B or B+: How Do You Make Sense of It?
In the paragliding market, there are more and more wings available, and certifications vary: A, A+, B, or even B+, also known as “B sport”… But what do these actually mean?
EN Certification
As you know, the EN (European Norms) certification system for paragliders divides our paragliders into 5 categories:
School and Beginner Wing
Progression Wing
Performance Wing
High-Performance Wing
Competition Wing
This certification helps us determine the level of piloting skill required for each sail and thus guide our choice of equipment.
However… How should we interpret a certification level that is divided into several subcategories?
Everyone has a general idea of what this means: a B+ will be more challenging to fly than a standard B… But why? How can you tell if you’re at the level needed to move up to a B+?
If you're feeling lost when it comes to choosing your next EN-B, then this article is for you!
To illustrate our point, we will use the comparison between the LEAF3 (EN-B) and the STEP X (EN-B+) in size M.
EN-B or EN-B+: Are they more or less the same thing?
How can we explain this difference between two wings that have, after all, received the same certification?
To understand the differences between these two gliders, we need to look at their respective certification reports. This report is a document that summarizes the results obtained by the gliders during the homologation test for each criterion evaluated.
You can find many certification reports on the websites of certification centers such as Air Turquoise.
The certification center evaluates the wings based on 23 criteria, which are further divided into several subcriteria. Depending on the results, each wing is assigned a grade (A, B, C, D, or CCC). If even one subcriterion falls into the highest category, the entire criterion is assigned the highest certification rating. The same applies to the wing’s final certification: if even one criterion receives a higher certification rating, the wing is moved up to the next higher rating.
Example of certification criteria ranging from A to C
This is why two gliders can have the same certification without requiring the same level of piloting skill. For an EN-B sport glider, the more criteria it meets in Category B, the more demanding the glider will be. The risk of flying outside the operating envelope is therefore greater, and it is more technically challenging to fly than a standard Category B glider with more criteria in Category A.
For example, out of 23 certification criteria, only one received a "B" rating on the LEAF3 , whereas the STEP X received a "B" on 3 of them.
Thus, even though these two wings fall into the EN-B category, the STEP X —which meets three times as many criteria for the B category—will be more challenging to fly than the LEAF3.
The certification report is a tool that serves as a first step in getting an idea of how the wing performs.
B or B+—why do these grades exist?
The wide range of conditions covered by Class B certification, along with advances in wing design, allow manufacturers to develop a variety of gliders with completely different characteristics, whether in terms of performance or handling.
The different wing designs in the B category are intended to cater to different types of flying. While a standard B wing is suitable for learning, early cross-country flights, and even for pilots looking to try freestyle, a B+ wing is geared toward recreational cross-country flying.
So, when a manufacturer decides to rate its wing as B+, it’s a way to position the wing in the market. By doing so, the manufacturer conveys that the wing was designed with performance in mind and is therefore intended for more experienced pilots.
Similarly, for Category B, this certification conveys to pilots our commitment to creating a wing that offers maximum passive safety within this classification—perfect for transitioning from a training wing to a higher-performance model while maintaining a level of safety appropriate for this stage of progression.
Although these subcategories (B-, B, B+, etc.) are not official, they allow manufacturers to indicate the type of pilot their wings are designed for. This enables them to offer several wings tailored to different pilots and flying styles within a single certification category.
So… Which EN-B should you choose?
It all depends on your experience, the number of flight hours per year, how often and what kind of flying you do, the wing loading, as well as the terrain where you fly, and so on… In short, as you can see, it depends on a lot of factors.
If you’re still flying an A-class wing, it might seem ambitious to aim directly for an EN-B+ as your next wing, since the difference between the two is quite significant. In fact, some EN-B+ wings can behave like full-fledged C-class wings in disguise!
On the other hand, if you’re already an experienced pilot, an EN-B might seem too similar to an A and could quickly become boring.
To help you choose, here are some tools you can use:
Advice from your regular retailer or instructor:
They are your most valuable source of information and advice. They are in the best position to guide you in your decision, so don't hesitate to turn to them with any questions you may have.
The manufacturer's website:
The manufacturer is best positioned to determine the type of driver their wings are designed for, so this is one of the places to go for product information. The technical data table and a wealth of basic information are listed there to help you get a good idea of the product.
The tests:
Magazines such as *Parapente Mag* and *Cross Country Magazine*, as well as certain YouTube channels, feature reviews of numerous models, describing their performance and explaining which pilots each paraglider is best suited for.
The certification report:
Knowing how to interpret it will give you an initial idea of how the wing performs. Even if it doesn’t clearly indicate what type of pilot the wing is designed for, it can still serve as a point of comparison between the different models you’re interested in.
Despite everything, the best source of information for deciding which wing to choose is still professionals such as a dealer or a school. Only qualified professionals can provide you with reliable and informed advice on choosing your equipment.
