution to equal opportunities in flying.

The MENTOR 6 light is a paraglider with impressive performance which has – in the hands of an experienced pilot – a very manageable handling and extreme flight behaviour. Flying the MENTOR 6 light does require a level of skill. Although certified as EN B, the MENTOR 6 light is not suitable for beginners and occasional pilots. But any pilot with the ambition to advance their sound flying knowledge to another level will find a perfect partner in the MENTOR 6 light. Particularly experienced cross-country pilots who like to fly at top speed for long flights will love the enhanced performance of this glider.

Would you like to know if this is the right wing for you or would you like to test fly one? In both cases the best person to contact is your local NOVA dealer.

Cross Country published a detailed review of the MENTOR 6 and MENTOR 6 Light. You can download the full review here (PDF in English). Thanks to Cross Country for the permission.

Conclusion:

“Your brain is your most formidable flying instrument, and the Mentor 6 and Mentor 6 Light will allow you to use it at full capacity. Secure and reassuring – with loads of performance in the tank – this is a wing that could take you all the way from evening floater to XC legend. There are always moments when you want more speed, more glide, but a pilot flying at 100% will always fly their best flight. This wing will enable a huge number of pilots to get to that level – and to do it with a feeling of safety, comfort and control.”